Offerings of Firstfruits and Tithes
1 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it, 2 wyou shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall xgo to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there. 3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, ‘I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land ythat the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God.
5 “And you shall make response before the Lord your God, ‘A zwandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, afew in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And bthe Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then cwe cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And dthe Lord brought us out of Egypt ewith a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror,1 with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, fa land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. 11 And gyou shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.
12 “When you have finished paying all hthe tithe of your produce in the third year, which is ithe year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the Lord your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, jnor have I forgotten them. 14 kI have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it lto the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. 15 mLook down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’
16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 nYou have declared today that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. 18 And the Lord has declared today that you are oa people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19 and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor phigh above all nations qthat he has made, and that you shall be ra people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”
The Altar on Mount Ebal
1 Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. 2 And on the day syou cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 tAnd you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, ua land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, von Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. wYou shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut2 stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and xshall eat there, and you xshall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And yyou shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”
Curses from Mount Ebal
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: zthis day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
11 That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, athese shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 And bthe Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice:
15 c“‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ dAnd all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’
16 e“‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
17 f“‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
18 g“‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
19 h“‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
20 i“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has juncovered his father’s nakedness.’3 And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
21 k“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any kind of animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
22 l“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
23 m“‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
24 n“‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
25 o“‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
26 p“‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
The Law of the Lord Is Perfect
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 iThe heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 jTheir kvoice2 goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for lthe sun,
5 mwhich comes out like na bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 oThe law of the Lord is perfect,3
previving the soul;
qthe testimony of the Lord is rsure,
8 uthe precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is vpure,
wenlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules4 of the Lord are xtrue,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than ygold,
even much zfine gold;
asweeter also than honey
and drippings of bthe honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
cin keeping them there is great reward.
12 dWho can discern his errors?
eDeclare me innocent from fhidden faults.
13 gKeep back your servant also from hpresumptuous sins;
let them not have idominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who zhates reproof is astupid.
2 A good man bobtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3 No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of cthe righteous will never be moved.
4 dAn excellent wife is ethe crown of her husband,
but she who fbrings shame is like grottenness in his bones.
5 hThe thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked ilie in wait for blood,
but jthe mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 kThe wicked are loverthrown and are no more,
mbut the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man is commended according to his good sense,
but one of twisted mind is ndespised.
9 Better to be lowly and have a servant
than to play the great man and lack bread.
10 oWhoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11 pWhoever works his land qwill have plenty of bread,
rbut he who follows sworthless pursuits lacks sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets tthe spoil of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13 An evil man is ensnared uby the transgression of his lips,1
vbut the righteous escapes from trouble.
14 From the fruit of his mouth wa man is satisfied with good,
xand the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
15 yThe way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.
16 zThe vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 aWhoever speaks2 the truth gives honest evidence,
but ba false witness utters deceit.
18 cThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings dhealing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but ea lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of fthose who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
21 gNo ill befalls the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 hLying lips are ian abomination to the Lord,
jbut those who act faithfully are his delight.
23 kA prudent man conceals knowledge,
kbut the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 lThe hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be mput to forced labor.
25 nAnxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.
26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,3
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.4
28 pIn the path of righteousness is life,
and in its pathway there is no death.
