Study Desk

And at Kadesh-barnea the Lord sent you out with this command: ‘Go up and take over the land I have given you.' But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and refused to put your trust in him or obey him.

But they are your people and your special possession, whom you brought out of Egypt by your great strength and powerful arm.'

When your ancestors went down into Egypt, there were only seventy of them. But now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky!

But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!

"But be careful. Don't let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods.

But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you're living safely in the land,

"But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the Lord your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.

But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

"But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.

But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.

You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat.

But do not give in or listen. Have no pity, and do not spare or protect them.

but if the animal doesn't have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax. They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you.

And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses.

But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean.

"You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the Lord your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.

"But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.

"But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,' because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you.