Study Desk

that some men of no worth have gone out from among you to tempt those who live in their city. They might say, ‘Let us go and worship other gods,' (whom you have not known).

But you must not eat of those that chew their food again or have a divided foot: the camel, the rabbit and the rock badger. For though they eat their food again, they do not have a divided foot. They are unclean to you.

All your males must show themselves before the Lord your God three times a year in the place He chooses, at the Special Supper of Bread Without Yeast, the Special Supper of the First Fruits of the Land, and the Special Supper of Tents. They must not show themselves before the Lord with nothing in their hands.

"Choose judges and other leaders for all your towns the Lord your God is giving you, among each of your family groups. They must be wise in judging the people.

Go to the Levite religious leader or the judge who is at work at that time. Ask them, and they will tell you what they decide.

Do what they teach you about the Law and about what they decide. Do not turn aside from what they tell you to do, to the right or to the left.

Then all the people will hear and be afraid. They will not act in a foolish way again.

And the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well.

The rest of the people will hear and be afraid. They will never do such a sinful thing among you again.

If they agree to make peace with you and open their gates to you, all the people who are found there will be made to work for you and serve you.

But if they do not make peace with you and fight against you, you must take the city in battle.

Then they will not teach you to do all the hated and sinful things they have done for their gods, and make you sin against the Lord your God.

"When you stay around a city a long time, to make war against it and take it, do not destroy its trees with the ax. You may eat from them but do not cut them down. For are trees of the field men that they should be killed?

O Lord, forgive Your people Israel whom You have set free. Do not put the guilt of killing a man who did no wrong on Your people Israel.' And they will be forgiven from the guilt of the man's death.

"If a man has a strong-willed son who goes against him and does not obey his father or mother and when they punish him he will not even listen to them,

They will say to the leaders of his city, ‘This son of ours is strong-willed and goes against us. He will not obey us. He eats and drinks too much.'

He said she has done sinful acts, saying, "I found that your daughter has been with another man." But I brought what will prove that my daughter has not been with another man.' And they will spread the clothing in front of the leaders of the city.

They will make him pay a hundred pieces of silver and give it to the girl's father, because he has put to shame the name of an Israelite girl who has not had a man. She will still be his wife. He cannot divorce her as long as he lives.

"If a man finds a girl who has never had a man and is not promised in marriage, and takes her and lies with her, and they are found,

because they did not meet you with food and water on your way from Egypt, and they paid Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia to curse you.