DEḆARIM 17

1 “Do not slaughter to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim a bull or sheep which has any blemish, any evil matter, for that is an abomination to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim.

2 “When there is found in your midst, in any of your cities which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the eyes of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim, in transgressing His Covenant,

3 and has gone and served other mighty ones and bowed down to them, or to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of the shamayim, which I have not commanded,

4 and it has been made known to you and you have heard, and have searched diligently. Then see, if true: the matter is confirmed that such an abomination has been done in Yisra’ĕl,

5 then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil matter, and you shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.

6 “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is to die be put to death. He is not put to death by the mouth of one witness.

7 “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

8 “When any matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, or between stroke and stroke – matters of strife within your gates – then you shall rise and go up to the place which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim chooses,

9 and shall come to the kohenim, the Lĕwites, and to the judge who is in those days, and shall inquire. And they shall declare to you the word of Right-Ruling,

10 and you shall do according to the word which they declare to you from that place which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 chooses. And you shall guard to do according to all that they instruct you.

11 “Do according to the Torah in which they teach you, according to the Right-Ruling which they say to you. You do not turn to the right or to the left from the word which they declare to you.

12 “And the man who acts arrogantly, so as not to listen to the kohĕn who stands to serve there before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim, or to the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Yisra’ĕl.

13 “And let all the people hear and revere, and no longer do arrogantly.

14 “When you come to the land which 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me appoint a sovereign over me like all the gentiles that are around me,”

15 you shall certainly appoint sovereign over you whom 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 your Elohim shall choose. Appoint a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to appoint a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

16 “Only, he is not to increase horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Mitsrayim to increase horses, for 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has said to you, ‘Do not return that way again.’

17 “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor is he to greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

18 “And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his reign, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a book, from the one before the kohenim, the Lĕwites.

19 “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he learns to revere 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 his Elohim and guard all the Words of this Torah and these Laws, to do them,

20 so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the Command, right or left, so that he prolongs his days in his reign, he and his children, in the midst of Yisra’ĕl.