The Wilderness Years

`The feast of booths thou dost make for thee seven days, in thine in-gathering of thy threshing-floor, and of thy wine-vat;

and thou hast rejoiced in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates.

Seven days thou dost feast before Jehovah thy God, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, for Jehovah thy God doth bless thee in all thine increase, and in every work of thy hands, and thou hast been only rejoicing.

`Three times in a year doth every one of thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which He doth choose--in the feast of unleavened things, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of booths; and they do not appear before Jehovah empty;

each according to the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God, which He hath given to thee.

`Judges and authorities thou dost make to thee within all thy gates which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, for thy tribes; and they have judged the people--a righteous judgment.

Thou dost not turn aside judgment; thou dost not discern faces, nor take a bribe, for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

Righteousness--righteousness thou dost pursue, so that thou livest, and hast possessed the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.

`Thou dost not plant for thee a shrine of any trees near the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou makest for thyself,

and thou dost not raise up to thee any standing image which Jehovah thy God is hating.

`Thou dost not sacrifice to Jehovah thy God ox or sheep in which there is a blemish--any evil thing; for it is the abomination of Jehovah thy God.

`When there is found in thy midst, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, a man or a woman who doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah thy God by transgressing His covenant,

and he doth go and serve other gods, and doth bow himself to them, and to the sun, or to the moon, or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have not commanded--

and it hath been declared to thee, and thou hast heard, and hast searched diligently, and lo, truth; the thing is established; this abomination hath been done in Israel--

`Then thou hast brought out that man, or that woman, who hath done this evil thing, unto thy gates--the man or the woman--and thou hast stoned them with stones, and they have died.

By the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses is he who is dead put to death; he is not put to death by the mouth of one witness;

the hand of the witnesses is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.

`When anything is too hard for thee for judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke--matters of strife within thy gates--then thou hast risen, and gone up unto the place on which Jehovah thy God doth fix,

and hast come in unto the priests, the Levites, and unto the judge who is in those days, and hast inquired, and they have declared to thee the word of judgment,

and thou hast done according to the tenor of the word which they declare to thee ( they of that place which Jehovah doth choose; and thou hast observed to do according to all that they direct thee.

`According to the tenor of the law which they direct thee, and according to the judgment which they say to thee thou dost do; thou dost not turn aside from the word which they declare to thee, right or left.

And the man who acteth with presumption, so as not to hearken unto the priest (who is standing to serve there Jehovah thy God), or unto the judge, even that man hath died, and thou hast put away the evil thing from Israel,

and all the people do hear and fear, and do not presume any more.

`When thou comest in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and hast possessed it, and dwelt in it, and thou hast said, Let me set over me a king like all the nations which are round about me, --

thou dost certainly set over thee a king on whom Jehovah doth fix; from the midst of thy brethren thou dost set over thee a king; thou art not able to set over thee a stranger, who is not thy brother.