God's Truth

Table of Contents

The Fifth Book of Moses

also called Deuteronomy
(after the Latin)

(Part Three)


The 11th Chapter
     Love the Lord your God and keep his observances, his ordinances, his laws and his commandments always. And call to mind this day that which your children have neither known nor seen: even the nurture of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand and his stretched out arm: his miracles and his acts which he did among the Egyptians, even unto Pharao the king of Egypt and unto all his land: and what he did unto the host of the Egyptians, unto their horses and chariots, how he brought the water of the red sea upon them as they chased you, and how the Lord has brought them to nought unto this day: and what he did unto you in the wilderness, until you came unto this place: and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab the son of Ruben, how the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them with their households and their tents, and all their substance that was in their possession, in the midst of Israel.
     For your eyes have seen all the great deeds of the Lord which he did. Keep therefore all the commandments which I command you this day that you may be strong and go and conquer the land *whither you go to possess it, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that flows with milk and honey. For the land whither you go to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt from where you came out, where you sowed your seed and watered it with your labor as a garden of herbs: but the land whither you go over to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys and drinks water of the rain of heaven, and a land which the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year unto the latter end of the year. *whither=what ever place, result, or condition.
     If you shall hearken therefore unto my commandments which I command you this day, that you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your hearts and with all your souls: then he will give rain unto your land in due season, both the first rain and the latter, and you shall gather in your corn, your wine and your oil. And he will send grass in your fields for your cattle: and you shall eat and fill yourself. But beware that your hearts deceive you not that you turn aside and serve strange gods and worship them, and then the wrath of the Lord wax hot upon you and shut up the heaven that there be no rain and that your land yield not her fruit, and that you perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord gives you.
     Put up therefore these my words in your hearts and in your souls, and bind them for a sign unto your hands, and let them be as papers of remembrance between your eyes, and teach them your children: so that you talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lay down and when you rise up: yea and write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates, that your days may be multiplied and the days of your children upon the earth which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give them, as long as the days of heaven last upon the earth. For if you shall keep all these commandments which I command you, so that you do them and love the Lord your God and walk in all his ways and cleave unto him. Then will the Lord cast out all these nations and you shall conquer them which are both greater and mightier than yourselves. All the places whereon the soles of your feet shall tread, shall be yours: even from the wilderness and from Libanon and from the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coasts be. There shall no man be able to stand before you: the Lord your God shall cast the fear and dread of you upon all lands *whither you shall come, as he has said unto you. *whither=what ever place, result, or condition.
     Behold, I set before you this day, a blessing and a curse: a blessing: if you hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day: And a curse: if you will not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God: but turn out of the way which I command you this day to go after strange gods which you have not known.
     When the Lord your God has brought you into the land whither you go to possess it, then put the blessing upon mount Garizim and the curse upon mount Ebal, which are on the other side Jordan on the back side of the way toward the going down of the *son in the land of the Cananites which dwell in the fields over against Galgal beside the grove of Moreh. For you shall go over to go and possess the land which the Lord your God gives you, and shall conquer it and dwell therein. Take heed therefore that you do all the commandments and laws, which I set before you this day. *exact spelling elsewhere in the text is sun spelled sunne, here was spelled sonne as is son.

The 12th Chapter
     These are the ordinances and laws which you shall observe to do in the land which the Lord God of your fathers gives you to possess it, as long as you live upon the earth. See that you destroy all places where the nations which you conquer serve their gods, upon high mountains and on high hills and under every green tree. Overthrow their altars and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire and hew down the images of their gods, and bring the names of them to nought out of that place. See you do not so unto the Lord your God but you shall enquire the place which the Lord your God shall have chosen out of all your tribes to put his name there and there to dwell. And over there you shall come, and over there you shall bring your burnt sacrifices and your offerings, your tithes and heave offerings of your hands, your vows and free will offerings and your first born of your oxen and of your sheep. And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you lay your hands on, both you and your households, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
     You shall do after nothing that we do here this day, every man what seems him good in his own eyes. For you are not yet come to rest nor unto the inheritance which the Lord your God gives you. But you shall go over Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God gives you to inherit, and he shall give you rest from all your enemies round about: and you shall dwell in safety.
     Therefore when the Lord your God has chosen a place to make his name dwell there, over there you shall bring all that I command you, your burntsacrifices and your offerings, your tithes and the heaveofferings of your hands and all your Godly vows which you vow unto the Lord. And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, both ye, your sons and your daughters, your servants and your maids and the Levite that is within your gates for he has neither part nor inheritance with you.
     Take heed that you offer not your burntofferings in whatsoever place you see: but in the place which the Lord shall have chosen among one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings and there you shall do all that I command you. Notwithstanding you may kill and eat flesh in all your cities, whatsoever your soul lusts after according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you both the unclean and the clean may you eat, even as the roe and the hart: only eat not the blood, but pour it upon the earth as water. You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your corn, of your wine and of your oil, either the first born of your oxen or of your sheep, neither any of your vows which you vowed, nor your freewillofferings or heave offerings of your hands: but you must eat them before the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord your God has chosen: both you your son and your daughter, your servant and your maid and the Levite that is within your gates: and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, in all that you put your hand to. And beware that you forsake not the Levite as long as you live upon the earth. If (when the Lord your God has enlarged your coasts as he has promised you) you say: I will eat flesh, because your soul longs to eat flesh: then you shall eat flesh, whatsoever your soul lusts. If the place which the Lord your God has chosen to put his name there be too far from you, then you may kill of your oxen and of your sheep which the Lord has given you as I have commanded you, and you may eat in your own city whatsoever your soul lusts. Neverthelater, as the roe and the hart is eaten, even so you shall eat it: the unclean and the clean indifferently you shall eat. But be strong that you eat not the blood. For the blood, that is the life and you may not eat the life with the flesh: you may not eat it: but must pour it upon the earth as water. See you eat it not therefore that it may go well with you and with your children after you, when you shall have done that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
     But your holy things which you have and your vows, you shall take and go unto the place which the Lord has chosen, and you shall offer your burnt offerings, both flesh and blood upon the altar of the Lord your God, and the blood of your offerings you shall pour out upon the altar of the Lord your God, and shall eat the flesh. Take heed and hear all these words which I command you that it may go well with you and with your children after you for ever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
     When the Lord your God has destroyed the nations before you, *whither you go to conquer them, and when you have conquered them, and dwelt in their lands: Beware that you be not taken in a snare after them, after that they be destroyed before you, and that you ask not after their gods saying: how did these nations serve their gods, that I may do so likewise? No, you shall not do so unto the Lord your God: for all abominations which the Lord hated did they unto their gods. For they burnt both their sons and their daughters with fire unto their gods. But whatsoever I command you that take heed you do: and put nought thereto, nor take anything therefrom. *whither=what ever place, result, or condition.

The 13th Chapter
     If there arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams and give you a sign or a wonder, and that sign or wonder which he has said come to pass, and then say: let us go after strange Gods which you have not known, and let us serve them: hearken not unto the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God tempts you to wete (know, sharply) whether you love the Lord your God with all your hearts and with all your souls. For you must walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and hearken unto his voice and serve him and cleave unto him. And that prophet or dreamer of dreams shall die for it, because he has spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God which brought you out of the land of Egypt and delivered you out of the house of bondage, to thrust you out of the way which the Lord your God commanded you to walk in: and so you shall put evil away from you.
     If your brother the son of your mother or your own son or your daughter or the wife that lies in your bosom or your friend which is as your own soul unto you, entice you secretly saying: let us go and serve strange Gods which you have not known nor yet your fathers, of the Gods of the people which are round about you, whether they be near unto you or far off from you, from the one end of the land unto the other. See you consent not unto him nor hearken unto him: no, let not your eye pity him nor have compassion on him, nor keep him secret, but cause him to be slain: your hand shall be first upon him to kill him: and then the hands of all the people. And you shall stone him with stones that he die, because he has gone about to thrust you away from the Lord your God which brought you out of Egypt the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do no more and such wickedness as this is, among them.
     If you shall hear say of one of your cities which the Lord your God has given you to dwell in, that certain being the children of Belial are gone out from among you and have moved the inhabiters of their city saying: let us go and serve strange Gods which you have not known. Then seek and make search and enquire diligently. If it be true and the thing of a surety that such abomination is wrought among you: then you shall smite the dwellers of that city with the edge of the sword, and destroy it merciless and all that is therein, and even the very cattle thereof with the edge of the sword. And gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the streets thereof, and burn with fire both the city and all the spoil thereof every whit unto the Lord your God. And it shall be an heap for ever and shall not be built again. And see that there cleave nought of the damned thing in your hand, that the Lord may turn from his fierce wrath and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he has sworn unto your fathers: when you have hearkened unto the voice of the Lord your God, to keep all his commandments which I command you this day so that you do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

The 14th Chapter
     You are the children of the Lord your God, cut not yourselves nor make you any baldness between the eyes for any mans death. For you are an holy people unto the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a several people unto himself, of all the nations that are upon the earth. you shall eat no manner of abomination. These are the beasts which you shall eat of: oxen, sheep and goats, *hart, *roe and *bugle, wild goat, *unicorn, *origen and *Camelion. And all beasts that cleave the hoof, and slit it into two claws and chew the cud, them you shall eat. Nevertheless, these you shall not eat of them that chew cud and of them that divide and cleave the hoof: the camel, the hare and the coney. For they chew cud, but divide not the hoof: and therefore are unclean unto you: and also the swine, for though he divide the hoof, yet he chews not cud, and therefore is unclean unto you: you shall not eat of the flesh of them nor touch the dead carcasses of them. *hart: African antelopes deer *roe: roe buck, deer *bugle: steer ?/unknown *unicorn: apparently a very real animal mentioned else where in the text, though it has been mystified by the imaginations of men./unknown *origen: perhaps an oryx; African antelope/unknown *Camelion: perhaps a mountain goat /unknown
     These you shall eat of all that are in the waters: All that have fins and scales. And whatsoever has not fins and scales, of that you may not eat, for that is unclean unto you.
     Of all clean birds you shall eat, but these are they of which you may not eat: the eagle, the goshawk, the cormorant, the *ixion, the vulture, the kite and her kind, and all kind of ravens, the Ostrich, the nightcrow, the cuckoo, the sparrowhawk and all her kind, the little owl, the great owl, the back, the bittern, the *pye, the stork, the heron, the Jay in his kind, the lapwing, the swallow. And all creeping fowls are unclean unto you and may not be eaten of: but of all clean fowls you may well eat.
*pye: perhaps magpie
     You shall eat of nothing that dies alone. But you may give it unto the stranger that is in your city that he eat it, or may sell it unto an Alien. For you are an holy people unto the Lord your God. You shall not cease a kid in his mothers milk.
     You shall tithe all the increase of your seed that comes out of the field year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God in the place, which he has chosen to make his name dwell there the tithe of your corn, of your wine and of your oil, and the first born of your oxen and of your flock that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
     If the way be too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from the which the Lord your God has chosen to set his name there (for the Lord your God has blessed you) then make it in money and take the money in your hand, and go unto the place which the Lord your God has chosen, and bestow that money on whatsoever your soul lusts after: on oxen, sheep, wine and good drink, and on whatsoever your soul desires, and eat there before the Lord your God and be merry: both you and your household and the Levite that is in your city. See you forsake not the Levite, for he has neither part nor inheritance with you.
     At the end of three years, you shall bring forth all the tithes of your increase the same year and lay it up within your own city, and the Levite shall come because he has neither part nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow which are within your city and shall eat and fill themselves: that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hand which you do.

The 15th Chapter
     At the end of seven years you shall make a free year. And this is the manner of the free year, whosoever lends anything with his hand unto his neighbor, may not ask again that which he has lent, of his neighbor or of his brother: because it is called the Lords free year, yet of a stranger you may call it home again. But that which you have with your brother your hand shall remit, and that in any wise, that there be no beggar among you. For the Lord shall bless the land which the Lord your God gives you, an inheritance to possess it: so that you hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, to observe and do all these commandments which I command you this day: yea and then the Lord your God shall bless you as he has promised you, and you shall lend unto many nations, and shall borrow of no man, and shall reign over many nations, but none shall reign over you.
     When one of your brethren among you is waxed poor in any of your cities within your land which the Lord your God gives you, see that you harden not your heart nor shut to your hand from your poor brother: But open your hand unto him and lend him sufficient for his need which he has. And beware that there be not a point of Belial in your heart that you would say: The seventh year, the year of freedom is at hand, and therefore it grieve you to look on your poor brother and give him nought and he then cry unto the Lord against you and it be sin unto you: But give him, and let it not grieve your heart to give. Because that for that thing, the Lord your God shall bless you in all your works and in all that you put your hand to. For the land shall never be without poor. Wherefore I command you saying: open your hand unto your brother that is needy and poor in your land.
     If your brother an Hebrew sell himself to you, or an Hebrewess, he shall serve you six years and the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty: but shall give him of your sheep and of your corn and of your wine, and give him of that wherewith the Lord your God has blessed you. And remember that you was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God delivered you from that place: wherefore I command you this thing today.
     But and if he say unto you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your house and is well at ease with you. Then take an awl and nail his ear to the door therewith and let him be your servant forever, and unto your maidservant you shall do likewise. And let it not grieve your eyes to let him go out from you, for he has been worth a double hired servant to you in his service six years. And the Lord your God shall bless you in all that you do.
     All the first born that come of your oxen and of your sheep that are males, you shall hallow unto the Lord your God. You shall do no service with the first born of your sheep: but shall eat them before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord has chosen both you and your household. If there be any deformity therein, whether it be lame or blind or whatsoever evil favorness it has, you shall not offer it unto the Lord your God: But shall eat it in your own city, the unclean and the clean indifferently, as the roe and the hart. Only eat not the blood thereof, but pour it upon the ground as water.

The 16th Chapter
     Observe the month of Abib, and offer passover unto the Lord your God. For in the month of Abib, the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night: You shall therefore offer passover unto the Lord your God, and sheep and oxen in the place which the Lord shall choose to make his name dwell there. You shall eat no leavened bread therewith: but shall eat therewith the bread of tribulation seven days long. For you came out of the land of Egypt in haste, that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt, all days of your life. And see that there be no leavened bread seen in all your coasts. Seven days long, and that there remain nothing of the flesh which you have offered the first day at evening, until the morning.
     You may not offer passover in any of your cities which the Lord your God gives you: But in the place which the Lord your God shall choose to make his name dwell in, there you shall offer Passover at evening about the going down of the *son, even in the season that you came out of Egypt. And you shall cease and eat it in the place which the Lord your God has chosen, and depart on the morrow and get you unto your tent. Six days you shall eat sweet bread, and the seventh day is for the people to come together to the Lord your God, that you may do no work.
     Then reckon the seven weeks, and begin to reckon the seven weeks when the sickle begins in the corn, and keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord your God, that you give a freewilloffering of your hand unto the Lord your God according as the Lord your God has blessed you. And rejoice before the Lord your God both you, your son, your daughter, your servant and your maid, and the Levite that is within your gates, and the stranger, the fatherless and the widow that are among you, in the place which the Lord your God has chosen to make his name dwell there. And remember that you was a servant in Egypt, that you observe and do these ordinances.
     You shall observe the feast of tabernacles seven days long, after that you has gathered in your corn and your wine. And you shall rejoice in that your feast, both you and your son, your daughter, your servant, your maid, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow that are in your cities. Seven days you shall keep holy day unto the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord shall choose: for the Lord your God shall bless you in all your fruits and in all the works of your hands, and therefore shall you be glad. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which he shall choose: In the feast of sweet bread, in the feast of weeks and in the feast of the tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the Lord empty: but every man with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given you.
     Judges and officers you shall make you in all your gates which the Lord your God gives you throughout your tribes: And let them judge the people righteously. Wrest not the law nor know any person neither take any reward: for gifts blind the wise and pervert the words of the righteous. But in all things follow righteousness, that you may live and enjoy the land which the Lord your God gives you.
     You shall plant no grove of whatsoever trees it be, near unto the altar of the Lord your God which you shall make you. You shall set you up no pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

CONTINUE

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