Deuteronomy 27 Cross References - ISV

¹ Stone MemorialsMoses and the elders of Israel gave these orders to the people: “Observe all of the commandments that I’m giving you today. ² On the day you cross over the Jordan River to the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. ³ Then inscribe on them all the words of this law when you’ve crossed over into the land that the LORD your God is about to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—just as the LORD God of your ancestors promised you.
⁴ “When you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones about which I’m commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster. ⁵ Then build an altar there to the LORD your God, an altar of stones that hasn’t been worked with iron tools. ⁶ Build the altar to the LORD your God with uncut stones, then offer a burnt offering to him. ⁷ Offer a burnt offering there, then eat and rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God. ⁸ Inscribe on the stones plainly and distinctly all the words of this Law.”
⁹ Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to Israel. They said, “Be quiet and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of the LORD your God. ¹⁰ Listen to his voice and carry out his commands and statutes that I’m giving you today.”
¹¹ Penalties for DisobedienceMoses gave the people these commands that day: ¹² “When you cross the Jordan River, these tribes are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people—Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³ The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali are to stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce the curse. ¹⁴ The descendants of Levi are to declare in a loud voice to every Israeli: ¹⁵ “‘Cursed is the one who makes a sculptured or cast image—a detestable thing to the LORD, the work of a craftsman—and sets it up secretly.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁶ “Cursed is the one who treats his father and mother with dishonor.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁷ “‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁸ “‘Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁹ “‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice due the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²⁰ “Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his father’s wife, because he has disgraced his father.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²¹ “‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with any animal.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²² “‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his sister, the daughter of his father or mother.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²³ “‘Cursed is the one who has sexual relations with his mother-in-law.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²⁴ “‘Cursed is one who strikes his neighbor secretly.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²⁵ “‘Cursed is one who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’ ²⁶ “‘Cursed is the one who doesn’t uphold the words of this Law and observe them.“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’”

¹ Moses Presents the Privileges of the Covenant“Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and the ordinances that I’m teaching you to observe so you may live and go in to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is about to give you. ² Do not add or subtract a thing to what I’m commanding you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God. ³ You saw with your own eyes what he did in Baal Peor. The LORD your God exterminated from among you every man who followed Baal of Peor.

³² Be careful to obey all the statutes and ordinances that I’m placing before you today.”

¹⁶ Living for the Glory of God“The LORD your God is commanding you this very day to observe these statutes and judgments. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and soul.

²⁸ But he said, “Instead, how blessed are those who hear God’s word and obey it!”

¹⁴ You are my friends, if you do what I command you.

¹ Instructions on the Way Christians Should LiveNow then, brothers, you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, as in fact you are doing. We ask and encourage you in the Lord to do so even more. ² You know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

¹ The Covenant of Love“Now these are the commands, decrees, and ordinances that the LORD commanded me to teach you. Obey them in the land you are entering to possess,

¹ When the LORD Fulfills His Promise“Listen, Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and dispossess greater and mightier nations than you, who live in large cities that are fortified to the sky.

³¹ For you are about to cross the Jordan River to go in and possess the land that the LORD your God is about to give you to inherit and live in.

¹ Gift of the First Produce“When you arrive in the land that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance, take possession of it and settle in it.

³ Then inscribe on them all the words of this law when you’ve crossed over into the land that the LORD your God is about to give you—a land flowing with milk and honey—just as the LORD God of your ancestors promised you.

¹¹ “Go through the camp,” he said, “and command the people, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, because within three days you’ll be crossing the Jordan River to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you—so go get it!’”

¹ The Jordan River MemorialAs soon as the entire nation had completed its crossing of the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua. He said,

⁵ Joshua told them, “Cross over again in front of the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan River. Then each of you pick up a stone on his shoulder with which to build a memorial, one for each of the tribes of Israel. ⁶ Let this serve as a sign among you, so that when your children ask in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean to you,’ ⁷ then you’ll say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan River were cut off in front of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan River, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones will become a memorial to the Israelis forever.”
⁸ The Israelis did just as Joshua commanded. They took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River—just as the LORD had spoken to Joshua—according to the number of the tribes of the Israelis, and they carried them over to where they would be pitching camp, and they put them down there. ⁹ Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan River at the location where the feet of the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant had been standing, and they remain there to this day.
¹⁰ Crossing the Jordan RiverThe priests who were carrying the ark stood in the middle of the Jordan River until everything had been done in accordance with what the LORD had commanded Joshua to speak to the people and with everything that Moses had commanded Joshua. So the people hurried and crossed over. ¹¹ When all of the people had completed their crossing, the ark of the LORD and the priests crossed over in full view of the people. ¹² Just as Moses had directed, the descendants of Reuben, the descendants of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, dressed in battle regalia, in full view of the other Israelis. ¹³ About 40,000 soldiers equipped to do battle in the LORD’s presence crossed over to the desert plains of Jericho.
¹⁴ That day, the LORD exalted Joshua in the presence of all Israel so that they revered him just as they had revered Moses throughout his life.
¹⁵ Now the LORD had told Joshua, ¹⁶ “Command the priests who carry the Ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan River.”
¹⁷ So Joshua ordered the priests, “Come up from the Jordan River.”
¹⁸ As soon as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD had come up from the middle of the Jordan River, and the soles of the priests’ feet came up to dry ground, the water of the Jordan River returned to normal, covering its banks as it had done so before.
¹⁹ Why Joshua Set up the MemorialThe people came up from the Jordan River on the tenth day of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern outskirts of Jericho. ²⁰ Joshua set up the twelve stones that they had removed from the Jordan River at Gilgal. ²¹ Then he told the Israelis, “When your descendants ask their parents in years to come, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ ²² you are to tell your descendants: ‘Israel crossed this Jordan River on dry ground ²³ because the LORD your God dried up the water of the Jordan River right in front of you, until you had crossed over, just as the LORD your God had done to the Reed Sea—which he had dried up in front of us until we had crossed it also.’ ²⁴ Do this so that all of the people of the earth may know how strong the power of the LORD is, and so that you may fear the LORD your God every day.”

³¹ just the way Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: “…an altar of uncut stones that hasn’t been worked with iron tools…” and they offered burnt offerings to the LORD on it, along with peace offerings.

¹⁹ then I’ll give them a united heart, placing a new spirit within them. I’ll remove their stubborn heart and give them a heart that’s sensitive to me.

²⁶ “‘“I’m going to give you a new heart, and I’m going to give you a new spirit within all of your deepest parts. I’ll remove that rock-hard heart of yours and replace it with one that’s sensitive to me.

²⁴ But I’ve promised you that you’ll inherit the land that I’m about to give you as your permanent possession—a land flowing with milk and honey.
“I am your God. I’ve separated you from the people.

²⁷ “We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit,

⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey.

⁸ Tie them as reminders on your forearm, bind them on your forehead,

⁹ And then we arrived at this place, and he gave this land to us, flowing with milk and honey.

⁶ The Israelis traveled 40 years in the wilderness until the entire nation—that is, the warriors who had departed from Egypt—had perished because they hadn’t listened to the voice of the LORD. The LORD had promised them that he would not let them see the land that he had sworn to give us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

³² There Joshua inscribed on stones a copy of the Law of Moses that Moses had presented to the Israelis.

⁵ As a result, I’ll fulfill the oath that I made with your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as is the case today.”’”
Then I answered, “So be it, LORD.”

³¹ The New Covenant“Look, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³² It won’t be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. ³³ “Rather, this is the covenant that I’ll make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD. “I’ll put my Law within them and will write it on their hearts. I’ll be their God and they will be my people.

²² And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey.

² You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone. ³ You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah’s letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁶ However, Jesus has now obtained a more superior ministry, since the covenant he mediates is founded on better promises.
⁷ The New Covenant is Better than the OldIf the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one, ⁸ but God found something wrong with his people when he said, “Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ⁹ It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant, I ignored them, declares the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and will write them on their minds,

²⁹ Declaration of the Blessings and Curses“When the LORD brings you to the land that you are about to enter to inherit, repeat the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal. ³⁰ They’re across the Jordan River to the west, aren’t they, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?

³⁰ Joshua Renews the CovenantThen Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just the way Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: “…an altar of uncut stones that hasn’t been worked with iron tools…” and they offered burnt offerings to the LORD on it, along with peace offerings.
³² There Joshua inscribed on stones a copy of the Law of Moses that Moses had presented to the Israelis. ³³ All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the LORD’s servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel.

²⁵ If you make an altar of stone for me, you must not build it of cut stones, because if you strike it with your chisel, you will profane it.

⁴ So Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He got up early in the morning and built an altar with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.

³⁰ Joshua Renews the CovenantThen Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just the way Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: “…an altar of uncut stones that hasn’t been worked with iron tools…” and they offered burnt offerings to the LORD on it, along with peace offerings.

³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob’s descendants, to whom the message from the LORD had come that “Israel is to be your name.” ³² So Elijah used the stones to build an altar to the name of the LORD. But then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures of seed.

¹ Burnt OfferingsThe LORD told Moses from the middle of the Tent of Meeting, ² “Speak to the Israelis and tell them that when any person brings an offering to the LORD from among you, whether he brings on offering of animals from either cattle or flock, ³ if his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to bring a male without any defect. He is to present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. At the appointed time, it is to be presented in the presence of the LORD so that he may be accepted. ⁴ He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted for him as an atonement on his behalf. ⁵ Then he is to slaughter the young bull in the LORD’s presence.”
General Instructions“Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to bring the blood and sprinkle it around the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. ⁷ Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to build a fire on the altar and arrange the wood over the fire. ⁸ They are to arrange the pieces of meat—including the head and the fat—on the wood over the fire that burns on the altar. ⁹ Then he is to wash its entrails and legs with water. After this, the priest is to offer all of it on the altar—a burnt offering by fire, an aroma that will be pleasing to the LORD.”
¹⁰ Burnt Offerings of Livestock“If his offering is a burnt offering from the flock, whether lamb or goat, he is to bring a male without any defect ¹¹ and slaughter it at the north side of the altar in the LORD’s presence. Then Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to sprinkle its blood around the altar. ¹² He is to cut up its head and fat into separate pieces arrange them in rows on the wood over the fire that burns on the altar, ¹³ wash its entrails and legs with water, and then offer all of it on the altar—a burnt offering by fire, an aroma that will be pleasing to the LORD.”
¹⁴ Burnt Offerings of Birds“If his offering is a burnt offering of birds to the LORD, he is to bring turtledoves or young doves. ¹⁵ The priest is to bring it to the altar to offer it up in smoke. He is to decapitate it and drain its blood on the side of the altar, ¹⁶ and then he is to eviscerate it and throw the viscera and the feathers to the east side of the altar, where the fatty ashes are located. ¹⁷ He is then to tear it open by its wings, but not divide it completely into two parts. The priest is then to offer all of it on the wood over the fire as a burnt offering by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.”

² Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.

¹ Peace Offerings“If someone’s offering is a peace offering from the cattle, the presenter is to offer it without defect, whether the animal is male or female. They are to be brought to the LORD. ² Then the presenter is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. After this, Aaron’s sons, the priests, are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar.
³ “The presenter is then to bring a gift from the peace offering, an offering made by fire to the LORD. He is to remove the fat that covers the internal organs, all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, ⁴ the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass that surrounds the liver and kidneys. ⁵ Then Aaron’s sons are to burn them on the altar, over the burnt offering that has been placed on the wood over the fire, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
⁶ “If his offering to the LORD is a peace offering from the flock, whether male or female, he is to bring it without defect. ⁷ If the offering that he is bringing is a lamb, then he is to bring it to the LORD. ⁸ He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar.
⁹ “The presenter is then to bring a gift from the peace offering as an offering made by fire to the LORD. He is to remove the fat—the entire fat tail near the spine, the fat that covers the internal organs, all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, ¹⁰ the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass that surrounds the liver and kidneys. ¹¹ Then the priest is to burn them on the altar as a food offering made by fire to the LORD.
¹² “If his offering is a goat, then he is to bring it to the LORD, ¹³ lay his hand over its head, then slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. After this, Aaron’s sons are to sprinkle the blood on and around the altar.
¹⁴ “The presenter is then to present the gift as an offering made by fire to the LORD, that is, the fat that covers the internal organs, all the fat that is inside the internal organs, ¹⁵ the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass that surrounds the liver and kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest is to burn it on the altar, a food offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma. All the fat belongs to the LORD.
¹⁷ “This is to be a lasting statute for all your generations, wherever you live. You are not to eat any fat or blood.”

¹¹ Peace Offerings“This is the law concerning the sacrifice for peace offerings that are to be brought to the LORD: ¹² If someone brings it to demonstrate thanksgiving, then he is to present along with the thanksgiving offering unleavened cakes mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers spread with olive oil, and cakes of mixed fine flour with olive oil. ¹³ Along with the cakes of unleavened bread, he is to bring his thanksgiving offering with his peace offerings. ¹⁴ He is to present one from each grain offering, a separate offering to the LORD. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offering. ¹⁵ As to the meat contained in his peace offerings, it is to be eaten on the day it is offered. Nothing of it is to remain until morning.”
¹⁶ Voluntary Offerings“If his sacrifice accompanies a fulfilled vow or is a voluntary offering, it is to be eaten on the day the offeror brings the sacrifice. Anything left over is to be eaten the next day, ¹⁷ but whatever remains uneaten from the meat of the sacrifice by the third day is to be incinerated.

⁷ Then you and your household will eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with all the works of your hand with which he blessed you.

¹² “Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city—for there is no territorial allotment for him as you have.

¹¹ Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God with your son, daughter, male and female slaves, the descendant of Levi who is in your city, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow among you, at the place where the LORD your God will choose to establish his name.

¹⁴ Rejoice in your festival—you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the descendants of Levi, foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities.

¹⁰ Now, look—I brought the first produce of the land that you, LORD, have given me.’
Then set it in the presence of the LORD your God and worship him. ¹¹ Rejoice with the descendants of Levi and the foreigner among you at all the good things that the LORD your God has given you and your family.”

²³ After this, the whole assembly agreed to celebrate for another seven days, and so they did—and they were very happy to do so! ²⁴ King Hezekiah of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes contributed 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep, and a large number of priests consecrated themselves.
²⁵ Everyone in the assembly of Judah rejoiced, as did the priests, the descendants of Levi, and the people who gathered together from throughout Israel, including those who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah. ²⁶ There was great joy throughout Jerusalem, because nothing had happened like this in Jerusalem since the days of David’s son Solomon, king of Israel. ²⁷ After this, the priests arose, blessed the people, and their voices were heard in prayer all the way to heaven, where God resides in holiness.

¹⁰ He also told them, “Go eat the best food, drink the best wine, and give something to those who have nothing, since this day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be sorrowful, because the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

¹ A psalm of thanksgiving
Give Thanks to the LORD Shout to the LORD all the earth! ² Serve the LORD with joy. Come before him with a joyful shout!

³ You will draw water joyfully from the wells of salvation. And you will say at that time:

³ to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” “Then people will call them “Oaks of Righteousness”, “The Planting of the LORD”, in order to display his splendor.

¹⁰ Rejoicing in God’s Deliverance“I will heartily rejoice in the LORD, my soul will delight in my God; for he has wrapped me in garments of salvation; he has arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, just like a bridegroom, like a priest with a garland, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹⁸ as for me, I will rejoice in the LORD. I will find my joy in the God who delivers me.

³⁶ He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

¹ We Enjoy Peace with God through JesusTherefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

¹⁰ For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life!

¹⁶ and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. ¹⁷ He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near.

³ For it is we who are the circumcision—we who worship in the Spirit of God and find our joy in the Messiah Jesus. We have not placed any confidence in the flesh,

⁴ Keep on rejoicing in the Lord at all times. I will say it again: Keep on rejoicing!

²⁰ Through the Son, God also reconciled all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, thereby making peace through the blood of his cross.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good to do his will, accomplishing in us what pleases him through Jesus, the Messiah. To him be glory forever and ever! Amen.

² God’s Reply to the Prophet’s ComplaintWhen he answered, the LORD told me: “Write out the revelation, engraving it clearly on the tablets, so that a courier may run with it.

²⁵ Victory over the World“I have said these things to you in figurative language. The time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly about the Father.

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak very boldly,

¹⁶ Living for the Glory of God“The LORD your God is commanding you this very day to observe these statutes and judgments. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and soul. ¹⁷ You have declared this very day that the LORD will be your God. You are to walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commands, and judgments, and obey his voice. ¹⁸ The LORD affirmed this day that you are his prized possession. Therefore observe his commands,

¹⁷ But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! ¹⁸ And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

²² But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life.

⁹ You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, ¹⁰ thieves, greedy people, drunks, slanderers, and robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

⁸ For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, ⁹ for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
¹¹ Live as God’s ServantsDear friends, I urge you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.

² “Tell the entire assembly of Israel that they are to be holy, since I, the LORD your God, am holy.

¹² Love the LORD“Now Israel, what does the LORD your God desire from you? Only this: fear him, walk in all his ways, love him, serve him with all your heart and in all your life, ¹³ and observe his commands and statutes that I’m commanding you today for your own good.

¹ Remember God’s Power“Therefore love the LORD your God and be very careful to keep his injunctions, statutes, ordinances, and commands all the time.

⁷ Your very own eyes saw all the great things that the LORD did.”
⁸ Possessing a Fertile Land“Keep all the commands that I’m giving you today, so you can be strong enough to enter and possess the land that you are crossing over to inherit

⁵ “Because all of the people will walk, each person in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

⁸ He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the LORD’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.

⁴⁸ So be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

¹⁷ The Old Life and the NewTherefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. ¹⁹ Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. ²⁰ However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah. ²¹ Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. ²² Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, ²³ to be renewed in your mental attitude, ²⁴ and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image in righteousness and true holiness.

¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that used to influence you when you were ignorant. ¹⁵ Instead, be holy in every aspect of your life, just as the one who called you is holy. ¹⁶ For it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy.”

¹ Good Managers of God’s GraceTherefore, since the Messiah suffered in a mortal body, you, too, must arm yourselves with the same determination, because the person who has suffered in a mortal body has stopped sinning, ² so that he can live the rest of his mortal life guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God. ³ For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry.

³³ Later, she conceived again, bore a son, and declared, “Because the LORD heard that I’m neglected, he gave me this one, too.” So she named him Simeon.
³⁴ Later, she conceived again and said, “This time my husband will become attached to me, now that I’ve borne him three sons.” So he named him Levi.
³⁵ Then she conceived yet again, bore a son, and said, “This time I’ll praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah.
Then she stopped bearing children.

¹⁸ Then Leah said, “God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife.” So she named him Issachar.

²⁴ Because she had been asking, “May God give me another son,” she named him Joseph.

¹⁸ Just before she died, Rachel called her son’s name Ben-oni, but his father Jacob named him Benjamin.

²⁶ Look! I’m about to grant you a blessing and a curse— ²⁷ a blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I’m giving you today, ²⁸ or a curse if you don’t obey the commands of the LORD your God, by turning from the way that I’m commanding you today and following other gods whom you have not known.”
²⁹ Declaration of the Blessings and Curses“When the LORD brings you to the land that you are about to enter to inherit, repeat the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal.

³³ All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the LORD’s servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel. ³⁴ Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the Law—both the blessings and the curses—according to everything written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There wasn’t one word of everything Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, their little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.

⁷ When Jotham was informed about this, he went out, took his stand on top of Mount Gerizim, and cried out loudly, “Listen to me, you “lords” of Shechem, and God will listen to you.

³² Leah conceived, bore a son, and named him Reuben, because she was saying, “The LORD had looked on my torture, so now my husband will love me.”

⁶ Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore, she named him Dan.
⁷ Rachel’s servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob, ⁸ so Rachel said, “I’ve been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won.” She named him Naphtali.
⁹ When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob, ¹¹ and Leah exclaimed, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.
¹² Later, Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. ¹³ She said, “How happy I am, because women will call me happy!” So she named him Asher.

²⁰ Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I’ve borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

³ On the Future of Reuben“Reuben, you’re my firstborn, my strength, and the first fruit of my vitality. You excel in rank and excel in power. ⁴ But you’re as undisciplined as a roaring river, so eventually you won’t succeed, because you got in your father’s bed, defiled it, and then approached my couch.”

²⁹ Declaration of the Blessings and Curses“When the LORD brings you to the land that you are about to enter to inherit, repeat the blessings on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal.

⁴ “When you have crossed the Jordan River, set up these stones about which I’m commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and coat them with plaster.

³³ All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the LORD’s servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel.

⁹ the one who told his mother and father, ‘I don’t know them,’ and who would neither acknowledge his brothers nor know his own children. For they kept your word and guarded your covenant. ¹⁰ They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will offer incense as a pleasant aroma to you and a whole burnt offering upon your altar.

⁷ Furthermore, Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the descendants of Levi taught the Law to the people while the people remained standing. ⁸ They read from the Book of the Law of God, distinctly communicating its meaning, so they could understand the reading.

¹¹ And all Israel flouted your Law, turning aside from it and not obeying your voice. Because we’ve sinned against him, the curse has been poured upon us, along with the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God.

⁷ For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he’s the messenger of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.
⁸ “But you priests turned aside from the way, and by your teaching you caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. ⁹ “So I also made you despised, humiliating you before all of the people, because you aren’t following my ways and are showing partiality when you teach.”

²⁵ he said, “Canaan is cursed! He will be the lowest of slaves to his relatives.”

¹⁹ Laban Pursues JacobMeanwhile, Laban had been out shearing his sheep. While he was away, Rachel stole her father’s personal idols.

³⁴ Meanwhile, Rachel had taken the idols, placed them inside the saddle of her camel, and sat on them. Laban searched through the whole tent, but found nothing.

⁴ “You are not to make for yourselves an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above, or on earth below, or in the water under the earth.

²³ You are not to make gods of silver alongside me, nor are you to make for yourselves gods of gold.

¹ Aaron Makes the Golden CalfWhen the people saw that Moses took a long time to come down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, “Come here and make us a god who will go before us, because, as for this fellow Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”
² Aaron told them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”
³ All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him. ⁴ He took them from them and, using a tool, fashioned them into a molten calf. The people said, “This, Israel, is your god who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

¹⁷ “You are not to make molten gods for yourselves.

⁴ “You are not to turn to their idols or cast gods out of melted metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

¹ Rewards for Obedience“You are not to make worthless idols, images, or pillars for yourselves, nor set up for yourselves carved images to bow down to them in the land, because I am the LORD your God.

²² and this water that brings a curse enters your abdomen, making it swell and your thigh waste away.’
“Then the woman is to say ‘Amen.’

¹⁶ Be careful! Otherwise, you will be destroyed when you make carved images for yourself—all sorts of images in the form of man, woman, ¹⁷ any animal on earth, any winged bird that flies in the sky, ¹⁸ any creeping thing on the ground, or any fish in the sea. ¹⁹ Do not gaze toward the heavens and observe the sun, the moon, the stars—the entire array of the sky—with the intent to worship and serve what the LORD your God gave every nation. ²⁰ For the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace—out of Egypt—to be the people of his inheritance, as you are today.
²¹ “But the LORD was angry with me because of you. So he swore that I’ll never cross the Jordan River to enter the good land that the LORD your God is about to give you as an inheritance. ²² I’m going to die in this land and I won’t cross the Jordan River, but you’re about to cross over to possess that good land. ²³ Be careful! Otherwise, you will forget the covenant of the LORD your God, who established that covenant with you. Don’t make carved images of any likeness in violation of everything that you were commanded by the LORD your God.

⁸ “You are not to make for yourselves a carved image resembling any form in the heavens above, on earth below, or in the waters under the earth.

¹⁶ “Cursed will you be in the city and cursed will you be in the country.
¹⁷ “Cursed will be your grain basket and your kneading bowl.
¹⁸ “Cursed will your children be, as well as the produce of your land, the offspring of your beasts and cattle, and the offspring of your flock.
¹⁹ “Cursed will you be in your comings and goings.”

¹⁷ You have seen their detestable practices, their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold that they had with them.

¹⁹ Now let your majesty listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the LORD’s presence, because they have driven me out today from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD by saying, ‘Go serve other gods.’

⁵ Solomon pursued Astarte, the Sidonian goddess, and Milcom, that detestable Ammonite idol. ⁶ Solomon practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by not fully following the LORD, as had his father David. ⁷ Later, Solomon even constructed a high place on the mountain east of Jerusalem that was dedicated to Chemosh, that detestable Moabite idol, and to Molech, the detestable Ammonite idol.

¹⁹ But Judah, too, did not keep the commands of the LORD their God. Instead, they lived the lifestyle that Israel had chosen,

¹³ The king defiled the high places which faced Jerusalem on the south side of Corruption Mountain, which King Solomon of Israel had constructed for Ashtoreth, the Sidonian abomination, for Chemosh, the Moabite abomination, and for Milcom, the Ammonite abomination.

² But he practiced what the LORD considered to be evil by behaving detestably, as did the nations whom the LORD expelled in front of the Israelis.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God or lifted our hands to a foreign god, ²¹ wouldn’t God find out since he knows the secrets of the heart?

⁹ A Rebuke to Idol WorshipNow, all the forming of images means nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their own witnesses cannot see, and they know nothing. So they will be put to shame.
¹⁰ Who would shape a god or cast an image that profits nothing?

¹⁷ And the rest of it he makes into a god. To blocks of wood he bows down, worships, prays, and says, “Save me, since you are my god.”

¹⁹ No one stops to think. No one has the knowledge or understanding to think—yes to think!—“Half of it I burned in the fire. I even baked bread on its coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And am I about to make detestable things from what is left? Am I about to bow down to blocks of wood?”

³ You are to say to them, ‘This is what the LORD God of Israel says: “Cursed is the person who does not listen to the words of this covenant

²⁴ If a person hides himself in secret places, will I not see him?” declares the LORD. “I fill the heavens and the earth, do I not?” declares the LORD.

⁶ The prophet Jeremiah said, “May the LORD truly do this thing! May the LORD fulfill the words that you prophesied to bring back the vessels of the LORD’s Temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place.

²⁰ The Temple Defiled“As for his beautiful ornament, he set it up in majesty, but they made detestable images and loathsome idols. Therefore, I’ll give them something loathsome—

⁷ Idol Worship in the TempleThen the Spirit brought me to the entrance of the court. As I watched, all of a sudden, there was a hole in the wall! ⁸ Then he told me, “Son of Man, dig through the wall!” So I dug into the wall. That’s when I uncovered an entrance!
⁹ Then he told me, “Go on through that entrance, so you may see the wicked, detestable things that they’re committing here.”
¹⁰ So I entered, looked around, and there was every form of crawling thing, loathsome animals, and all kinds of idols from the house of Israel carved all around the wall. ¹¹ I saw 70 men from the elders of the house of Israel standing among them, including Shaphan’s son Jaazaniah. Each man held a censer in his hand. As the scent of the cloud of incense ascended, ¹² the Spirit asked me, “Do you see, Son of Man, what the elders of Israel’s house are doing in secret, each in the chamber of his own carved idol? They keep saying, ‘God doesn’t see us. The LORD has abandoned the land.’”

⁴ Therefore, speak up and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says, “Every person from Israel’s house who follows his idols and sets the stumbling block that is his own sin in front of his face, and then consults a prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to how many idols he embraces.

³¹ Armed forces will arise from his midst, and they’ll desecrate the fortified Sanctuary, abolish the daily sacrifice, and establish the destructive desecration.

² but now they are sinning more and more, crafting idols from melted silver. Their idols are made with the most exacting skill, all of it the work of craftsmen. People say about them, ‘They offer human sacrifice, and kiss calf-shaped idols.’ ³ Therefore they will be like morning clouds, like early morning dew that evaporates, like chaff blown away from the threshing floor, or like smoke from a chimney.”

¹³ And never bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

¹⁵ Signs of the End
“So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note),

¹⁶ Otherwise, if you say a blessing with your spirit, how can an otherwise uneducated person say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you’re saying?

⁴ The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls. In her hand she was holding a gold cup filled with detestable things and the impurities of her immorality. ⁵ On her forehead was written a secret name:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.ו

¹⁷ “Whoever curses his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

³ “Each of you is to fear his mother and father.
“Observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

⁹ Honoring Parents“Anyone who curses his father or mother is certainly to be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so his guilt will remain his responsibility.”

¹⁸ Death to a Rebellious Son“If a man has a stubborn son who does not obey his parents, and although they try to discipline him, he still refuses to pay attention to them, ¹⁹ then his parents are to seize him and bring him before the elders at the gate of his city. ²⁰ Then they are to declare to the elders of their city: ‘Our son is stubborn and rebellious. He does not obey us. He lives wildly and is a drunkard.’ ²¹ Then all the men of his city are to stone him with stones so that he dies. This is how you will remove this evil from among you. Then all Israel will hear of it and will be afraid.”

¹¹ Some people curse their fathers and won’t bless their mothers. ¹² Some people view themselves as pure, but haven’t been cleansed from their own filth. ¹³ Some people—what an arrogant look they have!— raise their eyebrows haughtily. ¹⁴ Some people have swords for teeth and knives for fangs to devour the afflicted from the earth and the needy from among mankind. ¹⁵ The leech has two daughters: “Give” and “Give”. Three things will never be satisfied; four will never say “Enough”— ¹⁶ The afterlife, the barren womb, earth that still demands water, and fire—they never say, “Enough”. ¹⁷ The eye that mocks a father and looks with a disobedient attitude at a mother— the valley ravens will pluck it out; and vultures will eat it.

⁷ They’ve treated mothers and fathers among you with contempt. They’ve oppressed the foreigner among you. They’ve maltreated the orphan and the widow among you.

⁴ Because God said, ‘You are to honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever curses father or mother must certainly be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say, ‘Whoever tells his father or his mother, “Whatever support you might have received from me has been given to God,” ⁶ does not have to honor his father.’ Because of your tradition, then, you have disregarded the authority of God’s word.

¹⁴ Boundary Markers“When you inherit the land that the LORD your God is about to give you, don’t move your neighbor’s boundary marker from where it was placed long ago.”

²⁸ Don’t remove an ancient boundary stone that was set up by your ancestors.

¹⁰ Don’t move ancient boundaries or invade fields belonging to orphans; ¹¹ for strong is their Redeemer who will take up their case against you.

¹⁴ “You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind.
“You are to fear God. I am the LORD.

¹⁵ I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame.

¹⁰ Whoever misleads the upright along an evil way will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.

¹⁰ His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge. They are all dumb dogs— they cannot bark. They keep on dreaming and lying around, and they’re lovers of sleep!

¹⁴ Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch.”

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

²¹ “You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
²² “You are not to mistreat any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do mistreat them, they’ll certainly cry out to me, and I’ll immediately hear their cry. ²⁴ And I’ll be angry and will kill you with swords, and your wives will become widows and your children orphans.

² You are not to follow the majority in doing wrong, and you are not to testify in a lawsuit so as to follow the majority and pervert justice.

⁸ You are not to take a bribe because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous. ⁹ You are not to oppress the resident alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁸ He executes justice for the orphan and the widows, loves the foreigner, and gives them food and clothing.”

¹⁷ “Don’t deny justice to a foreigner or to an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment as collateral for a loan.

² “How long will you judge partially by showing favor on the wicked? Interlude ³ “Defend the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the afflicted and the poor. ⁴ Rescue the poor and the needy, delivering them from the power of the wicked.

²³ The wicked man takes a bribe in secret in order to pervert the course of justice.

⁵ Otherwise, they may drink and forget what has been ordained, perverting justice for all the oppressed.

⁹ Please listen to this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you officials of the house of Israel, you who hate administering justice, who pervert the very meaning of equity,

⁵ The Judgment of God“I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

²² But while Israel lived in that land, Reuben went inside his father’s tent and had sexual relations with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Now Jacob had twelve sons.

⁴ But you’re as undisciplined as a roaring river, so eventually you won’t succeed, because you got in your father’s bed, defiled it, and then approached my couch.”

⁸ “You are not to have sexual relations with your father’s wife. It’s your own father’s nakedness.

¹¹ “If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness, so both of them are to be put to death. Their guilt will remain their responsibility.

³⁰ “A man must not marry his father’s wife, so that he will not dishonor his father’s memory.”

²² So they erected a tent for Absalom on the palace roof and Absalom went in and had sex with his father’s mistresses right in front of all Israel.

¹ Genealogy of Reuben
Here is a record of the descendants of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn. (He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his birthright was transferred to the descendants of Israel’s son Joseph. As a result, Reuben is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.

¹⁰ They’ve revealed the nakedness of their father in your midst. They’ve humiliated those among you who were unclean due to their impurity.

⁷ moving quickly to rub the face of the needy in the dirt. Corrupting the ways of the humble, a man and his father go to the same woman, deliberately defiling my holy name.

¹ Disciplining for Sexual ImmoralityIt is actually reported that sexual immorality exists among you, and of a kind that is not found even among the gentiles. A man is actually living with his father’s wife!

¹⁹ “Whoever has sexual relations with an animal is certainly to be put to death.

²³ Sexual Relations with Animals Prohibited“You are not to present yourself to an animal in order to have sexual relations with it and by doing so to defile yourself. A woman is not to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It’s detestable.

¹⁵ “If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you are also to kill the animal.

⁹ “You are not to have sexual relations with your sister, whether she’s your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she’s born in your home or outside your home. You are not to have sexual relations with her.

¹⁷ “If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, so that he exposes her nakedness and she exposes his nakedness, it’s a shameful thing. They are to be eliminated from contact with their people in front of their people’s children. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness. He’ll continue to bear responsibility for his iniquity.

¹ Amnon’s Rape of TamarSometime after this, David’s son Amnon fell in love with David’s other son Absalom’s beautiful sister Tamar.

⁸ Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s home, where he was lying down. She brought along some dough, kneaded it, prepared some cakes especially for him, baked them, ⁹ and emptied the baking skillet just for him, but he refused to eat.
“Send everybody out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left the room. ¹⁰ Amnon told Tamar, “Bring the food into my private bedroom, so I can eat it with you personally.” So Tamar took the cakes she had prepared and brought them into the private bedroom for her brother Amnon.
¹¹ But as soon as she brought them near him to eat, he overpowered her and told her, “Come here and have sex with me, my sister!”
¹² “No, my brother!” she kept telling him. “Don’t humiliate me like this! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this utterly foolish thing! ¹³ And what about me? Where will I go to escape this disgrace? And as for you, you’ll be known as one of Israel’s greatest fools! So please talk to the king, because he won’t withhold me from you!”
¹⁴ But he was unwilling to listen to what she was saying. Since he was stronger than she was, he forced her into having sex with him.

¹¹ One of you commits detestable practices with his neighbor’s wife. Another sexually defiles his daughter-in-law. Another humiliates his sister, his own father’s daughter.

¹⁷ “You are not to have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter.
“You are not to have sexual relations with her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They’re near blood relatives. It’s wickedness.

¹⁴ “If a man takes a wife along with her mother, that’s wickedness. They are to be burned with fire—that is, both him and them, so that there will be no wickedness in your midst.

¹³ “You are not to commit murder.ז

¹² Laws Concerning Personal Injury and Homicide“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies is certainly to be put to death. ¹³ If he didn’t lie in wait, but God let him fall into his reach, then I’ll appoint for you a place to which he may flee. ¹⁴ If a man acts deliberately against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you are to take him to die even if he’s at my altar.

¹⁷ “If a man beats a human being to death, he is certainly to be executed,

³¹ You are to receive no ransom for the life of a killer who is guilty of murder; instead, he is to die.

¹¹ Refuse Cold-Blooded Murderers“However, if a person hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him, and attacks him so that he dies, and then he flees to one of those cities, ¹² then the elders of his own city shall send for him, remove him from there, and deliver him to the related avenger for execution.

²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen. So he died for shedding the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

¹⁵ In the message, he wrote: “Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed.” ¹⁶ So as Joab began to attack the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew valiant men would be stationed. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out to fight Joab, some of David’s army staff members fell, and Uriah the Hittite died, too.

⁹ “‘Why did you despise what the LORD has promised by doing what is detestable in his sight?
“‘You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a battle sword.
“‘You took his wife to be your own.
“‘You killed him with the sword of the Ammonite army.
¹⁰ “‘Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
¹¹ “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Listen very carefully!
“‘I’m raising up evil against you right out of your own household.
“‘I’m going to take your wives away from you right before your eyes.
“‘Then I’ll give them to your neighbor.
“‘And then he’s going to have sex with your wives in broad daylight!
¹² “‘What you did in secret I’m going to do right in front of all Israel and in broad daylight as well!’”

²⁸ Then Absalom instructed his young men, “Please keep watching Amnon until he’s drunk. Then I’ll tell you, ‘Attack Amnon!’ As soon as I do, kill him and don’t be afraid! You have your orders, so be strong and brave!”

⁹ Joab asked Amasa, “Is everything going well with you, my brother?” As Joab took Amasa by his beard to greet him, ¹⁰ Amasa did not notice the sword that Joab was holding in his hand. Joab stabbed him in the abdomen, spilling his intestines to the ground in a single stroke and killing him. After this, Joab and his brother pursued Bichri’s son Sheba.

⁷ Stay far away from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent or the righteous, because I won’t acquit the guilty. ⁸ You are not to take a bribe because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the righteous.

¹⁷ For the LORD your God is the God of all gods, the LORD of all lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who does not show favoritism or take bribes.

¹⁹ You must not twist justice, show favoritism, or take bribes, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the speech of the righteous.

⁵ who does not loan his money with interest, and who does not take a bribe against those who are innocent. The one who does these things will stand firm forever.

¹¹ If they say, “Come with us! Let’s lie in wait for blood; let’s ambush some innocent person for no reason at all. ¹² Let’s swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those who go down into the Pit. ¹³ We’ll find all kinds of valuable wealth, and we’ll fill our houses with spoil. ¹⁴ Throw your lot in with us, and all of us will have one purse.” ¹⁵ My son, do not go along with them, and keep your feet away from their paths! ¹⁶ For they run toward evil; these enticers shed blood without hesitation. ¹⁷ Look, it is useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds, ¹⁸ but these people lie in wait for their own blood. They ambush only themselves. ¹⁹ Such is the way of all those who seek illicit gain— it takes away the lives of those who possess it.
²⁰ The Benefits of Choosing WisdomWisdom cries out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares. ²¹ She calls out at the busiest part of the noisy streets, and at the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words: ²² “You naïve ones, how long will you love naiveté? And how long will scoffers delight in scoffing or fools hate knowledge?” ²³ Return to my correction! Look, I will pour out my spirit on you, and I will make my words known to you.
²⁴ The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom“Because I called out to you and you refused to respond— I appealed, but no one paid attention— ²⁵ because you neglected all my advice and did not want my correction, ²⁶ I will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when what you fear comes, ²⁷ when what you dread comes like a storm, and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ “Then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. ²⁹ “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD;

¹² They take bribes among you to shed blood. You’ve taken usury and exacted interest. You’ve gained control over your neighbor through extortion. And you’ve forgotten me,” declares the Lord GOD.
¹³ “Watch out! I’m vehemently angry about the unjust gains that you’ve earned, and about the blood that has been shed among you.

¹⁰ who are building up Zion by means of bloodshed, and Jerusalem by means of iniquity. ¹¹ Her leaders judge for the money, her priests teach only when they’re paid, and her prophets prophesy for cash. Even so, don’t they all rely on the LORD as they ask, ‘The LORD is among us, is he not? Nothing bad can possibly happen to us!’

² The faithful have died off, and there is not one upright human being in the land. They all stalk one another with lethal intent, a man will even hunt his own brother with a net. ³ And speaking of evil, they practice it eagerly—with both hands! Both leader and judge demand a bribe, the famous confess their perverted desires, and they scheme together.

¹⁵ and inquired, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They offered him 30 pieces of silver,

³ The Death of Judas
Then Judas, who had betrayed him, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the high priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
But they replied, “What do we care? Attend to that yourself.”

¹⁸ (Now this man bought a field with the money he got for his crime. Falling on his face, he burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out.

¹⁵ “‘Cursed is the one who makes a sculptured or cast image—a detestable thing to the LORD, the work of a craftsman—and sets it up secretly.’“Then all the people are to respond by saying, ‘Amen!’

¹⁵ Reversal of Blessings“But if you don’t obey the LORD your God and faithfully carry out all his commands and statutes that I’m giving you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overwhelm you.
¹⁶ “Cursed will you be in the city and cursed will you be in the country.
¹⁷ “Cursed will be your grain basket and your kneading bowl.
¹⁸ “Cursed will your children be, as well as the produce of your land, the offspring of your beasts and cattle, and the offspring of your flock.
¹⁹ “Cursed will you be in your comings and goings.”
²⁰ Diseases and Drought“The LORD will send the curse among you, will confuse you, and will rebuke you in everything you undertake until you are destroyed and perish quickly because of your evil deeds, since you will have forsaken him. ²¹ The LORD will cause you to be ill with long-lasting diseases until you are wiped out from the land that you are entering to possess. ²² The LORD will afflict you with tuberculosis, fever, inflammation, high fever, drought, blight, and mildew. These will attack you until you are completely destroyed. ²³ The sky above your head will become bronze while the ground beneath you will become iron. ²⁴ The LORD will change the rain on your land to powder and dust. It will come down from the sky until you are exterminated.”
²⁵ From Defeat to Exile“The LORD will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You’ll go out against them in one direction, but you’ll flee from them in seven directions. Consequently, you’ll be in a state of great terror throughout all the kingdoms of the earth. ²⁶ Your dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, with no one to chase them away.
²⁷ “The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, skin disease, and festering rashes, and none of them will be curable. ²⁸ The LORD will afflict you with insanity, blindness, and mental confusion. ²⁹ As a result, you’ll wander aimlessly in broad daylight just as a blind person wanders in darkness. You won’t prosper in life. Instead you’ll be oppressed and plundered all day long, with no deliverer.
³⁰ You’ll be engaged to a woman, but another man will rape her. You’ll build a house but you won’t live in it. You’ll plant a vineyard but you won’t harvest it. ³¹ Your ox will be slaughtered in front of you, and you won’t be able to eat it. Your donkey will be stolen from you while you watch and won’t be returned to you. Your flock of sheep will be handed to your enemies and there will be no deliverer. ³² Your sons and daughters will be given to another people while you watch, and you won’t be able to approach them at all, and you’ll be powerless to help.
³³ “A people whom you don’t know will devour what your land and labor produces. You’ll be only oppressed and discouraged continuously ³⁴ until you are driven insane from what your eyes will see.
³⁵ “The LORD will inflict you with incurable boils on your knees and legs, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
³⁶ “The LORD will banish you and your king whom you will appoint over you to go to a nation that neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you’ll serve other gods of wood and stone. ³⁷ You’ll become a desolation and a proverb, and you’ll be mocked among the people where the LORD will drive you.”
³⁸ Complete Reversal“You’ll plant many seeds in a field, but your harvest will be small because the locust will consume it. ³⁹ You’ll plant a vineyard, but you won’t drink wine or harvest any grapes, because worms will consume it. ⁴⁰ You’ll have olive trees throughout your territory, but you won’t be able to anoint yourself with oil, because the olives will drop off the trees. ⁴¹ You’ll bear sons and daughters, but they won’t belong to you, because they’ll go into captivity. ⁴² Whirling locusts will consume every tree and the produce of your land. ⁴³ The foreigner in your midst will be elevated higher and higher over you, while you are brought low little by little. ⁴⁴ He will lend to you, but you won’t lend to him. He’ll be the head, but you’ll be the tail. ⁴⁵ All these curses will come upon you and will overwhelm you until you are exterminated, because you didn’t obey the LORD your God to keep his commands and statutes, which he had commanded you. ⁴⁶ These curses will serve as a sign and wonder for you and your descendants as long as you live.”
⁴⁷ Servitude and Bondage“Because you didn’t serve the LORD your God joyfully and wholeheartedly, despite the abundance of everything you have, ⁴⁸ you’ll serve your enemies whom the LORD your God will send against you. You will serve in famine and in drought, in nakedness, and in lack of everything. They’ll set a yoke of iron upon your neck until they have exterminated you.
⁴⁹ “The LORD will raise a distant nation against you from the other side of the earth. Swooping down like a vulture, ⁵⁰ it will be a nation whose language you don’t understand, whose stern appearance neither shows regard nor extends grace to anyone whether old or young. ⁵¹ Its army will consume the offspring of your animals and the produce of your soil until you are exterminated. They will leave you without your grain, wine, oil, the increase of your cattle, and the lamb of your flock, until you are completely destroyed. ⁵² They’ll besiege all your cities until your high and fortified walls in which you have trusted collapse throughout the land. Indeed, they will besiege all your cities, which the LORD your God gave you.”
⁵³ Cannibalism“You’ll eat your own children—the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God gave you—on account of the siege and the distress with which your enemy will oppress you. ⁵⁴ Even the compassionate man among you—the very sensitive one—will look with evil in his eyes toward his brother, his beloved wife, and his surviving sons, whom he spared. ⁵⁵ He will withhold from each of them the flesh of his sons that he is eating—since there will be nothing left—on account of the siege and distress with which your enemy will oppress you in all your cities. ⁵⁶ The most tender and sensitive lady among you, who doesn’t venture to touch the soles of her feet to the ground on account of her daintiness, will look with hostility in her eyes against her beloved husband, her sons, and her daughters. ⁵⁷ She will eat her afterbirth and her newborn children secretly—since there will be nothing left—on account of the siege and distress with which your enemy will oppress you in your cities.”
⁵⁸ Reduction in Population“If you aren’t careful to observe all the words of this Law that have been written in this book, instructing you to fear this glorious and awesome name of the LORD your God, ⁵⁹ then he will inflict extraordinary plagues on you and your children, great and lasting plagues, and severe and lasting illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will inflict on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they won’t be curable. ⁶¹ Moreover, the LORD will inflict you with illnesses and plagues that were not written in this Book of the Law, until you are exterminated. ⁶² Because you will not have obeyed the LORD your God, very few of you will be left—instead of you being as numerous as the stars in the heavens. ⁶³ Just as the LORD delighted to prosper and increase you, so now the LORD will delight to destroy, exterminate, and banish you from the land that you are about to enter to possess.”
⁶⁴ Scattering among the Nations“He’ll scatter you among the peoples from one end of the earth to the other, and there you’ll serve other gods made of wood and stones, which neither you nor your ancestors have known. ⁶⁵ Among those nations you’ll have no rest. There’ll be no resting place for the soles of your feet. Instead, the LORD will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a despairing spirit. ⁶⁶ You’ll cling to life, being fearful by both night and day, with no assurance of survival. ⁶⁷ In the morning you’ll say, ‘I wish it were evening.’ Yet in the evening you’ll say, “I wish it were morning,” on account of what you’ll dread and what you’ll see. ⁶⁸ Finally, the LORD will bring you back to Egypt by ship, a place that I said you’ll never see again. There you’ll try to sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

²¹ You rebuke the accursed ones, who wander from your commands.

³ You are to say to them, ‘This is what the LORD God of Israel says: “Cursed is the person who does not listen to the words of this covenant ⁴ which I commanded to your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace. I said, ‘Obey me and do everything that I commanded you. Then you will be my people and I’ll be your God.’ ⁵ As a result, I’ll fulfill the oath that I made with your ancestors to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as is the case today.”’”
Then I answered, “So be it, LORD.”

²⁴ But when the righteous person abandons his righteous deeds and commits evil, detestable practices, as wicked people do, he won’t live, will he? None of the righteous acts that he had done will be remembered. He’ll die in his treacherous unfaithfulness and sins that he had committed.”

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who are accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore, God will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: “The person who obeys these things will find life by them.”

²² If anyone doesn’t love the Lord, let him be condemned! May our Lord come!

¹⁰ No One is Justified by the LawCertainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!”