The Living Bible (65 page)
Authors: Inc. Tyndale House Publishers
Tags: #BIBLES / Other Translations / Text
“If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis cut off, he shall not enter the sanctuary.
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A bastard may not enter the sanctuary, nor any of his descendants for ten generations.
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“No Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the sanctuary, even after the tenth generation.
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The reason for this law is that these nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt; they even tried to hire Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor, Mesopotamia, to curse you.
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But the Lord wouldn’t listen to Balaam; instead, he turned the intended curse into a blessing for you because the Lord loves you.
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You must never, as long as you live, try to help the Ammonites or the Moabites in any way.
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But don’t look down on the Edomites and the Egyptians; the Edomites are your brothers and you lived among the Egyptians.
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The grandchildren of the Egyptians who came with you from Egypt may enter the sanctuary of the Lord.
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“When you are at war, the men in the camps must stay away from all evil. Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a seminal emission during the night must leave the camp
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and stay outside until the evening; then he shall bathe himself and return at sunset.
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The toilet area shall be outside the camp.
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Each man must have a spade as part of his equipment; after every bowel movement he must dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.
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The camp must be holy, for the Lord walks among you to protect you and to cause your enemies to fall before you; and the Lord does not want to see anything indecent lest he turn away from you.
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“If a slave escapes from his master, you must not force him to return; let him live among you in whatever town he shall choose, and do not oppress him.
17-18
“No prostitutes are permitted in Israel, either men or women; you must not bring to the Lord any offering from the earnings of a prostitute or a homosexual, for both are detestable to the Lord your God.
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“Don’t demand interest on loans you make to a brother Israelite, whether it is in the form of money, food, or anything else.
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You may take interest from a foreigner, but not from an Israeli. For if you take interest from a brother, an Israeli, the Lord your God won’t bless you when you arrive in the Promised Land.
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“When you make a vow to the Lord, be prompt in doing whatever it is you promised him, for the Lord demands that you promptly fulfill your vows; it is a sin if you don’t.
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(But it is not a sin if you refrain from vowing!)
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Once you make the vow, you must be careful to do as you have said, for it was your own choice, and you have vowed to the Lord your God.
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“You may eat your fill of the grapes from another man’s vineyard, but do not take any away in a container.
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It is the same with someone else’s grain—you may eat a few handfuls of it, but don’t use a sickle.
“If a man doesn’t like something about his wife, he may write a letter stating that he has divorced her, give her the letter, and send her away.
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If she then remarries
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and the second husband also divorces her or dies,
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the former husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled; this would bring guilt upon the land the Lord your God is giving you.
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“A newly married man is not to be drafted into the army nor given any other special responsibilities; for a year he shall be free to be at home, happy with his wife.
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“It is illegal to take a millstone as a pledge, for it is a tool by which its owner gains his livelihood.
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If anyone kidnaps a brother Israelite and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die, in order to purge the evil from among you.
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“Be very careful to follow the instructions of the priest in cases of leprosy, for I have given him rules and guidelines you must obey to the letter:
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Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam as you were coming from Egypt.
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“If you lend anything to another man, you must not enter his house to get his security.
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Stand outside! The owner will bring it out to you.
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If the man is poor and gives you his cloak as security, you are not to sleep in it. Take it back to him at sundown so that he can use it through the night and bless you; and the Lord your God will count it as righteousness for you.
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“Never oppress a poor hired man, whether a fellow Israelite or a foreigner living in your town. Pay him his wage each day before sunset, for since he is poor he needs it right away; otherwise he may cry out to the Lord against you and it would be counted as a sin against you.
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“Fathers shall not be put to death for the sins of their sons nor the sons for the sins of their fathers; every man worthy of death shall be executed for his own crime.
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“Justice must be given to migrants and orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment in pledge of her debt.
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Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God rescued you; that is why I have given you this command.
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If, when reaping your harvest, you forget to bring in a sheaf from the field, don’t go back after it. Leave it for the migrants, orphans, and widows; then the Lord your God will bless and prosper all you do.
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When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice; leave anything remaining for the migrants, orphans, and widows.
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It is the same for the grapes in your vineyard; don’t glean the vines after they are picked, but leave what’s left for those in need.
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Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt—that is why I am giving you this command.
“If a man is guilty of a crime and the penalty is a beating, the judge shall command him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with up to forty stripes in proportion to the seriousness of the crime; but no more than forty stripes may be given lest the punishment seem too severe, and your brother be degraded in your eyes.
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“Don’t muzzle an ox as it treads out the grain.
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“If a man’s brother dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family; instead, her husband’s brother must marry her and sleep with her.
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The first son she bears to him shall be counted as the son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten.
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But if the dead man’s brother refuses to do his duty in this matter, refusing to marry the widow, then she shall go to the city elders and say to them, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to let his brother’s name continue—he refuses to marry me.’
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The elders of the city will then summon him and talk it over with him, and if he still refuses,
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the widow shall walk over to him in the presence of the elders, pull his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. She shall then say, ‘This is what happens to a man who refuses to build his brother’s house.’
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And ever afterwards his house shall be referred to as ‘the home of the man who had his sandal pulled off’!
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“If two men are fighting and the wife of one intervenes to help her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man,
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her hand shall be cut off without pity.
13-15
“In all your transactions you must use accurate scales and honest measurements, so that you will have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
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All who cheat with unjust weights and measurements are detestable to the Lord your God.
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“You must never forget what the people of Amalek did to you as you came from Egypt.
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Remember that they fought with you and struck down those who were faint and weary and lagging behind, with no respect or fear of God.
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Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the Promised Land, you are utterly to destroy the name of Amalek from under heaven. Never forget this.
“When you arrive in the land and have conquered it and are living there,
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you must present to the Lord at his sanctuary the first sample from each annual
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harvest. Bring it in a basket and hand it to the priest on duty and say to him, ‘This gift is my acknowledgment that the Lord my God has brought me to the land he promised our ancestors.’
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The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar.
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You shall then say before the Lord your God, ‘My ancestors were migrant Arameans who went to Egypt for refuge. They were few in number, but in Egypt they became a mighty nation.
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The Egyptians mistreated us and we cried to the Lord God. He heard us and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression,
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and brought us out of Egypt with mighty miracles and a powerful hand. He did great and awesome miracles before the Egyptians
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and has brought us to this place and given us this land “flowing with milk and honey”!
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And now, O Lord, see, I have brought you a token of the first of the crops from the ground you have given me.’ Then place the samples before the Lord your God, and worship him.
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Afterwards, go and feast on all the good things he has given you. Celebrate with your family and with any Levites or migrants living among you.
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“Every third year is a year of special tithing. That year you are to give all your tithes to the Levites, migrants, orphans, and widows, so that they will be well fed.
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Then you shall declare before the Lord your God, ‘I have given all of my tithes to the Levites, the migrants, the orphans, and the widows, just as you commanded me; I have not violated or forgotten any of your rules.
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I have not touched the tithe while I was ceremonially defiled (for instance, while I was in mourning), nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me.
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Look down from your holy home in heaven and bless your people and the land you have given us, as you promised our ancestors; make it a land “flowing with milk and honey”!’
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“You must wholeheartedly obey all of these commandments and ordinances that the Lord your God is giving you today.
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You have declared today that he is your God, and you have promised to obey and keep his laws and ordinances, and to heed all he tells you to do.
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And the Lord has declared today that you are his very own people, just as he promised, and that you must obey all of his laws.
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If you do, he will make you greater than any other nation, allowing you to receive praise, honor, and renown; but to attain this honor and renown you must be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he requires.”