(29) When your God יהוה has cut down before you the nations that you are about to enter and dispossess, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their land, (30) beware of being lured into their ways after they have been wiped out before you! Do not inquire about their gods, saying, “How did those nations worship their gods? I too will follow those practices.” (31) You shall not act thus toward your God יהוה, for they perform for their gods every abhorrent act that יהוה detests; they even offer up their sons and daughters in fire to their gods. (1) Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it.

(2) If there appears among you a prophet or a dream-diviner, who gives you a sign or a portent, (3) saying, “Let us follow and worship another god”—whom you have not experienced —even if the sign or portent named to you comes true, (4) do not heed the words of that prophet or that dream-diviner. For your God יהוה is testing you to see whether you really love your God יהוה with all your heart and soul. (5) It is your God יהוה alone whom you should follow, whom you should revere, whose commandments you should observe, whose orders you should heed, whom you should worship, and to whom you should hold fast. (6) As for that prophet or dream-diviner, such a one shall be put to death for having urged disloyalty to your God יהוה —who freed you from the land of Egypt and who redeemed you from the house of bondage—to make you stray from the path that your God יהוה commanded you to follow. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst.

(7) If your brother, your own mother’s son, or your son or daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your closest friend entices you in secret, saying, “Come let us worship other gods”—whom neither you nor your ancestors have experienced — (8) from among the gods of the peoples around you, either near to you or distant, anywhere from one end of the earth to the other: (9) do not assent or give heed to any of them. Show no pity or compassion, and do not cover up the matter; (10) but take that person’s life. Let your hand be the first to put that person to death, followed by the hand of the rest of the people. (11) Stone that person to death for having sought to make you stray from your God יהוה, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (12) Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid, and such evil things will not be done again in your midst.

(13) If you hear it said, of one of the towns that your God יהוה is giving you to dwell in, (14) that some scoundrels from among you have gone and subverted the inhabitants of their town, saying, “Come let us worship other gods”—whom you have not experienced— (15) you shall investigate and inquire and interrogate thoroughly. If it is true, the fact is established—that abhorrent thing was perpetrated in your midst— (16) put the inhabitants of that town to the sword and put its cattle to the sword. Doom it and all that is in it to destruction: (17) gather all its spoil into the open square, and burn the town and all its spoil as a holocaust to your God יהוה. And it shall remain an everlasting ruin, never to be rebuilt. (18) Let nothing that has been doomed stick to your hand, in order that יהוה may turn from a blazing anger and show you compassion, and in compassion increase you as promised on oath to your fathers— (19) for you will be heeding your God יהוה, obeying all the divine commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, doing what is right in the sight of your God יהוה.

(1) You are children of your God יהוה. You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead. (2) For you are a people consecrated to your God יהוה: your God יהוה chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be a treasured people. (3) You shall not eat anything abhorrent. (4) These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat; (5) the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, the mountain sheep, (6) and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud—such you may eat. (7) But the following, which do bring up the cud or have true hoofs which are cleft through, you may not eat: the camel, the hare, and the daman—for although they bring up the cud, they have no true hoofs—they are impure for you; (8) also the swine—for although it has true hoofs, it does not bring up the cud—is impure for you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses.

(9) These you may eat of all that live in water: you may eat anything that has fins and scales. (10) But you may not eat anything that has no fins and scales: it is impure for you. (11) You may eat any pure bird. (12) The following you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; (13) the kite, the falcon, and the buzzard of any variety; (14) every variety of raven; (15) the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, and the hawk of any variety; (16) the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl; (17) the pelican, the bustard, and the cormorant; (18) the stork, any variety of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. (19) All winged swarming things are impure for you: they may not be eaten. (20) You may eat only pure winged creatures. (21) You shall not eat anything that has died a natural death; give it to the stranger in your community to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people consecrated to your God יהוה. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

(22) You shall set aside every year a tenth part of all the yield of your sowing that is brought from the field. (23) You shall consume the tithes of your new grain and wine and oil, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks, in the presence of your God יהוה, in the place where [God] will choose to establish the divine name, so that you may learn to revere your God יהוה forever. (24) Should the distance be too great for you, should you be unable to transport them, because the place where your God יהוה has chosen to establish the divine name is far from you and because your God יהוה has blessed you, (25) you may convert them into money. Wrap up the money and take it with you to the place that your God יהוה has chosen, (26) and spend the money on anything you want—cattle, sheep, wine, or other intoxicant, or anything you may desire. And you shall feast there, in the presence of your God יהוה, and rejoice with your household. (27) But do not neglect the [family of the] Levite in your community, for he has no hereditary portion as you have. (28) Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your yield of that year, but leave it within your settlements. (29) Then the [family of the] Levite, who has no hereditary portion as you have, and the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your settlements shall come and eat their fill, so that your God יהוה may bless you in all the enterprises you undertake.

(22) You shall set aside every year a tenth part of all the yield of your sowing that is brought from the field. (23) You shall consume the tithes of your new grain and wine and oil, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks, in the presence of your God יהוה, in the place where [God] will choose to establish the divine name, so that you may learn to revere your God יהוה forever. (24) Should the distance be too great for you, should you be unable to transport them, because the place where your God יהוה has chosen to establish the divine name is far from you and because your God יהוה has blessed you, (25) you may convert them into money. Wrap up the money and take it with you to the place that your God יהוה has chosen, (26) and spend the money on anything you want—cattle, sheep, wine, or other intoxicant, or anything you may desire. And you shall feast there, in the presence of your God יהוה, and rejoice with your household. (27) But do not neglect the [family of the] Levite in your community, for he has no hereditary portion as you have. (28) Every third year you shall bring out the full tithe of your yield of that year, but leave it within your settlements. (29) Then the [family of the] Levite, who has no hereditary portion as you have, and the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your settlements shall come and eat their fill, so that your God יהוה may bless you in all the enterprises you undertake.

(11) Unhappy, storm-tossed one, uncomforted! I will lay carbuncles as your building stones And make your foundations of sapphires. (12) I will make your battlements of rubies, Your gates of precious stones, The whole encircling wall of gems. (13) And all your children shall be disciples of GOD, And great shall be the happiness of your children; (14) You shall be established through righteousness. You shall be safe from oppression, And shall have no fear; From ruin, and it shall not come near you. (15) Surely no harm can be done Without My consent: Whoever would harm you Shall fall because of you. (16) It is I who created the smith To fan the charcoal fire And produce tools for each purpose; So it is I who create The instruments of havoc. (17) No weapon formed against you Shall succeed, And every tongue that contends with you at law You shall defeat. Such is the lot of GOD’s servants, Such their triumph through Me —declares GOD. (1) Ho, all who are thirsty, Come for water, Even if you have no money; Come, buy food and eat: Buy food without money, Wine and milk without cost. (2) Why do you spend money for what is not bread, Your earnings for what does not satisfy? Give heed to Me, And you shall eat choice food And enjoy the richest viands. (3) Incline your ear and come to Me; Hearken, and you shall be revived. And I will make with you an everlasting covenant, The enduring loyalty promised to David. (4) As I made him a leader of peoples, A prince and commander of peoples, (5) So you shall summon a nation you did not know, And a nation that did not know you Shall come running to you— For the sake of the ETERNAL your God, The Holy One of Israel who has glorified you.

(1) But now thus said GOD— Who created you, O Jacob, Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I will redeem you; I have singled you out by name, You are Mine. (2) When you pass through water, I will be with you; Through streams, They shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, You shall not be scorched; Through flame, It shall not burn you. (3) For I the ETERNAL am your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Saba in exchange for you. (4) Because you are precious to Me, And honored, and I love you, I give people in exchange for you And nations in your stead. (5) Fear not, for I am with you: I will bring your folk from the East, Will gather you out of the West; (6) I will say to the North, “Give back!” And to the South, “Do not withhold! Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the end of the earth— (7) All who are linked to My name, Whom I have created, Formed, and made for My glory— (8) Setting free that people, Blind though it has eyes And deaf though it has ears.” (9) All the nations assemble as one, The peoples gather. Who among them declared this, Foretold to us the things that have happened? Let them produce their witnesses and be vindicated, That people, hearing them, may say, “It is true!” (10) My witnesses are you —declares GOD— My servant, whom I have chosen. To the end that you may take thought, And believe in Me, And understand that I am the One: Before Me no god was formed, And after Me none shall exist—