Thematic Bible: Precepts concerning


Thematic Bible



It is not for kings, O Lemuel; it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes to desire strong drink. They will drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

Enter the land Jehovah your God gives you. Possess it and live in it. You will say: I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me, you shall surely set a king over you whom Jehovah your God chooses. It will be one from among your countrymen. You may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. He must not increase his herd of horses. He must not send the people to return to Egypt to get more horses. For Jehovah said to you: You should never again return that way. read more.
He must not take many wives or his heart will turn astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he first sits on the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll taken in the presence of the Levitical priests. He should keep it with him. He should read from it all the days of his life. In this way he will learn to respect Jehovah his God by carefully observing all the words of this Law and these statutes.

The Lord Jehovah says: 'Suppose the prince offers one of his sons a gift from his property. The gift will belong to his descendants because it is their inheritance. Suppose the prince offers a gift from his property to one of his servants. The gift will belong to the servant only until the year of freedom. Then the gift will go back to the prince. Only his sons can inherit his property. The prince must not take any of the people's property. He must not force them to give up their property. He must give his own property as an inheritance to his sons so that none of my people will be separated from their property.'