The First Harvest

26 “You will soon enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You will take that land and live there. ²You will gather the crops that grow in the land the Lord is giving you. You must take the first crops and put them in baskets. Then take that first part of your harvest to the place the Lord your God chooses to be his special house. ³Go to the priest that is serving at that time. Tell him, ‘The Lord promised our ancestors that he would give us some land. Today I come to announce to the Lord your God that I have come to that land!’ ⁴“Then the priest will take the basket from you. He will put it down in front of the altar* of the Lord your God. ⁵Then there before the Lord your God you will say: ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean.* He went down into Egypt and stayed there. When he went there, he had only a few people in his family. But in Egypt he became a great nation—a powerful nation with many people. ⁶The Egyptians treated us badly. They made us slaves. They hurt us and forced us to work very hard. ⁷Then we prayed to the Lord, the God of our ancestors,* and complained about them. And the Lord heard us. He saw our trouble, our hard work, and our suffering. ⁸Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power and strength. He used great miracles and wonders. He did amazing things. ⁹So he brought us to this place. He gave us this land—a land filled with many good things.* ¹⁰Now, Lord, I bring you the first harvest from the land that you gave me.’ “Then you must put the harvest down before the Lord your God and bow down to worship him. ¹¹Then you must {have a meal together and} enjoy all the good things that the Lord your God has given to you and your family. You must share those things with the Levites* and the foreigners living among you. ¹²“Every third year is the Year of Tithes. In that year, you must give one tenth of your harvest to the Levites,* to the foreigners living in your country, and to the widows* and orphans.* Then those people will have plenty to eat in every city. ¹³You must say to the Lord your God, ‘I have taken out of my house the holy part of my harvest. I have given it to the Levites,* to the foreigners, and to the orphans and widows. I have followed all the commands you gave me. I have not refused to obey any of your commands. I have not forgotten them. ¹⁴I have not eaten this food when I was sad.* I was not unclean when I collected this food.* I have not offered any of this food for dead people. I have obeyed you, Lord my God. I have done all the things you commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from your holy home, from heaven, and bless your people Israel. And bless the land that you gave us. You promised our ancestors* to give us this land—a land filled with many good things.* ’

Obey the Lord’s Commands

¹⁶“Today the Lord your God commands you to obey all these laws and rules. Be careful to follow them with all your heart and soul. ¹⁷Today you have said that the Lord is your God. You have promised to live the way he wants. You promised to follow his teachings, and to obey his laws and commands. You said you will do everything he tells you to do. ¹⁸And today the Lord has accepted you to be his own people. He has promised you this. The Lord also said that you must obey all his commands. ¹⁹The Lord will make you greater than all the nations he made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor. And you will be his own special people—just like he promised.”

altar(s) A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices. Aramean A person from ancient Syria. Here this might be Abraham, Isaac or probably Jacob (Israel). ancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from. filled with many good things Literally, “flowing with milk and honey.” Levites People from the tribe of Levi. They helped the priests in the temple and worked for the civil government. widows Women whose husbands have died. Often these women had no one to care for them. orphans Children whose parents have died. I have … sad People ate this food to be happy about the many things God gave them, so it could not be from food used during a time of sadness. I was … food This would mean other people could not eat this food during the celebration to honor the Lord.

Stone Memorials for the People

27 Moses and the elders (leaders) of Israel spoke to the people. Moses said, “Obey all the commands that I give you today. ²You will soon go across the Jordan River into the land that the Lord your God is giving you. On that day, you must put up large stones. Cover those stones with plaster.* ³Then write on those stones all these commands and teachings. You must do this when you go across the Jordan River. Then you may go into the land that the Lord your God is giving you—a land filled with many good things.* The Lord, the God of your ancestors,* promised to give you this land. ⁴“After you go across the Jordan River, you must do the things I command you today. You must set up the stones on Mount Ebal. You must cover these stones with plaster.* ⁵Also, use some stones there to build an altar* to the Lord your God. Don’t use iron tools to cut the stones. ⁶You must not use cut stones to build the altar for the Lord your God. Offer burnt offerings on this altar to the Lord your God. ⁷And you must sacrifice and eat fellowship offerings there. Eat and enjoy yourselves there together with the Lord your God. ⁸You must write all of these teachings on the stones that you set up. Write clearly so they are easy to read.”

The People Agree to the Curses of the Law

⁹Moses, the priests, and the Levites spoke to all the people of Israel. Moses said, “Be quiet and listen, Israel! Today you have become the people of the Lord your God. ¹⁰So you must do everything that the Lord your God tells you. You must obey his commands and his laws that I am giving you today.” ¹¹The same day, Moses also told the people, ¹²“After you have gone across the Jordan River, these family groups will stand on Mount Gerizim to read the blessings to the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. ¹³And these family groups will stand on Mount Ebal to read the curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. ¹⁴“And the Levites* will say to all the people of Israel with a loud voice: ^15‘Cursed is the person that makes a false god and puts it in its secret place. Those false gods are only statues that some worker makes from wood, stone or metal. The Lord hates those things!’ “Then all the people will answer, ‘Amen!’* ¹⁶“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that does things that show he does not respect his father or his mother!’ “Then all the people will answer, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁷“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that moves his neighbor’s landmark*!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁸“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that is mean to a blind man and tricks him into walking off the road!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ¹⁹“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that does not give fair judgment for the foreigners, orphans,* and widows*!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²⁰“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that has sexual relations with his father’s wife.* Why? Because he brings shame to his father*!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²¹“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that has sexual relations with any kind of animal!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²²“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that has sexual relations with his sister or half sister!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²³“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that has sexual relations with his mother-in-law!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²⁴“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that kills another person, even if he is not caught!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’ ²⁵“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that takes money to kill an innocent person!’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’26“{The Levites will say,} ‘Cursed is the person that does not support this law and agree to obey it.’ “Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’”

plaster A type of mud or cement that people used to cover a wall and make it smooth. filled with many good things Literally, “flowing with milk and honey.” ancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the people they are descended from. altar(s) A table or raised area used for offering sacrifices. Levites People from the tribe of Levi. They helped the priests in the temple and worked for the civil government. Amen This Hebrew word means “This is true,” or “I agree.” landmark A stone or sign that showed where the limits of a person’s property were. orphans Children whose parents have died. widows Women whose husbands have died. Often these women had no one to care for them. father’s wife Here this means the father’s wife, even if she is not the mother of the son. brings shame to his father Literally, “uncovers his father’s nakedness.”