Give the Lord His Share
1You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. You will take it over. You will make your homes in the land. 2When you do, get some of the first share of everything your soil produces. Put it in a basket. It’s from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Take your gifts and go to the special place he will choose. He will put his Name there. 3Speak to the priest in office at that time. Tell him, “I announce today to the Lord your God that I have come to this land. It’s the land he promised to give us. He promised it to our people of long ago.” 4The priest will receive the basket from you. He’ll set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God. 5Then you will speak while the Lord is listening. You will say, “My father Jacob was a wanderer from the land of Aram. He went down into Egypt with a few people. He lived there and became the father of a great nation. It had huge numbers of people. 6But the people of Egypt treated us badly. They made us suffer. They made us work very hard. 7Then we cried out to the Lord. He is the God of our people who lived long ago. He heard our voice. He saw how much we were suffering. The Egyptians were treating us badly. They were making us work very hard. 8So the Lord used his mighty hand and powerful arm to bring us out of Egypt. He did great and terrifying things. He did signs and amazing things. 9He brought us to this place. He gave us this land. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey. 10Now, Lord, I’m bringing you the first share of crops from the soil. After all, you have given them to me.” Place the basket in front of the Lord your God. Bow down to him. 11Then you and the Levites and the outsiders among you will be full of joy. You will enjoy all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your family.
12You will set apart a tenth of everything you produce in the third year. That’s the year for giving the tenth to people who have greater needs. You will give it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. You will also give it to children whose fathers have died. Then all of them will have plenty to eat in your towns. 13Speak to the Lord your God. Say to him, “I have taken your sacred share from my house. I have given it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. I have also given it to children whose fathers have died. I’ve done everything you commanded me to do. I haven’t stopped obeying your commands. I haven’t forgotten any of them. 14I haven’t eaten any part of your sacred share while I mourned over someone who had died. I haven’t taken any of it from my house while I was ‘unclean.’ And I haven’t offered any of it to the dead. Lord my God, I’ve obeyed you. I’ve done everything you commanded me to do. 15Look down from the holy place where you live in heaven. Bless your people Israel. Bless the land you have given us. It’s the land you promised to give to our people of long ago. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey.”
Obey the Lord’s Commands
16This day the Lord your God commands you to obey all these rules and laws. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17Today you have announced that the Lord is your God. You have said you would live exactly as he wants you to live. You have agreed to keep his rules, commands and laws. And you have said you would listen to him. 18Today the Lord has announced that you are his people. He has said that you are his special treasure. He promised that you would be. He has told you to keep all his commands. 19He has announced that he will make you famous. He’ll give you more praise and honor than all the other nations he has made. And he has said that you will be a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. That’s exactly what he promised to do.
奉献初熟的物产
1“你们进入你们的上帝耶和华将要赐给你们作产业的土地,征服那里,安居下来以后, 2要把在那里收获的各种初熟的物产放在篮子里,带到你们的上帝耶和华选定的敬拜场所。 3你们要对当值的祭司说,‘今天我们要向我们的上帝耶和华宣告,我们已经进入祂向我们祖先起誓要赐给我们的土地。’ 4祭司要从你们手中接过篮子,放在你们的上帝耶和华的祭坛前。 5你们要在你们的上帝耶和华面前宣告,‘我们的祖先原是到处流浪的亚兰人。他到埃及寄居时,家中人丁稀少,后来成为人口众多的强大民族。 6埃及人苦待我们,压迫我们,强迫我们做奴隶。 7于是,我们呼求我们祖先的上帝耶和华。祂听见我们的呼求,看见我们的艰难、困苦和所受的压迫, 8就伸出臂膀,用大能的手行神迹奇事,以伟大而可畏的作为带领我们离开埃及。 9祂带领我们来到这个地方,把这奶蜜之乡赐给我们。 10耶和华啊,现在我们从你赐给我们的土地上带来初熟的物产。’你们要把篮子放在你们的上帝耶和华面前,敬拜祂。 11你们和利未人以及住在你们中间的外族人,都要因你们的上帝耶和华赐给你们和你们家人的美物而欢喜快乐。
十一奉献年
12“每逢第三年是十一奉献年。你们应当把自己的十一奉献拿出来分给利未人、寄居者和孤儿寡妇,使他们在你们居住的城邑吃饱喝足。 13然后,你们要在你们的上帝耶和华面前宣告,‘我们已经按照你的诫命,从我们家里拿出圣物分给利未人、寄居者和孤儿寡妇。我们没有触犯也没有忘记你的任何诫命。 14这些圣物,我们守丧期间没有吃过,不洁净时没有拿过,也没有献给死人。我们听从你——我们的上帝耶和华,遵行你的一切吩咐。 15求你从天上圣洁的居所垂看,赐福给你的以色列子民和你赐给我们的土地——你向我们祖先起誓应许的奶蜜之乡。’
16“你们的上帝耶和华今天吩咐你们遵守这些律例和典章,你们要全心全意地谨慎遵守。 17你们今天已经宣称耶和华是你们的上帝,答应要听从祂,行祂的道,遵守祂的一切律例、诫命和典章。 18耶和华今天已经照祂的应许宣称你们是祂的子民,是祂宝贵的产业。因此,你们要遵守祂的一切诫命, 19这样祂必使你们备受赞誉和尊崇,超越祂所造的万国,并照着祂的应许使你们做属于祂的圣洁子民。”