God spoke all these words: I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt. read more. Do not have any other god. Do not make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. Do not worship them or serve them. I, Jehovah your God, am a God demanding exclusive devotion. (I do not tolerate rivals.) I will not share your affection with any other god. I punish children for their parents' sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. I show mercy (loving kindness) to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments. Never use the name of Jehovah your God in a false and evil way. Jehovah will make sure that anyone who is false, evil, careless and vain with his name will be punished. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. You have six days to do all your work. The seventh day is a Sabbath dedicated to Jehovah your God. Do not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them in six days. He rested on the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land Jehovah your God gives you. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not (lie) accuse anyone falsely. Do not covet (desire) another man's house. Do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns.

Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gold to be worshiped in addition to me.

When you lend money to any of my people who are poor, do not act like a moneylender and require him to pay interest.

Do not deny justice to a poor person at his trial.

Do not allow them to live in your land for they will make you sin against me. If you serve their gods it will be a snare to you.

If you cannot afford a sheep, you must bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to Jehovah as a guilt offering for the sin you committed. One will be an offering for sin. The other will be a burnt offering.

If you cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, bring eight cups of flour as an offering for the sin you committed. Never put olive oil on it or add incense to it. This is because it is an offering for sin.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you should not reap to the very corners of your field. You should not gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not glean your vineyard. Do not gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. Leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am Jehovah your God. read more. Do not steal. Do not deal falsely. Do not lie to one another. Do not swear falsely by my name, so as to profane the name of your God. I am Jehovah. Do not oppress your neighbor and do not rob him. Do not fail to pay your workers at the end of each day. Do not curse a deaf man. Do not place a stumbling block before the blind. You must deeply respect your God. I am Jehovah. Do no injustice in judgment. Do not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great. Judge your neighbor fairly.

Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords! He is the great, the powerful, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the orphan and the widow. He shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. read more. Love those who are aliens. For you were also aliens in the land of Egypt.

Rejoice (be filled with joy) before Jehovah your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.

and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds,

At the end of every third year bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns.

At the end of every third year bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns. This food is for the Levites, since they own no property, and for the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your towns. They are to come and get all they need. Do this, and Jehovah your God will bless you in everything you do.

There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That is why I am commanding you to be generous with them. If you buy Israelites (your own brothers) as slaves, you must set them free after six years. read more. Do not send him away empty handed when you set him free. Supply him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat. Give to him as Jehovah your God has blessed you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this today!

The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite,

Do not charge interest to your brothers, interest on money, food, anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother (countrymen) you shall not charge interest. That way Jehovah your God will bless you in all that you undertake in the land you are about to possess.

When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort do not go into his house and repossess the security. Remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan must bring the pledged security out to you. read more. If he is a poor man, do not keep the pledged security over night. Return the pledge to him before the sun goes down. He will have his pledged item and he may sleep. He will bless you. And it will be righteousness for you before Jehovah your God. Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of your aliens who is in your land in your towns. Pay him his wages on the workday day before the sunsets. He is poor and sets his heart on it. He will not complain against you to Jehovah and it becomes your sin.

Pay him his wages on the workday day before the sunsets. He is poor and sets his heart on it. He will not complain against you to Jehovah and it becomes your sin. Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers. Everyone shall be put to death for his own sin. read more. Do not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan. Do not take a widow's garment in pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and that Jehovah your God redeemed you from there. I therefore command you to do this. When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

Finish paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing. Then you shall give it to the Levite, the stranger, and the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Say before Jehovah your God: 'I have removed the sacred portion from my house. I also have given it to the Levite and the alien, the orphan and the widow, according to all your commandments that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed or forgotten any of your commandments. read more. I have not eaten of it while mourning. I have not removed any of it while I was unclean, nor offered any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Jehovah my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. Look down from your holy place in heaven and bless your people Israel. Bless the ground you have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as you swore to our fathers.'

Jehovah sent Nathan to David. Nathan came to him and said: There were two men in a certain city. One was rich and the other was poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle. read more. But the poor man had only one little female lamb that he bought. He raised her, and she grew up in his home with his children. She would eat his food and drink from his cup. She rested in his arms and was like a daughter to him. Now, a visitor came to the rich man. The rich man thought it would be a pity to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler. So he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the traveler. David became very angry with the rich man. He said: I swear by the living God Jehovah that the man who did this should die! For doing such a cruel thing he should pay back four times for the lamb he took, for he had no compassion.

Elisha told the woman who lived in Shunem, whose son he brought back to life: Jehovah is sending a famine on the land. It will last for seven years. Leave with your family and go live somewhere else. She followed his instructions and left with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years. read more. When the seven years ended she returned to Israel. She went to the king to ask that her house and her land be restored to her. The king was talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant, when she found him. The king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles. Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life. The woman made her appeal to the king. Gehazi said to him: Your Majesty, here is the woman and here is her son whom Elisha brought back to life! She responded to the king's question by confirming Gehazi's story. The king called an official and told him to give back to her everything that was hers. This included the value of all the crops that her fields produced during the seven years she was away. Elisha went to Damascus when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. The king was told that Elisha was there.

Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews. Some said: We with our sons and our daughters are a great number. Let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs. read more. There were some who said: We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt. Let us get grain because we are in need.

There were some who said: We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt. Let us get grain because we are in need. Yet others said: We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. read more. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children. Now we give our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants. Some of our daughters are servants even now. We have no power to stop this. For other men have our fields and our vine-gardens. On hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry.

I will turn my power against you (turn the back of my hand upon you). I will remove your impurities with bleach. I will get rid of all your worthless qualities.

Cursed are those who are joining house to house, and putting field to field, till there is no more living-space for any but themselves in all the land!

Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice. Woe to him who uses his neighbor's services without pay and does not give him his wages.

Hear this word you cows of Bashan who live on the mountain of Samaria. You oppress the poor. You crush the needy. You say to your masters (husbands) (lords), Bring us drink.

Those who are at ease in Zion and are secure in the mountain of Samaria will have trouble. You are the notable men of the foremost nations to whom the house of Israel comes!

Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning comes they do it because they are able to (it is in the power of their hands).

For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven will rejoice, and will see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the eyes of Jehovah, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

When it is possible, be peaceable with all men.

It pleased those of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor holy ones in Jerusalem.

They wanted us to remember the poor. I was eager (zealous) to do this very thing.