Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 321
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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!
“When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special
possession and you have conquered it and settled there, put some of the
first produce from each crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the
designated place of w
orship—the place the Lord your God chooses for
his name to be honored. 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.’ The priest
will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the
Lord your God.
“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. When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by
making us their slaves, we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. So the
Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with
overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought
us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 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. 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.
“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. 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, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not
violated or forgotten any of your commands. 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. 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.’
