Obedience Commanded

       Hear now, O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that The Lord, The GOD of your fathers, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of The Lord your GOD that I give you.
       You saw with your own eyes what The Lord did at Baal Peor. The Lord Your GOD destroyed from among you everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who held fast to The Lord your GOD are still alive today.
       See, I have taught you decrees and laws as The Lord my GOD commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way The Lord our GOD is near us whenever we pray to Him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?
       Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before The Lord your GOD at Horeb, when He said to me, "Assemble the people before Me to hear My words so that they may learn to revere Me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then The Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Commandments, which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And The Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 4, verses 1 - 14

Idolatry/Freemasonry Forbidden

       You saw no form of any kind the day The Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars--all the heavenly array--do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshipping things The Lord your GOD has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. But as for you, The Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of His inheritance, as you now are.
       The Lord was angry with me because of you, and He solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land The Lord your GOD is giving you as your inheritance. I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. Be careful not to forget the covenant of The Lord your GOD that He made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything The Lord your GOD has forbidden. For The Lord your GOD is a consuming fire, a jealous GOD.
       After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time--if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of The Lord your GOD and provoking Him to anger, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which The Lord will drive you. There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. But if from there you seek The Lord your GOD, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to The Lord your GOD and obey Him. For The Lord your GOD is a merciful GOD; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 4, verses 15 - 31

The Lord is GOD

       Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from the day GOD created man on earth; ask from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the voice of GOD speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things The Lord your GOD did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
       You were shown these things so that you might know that The Lord is GOD; besides Him there is no other. From heaven He made you hear His voice to discipline you. On earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words from out of the fire. Because He loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His Presence and His great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today.
       Acknowledge and take to heart this day that The Lord is GOD in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep His decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land The Lord your GOD gives you for all time.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 4, verses 32 - 40

Love The Lord Your GOD

       These are the commands, decrees and laws The Lord your GOD directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear The Lord your GOD as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as The Lord, The GOD of your fathers, promised you.
       Hear, O Israel: The Lord your GOD, The Lord is one. Love The Lord your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
       When The Lord your GOD brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget The Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
       Fear The Lord your GOD, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for The Lord your GOD, who is among you, is a jealous GOD and His anger will burn against you, and He will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test The Lord your GOD as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of The Lord your GOD and the stipulations and decrees He has given you. Do what is right and good in The Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that The Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, thrusting out all your enemies before you, as The Lord said.
       In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws The Lord our GOD has commanded you?" tell him: "We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes The Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders--great and terrible--upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land that He promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear The Lord our GOD, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before The Lord our GOD, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 6

Driving Out the Freemasons

       When The Lord your GOD brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations--the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you--and when The Lord your GOD has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods, and The Lord's anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to The Lord your GOD. The Lord your GOD has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.
       The Lord did not set His affection on you and chose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because The Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that The Lord your GOD is GOD; He is the faithful GOD, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands. But

       those who hate Him He will repay to their face by destruction;
          He will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate Him.

Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.
       If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then The Lord your GOD will keep His covenant of love with you, as He swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that He swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you. You must destroy all the peoples The Lord your GOD gives over to you. Do not look on them with pity and do not serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
       You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" But do not be afraid of them; remember well what The Lord your GOD did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which The Lord your GOD brought you out. The Lord your GOD will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. Moreover, The Lord your GOD will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. Do not be terrified by them, for The Lord your GOD, who is among you, is a great and awesome GOD. The Lord your GOD will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But The Lord your GOD will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you; you will destroy them. The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to The Lord your GOD. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 7

Do Not Forget The Lord

       Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that The Lord promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how The Lord your GOD led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of The Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so The Lord your GOD disciplines you.
       Observe the commands of The Lord your GOD, walking in His ways and revering Him. For The Lord your GOD is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
       When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise The Lord your GOD for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget The Lord your GOD, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget The Lord your GOD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember The Lord your GOD, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
       If you ever forget The Lord your GOD and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations The Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying The Lord your GOD.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 8

Not Because of Israel's Righteousness

       Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. The people are strong and tall--Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" But be assured today that The Lord your GOD is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; He will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as The Lord has promised you.
       After The Lord your GOD has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that The Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, The Lord your GOD will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that The Lord your GOD is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 9, verses 1 - 6

Fear The Lord

       And now, O Israel, what does The Lord your GOD ask of you but to fear The Lord your GOD, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve The Lord your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe The Lord's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
       To The Lord your GOD belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. Yet The Lord set His affection on your forefathers and loved them, and He chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. For The Lord your GOD is GOD of gods and Lord of lords, the great GOD, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. Fear The Lord your GOD and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name. He is your praise; He is your GOD, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now The Lord your GOD has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 10, verses 12 - 22

Love and Obey The Lord

       Love The Lord your GOD and keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws and His commands always. Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of The Lord your GOD: His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; the signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to His whole country; what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how The Lord brought lasting ruin on them. It was not your children who saw what He did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things The Lord has done.
       Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, and so that you may live long in the land that The Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey. The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land The Lord your GOD cares for; the eyes of The Lord your GOD are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
       So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love The Lord your GOD and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul--then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
       Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then The Lord's anger will burn against you, and He will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land The Lord is giving you. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that The Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
       If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow--to love The Lord your GOD, to walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him--then The Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea. No man will be able to stand against you. The Lord your GOD, as He promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.
       See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse--the blessing if you obey the commands of The Lord your GOD that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of The Lord your GOD and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known. When The Lord your GOD has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land The Lord your GOD is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 11

The One Place of Worship

       These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that The Lord, The GOD of your fathers, has given you to possess--as long as you live in the land. Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
       You must not worship The Lord your GOD in their way. But you are to seek the place The Lord your GOD will chose from among all your tribes to put His Name there for His dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of The Lord your GOD, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because The Lord your GOD has blessed you.
       You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance The Lord your GOD is giving you. But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land The Lord your GOD is giving you as an inheritance, and He will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. Then to the place The Lord your GOD will choose as a dwelling for His Name--there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to The Lord. And there rejoice before The Lord your GOD, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own. Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place The Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.
       Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer, according to the blessing The Lord your GOD gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water. You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of The Lord your GOD at the place The Lord your GOD will choose--you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns--and you are to rejoice before The Lord your GOD in everything you put your hand to. Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.
       When The Lord your GOD has enlarged your territory as He promised you, and you crave meat and say, "I would like some meat," then you may eat as much of it as you want. If the place where The Lord your GOD chooses to put His Name is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks The Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want. Eat them as you would gazelle or deer. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; poor it out on the ground like water. Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of The Lord.
       But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give, and go to the place The Lord will choose. Present your burnt offerings on the altar of The Lord your GOD, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of The Lord your GOD, but you may eat the meat. Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of The Lord your GOD.
       The Lord your GOD will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." You must not worship The Lord your GOD in their way, because in worshipping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things The Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
       See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 12

Follow The Lord's Commands

       The Lord your GOD commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that The Lord is your GOD and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey Him. And The Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and that you are to keep all His commands. He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to The Lord your GOD, as He promised.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 26, verses 16 - 19

The Altar on Mount Ebal

       Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people: "Keep all these commands that I give you today. When you have crossed the Jordan into the land The Lord your GOD is giving you, set up some large stones and coat them with plaster. Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land The Lord your GOD is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as The Lord, The GOD of your fathers, promised you. And when you have crossed the Jordan, set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I command you today, and coat them with plaster. Build there an altar to The Lord your GOD, an altar of stones. Do not use any iron tool upon them. Build the altar of The Lord your GOD with fieldstones and offer burnt offerings on it to The Lord your GOD. Sacrifice fellowship offerings there, eating them and rejoicing in the presence of The Lord your GOD. And you shall write very clearly all the words of this law on these stones you have set up."


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 27, verses 1 - 8

Curses From Mount Ebal

       Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of The Lord your GOD. Obey The Lord your GOD and follow His commands and decrees that I give you today."
       On the same day Moses commanded the people:
       When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
       The Levites shall recite to all the people of Israel in a loud voice:

       "Cursed is the man who carves an image or casts an idol--a thing detestable to The Lord, the work of the craftsman's hands--and sets it up in secret."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who dishonors his father or his mother."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who moves his neighbor's boundary stone."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who leads the blind astray on the road."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his father's wife, for he dishonors his father's bed."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who sleeps with his mother-in-law."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who kills his neighbor secretly."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
       "Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out."
                                          Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 27, verses 9 - 26

Blessings for Obedience

       If you fully obey The Lord your GOD and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, The Lord your GOD will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey The Lord your GOD:

       You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.
       The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
       Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.
       You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

       The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.
       The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your GOD will bless you in the land He is giving you.
       The Lord will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of The Lord your GOD and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of The Lord, and they will fear you. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land He swore to your forefathers to give you.
       The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of The Lord your GOD that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 28, verses 1 - 14

Curses for Disobedience

       However, if you do not obey The Lord your GOD and do not carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

       You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.
       Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed.
       The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
       You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

       The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking Him. The Lord will plague you with diseases until He has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. The Lord will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.
       The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The Lord will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you.
       You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. The sights you see will drive you mad. The Lord will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head.
       The Lord will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where The Lord will drive you.
       You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land.
       The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail.
       All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey The Lord your GOD and observe the commands and decrees He gave you. They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. Because you did not serve The Lord your GOD joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies The Lord sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.
       The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land The Lord your GOD is giving you.
       Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters The Lord your GOD has given you. Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. The most gentle and sensitive woman among you--so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot--will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities.
       If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name--The Lord your GOD--The Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the law, until you are destroyed. You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey The Lord your GOD. Just as it pleased The Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please Him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.
       Then The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There The Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"--because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. The Lord will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 28, verses 15 - 68

Miscellaneous Laws

       If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.
       No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of The Lord your GOD to pay any vow, because The Lord your GOD detests them both.
       Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that The Lord your GOD may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
       If you make a vow to The Lord your GOD, do not be slow to pay it, for The Lord your GOD will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to The Lord your GOD with your own mouth.
       If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. If you enter your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.
       If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of The Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land The Lord your GOD is giving you as an inheritance.
       If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
       Do not take a pair of millstones--not even the upper one--as security for a debt, because that would be taking a man's livelihood as security.
       If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.
       In cases of leprous diseases be very careful to do exactly as the priests, who are Levites, instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them. Remember what The Lord your GOD did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.
       When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into his house to get what he is offering as a pledge. Stay outside and let the man to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the man is poor, do not go to sleep with his pledge in your possession. Return his cloak to him by sunset so that he may sleep in it. Then he will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of The Lord your GOD.
       Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to The Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
       Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
       Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and The Lord your GOD redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
       When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that The Lord your GOD may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
       When men have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make him lie down and have him flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime deserves, but he must not give him more than forty lashes. If he is flogged more than that, your brother will be degraded in your eyes.
       Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
       If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
       However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me." Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
       If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
       Do not have two differing weights in your bag--one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house--one large, one small. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land The Lord your GOD is giving you. For The Lord your GOD detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.
       Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of GOD. When The Lord your GOD gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 23, verses 15 - 25 & chapter 24 & chapter 25

More Various Laws

       If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under GOD's curse. You must not desecrate the land The Lord your GOD is giving you as an inheritance.
       If you see your brother's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to him. If the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is, take it home with you and keep it until he comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. Do the same if you find your brother's donkey or his cloak or anything he loses. Do not ignore it.
       If you see your brother's donkey or his ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help him get it to its feet.
       A Woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for The Lord your GOD detests anyone who does this.
       If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
       When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.
       Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.
       Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
       Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
       Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 21, verses 22 & 23 & chapter 22, verses 1 - 12

Marriage Violations

       If a man takes a wife and, after lying with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity," then the girl's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate. The girl's father will say to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said, 'I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.' But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the girl's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
       If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.
       If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
       If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death--the girl because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
       But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. Do nothing to the girl; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders his neighbor, for the man found the girl out in the country, and though the betrothed girl screamed, there was no one to rescue her.
       If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
       A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor his father's bed.


The Book of Deuteronomy: chapter 22, verses 13 - 30

Punishments for Freemasonry/Sin

       The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. I will set My face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name. If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to molech and they fail to put him to death, I will set My face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to molech.
       " 'I will set My face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.
       " 'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I Am The Lord your GOD. Keep My decrees and follow them. I Am The Lord, who makes you holy.
       " 'If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.
       " 'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife--with the wife of his neighbor--both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
       " 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
       " 'If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.
       " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
       " 'If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.
       " 'If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.
       " 'If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
       " 'If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.
       " 'If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
       " 'If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.
       " 'If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.
       " 'Keep all My decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. But I said to you, "You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey." I Am The Lord your GOD, who has set you apart from the nations.
       " 'You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground--those which I have set apart as unclean for you. You are to be holy to Me because I, The Lord, Am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.
       " 'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.' "


The Book of Leviticus: chapter 20

Unlawful Sexual Relations

       The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'I Am The Lord your GOD. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey My laws and be careful to follow My decrees. I Am The Lord your GOD. Keep My decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I Am The Lord.
       " 'No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative.
       " 'Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law, She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
       " 'Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
       " 'Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her.
       " 'Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your GOD. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
       " 'Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
       " 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep My decrees and My laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
       " 'Everyone who does any of these detestable things--such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep My requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I Am The Lord your GOD.' "


The Book of Leviticus: chapter 18

Various Laws

       The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, The Lord your GOD, Am holy.
       " 'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe My Sabbaths. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to The Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to The Lord; that person must be cut off from his people.
       " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'Do not steal.
       " 'Do not lie.
       " 'Do not deceive one another.
       " 'Do not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your GOD. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
       " 'Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
       " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your GOD. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
       " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
       " 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
       " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Keep My decrees.
       " 'Do not mate different kinds of animals.
       " 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.
       " 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
       " 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to The Lord. With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before The Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.
       " 'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to The Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
       " 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.
       " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
       " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.
       " 'Observe My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I Am The Lord.
       " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your GOD. I Am The Lord.
       " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I Am The Lord your GOD.
       " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I Am The Lord your GOD, who brought you out of Egypt.
       " 'Keep all My decrees and all My laws and follow them. I Am The Lord.' "


The Book of Leviticus: chapter 19