Blessing or Curse: The Choice is YOurs
Justice is not optional; it is the foundation for remaining in the land Yehovah gives us.
A Brief Insight
In this section, Yehovah establishes principles for building a just and righteous society in the Promised Land. Israel is commanded to appoint judges who administer justice impartially, rejecting corruption and bribery. It also addresses idolatry, the authority of priests and judges, and the responsibilities of a future king. Unlike the rulers of surrounding nations, Israel’s king must remain humble, avoid accumulating excessive wealth, and personally write a copy of the Torah, reading it throughout his life. Yehovah also warns Israel against pagan practices and promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, whose words they must hear. Instructions concerning cities of refuge, witnesses, warfare, and unsolved murders reveal a central principle: justice, obedience, and reverence for Yehovah are essential for Israel to flourish in the land.
Read the Story as Told in Scripture
18Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Yehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous. 20That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Yehovah thy God giveth thee.
21Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Yehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar; which Yehovah thy God hateth.
17 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto Yehovah thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a blemish, or anything evil; for that is an abomination unto Yehovah thy God.
2If there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which Yehovah thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of Yehovah thy God, in transgressing his covenant, 3and hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 4and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it; then shalt thou inquire diligently; and, behold, if it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Isra’el, 5then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them to death with stones. 6At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death. 7The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
8If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Yehovah thy God shall choose; 9and thou shalt come unto the Cohanim the L’vi’im, and unto the judge that shall be in those days: and thou shalt inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment. 10And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show thee from that place which Yehovah shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee: 11according to the tenor of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before Yehovah thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Isra’el. 13And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
14When thou art come unto the land which Yehovah thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are round about me; 15thou shalt surely set him king over thee, whom Yehovah thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over thee, who is not thy brother. 16Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he may multiply horses; forasmuch as Yehovah hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
18And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the Cohanim the L’vi’im: 19and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that he may learn to fear Yehovah his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them; 20that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Isra’el.
18 The Cohanim, the L’vi’im, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance with Isra’el: they shall eat the offerings of Yehovah made by fire, and his inheritance. 2And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren: Yehovah is their inheritance, as he hath spoken unto them. 3And this shall be the due of the Cohanim from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the stomach. 4The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5For Yehovah thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Yehovah, him and his sons for ever.
6And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which Yehovah shall choose; 7then he shall minister in the name of Yehovah his God, as all his brethren the L’vi’im do, who stand there before Yehovah. 8They shall have like portions to eat, besides that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.
9When thou art come into the land which Yehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found with thee any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, one that practiseth augury, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11or a charmer, or a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Yehovah: and because of these abominations Yehovah thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13Thou shalt be perfect with Yehovah thy God. 14For these nations, that thou shalt dispossess, hearken unto them that practise augury, and unto diviners; but as for thee, Yehovah thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.
15Yehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16according to all that thou desiredst of Yehovah thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of Yehovah my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. 17And Yehovah said unto me, They have well said that which they have spoken. 18I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
20But the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. 21And if thou say in thy heart, How shall we know the word which Jehovah hath not spoken? 22when a prophet speaketh in the name of Jehovah, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which Jehovah hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.
19 When Yehovah thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land Yehovah thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; 2thou shalt set apart three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which Yehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it. 3Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which Yehovah thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.
4And this is the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso killeth his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; 5as when a man goeth into the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, so that he dieth; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live: 6lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt set apart three cities for thee. 8And if Yehovah thy God enlarge thy border, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; 9if thou shalt keep all this mitzvot to do it, which I command thee this day, to love Yehovah thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, besides these three: 10that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which Yehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally so that he dieth, and he flee into one of these cities; 12then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the innocent blood from Isra’el, that it may go well with thee.
14Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Yehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it.
15One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established. 16If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to testify against him of wrong-doing, 17then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before Yehovah, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days; 18and the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the witness be a false witness, and have testified falsely against his brother; 19then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to do unto his brother: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee. 20And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee. 21And thine eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
20 When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for Yehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3and shall say unto them, Hear, O Isra’el, ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint; fear not, nor tremble, neither be ye affrighted at them; 4for Yehovah your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you. 5And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof. 7And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her. 8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart melt as his heart. 9And it shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.
10When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. 11And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee. 12And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: 13and when Yehovah thy God delivereth it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: 14but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which Yehovah thy God hath given thee. 15Thus shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. 16But of the cities of these peoples, that Yehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth; 17but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hitti, and the Emori, the Kena’ani, and the P’rizi, the Hivi, and the Y’vusi; as Yehovah thy God hath commanded thee; 18that they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so would ye sin against Yehovah your God.
19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? 20Only the trees of which thou knowest that they are not trees for food, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it fall.
21 If one be found slain in the land which Yehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him; 2then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 3and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; 4and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5And the Cohanim the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yehovah thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of Yehovah; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be. 6And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; 7and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8Forgive, O Yehovah, thy people Isra’el, whom thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of thy people Isra’el. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Yehovah.
12I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be made as grass; 13and hast forgotten Yehovah thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fearest continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he maketh ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor? 14The captive exile shall speedily be loosed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. 15For I am Yehovah thy God, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar: Yehovah-Tzva’ot is his name. 16And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Tziyon, Thou art my people.
17Awake, awake, stand up, O Yerushalayim, that hast drunk at the hand of Yehovah the cup of his wrath; thou hast drunken the bowl of the cup of staggering, and drained it. 18There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand among all the sons that she hath brought up. 19These two things are befallen thee, who shall bemoan thee? desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword; how shall I comfort thee? 20Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as an antelope in a net; they are full of the wrath of Yehovah, the rebuke of thy God.
21Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: 22Thus saith thy Lord Yehovah, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of staggering, even the bowl of the cup of my wrath; thou shalt no more drink it again: 23and I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee, that have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over; and thou hast laid thy back as the ground, and as the street, to them that go over.
52 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Tziyon; put on thy beautiful garments, O Yerushalayim, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. 2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne, O Yerushalayim: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Tziyon.
3For thus saith Yehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 4For thus saith the Lord Yehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and Ashur hath oppressed them without cause. 5Now therefore, what do I here, saith Yehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Yehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed. 6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I.
7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Tziyon, Thy God reigneth! 8The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yehovah returneth to Tziyon. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Yerushalayim; for Yehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Yerushalayim. 10Yehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Yehovah. 12For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Yehovah will go before you; and the God of Isra’el will be your rearward.
9Yeshua saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and dost thou not know me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; how sayest thou, Show us the Father? 10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I say unto you I speak not from myself: but the Father abiding in me doeth his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. 12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. 13And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do. 15If ye love me, ye will keep my commands. 16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Counselor, that he may be with you for ever, 17even the Spirit of Truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you. 18I will not leave you desolate: I come unto you. 19Yet a little while, and the world beholdeth me no more; but ye behold me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20In that day ye shall know that I am united with my Father, and ye with me, and I with you.
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