Study Desk

you shall set apart three cities for you in the midst of your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you to take possession of it.

You shall prepare the roads for yourselves, and you shall divide the regions of your land into thirds that Yahweh your God gives you as a possession, so that it will be available for any manslayer to flee there.

For example, when somebody goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood, and the iron head slips from the handle of the tool and strikes his neighbor and he dies, then he may flee to one of these cities, and so he may live.

then if you diligently observe this entire commandment that I am commanding you today by loving Yahweh your God and by going in his ways at all times, then you shall add three more cities for yourselves to these three.

But if someone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and murders him, and the murderer flees to one of these cities,

The testimony of a single witness may not be used to convict with respect to any crime and for any wrongdoing in any offense that a person committed; on the evidence of two witnesses or on the evidence of three witnesses a charge shall be sustained.

You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

"If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, an army larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt.

for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.'

And then if they accept your terms of peace and they surrender to you, and then all the people inhabiting it shall be forced labor for you, and they shall serve you.

Only the women and the little children and the domestic animals and all that shall be in the city, all of its spoil you may loot for yourselves, and you may enjoy the spoil of your enemies that Yahweh you God has given to you.

so that they may not teach you to do like all their detestable things that they do for their gods and thereby you sin against Yahweh your God.

"If you besiege a town for many days to make war against it in order to seize it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, and so you must not cut them down. Are the trees of the field humans that they should come in siege against you?

Then the priests, the descendants of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh, and every legal dispute and every case of assault will be subject to their ruling.

"When you go out for battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God gives them into your hand, and you lead the captives away,

"If a man has two wives, and the one is loved and the other one is disliked and the one loved and the one that is disliked have borne for him sons, if it happens that the firstborn son belongs to the one that is disliked,

But he shall acknowledge the firstborn son of the disliked wife by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruit of his vigor; to him is the legal claim of the birthright.

his dead body shall not hang on the tree, but certainly you shall bury him on that day, for cursed by God is one that is being hung; so you shall not defile your land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance."

you shall certainly let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourselves; do this so that it may go well for you and you may live long in the land.

"When you build a new house then you shall make a parapet wall for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it.