Deuteronomy 17
Names of God Bible
17 Never offer an ox or a sheep that has a defect or anything seriously wrong with it as a sacrifice to Yahweh your Elohim. That would be disgusting to Yahweh your Elohim.
2 In one of the cities Yahweh your Elohim is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what Yahweh your Elohim considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of Yahweh’s promise[a] 3 by worshiping and bowing down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this. 4 When you are told about it, investigate it thoroughly. If it’s true and it can be proven that this disgusting thing has been done in Israel, 5 then bring the man or woman who did this evil thing to the gates of your city, and stone that person to death. 6 The person can only be sentenced to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but no one should ever be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness. 7 The witnesses must start the execution, then all the other people will join them in putting the person to death. You must get rid of this evil.
8 There may be a case that is too hard for you to decide. It may involve murder, assault, or a dispute—any case which may be brought to court in your cities. Take this case to the place that Yahweh your Elohim will choose. 9 Go to the Levitical priests and the judge who is serving at that time. Ask for their opinion, and they will give you their verdict 10 at the place that Yahweh will choose. Do what they tell you. Follow all their instructions carefully, 11 and do what they tell you to do in their verdict. Do exactly what they tell you to do in their decision. 12 If anyone deliberately disobeys the priest (who serves Yahweh your Elohim) or the judge, that person must die. You must get rid of this evil in Israel. 13 When all the people hear about it, they will be afraid and will never defy God’s law again.
14 You will enter the land that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. You will take possession of it and live there. You will say, “Let’s have our own king like all the other nations around us.” 15 Be sure to appoint the king Yahweh your Elohim will choose. He must be one of your own people. Never let a foreigner be king, because he’s not one of your own people.
16 The king must never own a large number of horses or make the people return to Egypt to get more horses. Yahweh has told you, “You will never go back there again.” 17 The king must never have a large number of wives, or he will turn away from God. And he must never own a lot of gold and silver.
18 When he becomes king, he should have the Levitical priests make him a copy of these teachings on a scroll. 19 He must keep it with him and read it his entire life. He will learn to fear Yahweh his Elohim and faithfully obey everything found in these teachings and laws. 20 Then he won’t think he’s better than the rest of his people, and he won’t disobey these commands in any way. So he and his sons will rule for a long time in Israel.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:2 Or “covenant.”
Deuteronomy 17
New King James Version
Various Instructions
17 “You (A)shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a bull or sheep which has any [a]blemish or defect, for that is an [b]abomination to the Lord your God.
2 (B)“If there is found among you, within any of your [c]gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, (C)in transgressing His covenant, 3 who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either (D)the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, (E)which I have not commanded, 4 (F)and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently. And if it is indeed true and certain that such an [d]abomination has been committed in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and (G)shall stone (H)to death that man or woman with stones. 6 Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three (I)witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. 7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall put away the evil from among (J)you.
8 (K)“If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the (L)place which the Lord your God chooses. 9 And (M)you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and (N)to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; (O)they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment. 10 You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the Lord chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. 11 According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. 12 Now (P)the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel. 13 (Q)And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously.
Principles Governing Kings
14 “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, (R)‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you (S)whom the Lord your God chooses; one (T)from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 But he shall not multiply (U)horses for himself, nor cause the people (V)to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for (W)the Lord has said to you, (X)‘You shall not return that way again.’ 17 Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and (Y)gold for himself.
18 “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one (Z)before the priests, the Levites. 19 And (AA)it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not [e]be lifted above his brethren, that he (AB)may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may [f]prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:1 Lit. evil thing
- Deuteronomy 17:1 detestable thing
- Deuteronomy 17:2 towns
- Deuteronomy 17:4 detestable thing
- Deuteronomy 17:20 become proud
- Deuteronomy 17:20 continue long in his kingdom
Deuteronomy 17
English Standard Version
17 (A)“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.
2 (B)“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, (C)in transgressing his covenant, 3 and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or (D)the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, (E)which I have forbidden, 4 and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire (F)diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, 5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you (G)shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. 6 (H)On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7 (I)The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So (J)you shall purge[a] the evil[b] from your midst.
Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges
8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to (K)the place that the Lord your God will choose. 9 (L)And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and (M)they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. 11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. 12 The man who (N)acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest (O)who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So (P)you shall purge the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people (Q)shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.
Laws Concerning Israel's Kings
14 “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, (R)‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you (S)whom the Lord your God will choose. One (T)from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he must not acquire many (U)horses for himself or cause the people (V)to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, (W)‘You shall never return that way again.’ 17 And he (X)shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, (Y)nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, (Z)he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, (AA)approved by[c] the Levitical priests. 19 And (AB)it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, (AC)that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he (AD)may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, (AE)so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Septuagint drive out; also verse 12
- Deuteronomy 17:7 Or evil person; also verse 12
- Deuteronomy 17:18 Hebrew from before
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
