Deuteronomy 17
1 “Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or blemish, anything bad, for that is detestable to the LORD your God.
2 In one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman may be found among you who does what is evil in the eyes of the LORD your God, breaking his covenant.
3 That person has gone and served other gods, bowing down to them, or to the sun, the moon, or the whole host of heaven, which I did not command.
4 This may be reported to you, and you will hear about it. Then investigate thoroughly; and if it is true, if the matter is confirmed, if this detestable thing has been done in Israel:
5 Take the man or woman who has done this evil thing out to your gates—the man or woman—and stone them to death.
6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses, the one condemned shall be put to death; no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness.
7 The witnesses’ hands must be the first to act against that person, to put them to death, and then the hands of all the people. So you will remove the evil from among you.
8 A legal case may be too difficult for you to decide—one involving bloodshed, one claim against another, one injury against another, disputes in your towns. Then get up and go to the place the LORD your God will choose.
9 Go to the Levitical priests and the judge serving in those days. Consult them, and they will declare the verdict to you.
10 Act according to what they declare to you from the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you.”
11 “Act according to the law they teach you and the ruling they give you; do not turn aside from what they declare to you, either to the right or to the left.
12 The person who acts arrogantly, refusing to listen to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, shall die. So you will remove the evil from Israel.
13 All the people will hear and be afraid, and they will no longer act arrogantly.
14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, take possession of it, and settle there, you will say, ‘I will appoint a king over myself, like all the nations around me.’
15 Be sure to appoint over yourself the king the LORD your God will choose. Appoint a king over yourself from among your own brothers. You may not appoint a foreigner over yourself, someone who is not your brother.
16 But he must not acquire many horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to acquire more horses, because the LORD has told you, ‘You must never go back that way again.’
17 He must not take many wives for himself, so that his heart will not turn away; nor must he acquire a great amount of silver and gold.
18 When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he must write for himself a copy of this law in a book, in the presence of the Levitical priests.
19 It must remain with him, and he must read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and carefully observe all the words of this law and these statutes, putting them into practice.
20 Then his heart will not become proud above his brothers, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left. Thus he and his descendants will reign for a long time in Israel.”
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