Chapter 17

Thou shalt not sacrifice⁴ unto the LORD thy God [any] bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, [or] any evilfavouredness: ¹⁶⁹⁷ for that [is] an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

If there be found¹¹ among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth⁶ thee, man or woman, that hath wrought⁴ wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing² his covenant,

And hath gone⁴ and served⁴ other gods, and worshipped¹⁰¹ them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;¹⁴

And it be told⁹⁰ thee, and thou hast heard¹ [of it], and enquired¹ diligently,⁵³ and, behold, [it be] true, [and] the thing certain,¹² [that] such abomination is wrought⁸ in Israel:

Then shalt thou bring forth⁵² that man or that woman, which have committed¹ that wicked thing, unto thy gates, [even] that man or that woman, and shalt stone¹ them with stones, till they die.¹

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death⁵ be put to death;⁹³ [but] at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.⁹³

The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death,⁵³ and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away¹⁴ from among you.

If there arise a matter too hard¹¹ for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, [being] matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise,¹ and get thee up¹ into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;⁴

And thou shalt come¹ unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge⁶ that shall be in those days, and enquire;¹ and they shall shew⁵² thee the sentence of judgment:

And thou shalt do¹ according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose⁴ shall shew⁵⁵ thee; and thou shalt observe¹ to do² according to all that they inform⁵⁵ thee:

According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach⁵⁵ thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell⁴ thee, thou shalt do:⁴ thou shalt not decline⁴ from the sentence which they shall shew⁵⁵ thee, [to] the right hand, nor [to] the left.

And the man that will do⁴ presumptuously, and will not hearken² unto the priest that standeth⁶ to minister¹⁵ there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge,⁶ even that man shall die:¹ and thou shalt put away¹⁴ the evil from Israel.

And all the people shall hear,⁴ and fear,⁴ and do no more presumptuously.⁵⁵

When thou art come⁴ unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth⁶ thee, and shalt possess¹ it, and shalt dwell¹ therein, and shalt say,¹ I will set⁴ a king over me, like as all the nations that [are] about me;

Thou shalt in any wise² set⁴ [him] king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose:⁴ [one] from among thy brethren shalt thou set⁴ king over thee: thou mayest⁴ not set² a stranger ³⁷⁶ over thee, which [is] not thy brother.

But he shall not multiply⁵⁵ horses to himself, nor cause the people to return⁵⁵ to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply⁵³ horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said¹ unto you, Ye shall henceforth return² no more⁵⁵ that way.

Neither shall he multiply⁵⁵ wives to himself, that his heart turn not away:⁴ neither shall he greatly multiply⁵⁵ to himself silver and gold.

And it shall be, when he sitteth² upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write¹ him a copy of this law in a book out of [that which is] before the priests the Levites:

And it shall be with him, and he shall read¹ therein all the days of his life: that he may learn⁴ to fear² the LORD his God, to keep² all the words of this law and these statutes, to do² them:

That his heart be not lifted up² above his brethren, and that he turn not aside² from the commandment, [to] the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong⁵⁵ [his] days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.