Deuteronomy - Chapter 26

¹ 'When you have entered the country which Yahweh your God is giving you as heritage, when you have taken possession of it and are living in it,

² you must set aside the first-fruits of all the produce of the soil raised by you in your country, given you by Yahweh your God. You must put these in a basket and go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses to give his name a home.

³ You will go to the priest then in office and say to him, "Today I declare to Yahweh my God that I have reached the country which Yahweh swore to our ancestors that he would give us."

⁴ 'The priest will then take the basket from your hand and lay it before the altar of Yahweh your God.

⁵ In the presence of Yahweh your God, you will then pronounce these words: "My father was a wandering Aramaean, who went down to Egypt with a small group of men, and stayed there, until he there became a great, powerful and numerous nation.

⁶ The Egyptians ill-treated us, they oppressed us and inflicted harsh slavery on us.

⁷ But we called on Yahweh, God of our ancestors. Yahweh heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression;

⁸ and Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders.

⁹ He brought us here and has given us this country, a country flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁰ Hence, I now bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, Yahweh, have given me." 'You will then lay them before Yahweh your God, and prostrate yourself in the presence of Yahweh your God.

¹¹ You must then rejoice in all the good things that Yahweh your God has bestowed on you and your family-you, the Levite and the foreigner living with you.

¹² 'In the third year, the tithing year, when you have finished taking the tithe of your whole income and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow so that, in your towns, they may eat to their heart's content,

¹³ in the presence of Yahweh your God, you must say: "I have cleared my house of what was consecrated. Yes, I have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, in accordance with all the commandments you have imposed on me, neither going beyond your commandments nor neglecting them.

¹⁴ When in mourning, I have not eaten any of it; when unclean, I have taken none of it away; I have given none of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of Yahweh my God and I have behaved in every way as you have commanded me.

¹⁵ Look down from your holy dwelling, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the country which you have given us, as you swore to our ancestors, a country flowing with milk and honey." '

¹⁶ 'Yahweh your God commands you today to observe these laws and customs; you must keep and observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

¹⁷ 'Today you have obtained this declaration from Yahweh: that he will be your God, but only if you follow his ways, keep his statutes, his commandments, his customs, and listen to his voice.

¹⁸ And today Yahweh has obtained this declaration from you: that you will be his own people -- as he has said -- but only if you keep all his commandments;

¹⁹ then for praise and renown and honour, he will raise you higher than every other nation he has made, and you will be a people consecrated to Yahweh, as he has promised.'

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