Study Desk

You may take the babies for yourself, but you must let the mother go. If you obey these laws, things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.

"When you build a new house, you must build a wall around your roof. Then you will not be guilty for the death of a person who falls from the house.

They must fine him 40 ounces of silver. They will give the money to the girl's father because her husband brought shame to an Israelite girl. And the girl will continue to be the man's wife. He cannot divorce her for the rest of his life.

you must bring them both out to the public place near the gate of that city, and you must kill them with stones. You must kill the man, because he used another man's wife for sexual sin. And you must kill the girl, because she was in the city but did not call for help. You must remove this evil from your people.

The man found the engaged girl out in the field and attacked her. Maybe she called for help, but there was no one to help her.

he must pay the girl's father 20 ounces of silver. And the girl will become the man's wife, because he used her for sexual sin. He cannot divorce her all his life.

But the Lord your God refused to do what Balaam asked. Instead, the Lord changed the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

The money earned by a prostitute, either a male or female, must not be brought to the special house of the Lord your God. That money cannot be used to pay for a gift that was promised to the Lord your God, because that kind of sin is disgusting to him.

"When a man is newly married, he must not be sent into the army. And he must not be given any other special work. For one year he must be free to stay home and make his new wife happy.

"Parents must not be put to death for something their children did. And children must not be put to death for something their parents did. People should be put to death only for a bad thing that they themselves did.

Remember, you were poor slaves in Egypt. And the Lord your God took you from that place and set you free. That is why I tell you to do these things for the poor.

"You might be gathering your harvest in the field, and you might forget and leave some grain there. You must not go back to get it. It will be for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows. If you leave some grain for them, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

When you beat your olive trees, you must not go back to check the branches. The olives you leave will be for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.

When you gather the grapes from your vineyard, you must not go back to gather the grapes you left. They will be for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.

Remember you were poor slaves in Egypt. That is why I tell you to do these things for the poor.

"If two brothers live together, and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man must not marry a stranger outside the family. Her husband's brother must take her as his wife and have sexual relations with her. He must do the duty of a husband's brother for her.

If she does that, cut off her hand. Don't feel sorry for her.

You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You must take some of the first crops you gather and put them in baskets. Then take that part of your harvest to the place that the Lord your God chooses to be the home for his name.

I have not eaten this food when I was sad. I was not unclean when I collected this food. I have not offered any of this food for dead people. I have obeyed you, Lord my God. I have done everything you commanded me.

You must not use cut stones to build the altar for the Lord your God. Offer burnt offerings on this altar to the Lord your God.