Deuteronomy 25
Chapter 25
1 “Suppose two people take a dispute to court, and the judges declare that one is right and the other is wrong.2 If the person in the wrong is sentenced to be flogged, the judge must command him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes appropriate to the crime.
3 But never give more than forty lashes; more than forty lashes would publicly humiliate your neighbor.
4 “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.
5 “If two brothers are living together on the same property and one of them dies without a son, his widow may not be married to anyone from outside the family. Instead, her husband’s brother should marry her and have intercourse with her to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law.
6 The first son she bears to him will be considered the son of the dead brother, so that his name will not be forgotten in Israel.
7 “But if the man refuses to marry his brother’s widow, she must go to the town gate and say to the elders assembled there, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel—he refuses to fulfill the duties of a brother-in-law by marrying me.’8 The elders of the town will then summon him and talk with him. If he still refuses and says, ‘I don’t want to marry her,’9 the widow must walk over to him in the presence of the elders, pull his sandal from his foot, and spit in his face. Then she must declare, ‘This is what happens to a man who refuses to provide his brother with children.’
10 Ever afterward in Israel his family will be referred to as ‘the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off’!
11 “If two Israelite men get into a fight and the wife of one tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the testicles of the other man,
12 you must cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
13 “You must use accurate scales when you weigh out merchandise,14 and you must use full and honest measures.15 Yes, always use honest weights and measures, so that you may enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
16 All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God.
17 “Never forget what the Amalekites did to you as you came from Egypt.18 They attacked you when you were exhausted and weary, and they struck down those who were straggling behind. They had no fear of God.
19 Therefore, when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the land he is giving you as a special possession, you must destroy the Amalekites and erase their memory from under heaven. Never forget this!
DEUTERONOMY 25
Whipping as Punishment //for a Crime
Moses said to Israel:
1-2 Suppose you and someone else each accuse the other of doing something wrong, and you go to court, where the judges decide you are guilty. If your punishment is to be beaten with a whip, t one of the judges will order you to lie down, and you will receive the number of lashes you deserve.
3 t Forty lashes is the most that you can be given, because more than that might make other Israelites think you are worthless.Don't Muzzle an Ox
Moses said to Israel:
4 t Don't muzzle an ox while it is threshing grain.tA Son for a Dead Brother
Moses said to Israel:
5-6 t Suppose two brothers are living on the same property, when one of them dies without having a son to carry on his name. If this happens, his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Instead, she must marry her late husband's brother, and their first son will be the legal son of the dead man.
7 t But suppose the brother refuses to marry the widow. She must go to a meeting of the town leaders at the town gate and say, “My husband died without having a son to carry on his name. And my husband's brother refuses to marry me so I can have a son.”
8 The leaders will call the living brother to the town gate and try to persuade him to marry the widow. But if he doesn't change his mind and marry her, 9 she must go over to him while the town leaders watch. She will pull off one of his sandals and spit in his face, while saying, “That's what happens to a man who won't help provide descendants for his dead brother.”
10 From then on, that man's family will be known as “the family of the man whose sandal was pulled off.”When Two Men Fight
Moses said to Israel:
11 If two men are fighting, and the wife of one man tries to rescue her husband by grabbing the other man's private parts,
12 you must cut off her hand. Don't have any mercy.Be Honest in Business
Moses said to Israel:
13-14 t Don't try to cheat people by having two sets of weights or measures, one to get more when you are buying, and the other to give less when you are selling. 15 If you weigh and measure things honestly, the [Lord] your God will let you enjoy a long life in the land he is giving you.
16 But the [Lord] is disgusted with anyone who cheats or is dishonest.Wipe Out Amalek
Moses said:
17 t People of Israel, do you remember what the Amalekites did to you after you came out of Egypt?
18 You were tired, and they followed along behind, attacking those who could not keep up with the others. This showed that the Amalekites have no respect for God.
19 The [Lord] your God will help you capture the land, and he will give you peace. But when that day comes, you must wipe out Amalek so completely that no one will remember they ever lived.
