Study Desk

(The Israelites set out from the wells that belonged to the people of Jaakan, and went to Moserah. There Aaron died and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest.

At that time the Lord appointed the men of the tribe of Levi to be in charge of the Covenant Box, to serve him as priests, and to pronounce blessings in his name. And these are still their duties.

and obey all his laws. I am giving them to you today for your benefit.

To the Lord belong even the highest heavens; the earth is his also, and everything on it.

But the Lord 's love for your ancestors was so strong that he chose you instead of any other people, and you are still his chosen people.

Have reverence for the Lord your God and worship only him. Be faithful to him and make your promises in his name alone.

"Love the Lord your God and always obey all his laws.

Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with him. It was you, not your children, who had these experiences. You saw the Lord 's greatness, his power, his might,

and his miracles. You saw what he did to the king of Egypt and to his entire country.

Out of the territory of all your tribes the Lord will choose the one place where the people are to come into his presence and worship him.

Be joyful there in his presence, together with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns; remember that the Levites will have no land of their own.

Follow the Lord and honor him; obey him and keep his commands; worship him and be faithful to him.

Do not keep for yourselves anything that was condemned to destruction, and then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and show you mercy. He will be merciful to you and make you a numerous people, as he promised your ancestors,

if you obey all his commands that I have given you today, and do what he requires.

You belong to the Lord your God; he has chosen you to be his own people from among all the peoples who live on earth.

"Do not eat any animal that dies a natural death. You may let the foreigners who live among you eat it, or you may sell it to other foreigners. But you belong to the Lord your God; you are his people. "Do not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother's milk.

Then go to the one place where the Lord your God has chosen to be worshiped; and there in his presence eat the tithes of your grain, wine, and olive oil, and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. Do this so that you may learn to honor the Lord your God always.

Then take him to the door of your house and there pierce his ear; he will then be your slave for life. Treat your female slave in the same way.

"Suppose you hear that in one of your towns some men or women have sinned against the Lord and broken his covenant

The king is not to have a large number of horses for his army, and he is not to send people to Egypt to buy horses, because the Lord has said that his people are never to return there.