Parashat Shoftim 5784 / פָּרָשַׁת שׁוֹפְטִים

(6) If a Levite would go, from any of the settlements throughout Israel where he has been residing, to the place that יהוה has chosen, he may do so whenever he pleases. (7) He may serve in the name of his God יהוה like all his fellow Levites who are there in attendance before יהוה. (8) They shall receive equal shares of the dues, without regard to personal gifts or patrimonies.

(9) When you enter the land that your God יהוה is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. (10) Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, (11) one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. (12) For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to יהוה, and it is because of these abhorrent things that your God יהוה is dispossessing them before you. (13) You must be wholehearted with your God יהוה.

(14) Those nations that you are about to dispossess do indeed resort to soothsayers and augurs; to you, however, your God יהוה has not assigned the like. (15) From among your own people, your God יהוה will raise up for you a prophet like myself; that is whom you shall heed. (16) This is just what you asked of your God יהוה at Horeb, on the day of the Assembly, saying, “Let me not hear the voice of my God יהוה any longer or see this wondrous fire any more, lest I die.” (17) Whereupon יהוה said to me, “They have done well in speaking thus.

(18) I will raise up for them from among their own people a prophet like yourself, in whose mouth I will put My words and who will speak to them all that I command; (19) and anybody who fails to heed the words [the prophet] speaks in My name, I Myself will call to account. (20) But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command to be uttered, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die.” (21) And should you ask yourselves, “How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by יהוה?”— (22) if the prophet speaks in the name of יהוה and the oracle does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by יהוה; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not stand in dread of that person.

(1) When your God יהוה has cut down the nations whose land your God יהוה is assigning to you, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and homes, (2) you shall set aside three cities in the land that your God יהוה is giving you to possess. (3) You shall survey the distances, and divide into three parts the territory of the country that your God יהוה has allotted to you, so that any [man] who has killed someone may have a place to flee to.— (4) Now this is the case of the killer who may flee there and live: one who has slain another unwittingly, without having been an enemy in the past. (5) For instance, a man goes with another fellow into a grove to cut wood; as his hand swings the ax to cut down a tree, the ax-head flies off the handle and strikes the other so that he dies. That man shall flee to one of these cities and live.— (6) Otherwise, when the distance is great, the blood-avenger, pursuing the killer in hot anger, may overtake him and strike him down; yet he did not incur the death penalty, since he had never been the other’s enemy. (7) That is why I command you: set aside three cities.

(8) And when your God יהוה enlarges your territory, as was sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that was promised to be given to your fathers— (9) if you faithfully observe all this Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day, to love your God יהוה and to walk in God’s ways at all times—then you shall add three more towns to those three. (10) Thus blood of the innocent will not be shed, bringing bloodguilt upon you in the land that your God יהוה is allotting to you.

(11) If, however, a man who is the enemy of another lies in wait and sets upon [the victim] and strikes a fatal blow and then flees to one of these towns, (12) the elders of his town shall have him brought back from there and shall hand him over to the blood-avenger to be put to death; (13) you must show him no pity. Thus you will purge Israel of the blood of the innocent, and it will go well with you.

(11) If, however, a man who is the enemy of another lies in wait and sets upon [the victim] and strikes a fatal blow and then flees to one of these towns, (12) the elders of his town shall have him brought back from there and shall hand him over to the blood-avenger to be put to death; (13) you must show him no pity. Thus you will purge Israel of the blood of the innocent, and it will go well with you.

(12) I, I am the One who comforts you! What ails you that you fear Man who must die, Mortals who fare like grass? (13) You have forgotten GOD your Maker, Who stretched out the skies and made firm the earth! And you live all day in constant dread Because of the rage of an oppressor Who is aiming to cut [you] down. Yet of what account is the rage of an oppressor? (14) Quickly the crouching one is freed; He is not cut down and slain, And he shall not want for food. (15) For I the ETERNAL your God— Who stirs up the sea into roaring waves, Whose name is GOD of Hosts— (16) Have put My words in your mouth And sheltered you with My hand; I, who planted the skies and made firm the earth, Have said to Zion: You are My people! (17) Rouse, rouse yourself! Arise, O Jerusalem, You who from GOD’s hand Have drunk God’s wrath-filled cup, You who have drained to the dregs The bowl, the cup of reeling! (18) She has none to guide her Of all the children she bore; None takes her by the hand, Of all the children she reared. (19) These two things have befallen you: Wrack and ruin—who can console you? Famine and sword—how shall I comfort you? (20) Your sons lie in a swoon At the corner of every street— Like an antelope caught in a net— Drunk with the wrath of GOD, With the rebuke of your God. (21) Therefore, Listen to this, unhappy one, Who are drunk, but not with wine! (22) Thus said GOD, your Sovereign, Your God who champions this people: Herewith I take from your hand The cup of reeling, The bowl, the cup of My wrath; You shall never drink it again. (23) I will put it in the hands of your tormentors, Who have commanded you, “Get down, that we may walk over you”— So that you made your back like the ground, Like a street for passersby. (1) Awake, awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor; Put on your robes of majesty, Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and the impure Shall never enter you again. (2) Arise, shake off the dust, Sit [on your throne], Jerusalem! Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive one, Fair Zion! (3) For thus said GOD: You were sold for no price, And shall be redeemed without money. (4) For thus said my Sovereign GOD: Of old, My people went down To Egypt to sojourn there; But Assyria has robbed them, Giving nothing in return. (5) What therefore do I gain here? —declares GOD— For My people has been carried off for nothing, Their mockers howl —declares GOD— And constantly, unceasingly, My name is reviled. (6) Assuredly, My people shall learn My name, Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day That I, the One who promised, Am now at hand. (7) How welcome on the mountain Are the footsteps of the herald Announcing happiness, Heralding good fortune, Announcing victory, Telling Zion, “Your God reigns!” (8) Hark! Your lookouts raise their voices, As one they shout for joy; For every eye shall behold GOD ’s return to Zion. (9) Raise a shout together, O ruins of Jerusalem! For GOD will comfort this people, Will redeem Jerusalem. (10) GOD will bare a holy arm In the sight of all the nations, And the very ends of earth shall see The victory of our God. (11) Turn, turn away, touch naught impure As you depart from there; Keep pure, as you go forth from there, You who bear the vessels of GOD! (12) For you will not depart in haste, Nor will you leave in flight; For GOD is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.

(1) Awake, awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor; Put on your robes of majesty, Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and the impure Shall never enter you again. (2) Arise, shake off the dust, Sit [on your throne], Jerusalem! Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive one, Fair Zion! (3) For thus said GOD: You were sold for no price, And shall be redeemed without money. (4) For thus said my Sovereign GOD: Of old, My people went down To Egypt to sojourn there; But Assyria has robbed them, Giving nothing in return. (5) What therefore do I gain here? —declares GOD— For My people has been carried off for nothing, Their mockers howl —declares GOD— And constantly, unceasingly, My name is reviled. (6) Assuredly, My people shall learn My name, Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day That I, the One who promised, Am now at hand. (7) How welcome on the mountain Are the footsteps of the herald Announcing happiness, Heralding good fortune, Announcing victory, Telling Zion, “Your God reigns!” (8) Hark! Your lookouts raise their voices, As one they shout for joy; For every eye shall behold GOD ’s return to Zion. (9) Raise a shout together, O ruins of Jerusalem! For GOD will comfort this people, Will redeem Jerusalem. (10) GOD will bare a holy arm In the sight of all the nations, And the very ends of earth shall see The victory of our God. (11) Turn, turn away, touch naught impure As you depart from there; Keep pure, as you go forth from there, You who bear the vessels of GOD! (12) For you will not depart in haste, Nor will you leave in flight; For GOD is marching before you, The God of Israel is your rear guard.