Fairness and Mercy 1 UST If people have a dispute and they go to a court, the judge will decide who is innocent and who is guilty. BSB BSB: If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.
2 UST If the judge says that someone must punish the guilty person, he will command him to lie on the ground. While the judge watches, someone will strike the guilty person with a whip a certain number of times depending on what kind of crime he committed. BSB BSB: If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.
3 UST The judge may order someone to strike him up to forty times. Do not strike him more than that, since that would humiliate him publicly. BSB BSB: He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.
4 UST When your ox is walking on the grain to separate it from the stalks, do not prevent it from eating some of grain. BSB BSB: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Widowhood and Marriage 5 UST If two brothers live on the same property, and one of them who has no son dies, the man’ s widow should not marry someone who is not a member of his family. The dead man’ s brother must marry her and sleep with her. It is his duty to do that. BSB BSB: When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
6 UST If she later gives birth to a son, everyone should consider that first son as the son of the man who died, in order that the dead man’ s name will not disappear from Israel. BSB BSB: The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
7 UST But if the dead man’ s brother does not want to marry that woman, she must go to the city leaders at the city gate. She must say to them,‘My husband’ s brother refuses to marry me in order that I may give birth to a son who will prevent the dead man’ s name from disappearing in Israel. He does not want to do his duty to me as a brother- in- law.’ BSB BSB: But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”
8 UST Then the elders must summon that man and talk to him. Perhaps he will still refuse to marry that widow. BSB BSB: Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,”
9 UST In that case, she must go up to him while the elders are watching, and take off one of his sandals{ to symbolize that he would not receive any of her property}, spit in his face, and say to him,‘This is what happens to the man who refuses to preserve his brother’ s family line.’ BSB BSB: his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.”
10 UST After that happens, people will know that man’ s family as‘the family of the man of the pulled- off sandal.’ BSB BSB: And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”
11 UST When two men are fighting with each other, and the one man’ s wife comes up to help her husband by grabbing hold of the other man’ s private parts, BSB BSB: If two men are fighting, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his genitals,
12 UST do not act mercifully toward her; cut off her hand. BSB BSB: you are to cut off her hand. You must show her no pity.
Standard Weights and Measures (Proverbs 11:1–3; Ezekiel 45:10–12)
13 UST Do not cheat people by having one weight which you use when you buy something and a different weight which you use when you sell something, BSB BSB: You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.
14 UST or by having one measure which you use when you buy something and a different measure which you use when you sell something. BSB BSB: You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small.
15 UST Always be honest in your transactions by using correct weights and correct measures, in order that Yahweh our God will allow you to live a long time in the land that he is giving to you. BSB BSB: You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
16 UST Yahweh our God hates all those who act dishonestly. BSB BSB: For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.
Revenge on the Amalekites 17 UST Continue to remember what the people of Amalek did to your ancestors when they were coming out of Egypt. BSB BSB: Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt,
18 UST They attacked your ancestors as they were traveling, when they were weak and exhausted. Those people were not afraid of God at all, so they attacked your ancestors from the rear and killed all those who were unable to walk as fast as the others. BSB BSB: how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.
19 UST Therefore, when Yahweh our God has given you the land that he promised to give you, and when he has enabled you to rest from fighting all your enemies around you, kill all the people of Amalek, with the result that no one will remember them anymore. Do not forget to do this! BSB BSB: When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.