The Living Bible (62 page)

Deuteronomy
14

“Since you are the people of God, never cut yourselves as the heathen do when they worship their idols
*
nor shave the front halves of your heads for funerals.
²
 You belong exclusively to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you to be his own possession, more so than any other nation on the face of the earth.

    
^3-5
 “You are not to eat any animal I have declared to be ceremonially defiled. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

    
⁶
 “Any animal that has cloven hooves and chews the cud may be eaten,
⁷
 but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the coney. They chew the cud but do not have cloven hooves.
⁸
 Pigs may not be eaten because, although they have cloven hooves, they don’t chew the cud. You may not even touch the dead bodies of such animals.

    
⁹
 “Only sea animals with fins and scales may be eaten;
¹⁰
 all other kinds are ceremonially defiled.

    
^11-18
 “You may eat any bird except the following: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the falcon (any variety), the raven (any variety), the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk (any variety), the screech owl, the great owl, the horned owl, the pelican, the vulture, the cormorant, the stork, the heron (any variety), the hoopoe, the bat.

    
^19-20
 “With certain exceptions,
*
insects are a defilement to you and may not be eaten.

    
²¹
 “Don’t eat anything that has died a natural death. However, a foreigner among you may eat it. You may give it or sell it to him, but don’t eat it yourself, for you are holy to the Lord your God.

    
“You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

    
²²
 “You must tithe all of your crops every year.
²³
 Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of your flocks and herds. The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.
²⁴
 If the place the Lord chooses for his sanctuary is so far away that it isn’t convenient to carry your tithes to that place,
²⁵
 then you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds and take the money to the Lord’s sanctuary.
²⁶
 When you arrive, use the money to buy an ox, a sheep, some wine, or beer, to feast there before the Lord your God, and to rejoice with your household.

    
²⁷
 “Don’t forget to share your income with the Levites in your community, for they have no property or crops as you do.

    
²⁸
 “Every third year you are to use your entire tithe for local welfare programs:
²⁹
 Give it to the Levites who have no inheritance among you, or to foreigners, or to widows and orphans within your city, so that they can eat and be satisfied; and then Jehovah your God will bless you and your work.

Deuteronomy
15

“At the end of every seventh year there is to be a canceling of all debts!
²
 Every creditor shall write ‘Paid in full’ on any promissory note he holds against a fellow Israelite, for the Lord has released everyone from his obligation.
³
 (This release does not apply to foreigners.)
^4-5
 No one will become poor because of this, for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you if you obey this command. The only prerequisite for his blessing is that you carefully heed all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
⁶
 He will bless you as he has promised. You shall lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow! You shall rule many nations, but they shall not rule over you!

    
⁷
 “But if, when you arrive in the land the Lord will give you, there are any among you who are poor, you must not shut your heart or hand against them;
⁸
 you must lend them as much as they need.
⁹
 Beware! Don’t refuse a loan because the year of debt cancellation is close at hand! If you refuse to make the loan and the needy man cries out to the Lord, it will be counted against you as a sin.
¹⁰
 You must lend him what he needs, and don’t moan about it either! For the Lord will prosper you in everything you do because of this!
¹¹
 There will always be some among you who are poor; that is why this commandment is necessary. You must lend to them liberally.

    
¹²
 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, whether a man or woman, you must free him at the end of the sixth year you have owned him,
¹³
 and don’t send him away empty-handed!
¹⁴
 Give him a large farewell present from your flock, your olive press, and your winepress. Share with him in proportion as the Lord your God has blessed you.
¹⁵
 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God rescued you! That is why I am giving you this command.

    
¹⁶
 “But if your Hebrew slave doesn’t want to leave—if he says he loves you and enjoys your pleasant home and gets along well with you—
¹⁷
 then take an awl and pierce his ear into the door, and after that he shall be your slave forever. Do the same with your women slaves.
¹⁸
 But when you free a slave you must not feel bad, for remember that for six years he has cost you less than half the price of a hired hand! And the Lord your God will prosper all you do because you have released him!

    
¹⁹
 “You shall set aside for God all the firstborn males from your flocks and herds. Do not use the firstborn of your herds to work your fields, and do not shear the firstborn of your flocks of sheep and goats.
²⁰
 Instead, you and your family shall eat these animals before the Lord your God each year at his sanctuary.
²¹
 However, if this firstborn animal has any defect such as being lame or blind, or if anything else is wrong with it, you shall not sacrifice it.
²²
 Instead, use it for food for your family at home. Anyone, even if ceremonially defiled at the time, may eat it, just as anyone may eat a gazelle or deer.
²³
 But don’t eat the blood; pour it out upon the ground like water.

Deuteronomy
16

“Always remember to celebrate the Passover during the month of April,
*
for that was when Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
²
 Your Passover sacrifice shall be either a lamb or an ox, sacrificed to the Lord your God at his sanctuary.
³
 Eat the sacrifice with unleavened bread. Eat unleavened bread for seven days as a reminder of the bread you ate as you escaped from Egypt. This is to remind you that you left Egypt in such a hurry that there was no time for the bread to rise.
*
Remember that day all the rest of your lives!
⁴
 For seven days no trace of yeast shall be in your homes, and none of the Passover lamb shall be left until the next morning.

    
⁵
 “The Passover is not to be eaten in your homes.
⁶
 It must be eaten at the place the Lord shall choose as his sanctuary. Sacrifice it there on the anniversary evening just as the sun goes down.
⁷
 Roast the lamb and eat it, then start back to your homes the next morning.
⁸
 For the following six days you shall eat no bread made with yeast. On the seventh day there shall be a quiet gathering of the people of each city before the Lord your God. Don’t do any work that day.

    
⁹
 “Seven weeks after the harvest begins,
¹⁰
 there shall be another festival before the Lord your God called the Festival of Weeks. At that time bring to him a freewill offering proportionate in size to his blessing upon you as judged by the amount of your harvest.
¹¹
 It is a time to rejoice before the Lord with your family and household. And don’t forget to include the local Levites, foreigners, widows, and orphans. Invite them to accompany you to the celebration at the sanctuary.
¹²
 Remember! You were a slave in Egypt, so be sure to carry out this command.

    
¹³
 “Another celebration, the Festival of Shelters, must be observed for seven days at the end of the harvest season, after the grain is threshed and the grapes have been pressed.
¹⁴
 This will be a happy time of rejoicing together with your family and servants. And don’t forget to include the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows of your town.

    
¹⁵
 “This feast will be held at the sanctuary, which will be located at the place the Lord will designate. It is a time of deep thanksgiving to the Lord for blessing you with a good harvest and in so many other ways; it shall be a time of great joy.

    
¹⁶
 “Every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord your God three times a year at the sanctuary for these festivals:

    
The Festival of Unleavened Bread,

    
The Festival of Weeks,

    
The Festival of Shelters.

    
“On each of these occasions bring a gift to the Lord.
¹⁷
 Give as you are able, according as the Lord has blessed you.

    
¹⁸
 “Appoint judges and administrative officials for all the cities the Lord your God is giving you. They will administer justice in every part of the land.
¹⁹
 Never twist justice to benefit a rich man, and never accept bribes. For bribes blind the eyes of the wisest and corrupt their decisions.
²⁰
 Justice must prevail.

    
“That is the only way you will be successful in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

    
²¹
 “Never, under any circumstances, are you to erect shameful images beside the altar of the Lord your God.
²²
 And never set up stone pillars to worship them, for the Lord hates them!