Deuteronomy 17:20 - Prayer Tents

17You must not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has a defect, anything seriously wrong; for that is abhorrent to the LORD your God.H2076H3068H430H7794H7716H3971H7451H1697H8441H3068H430 2If there is found among you, in one of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God, and transgresses his covenantH4672H7130H259H8179H3068H430H5414H376H802H6213H7451H5869H3068H430H5674H1285 3by going to serve other gods and worshiping them—whether the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden—H3212H5647H312H430H7812H8121H3394H6635H8064H6680 4and if it is reported to you or you hear of it, and you make a thorough inquiry, and the charge is proved true that such an abhorrent thing has occurred in Israel,H5046H8085H1875H3190H571H1697H3559H8441H6213H3478 5then you shall bring out to your gates that man or that woman who has committed this crime and you shall stone the man or woman to death.H3318H376H802H6213H7451H1697H8179H376H802H5619H68H4191 6On the evidence of two or three witnesses the death sentence shall be executed; a person must not be put to death on the evidence of only one witness.H6310H8147H5707H7969H5707H4191H4191H6310H259H5707H4191 7The hands of the witnesses shall be the first raised against the person to execute the death penalty, and afterward the hands of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.H3027H5707H7223H4191H314H3027H5971H1197H7451H1197H7130

Legal Decisions by Priests and Judges

8If a judicial decision is too difficult for you to make between one kind of bloodshed and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another—any such matters of dispute in your towns—then you shall immediately go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose,H1697H6381H4941H1818H1818H1779H1779H5061H5061H1697H7379H8179H6965H5927H4725H3068H430H977 9where you shall consult with the levitical priests and the judge who is in office in those days; they shall announce to you the decision in the case.H935H3548H3881H8199H3117H1875H5046H1697H4941 10Carry out exactly the decision that they announce to you from the place that the LORD will choose, diligently observing everything they instruct you.H6213H6310H1697H4725H3068H977H5046H8104H6213H3384 11You must carry out fully the law that they interpret for you or the ruling that they announce to you; do not turn aside from the decision that they announce to you, either to the right or to the left.H6310H8451H3384H4941H559H6213H5493H1697H5046H3225H8040 12As for anyone who presumes to disobey the priest appointed to minister there to the LORD your God, or the judge, that person shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.H376H6213H2087H8085H3548H5975H8334H3068H430H8199H376H4191H1197H7451H3478 13All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.H5971H8085H3372H2102

Limitations of Royal Authority

14When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,"H935H776H3068H430H5414H3423H3427H559H7760H4428H1471H5439 15you may indeed set over you a king whom the LORD your God will choose. One of your own community you may set as king over you; you are not permitted to put a foreigner over you, who is not of your own community.H7760H7760H4428H3068H430H977H7130H251H7760H4428H3201H5414H5237H376H251 16Even so, he must not acquire many horses for himself, or return the people to Egypt in order to acquire more horses, since the LORD has said to you, "You must never return that way again."H7235H5483H5971H7725H4714H7235H5483H3068H559H3254H7725H1870 17And he must not acquire many wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; also silver and gold he must not acquire in great quantity for himself.H7235H802H3824H5493H3966H7235H3701H2091 18When he has taken the throne of his kingdom, he shall have a copy of this law written for him in the presence of the levitical priests.H3427H3678H4467H3789H4932H8451H5612H6440H3548H3881 19It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, diligently observing all the words of this law and these statutes,H7121H3117H2416H3925H3372H3068H430H8104H1697H8451H2706H6213 20neither exalting himself above other members of the community nor turning aside from the commandment, either to the right or to the left, so that he and his descendants may reign long over his kingdom in Israel.H3824H7311H251H5493H4687H3225H8040H748H3117H4467H1121H7130H3478