16 Never test Yahweh your Elohim as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to obey the commands of Yahweh your Elohim and the regulations and laws he has given you. 18 Do what Yahweh considers right and good. Then things will go well for you, and you will enter and take possession of that good land which Yahweh promised to your ancestors with an oath. 19 You will see Yahweh expel your enemies as he said he would.

20 In the future your children will ask you, "What do these regulations, laws, and rules which Yahweh our Elohim commanded you mean to you?" 21 Tell them, "We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt, but Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring us out of there. 22 Right before our eyes Yahweh did miraculous signs and amazing things that were spectacular but terrible for Egypt, Pharaoh, and his whole family. 23 Yahweh led us out of there to bring us here and give us this land he promised to our ancestors with an oath. 24 Yahweh our Elohim commanded us to obey all these laws and to fear Yahweh. These laws are for our own good as long as we live so that he will preserve our lives. It's still true today. 25 This is how we'll have the LORD'S approval: If we faithfully obey all these laws in the presence of Yahweh our Elohim , as he has commanded us."

Israel Is Commanded to Destroy the Canaanites and Their Idols 7 1 Yahweh your Elohim will bring you to the land you're about to enter and take possession of. He will force many nations out of your way: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites-seven nations larger and more powerful than you. 2 When Yahweh your Elohim gives them to you and you defeat them, destroy every one of them because they have been claimed by the LORD. Don't make any treaties with them or show them any mercy. 3 Never marry any of them. Never let your daughters marry their sons or your sons marry their daughters. 4 These people will turn your children away from me to worship other gods. Then Yahweh will get very angry with you and will quickly destroy you.

5 But this is what you must do to these people: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and burn their idols. 6 You are a holy people, who belong to Yahweh your Elohim. Yahweh your Elohim chose you to be his own special possession out of all the nations on earth.

7 Yahweh set his heart on you and chose you, even though you didn't outnumber all the other people. You were the smallest of all nations. 8 You were chosen because Yahweh loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. So Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). 9 Keep in mind that Yahweh your Elohim is the only Elohim. He is a faithful El, who keeps his promisea and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands. 10 But he sends destruction to pay back everyone who hates him. He never takes long to pay back anyone who hates him.

11 So obey the commands, laws, and rules I'm giving you today.

12 If you listen to these rules and faithfully obey them, Yahweh your Elohim will keep his promise to you and be merciful to you, as he swore to your ancestors. 13 He will love you, bless you, and increase the number of your descendants. He will bless you with children. He will bless your land with produce: grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will bless your herds with calves, and your flocks with lambs and kids. This will all happen in the land Yahweh will give you, as he swore to your ancestors. 14 You will be blessed more than any other people. Your men and women will be able to have children, and your animals will be able to have offspring. 15 Yahweh will keep you from having any kind of illness. He will not strike you with any of the terrible diseases you experienced in Egypt. Instead, he will strike all those who hate you. 16 You must destroy all the people Yahweh your Elohim hands over to you. Have no pity on them, and never worship their gods, because they will be a trap for you.

17 You may say to yourselves, "These nations outnumber us. How can we force them out?" 18 Don'tbe afraid of them. Remember what Yahweh your Elohim did to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. 19 You saw with your own eyes the terrible plagues, the miraculous signs, and the amazing things Yahweh your Elohim did. He used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring you out. Yahweh your Elohim will do the same thing to all the people you're afraid of. 20 Yahweh your Elohim will spread panic among them until they all die. There will be no one left-not even those who were hiding from you. 21 Don't be afraid of them, because Yahweh your Elohim is with you. He is a great and awe-inspiring El. 22 Little by little Yahweh your Elohim will force these nations out of your way. You won't be able to wipe them out quickly. Otherwise, you would be overrun with wild animals. 23 Yahweh your Elohim will hand these people over to you and will throw them into a great panic until they're destroyed. 24 He will hand their kings over to you, and no one on earth will even remember their names. No one will be able to stop you. You will destroy them all. 25 Burn their idols. Don't ever long for the silver and gold on these idols or take any of it for yourselves. It might be a trap for you. Besides, these idols are disgusting to Yahweh your Elohim . 26 Never bring a disgusting idol into your house. If you do, you and the idol will be destroyed. Consider it detestable and disgusting. It must be destroyed."

Israel Told Never to Forget God 8 1 Be careful to obey every command I give you today. Then you will live, and your population will increase. You will enter and take possession of the land that Yahweh promised to your ancestors with an oath.

2 Remember that for 40 years Yahweh your Elohim led you on your journey in the desert. He did this in order to humble you and test you. He wanted to know whether or not you would wholeheartedly obey his commands. 3 So he made you suffer from hunger and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had seen before. He did this to teach you that a person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that Yahweh speaks. 4 Your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't swell these past 40 years. 5 Learn this lesson by heart: Yahweh your Elohim was disciplining you as parents discipline their children. 6 Obey the commands of Yahweh your Elohim. Follow his directions, and fear him.

7 Yahweh your Elohim is bringing you into a good land. It is a land with rivers that don't dry up. There are springs and underground streams flowing through the valleys and hills. 8 The land has wheat and barley, grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates. The land has honey and olive trees for olive oil. 9 The land will have enough food for you, and you will have everything you need. The land has rocks with iron ore, and you will be able to mine copper ore in the hills. 10 When you have eaten all you want, thank Yahweh your Elohim for the good land he has given you.

11 Be careful that you don't forget Yahweh your Elohim. Don't fail to obey his commands, rules, and laws that I'm giving you today. 12 You will eat all you want. You will build nice houses and live in them. 13 Your herds and flocks, silver and gold, and everything else you have will increase. 14 When this happens, be careful that you don't become arrogant and forget Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 15 He was the one who led you through that vast and dangerous desert-a thirsty and arid land, with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He was the one who made water come out of solid rock for you. 16 He was the one who fed you in the desert with manna, which your ancestors had never seen. He did this in order to humble you and test you. But he also did this so that things would go well for you in the end. 17 You may say to yourselves, "I became wealthy because of my own ability and strength." 18 But remember Yahweh your Elohim is the one who makes you wealthy. He's confirming the promisea which he swore to your ancestors. It's still in effect today.

19 I warn you today that if you forget Yahweh your Elohim and follow other gods, and if you serve them and bow down to them, you will certainly be destroyed. 20 Yahweh is going to destroy other nations as you enter the land. You will be destroyed like them if you don't obey Yahweh your Elohim .

Israel Has Been Given Canaan because of God's Mercy 9 1 Listen, Israel, you're about to cross the Jordan River. You'll be forcing out nations that are larger and stronger than you, with big cities that have sky-high walls. 2 Their people are tall and strong. They're descendants of Anak. You know all about them. You've also heard it said, "Who can oppose the descendants of Anak?" 3 Realize today that Yahweh your Elohim is the one who is going ahead of you like Esh Oklah. He will wipe them out and will use you to crush their power. You will take possession of their land and will quickly destroy them as Yahweh promised you.

4 When Yahweh your Elohim expels these people in front of you, don't say to yourselves, "Because we've been living right, Yahweh brought us here to take possession of this land." No, it's because these nations are so wicked that Yahweh is forcing them out of your way. 5 It's not because you've been living right or because you're so honest that you're entering to take possession of their land. It's because these people are so wicked that Yahweh your Elohim is forcing them out of your way. It's also because Yahweh wants to confirm the promise he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 6 So understand this: It's not because you've been living right that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you this good land to possess. You are impossible to deal with!

7 Never forget how you made Yahweh your Elohim angry in the desert. You've rebelled against Yahweh from the day you left Egypt until you came here. 8 Even at Mount Horeb you made Yahweh so angry that Yahweh wanted to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that Yahweh made to you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. 10 Then Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets inscribed by Elohim himself. On them were written all the words that Yahweh spoke to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.

11 At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets with his promise on them. 12 Yahweh told me, "Leave right away. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything. They've quickly turned from the way I commanded them to live. They've made an idol for themselves."

13 Yahweh also said to me, "I've seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with. 14 Leave me alone! I'll destroy them and wipe their name off the earth. Then I'll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are."

15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it was still burning with fire. I was carrying the two tablets with the promise on them. 16 Then I saw that you had sinned against Yahweh your Elohim. You had made a statue of a calf for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way Yahweh commanded you to live. 17 I took the two tablets, threw them down, and smashed them in front of you.

18 Once again I threw myself down in front of Yahweh. I went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights because of the sin you committed. You did what Yahweh considered evil and made him furious. 19 I was terrified of Yahweh's anger and fury. He was so angry he wanted to destroy you. But once more Yahweh listened to me.

20 Yahweh also became very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him. But at that time I prayed for Aaron, too.

21 I took that sinful calf you made and burned it. I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was as fine as powder. Then I threw the powder into the river that flowed down the mountain.

22 You also made Yahweh angry at Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth Hattaavah.

23 When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea, he said, "Go and take possession of the land I'm giving you." But you rebelled against the word of Yahweh your Elohim . You didn't believe him or obey him. 24 You've rebelled against Yahweh as long as I've known you.

25 I threw myself down in front of Yahweh for 40 days and 40 nights because Yahweh said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to Yahweh and said, "Adonay Yahweh , don't destroy your people. They belong to you. You saved them by your great power and used your mighty hand to bring them out of Egypt. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Disregard the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people. 28 Otherwise, the country we left will say, "Yahweh wasn't able to bring them to the land he promised them. He hated them. That's why he brought them out-to let them die in the desert." 29 They are your people. They belong to you. You used your great strength and powerful arm to bring them out of Egypt.

10 1 At that time Yahweh said to me, "Cut two more stone tablets like the first ones, and come up to me on the mountain. Also make an ark out of wood. 2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed. Then you will put them in the ark."

3 I made an ark out of acacia wood. I cut two more stone tablets like the first ones. I carried the two tablets up the mountain. 4 Yahweh wrote on these tablets the same words as before, the ten commandments. He had spoken these words to you from the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly. Then Yahweh gave them to me. 5 I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made. They are still there, where Yahweh commanded me to put them.

6 The Israelites moved from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried, and his son Eleazar succeeded him as priest. 7 They moved from there to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land with rivers that don't dry up. 8 At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of Yahweh's promise, to stand in Yahweh's presence when they serve him as priests, and to praise his name, as they still do today. 9 This is why the tribe of Levi has no land of their own as the other tribes have. Yahweh your Elohim is their only possession, as he promised them.

10 I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again Yahweh listened to me and Yahweh agreed not to destroy you. 11 Yahweh said to me, "Lead the people on their journey. They will enter and take possession of the land I will give them, as I swore to their ancestors."

Israel Encouraged to Follow God's Guidance 12 Israel, what does Yahweh your Elohim want you to do? Yahweh your Elohim wants you to fear him, follow all his directions, love him, and worship Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. 13 Yahweh wants you to obey his commands and laws that I'm giving you today for your own good. 14 Remember that the sky, the highest heaven, the earth and everything it contains belong to Yahweh your Elohim. 15 Yahweh set his heart on your ancestors and loved them. Because of this, today he chooses you, their descendants, out of all the people of the world.

16 So circumcise your uncircumcised hearts, and don't be impossible to deal with any longer. 17 There is no one like Yahweh-your one true Elohim and Adonay . He is the great, powerful, and awe-inspiring El. He never plays favorites and never takes a bribe. 18 He makes sure orphans and widows receive justice. He loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes. 19 So you should love foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. 20 Fear Yahweh your Elohim, worship him, be loyal to him, and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your glory. He is your Elohim, who did for you these spectacular and awe-inspiring deeds you saw with your own eyes. 22 When your ancestors went to Egypt, there were 70 of them. Now Yahweh your Elohim has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

11 1 Love Yahweh your Elohim, and do what he wants you to do. Always obey his laws, rules, and commands. 2 Remember today the discipline you learned from Yahweh your Elohim. (I'm not talking to your children. They didn't see or experience any of this.) You saw and experienced his great power-his mighty hand and powerful arm. 3 You saw the miraculous signs and deeds he did in Egypt to Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) and to his whole country. 4 You saw what he did to the Egyptian army, its horses and chariots. He drowned them in the Red Sea when they pursued you. So Yahweh destroyed them forever. 5 You saw what he did for you in the desert until you came here. 6 You also saw what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, from the tribe of Reuben. In the middle of all the Israelites the ground opened up and swallowed them, their families, their tents, and every living creature with them. 7 You saw with your own eyes all these spectacular things that Yahweh did.

8 Obey all the commands I'm giving you today. Then you will have the strength to enter and take possession of the land once you've crossed the Jordan River. 9 Then you will also live for a long time in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors and their descendants-a land flowing with milk and honey.

10 The land you're about to enter and take possession of isn't like the land you left in Egypt. There you used to plant your seed, and you had to water it like a vegetable garden. 11 The land you're about to enter is a land with hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky. 12 It is a land Yahweh your Elohim cares about. Yahweh your Elohim watches over it all year long.

13 If you faithfully obey the commands that I'm giving you today, love Yahweh your Elohim, and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 I will send rain on your land at the right time, both in the fall and in the spring. Then you will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your animals, and you will be able to eat all you want.

16 Be careful, or you'll be tempted to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Yahweh will become angry with you. He'll shut the sky so that there'll be no rain. Then the ground won't grow any crops, and you'll quickly disappear from this good land Yahweh is giving you.

18 Take these words of mine to heart and keep them in mind. Write them down, tie them around your wrist, and wear them as headbands as a reminder. 19 Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you're at home or away, when you lie down or get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. 21 Then you and your children will live for a long time in this land that Yahweh swore to give to your ancestors-as long as there's a sky above the earth.

22 Faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you. Love Yahweh your Elohim, follow all his directions, and be loyal to him. 23 Then Yahweh will force all these people out of your way. Then you will take possession of the land belonging to people taller and stronger than you. 24 I will give you every place on which you set foot. Your borders will be from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. 25 No one will be able to stop you. As Yahweh your Elohim promised, he will make people terrified of you wherever you go in this land.

Choose the Blessing or the Curse 26 Today I'm giving you the choice of a blessing or a curse. 27 You'll be blessed if you obey the commands of Yahweh your Elohim that I'm giving you today. 28 You'll be cursed if you disobey the commands of Yahweh your Elohim, if you turn from the way I'm commanding you to live today, and if you worship other gods you never knew. 29 When Yahweh your Elohim brings you into the land you're about to enter, recite the blessing from Mount Gerizim and the curse from Mount Ebal. 30 (These mountains are on the west side of the Jordan, beyond the road that goes west, in the region of the Canaanites who live on the plains facing Gilgal, next to the oak trees of Moreh.) 31 You're about to cross the Jordan River to enter and take possession of the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. When you take possession of it and live there, 32 be careful to obey all the laws and rules I'm giving you today.

YAH, YAHWEH.

LORD.

The name Yahweh occurs more than 6,800 times in the Old Testament. After the destruction of the temple in AD 70, this sacred, personal name of Israel's God was not pronounced. Instead, Adonay was substituted for Yahweh whenever it appeared in the biblical text. Because of this, the correct pronunciation was eventually lost. English editions of the Bible usually translate Adonay as "Lord" and Yahweh as "LORD."

Afraid of profaning this covenant name of God, various rabbinical writers spoke of it as "The Name," "The Great and Terrible Name," "The Unutterable Name," "The Ineffable Name," "The Holy Name," and "The Distinguished Name." Also known as the Tetragrammaton, because it is formed by the four Hebrew consonants YHWH (JHVH in German), it was first rendered Jehovah in the Middle Ages and enshrined as such in the King James Version of the Bible (Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 12:2; 26:4). This mispronunciation arose in the second half of the first millennium AD when Jewish scholars began supplying vowels to Hebrew that had formerly been written without them. Since Adonay was always substituted for Yahweh (pronounced yah-WEH, as scholars now think) in the biblical text, the Hebrew vowels for Adonay were inserted into the four letters of the Tetragrammaton: YaHoWaH.

Unfortunately, the translation "LORD," which is a title rather than a name, obscures the personal nature of this name for God. Though the meaning of Yahweh is disputed, the mysterious self-description in Exodus 3:14, "I Am Who I Am," may convey the sense not only that God is self-existent but that he is always present with his people. Yahweh is not a God who is remote or aloof but One who is always near and who at times intervenes in history on behalf of his people. The ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna in the desert-all these and more-were powerful acts that revealed him as a God of great faithfulness, holiness, compassion, and power.

Praying to Yah, Yahweh Sometimes we long for a God who is less complicated than the God of the Bible, someone who comports with our own middle-class values and attitudes-a nice god who always acts with great kind ness and tenderness, foreswearing judgment in favor of mercy. But such a god never would have gotten his people out of Egypt. They never would have made it across the Red Sea, through the desert, and into the Promised Land. They would have remained enslaved in their misery.

Life in the desert is hard. There's not enough food, very little water. Barely two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they had already forgotten about the wonders God had performed on their behalf. Some of them complained, stating their preference for slavery in Egypt over wandering in the wasteland. Then came the worst insult of all-they chose other gods to lead them, forging an idol to worship. We know what happened. The punishment was swift and severe. God killed the unfaithful, eliminating those who were trying to convince his people to turn back to Egypt, repeating the lie that slavery is better than freedom.

So these actions also define who Yahweh is-a holy God with a holy purpose for his people. He wants to set them free not only from Egypt but from sin and death, from their temptation to live as slaves. We see a similar line played out later in Exodus, this time in the story of Joseph, who is sold by his brothers into slavery. Still, in the midst of disgrace and unjust imprisonment, Yahweh, the LORD, is with Joseph. Listen to what Genesis 39:2 says: "Yahweh was with Joseph, so he became a successful man." God used the tragic elements of Joseph's story to protect the lives of his chosen people.

It's the same for us. Our bondage takes many forms-greed, gluttony, lust, envy, pride-all a poison to our souls. And our temptation is to react just like the Israelites did when they wandered in the desert. "It's too hard. You're going to kill me. I want to go another way." But God is faithful. He doesn't give up. Instead, he stays with us, leading us into greater freedom as we trust him. Let us trust him.

Yahweh, holy and mighty, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and mercy, yet just and powerful, hear my prayer. Let my cry reach you. You see my misery; you know my hidden sins. Come and rescue me, Lord, and lead me into freedom. Give me the grace to persevere. Show me the way, and I will follow you.

Promises Associated with the Name YAH, YAHWEH.

Yahweh will be your confidence.

He will keep your foot from getting caught. (Proverbs 3:26) The name of Yahweh is Migdal-Oz.

A righteous person runs to it and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10) Yahweh is near to those whose hearts are humble.

He saves those whose spirits are crushed. (Psalm 34:18)

The Proper Place to Worship 12 1 Here are the laws and rules you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors is giving you as your own. You must obey them as long as you live in the land.

2 Completely destroy all the worship sites on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every large tree. The people you're forcing out worship their gods in these places. 3 Tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, burn their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, cut down their idols, and wipe out the names of their gods from those places.

4 Never worship Yahweh your Elohim in the way they worship their gods. 5 Yahweh your Elohim will choose a place out of all your tribes to live and put his name. Go there and worship him. 6 Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats. 7 There, in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim, you and your families will eat and enjoy everything you've worked for, because Yahweh your Elohim has blessed you.

8 Never worship in the way that it's being done here today, where everyone does whatever he considers right. 9 Up until now you haven't come to your place of rest, the property Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan River and settle in the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you as your own property. He will give you peace from all your enemies around you so that you will live securely. 11 Then Yahweh your Elohim will choose a place where his name will live. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, and all the best offerings you vow to bring to Yahweh. 12 Enjoy yourselves in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites. (The Levites live in your cities because they have no land of their own as you have.) 13 Be careful that you don't sacrifice your burnt offerings wherever you want. 14 Instead, sacrifice them only at the place that Yahweh will choose in one of your tribes. There you must do everything I command you.

15 In whatever city you live, you may slaughter and eat as much meat as you want from what Yahweh your Elohim has blessed you with. Clean and uncleana people may eat it as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer. 16 But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water. 17 You may not eat the LORD'S offerings in your cities. Those offerings are: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil; the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, or goats; the offerings you vow to bring; your freewill offerings; and your contributions. 18 Instead, you, your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim at the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose. There in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim enjoy everything you've worked for. 19 Don't forget to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.

20 Yahweh your Elohim will expand your country's borders as he promised. You will say, "I'm hungry for meat." Then eat as much meat as you want. 21 If the place Yahweh your Elohim chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that Yahweh has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this. 22 Eat it as you would eat a gazelle or a deer: Clean and unclean people may eat it together. 23 However, be sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat. 24 Never eat blood. Pour it on the ground like water. 25 If you don't eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what Yahweh considers right.

26 Take the holy things and the offerings you have vowed to bring, and go to the place Yahweh will choose. 27 Sacrifice the meat and the blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh your Elohim. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of Yahweh your Elohim, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be sure you obey all these instructions I'm giving you. Then things will always go well for you and your descendants because you will be doing what Yahweh your Elohim considers good and right.

29 Yahweh your Elohim will destroy the nations where you're going and force them out of your way. You will take possession of their land and live there. 30 After they've been destroyed, be careful you aren't tempted to follow their customs. Don't even ask about their gods and say, "How did these people worship their gods? We want to do what they did." 31 Never worship Yahweh your Elohim in the way they worship their gods, because everything they do for their gods is disgusting to Yahweh . He hates it! They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.b 32 Be sure to do everything I command you. Never add anything to it or take anything away from it.

How Israel Is to Deal with False Prophets 13 a1 One of your people, claiming to be a prophet or to have prophetic dreams, may predict a miraculous sign or an amazing thing. 2 What he predicts may even take place. But don't listen to that prophet or dreamerb if he says, "Let's worship and serve other gods." (Those gods may be gods you've never heard of.) 3 Yahweh your Elohim is testing you to find out if you really love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 Worship Yahweh your Elohim, fear him, obey his commands, listen to what he says, serve him, and be loyal to him. 5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death because he preached rebellion against Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of Egypt and freed you from slavery. He was trying to lead you away from following the directions Yahweh your Elohim gave you. You must get rid of this evil.

6 Your own brother, son, or daughter, the wife you love, or your best friend may secretly tempt you, saying, "Let's go worship other gods." (Those gods may be gods that you and your ancestors never knew. 7 They may be the gods of the people around you, who live near or far, from one end of the land to the other.) 8 Don't be influenced by any of these people or listen to them. Have no pity on them. Don't feel sorry for them or protect them. 9 You must put them to death. You must start the execution. Then all the other people will join you in putting them to death. 10 Stone them to death because they were trying to lead you away from Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 11 All Israel will hear about it and be afraid. Then no one among you will ever do such a wicked thing again.

12 You may hear that the residents in one of the cities which Yahweh your Elohim is giving you to live in 13 have been led away from the LORD your God by worthless people. You may hear that these people have been saying, "Let's worship other gods." (Those gods may be gods you've never heard of.) 14 Then make a thorough investigation. If it is true, and you can prove that this disgusting thing has been done among you, 15 you must kill the residents of that city with swords and destroy that city and everyone in it, including the animals, because they are claimed by God. 16 Gather their goods into the middle of the city square. Then burn their city and all their goods as a burnt offering to Yahweh your Elohim. It must remain a mound of ruins and never be rebuilt. 17 Don't ever take any of the things claimed for destruction. Then Yahweh will stop being angry and will show you mercy. In his mercy he will make your population increase, as he swore to your ancestors. 18 Yahweh your Elohim will do this if you listen to him, obey all the commands that I'm giving you today, and do what Yahweh your Elohim considers right.

Religious Practices-Leviticus 11:1-23 14 1 You are the children of Yahweh your Elohim. So when someone dies, don't mourn by cutting yourselves or shaving bald spots on your head. 2 You are people who are holy to Yahweh your Elohim. Out of all the people who live on earth, Yahweh has chosen you to be his own special possession.

3 Never eat anything that is disgusting to the LORD. 4 Here are the kinds of animals you may eat: oxen, sheep, goats, 5 deer, gazelles, fallow deer,c wild goats, mountain goats, antelope, and mountain sheep. 6 You may eat all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. 7 But some animals chew their cud, while others have completely divided hoofs. You may not eat these kinds of animals. They include camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. (Although they chew their cud, they don't have divided hoofs. They are uncleana for you.) 8 Also, you may not eat pigs. (Although their hoofs are divided, they don't chew their cud.) Never eat their meat or touch their dead bodies.

9 Here's what you may eat of every creature that lives in the water: You may eat any creature that has fins and scales. 10 But never eat anything that doesn't have fins and scales. It is unclean for you.

11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But here are the birds that you should never eat: eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, 13 buzzards, all types of kites, 14 all types of crows, 15 ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, 16 little owls, great owls, barn owls, 17 pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, 18 storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

19 Every swarming, winged insect is also unclean for you. They must never be eaten. 20 However, you may eat any other kind of flying creature that is clean.

21 Never eat any creature that dies naturally. You may give it to the foreigners who live in your cities, and they may eat it. You may also sell it to foreigners who are visiting. But you are people who are holy to Yahweh your Elohim.

Never cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

Giving God One-Tenth of Everything 22 Every year be sure to save a tenth of the crops harvested from whatever you plant in your fields. 23 Eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and eat the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim in the place he will choose to put his name. Then you will learn to fear Yahweh your Elohim as long as you live.

24 But the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose to put his name may be too far away. Yahweh your Elohim may bless you with so much that you can't carry a tenth of your income that far. 25 If so, exchange the tenth part of your income for silver. Take the silver with you, and go to the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor-whatever you choose. Then you and your family will eat and enjoy yourselves there in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim. 27 Never forget to take care of the Levites who live in your cities. They have no land of their own as you have.

28 At the end of every third year bring a tenth of that year's crop, and store it in your cities. 29 Foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come to eat all they want. The Levites may also come because they have no land of their own as you have. Then Yahweh your Elohim will bless you in whatever work you do.

The Seventh-Year Celebration 15 1 At the end of every seven years, you must cancel debts. 2 This is what you will do: If you've made a loan, don't collect payment on the debt your neighbor still owes you. Don't demand that your neighbor or relative pay you, because the time for suspending payments on debts has been proclaimed in Yahweh's honor. 3 You may demand that a foreigner pay, but don't collect payment on the debt another Israelite still owes you. 4 In any case, there shouldn't be any poor people among you, because Yahweh your Elohim will certainly bless you in the land he is giving you as your own possession. 5 He will bless you only if you listen carefully to Yahweh your Elohim and faithfully obey all these commands I'm giving you today. 6 Yahweh your Elohim will bless you, as he promised. You will make loans to many nations, but you will not have to borrow from any of them. You will rule many nations, but no nation will ever rule you.

7 This is what you must do whenever there are poor Israelites in one of your cities in the land that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. 8 Be generous to these poor people, and freely lend them as much as they need. Never be hard-hearted and tight-fisted with them.a 9 When the seventh year-the year when payments on debts are canceled-is near, you might be stingy toward poor Israelites and give them nothing. Be careful not to think these worthless thoughts. The poor will complain to Yahweh about you, and you will be condemned for your sin. 10 Be sure to give to them without any hesitation. When you do this, Yahweh your Elohim will bless you in everything you work for and set out to do. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. That's why I command you to be generous to other Israelites who are poor and needy.

12 Whenever Hebrew men or women are sold to you as slaves, they will be your slaves for six years. In the seventh year you must let them go free. 13 But when you let them go, don't send them away empty-handed. 14 Generously give them provisions-sheep from your flocks, grain from your threshing floor,b and wine from your winepress. Be as generous to them as Yahweh your Elohim has been to you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and Yahweh your Elohim freed you. That's why I'm giving you this command today.

16 But suppose a male slave says to you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is happy with you. 17 Then take an awl and pierce it through his ear lobe into a door, and he will be your slave for life. Do the same to a female slave if she doesn't want to leave.

18 If you have to let your slave go free, it won't be a hardship for you. It would have cost you twice as much to hire someone to do the same work for those six years. Besides, Yahweh your Elohim will bless you in everything you do.

Setting Aside Firstborn Males for God 19 You must dedicate every firstborn male from your herds and flocks to Yahweh your Elohim. Never use a firstborn ox for work, and never shear a firstborn sheep. 20 Every year you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim in the place Yahweh will choose. 21 But if an animal is lame or blind or has any other serious defect-never sacrifice it to Yahweh your Elohim . 22 Eat it in your city. Clean and uncleanc people may eat them together as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer. 23 But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water.

Three Major Festivals 16 1 Honor Yahweh your Elohim by celebrating Passover in the month of Abib. In the month of Abib Yahweh your Elohim brought you out of Egypt at night. 2 Slaughter an animal from your flock or herd as the Passover sacrifice to Yahweh your Elohim. Do this at the place where Yahweh will choose for his name to live. 3 Never eat leavened bread with the meat from this sacrifice. Instead, for seven days you must eat unleavened bread at this festival. (It is the bread of misery because you left Egypt in a hurry.) Eat this bread so that, as long as you live, you will remember the day you left Egypt. 4 There should be no yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. Never leave until morning any of the meat you slaughter on the evening of the first day.

5 You're not allowed to slaughter the animals for Passover in any of the cities Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. 6 Instead, slaughter your animals for Passover in the place where Yahweh your Elohim will choose for his name to live. Do this in the evening as the sun goes down. This is the same time you did it when you left Egypt. 7 Cook the meat, and eat it at the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose. In the morning you may go back to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day hold a religious assembly dedicated to Yahweh your Elohim. Don't do any work that day.

9 Count seven weeks from the time you start harvesting grain. 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to Yahweh your Elohim. Bring a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings Yahweh your Elohim has given you. 11 Enjoy yourselves in the presence of Yahweh your Elohim along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites who live in your cities, the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live among you. Enjoy yourselves at the place Yahweh your Elohim will choose for his name to live. 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and obey these laws carefully.

13 After you have gathered the grain from your threshing floora and made your wine, celebrate the Festival of Booths for seven days. 14 Enjoy yourselves at the festival along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities. 15 For seven days you will celebrate this festival dedicated to Yahweh your Elohim in the place Yahweh will choose. You will enjoy yourselves, because Yahweh your Elohim will bless all your harvest and all your work.

16 Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of Yahweh your Elohim at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths. But no one may come into the presence of Yahweh without an offering. 17 Each man must bring a gift in proportion to the blessings Yahweh your Elohim has given him.

Administering Justice 18 Appoint judges and officers for your tribes in every city that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you. They are to judge the people fairly. 19 Never pervert justice. Instead, be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right. 20 Strive for nothing but justice so that you will live and take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

21 When you build the altar for Yahweh your Elohim, never plant beside it any tree dedicated to the goddess Asherah. 22 Never set up a sacred stone. These are things Yahweh your Elohim hates.

17 1 Never offer an ox or a sheep that has a defect or anything seriously wrong with it as a sacrifice to Yahweh your Elohim. That would be disgusting to Yahweh your Elohim.

2 In one of the cities Yahweh your Elohim is giving you, there may be a man or woman among you who is doing what Yahweh your Elohim considers evil. This person may be disregarding the conditions of Yahweh's promiseb 3 by worshiping and bowing down to other gods, the sun, the moon, or the whole army of heaven. I have forbidden this. 4 When you are told about it, investigate it thoroughly. If it's true and it can be proven that this disgusting thing has been done in Israel, 5 then bring the man or woman who did this evil thing to the gates of your city, and stone that person to death. 6 The person can only be sentenced to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses, but no one should ever be sentenced to death on the testimony of only one witness. 7 The witnesses must start the execution, then all the other people will join them in putting the person to death. You must get rid of this evil.