Study Desk

Anyone presumptuous enough not to pay attention to the cohen appointed there to serve Adonai your God or to the judge — that person must die. Thus you will exterminate such wickedness from Isra'el —

(ii) "When you have entered the land Adonai your God is giving you, have taken possession of it and are living there, you may say, ‘I want to have a king over me, like all the other nations around me.'

In that event, you must appoint as king the one whom Adonai your God will choose. He must be one of your kinsmen, this king you appoint over you — you are forbidden to appoint a foreigner over you who is not your kinsman.

It is to remain with him, and he is to read in it every day, as long as he lives; so that he will learn to fear Adonai his God and keep all the words of this Torah and these laws and obey them;

For Adonai your God has chosen him from all your tribes to stand and serve in the name of Adonai , him and his sons forever.

then he will serve there in the name of Adonai his God, just like his kinsmen the L'vi'im who stand and serve in the presence of Adonai .

"When you enter the land Adonai your God is giving you, you are not to learn how to follow the abominable practices of those nations.

For whoever does these things is detestable to Adonai , and because of these abominations Adonai your God is driving them out ahead of you.

You must be wholehearted with Adonai your God.

(v) For these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to soothsayers and diviners; but you, Adonai your God does not allow you to do this.

just as when you were assembled at Horev and requested Adonai your God, ‘Don't let me hear the voice of Adonai my God any more, or let me see this great fire ever again; if I do, I will die!'

"When Adonai your God cuts off the nations whose land Adonai your God is giving you, and you take their place and settle in their cities and houses,

you are to set aside three cities for yourselves in your land that Adonai your God is giving you to possess.

Divide the territory of your land, which Adonai your God is having you inherit, into three parts; and prepare the roads, so that any killer can flee to these cities.

"If Adonai your God expands your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, and gives you all the land he promised to give to your ancestors —

provided you keep and observe all these mitzvot I am giving you today, loving Adonai your God and always following his ways — then you are to add three more cities for yourselves, besides these three;

so that innocent blood will not be shed in the land Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus blood guilt be on you.

(vi) "You are not to move your neighbor's boundary marker from the place where people put it long ago, in the inheritance soon to be yours in the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess.

"When you go out to fight your enemies and see horses, chariots and a force larger than yours, you are not to be afraid of them; because Adonai your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.

because Adonai your God is going with you to fight on your behalf against your enemies and give you victory.'