HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 552
D EU T ERO N O MY 2 6
and honest measures. 15 Yes, always use honest
weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a
long life in the land the Lord your God is giving
you. 16 All who cheat with dishonest weights and
measures are detestable to the Lord your God.
17 “Never forget what the Amalekites did to
you as you came from Egypt. 18 They attacked
you when you were exhausted and weary, and
they struck down those who were straggling
behind. They had no fear of God. 19 Therefore,
when the Lord your God has given you rest from
all your enemies in the land he is giving you as
a special possession, you must destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under
heaven. Never forget this!
Harvest Offerings and Tithes
“When you enter the land the Lord your
God is giving you as a special possession and you have conquered it and settled
there, 2 put some of the first produce from each
crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the
designated place of worship—the place the Lord
your God chooses for his name to be honored.
3 Go to the priest in charge at that time and say
to him, ‘With this gift I acknowledge to the Lord
your God that I have entered the land he swore
to our ancestors he would give us.’ 4 The priest
will then take the basket from your hand and set
it before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 “You must then say in the presence of the
Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner
in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but
in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation.
6 When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated
us by making us their slaves, 7 we cried out to
the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard our
cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. 8 So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with
a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs
and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and
gave us this land flowing with milk and honey!
10 And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first
portion of the harvest you have given me from
the ground.’ Then place the produce before the
Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him. 11 Afterward you may go and
celebrate because of all the good things the
Lord your God has given to you and your household. Remember to include the Levites and the
foreigners living among you in the celebration.
12 “Every third year you must offer a special
tithe of your crops. In this year of the special
tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will
have enough to eat in your towns. 13 Then you
must declare in the presence of the Lord your
God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house
and have given it to the Levites, foreigners,
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orphans, and widows, just as you commanded
me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your
commands. 14 I have not eaten any of it while in
mourning; I have not handled it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any
of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God
and have done everything you commanded me.
15 Now look down from your holy dwelling place
in heaven and bless your people Israel and the
land you swore to our ancestors to give us—
a land flowing with milk and honey.’
A Call to Obey the LORD’s Commands
16 “Today the Lord your God has commanded you
to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be
careful to obey them wholeheartedly. 17 You have
declared today that the Lord is your God. And
you have promised to walk in his ways, and to
obey his decrees, commands, and regulations,
and to do everything he tells you. 18 The Lord has
declared today that you are his people, his own
special treasure, just as he promised, and that
you must obey all his commands. 19 And if you do,
he will set you high above all the other nations he
has made. Then you will receive praise, honor,
and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to
the Lord your God, just as he promised.”
The Altar on Mount Ebal
Then Moses and the leaders of Israel
gave this charge to the people: “Obey
all these commands that I am giving you today.
2 When you cross the Jordan River and enter the
land the Lord your God is giving you, set up
some large stones and coat them with plaster.
3 Write this whole body of instruction on them
when you cross the river to enter the land the
Lord your God is giving you—a land flowing
with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God
of your ancestors, promised you. 4 When you
cross the Jordan, set up these stones at Mount
Ebal and coat them with plaster, as I am commanding you today.
5 “Then build an altar there to the Lord your
God, using natural, uncut stones. You must not
shape the stones with an iron tool. 6 Build the
altar of uncut stones, and use it to offer burnt
offerings to the Lord your God. 7 Also sacrifice
peace offerings on it, and celebrate by feasting there before the Lord your God. 8 You must
clearly write all these instructions on the stones
coated with plaster.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests addressed all Israel as follows: “O Israel, be quiet
and listen! Today you have become the people
of the Lord your God. 10 So you must obey the
Lord your God by keeping all these commands
and decrees that I am giving you today.”
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Curses from Mount Ebal
11 That same day Moses also gave this charge to
the people: 12 “When you cross the Jordan River,