1Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
2If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, 3and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky, 4and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, 5take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. 6On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 7The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
Law Courts
8If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults—take them to the place the Lord your God will choose. 9Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict. 10You must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the Lord will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do. 11Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left. 12Anyone who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the Lord your God is to be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel. 13All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.
The King
14When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
1「不可把有缺陷或殘疾的牛羊獻給你們的上帝耶和華，因為這是祂所憎惡的。
2「如果有人在你們的上帝耶和華賜給你們的各城鎮做祂視為惡的事，違背祂的約， 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你們得知後，必須徹底調查。如果屬實，在以色列確實有人做這種可憎之事， 5就要把那人帶到城門口，用石頭打死他。 6但你們不可單憑一個證人便處死那人，要有兩三個證人方可處死他。 7證人要先扔石頭，眾人隨後，這樣就除掉了你們中間的罪惡。
複雜案件的處理
8「如果案件複雜，難以決斷，如謀殺、訴訟、人身傷害等，就要把案件帶到你們的上帝耶和華選定的地方， 9交給當值的利未祭司和審判官去審理，他們要向你們宣告判決。 10你們必須執行他們在耶和華所選擇的地方宣告的判決，你們要謹遵他們的一切指示。 11他們教導你們律法，宣佈判決後，你們必須完全執行，絲毫不可偏離。 12如果有人膽敢違抗事奉你們上帝耶和華的祭司和審判官的判決，就必須處死他。如此，你們便從以色列除掉了罪惡， 13使眾人得知後心中害怕，不敢再任意妄為。
立王的條例
14「你們進入並佔領你們的上帝耶和華將要賜給你們的土地，安頓下來後，就會想立自己的王，像周圍的國家一樣。 15那麼，你們一定要立你們的上帝耶和華揀選的人；必須立你們的以色列同胞為王，不可立外族人。 16王不可擁有大量馬匹，也不可派人到埃及去購買馬匹，因為耶和華已經告訴你們不可回埃及。 17他不可擁有許多妃嬪，恐怕他的心會偏離耶和華，也不可為自己積蓄大量金銀。 18他登基後，要按照利未祭司的律法書為自己抄錄一份， 19把它放在身邊，一生誦讀，以便學習敬畏他的上帝耶和華，遵守律法書上的一切誡命和律例。 20這樣，他就不會妄自尊大，違背誡命，他和他的子孫就可以長久統治以色列。
