1“不可把有缺陷或残疾的牛羊献给你们的上帝耶和华，因为这是祂所憎恶的。
2“如果有人在你们的上帝耶和华将要赐给你们的各城镇做祂视为恶的事，违背祂的约， 3不遵守祂的禁令，去供奉和祭拜其他神明，祭拜日、月或星辰， 4你们得知后，必须彻底调查。如果属实，在以色列确实有人做这种可憎之事， 5就要把那人带到城门口，用石头打死他。 6但你们不可单凭一个证人便处死那人，要有两三个证人方可处死他。 7证人要先扔石头，众人随后，这样就除掉了你们中间的罪恶。
复杂案件的处理
8“如果案件复杂，难以决断，如谋杀、诉讼、人身伤害等，就要把案件带到你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方， 9交给当值的利未祭司和审判官去审理。 10你们必须执行他们在耶和华所选择的地方宣告的判决，你们要谨慎遵行他们的一切指示。 11他们教导你们律法，宣布判决后，你们必须完全执行，丝毫不可偏离。 12如果有人不肯接受事奉你们上帝耶和华的祭司和审判官的判决，就必须处死他。如此，你们便从以色列除掉了罪恶， 13使众人得知后心中害怕，不敢再任意妄为。
立王的条例
14“你们进入并占领你们的上帝耶和华将要赐给你们的土地，安顿下来后，就会想立自己的王，像周围的国家一样。 15那么，你们一定要立你们的上帝耶和华拣选的人；必须立你们的以色列同胞为王，不可立外族人。 16王不可拥有大量马匹，也不可派人到埃及去购买马匹，因为耶和华已经告诉你们不可回埃及。 17他不可拥有许多妃嫔，恐怕他的心会偏离耶和华，也不可为自己积蓄大量金银。 18他登基后，要在利未祭司面前为自己抄录一份律法书， 19把它放在身边，一生诵读，以便学习敬畏他的上帝耶和华，遵守律法书上的一切诫命和律例。 20这样，他就不会妄自尊大，违背诫命，他和他的子孙就可以长久统治以色列。
1Suppose an ox or sheep has anything at all wrong with it. Then don’t sacrifice it to the Lord your God. He hates it.
2Someone living among you might do what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God. It might happen in one of the towns the Lord is giving you. That person is breaking the Lord’s covenant. 3The person might have worshiped or bowed down to other gods. That person might have bowed down to the sun or moon or stars in the sky. I have commanded you not to do these things. 4When you hear that people have done something like that, check the matter out carefully. If it’s true, an evil thing has been done in Israel. The Lord hates that. 5So take the person who has done that evil thing to your city gate. Put that person to death by throwing stones at them. 6Two or three witnesses are required to put someone to death. No one can be put to death because of what only one witness says. Two or three witnesses are required. 7The witnesses must throw the first stones. Then the rest of the people must also throw stones. Get rid of that evil person.
Law Courts
8People will bring their cases to your courts. But some cases will be too hard for you to judge. They might be about murders, attacks or other crimes. Then take those hard cases to the place the Lord your God will choose. 9Go to a priest, who is a Levite. And go to the judge who is in office at that time. Ask them for their decision. They will give it to you. 10They’ll hand down their decisions at the place the Lord will choose. You must do what they decide. Be careful to do everything they tell you to do. 11Act according to whatever they teach you. Accept the decisions they give you. Don’t turn away from what they tell you. Don’t turn to the right or the left. 12Someone might show that they don’t respect the judge. Or they will show that they don’t respect the priest. The priest will serve the Lord your God at the place God will choose. If anyone doesn’t show respect for these people, that person must be put to death. Remove that evil person from Israel. 13All the Israelites will hear about it. And they will be afraid to disrespect a judge or priest again.
Appoint the King the Lord Chooses
14You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. You will take it as your own. You will make your homes in it. When you do, you will say, “Let’s appoint a king over us, just like all the nations around us.” 15When that happens, make sure you appoint over yourselves a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own people. Don’t appoint over yourselves someone from another country. Don’t choose anyone who isn’t from one of the tribes of Israel. 16The king must not get large numbers of horses for himself. He must not make the people return to Egypt to get more horses. The Lord has told you, “You must not go back there again.” 17The king must not have many wives. If he does, they will lead him astray. He must not store up large amounts of silver and gold.
18When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he must make for himself a copy of the law. He must write on a scroll the law that I am teaching you. He must copy it from the scroll of a priest, who is a Levite. 19The king must keep the scroll close to him at all times. He must read it all the days of his life. Then he can learn to have respect for the Lord his God. He can carefully obey all the words of this law and these rules. 20He won’t think of himself as being better than his people are. He won’t turn away from the law. He won’t turn to the right or the left. Then he and his sons after him will rule over his kingdom in Israel for a long time.
