WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.030 --> 00:00:02.840 Nancy: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience. 00:00:02.890 --> 00:00:04.420 Day 100 and 55 00:00:04.764 --> 00:00:07.254 appoint judges and officials for yourselves. 00:00:07.254 --> 00:00:10.734 From each of your tribes and all the towns the Lord your God has given you. 00:00:11.424 --> 00:00:13.164 They must judge the people fairly. 00:00:13.734 --> 00:00:16.824 You must never twist justice or show partiality. 00:00:17.634 --> 00:00:19.794 Never accept a bribe for bribes. 00:00:19.794 --> 00:00:23.844 Blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the Godly. 00:00:24.639 --> 00:00:29.529 Let true justice prevail so you may live and occupy the land that 00:00:29.529 --> 00:00:31.059 the Lord your God is giving you. 00:00:32.889 --> 00:00:35.859 You must never set up a wooden, a shera pole beside the altar. 00:00:35.859 --> 00:00:40.449 You build for the Lord your God and never set up secret pillars for worship. 00:00:40.869 --> 00:00:42.879 For the Lord your God hates them. 00:00:43.599 --> 00:00:48.549 Never sacrifice sick or defective cattle, sheep, or goats to the Lord 00:00:48.549 --> 00:00:51.429 your God, for he detests such gifts. 00:00:52.419 --> 00:00:54.759 When you begin living in the towns, the Lord your God has 00:00:54.759 --> 00:00:56.619 given you a man or woman. 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:58.869 Among you might do evil in the sight of the Lord your 00:00:58.869 --> 00:01:00.789 God, and violate the covenant. 00:01:01.389 --> 00:01:06.279 For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, 00:01:06.339 --> 00:01:11.049 or any of the stars, the forces of heaven, which I have strictly forbidden. 00:01:11.679 --> 00:01:14.589 When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:19.194 If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, Then 00:01:19.194 --> 00:01:23.274 the man or a woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to 00:01:23.274 --> 00:01:28.584 the gates of the town and stoned to death, but never put a person to death. 00:01:28.854 --> 00:01:32.454 On the testimony of only one witness, there must always 00:01:32.454 --> 00:01:34.254 be two or three witnesses. 00:01:34.944 --> 00:01:39.924 The witnesses must throw the first stones, and then all the people may join in. 00:01:40.614 --> 00:01:43.734 In this way, you will purge the evil from among you. 00:01:45.594 --> 00:01:49.734 Suppose a case arises in a local court that is too hard for you to decide. 00:01:50.454 --> 00:01:54.504 For instance, whether someone is guilty of murder or only of manslaughter, 00:01:54.834 --> 00:01:58.464 or a difficult lawsuit, or a case involving different kinds of assault. 00:01:59.364 --> 00:02:03.174 Take such legal cases to the place, the Lord your God will choose and 00:02:03.174 --> 00:02:07.314 present them to the Levitical priests or the judge on duty at that time. 00:02:07.794 --> 00:02:10.224 They will hear the case and declare the verdict. 00:02:10.884 --> 00:02:14.214 You must carry out the verdict they announce and the sentence they 00:02:14.214 --> 00:02:16.254 prescribe at the place the Lord chooses. 00:02:16.824 --> 00:02:20.634 You must do exactly what they say after they have interpreted the law 00:02:20.874 --> 00:02:25.104 and declare their verdict, the sentence they impose must be fully executed. 00:02:25.614 --> 00:02:27.474 Do not modify it in any way. 00:02:28.164 --> 00:02:32.244 Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who 00:02:32.244 --> 00:02:35.184 represents the Lord, your God must die. 00:02:35.784 --> 00:02:38.754 In this way, you will purge the evil from Israel. 00:02:39.294 --> 00:02:43.044 Then everyone else will hear about it and be afraid to act so arrogantly. 00:02:44.544 --> 00:02:47.964 You are about to enter the land, the Lord your God is giving you. 00:02:48.744 --> 00:02:52.044 When you take it over and settle there, you may think we should 00:02:52.044 --> 00:02:55.314 select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us. 00:02:56.004 --> 00:03:00.714 If this happens, be sure to select as king the man, the Lord your God chooses 00:03:01.314 --> 00:03:03.054 You must appoint a fellow Israelite. 00:03:03.174 --> 00:03:04.734 He may not be a foreigner. 00:03:05.469 --> 00:03:10.149 The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people 00:03:10.149 --> 00:03:15.189 to Egypt to buy horses For the Lord has told you you must never return to Egypt. 00:03:16.029 --> 00:03:19.509 The king must not take many wives for himself because they will turn 00:03:19.509 --> 00:03:23.679 his heart away from the Lord and he must not accumulate large amounts of 00:03:23.679 --> 00:03:25.929 wealth and silver and gold for himself. 00:03:27.129 --> 00:03:31.329 When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body 00:03:31.334 --> 00:03:35.049 of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 00:03:35.739 --> 00:03:38.979 He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:43.419 long as he lives that way, he will learn to fear the Lord is God. 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:48.399 By obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees, this 00:03:48.399 --> 00:03:52.029 regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as 00:03:52.034 --> 00:03:54.219 if he is above his fellow citizens. 00:03:55.029 --> 00:03:58.569 It'll also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the 00:03:58.569 --> 00:04:03.999 smallest way, and it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for 00:04:04.004 --> 00:04:09.609 many generations in Israel, remember that the Levitical priests, that 00:04:09.609 --> 00:04:13.599 is the whole of the tribe of Levi will receive no allotment of land 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:15.189 among the other tribes in Israel. 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:20.559 Instead, the priests and Levites will eat from the special gifts given to the Lord. 00:04:20.919 --> 00:04:22.089 For that is their share. 00:04:22.824 --> 00:04:25.764 They will have no land of their own among the Israelites. 00:04:26.484 --> 00:04:31.224 The Lord himself is their special possession, just as he promised them. 00:04:32.214 --> 00:04:36.744 These are the parts the priests may claim as their share from the cattle, sheep, and 00:04:36.744 --> 00:04:42.714 goats that the people bring his offerings, the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. 00:04:43.524 --> 00:04:46.464 You must also give to the priests, the first chair of the grain, 00:04:46.824 --> 00:04:50.664 the new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at cheering time. 00:04:51.489 --> 00:04:56.889 For the Lord your God chose the tribe of Levi out of all your tribes to minister 00:04:56.889 --> 00:05:02.019 in the Lord's name forever supposed Levite chooses to move from his town 00:05:02.019 --> 00:05:06.219 in Israel, wherever he is living, to the place the Lord chooses for worship. 00:05:07.029 --> 00:05:10.779 He may minister there in the name of the Lord his God, just like all his 00:05:10.779 --> 00:05:14.859 fellow levies who are serving the Lord there, he may eat his share of the 00:05:14.859 --> 00:05:19.539 sacrifices and offerings, even if he also receives support from his family. 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:24.429 When you enter the land, the Lord your God is giving you, be very 00:05:24.429 --> 00:05:28.149 careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nation's living there. 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:34.119 For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering, and 00:05:34.119 --> 00:05:38.499 do not let your people practice fortune telling or use sorcery or interpret 00:05:38.504 --> 00:05:45.159 omens, or engage in witchcraft or cast spells or function as mediums or psychics, 00:05:45.309 --> 00:05:47.469 or call forth the spirits of the dead. 00:05:48.429 --> 00:05:51.639 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. 00:05:52.329 --> 00:05:56.049 It is because the other nations have done these detestable things that 00:05:56.049 --> 00:05:59.979 the Lord your God will drive them out ahead of you, but you must be 00:05:59.979 --> 00:06:04.989 blameless before the Lord your God, the nations you are about to displace. 00:06:05.169 --> 00:06:07.659 Consult sorcerers and fortune tellers. 00:06:08.289 --> 00:06:11.139 But the Lord your God forbids you to do such things. 00:06:12.729 --> 00:06:13.749 Moses continued. 00:06:14.664 --> 00:06:18.294 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me, from 00:06:18.294 --> 00:06:19.974 among your fellow Israelites. 00:06:20.424 --> 00:06:23.814 You must listen to him for this is what you yourselves 00:06:23.819 --> 00:06:25.524 requested of the Lord your God. 00:06:25.824 --> 00:06:30.294 When you were assembled at Mount Sinai, you said, don't let us hear the voice 00:06:30.299 --> 00:06:35.424 of the Lord our God anymore, or see this blazing fire for we will die. 00:06:36.444 --> 00:06:39.414 Then the Lord said to me, what they have said is right. 00:06:39.834 --> 00:06:43.404 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:46.839 I will put my words in his mouth and he will tell the 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:48.579 people everything I command him. 00:06:49.359 --> 00:06:52.539 I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages 00:06:52.539 --> 00:06:54.369 the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 00:06:55.329 --> 00:06:59.289 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks 00:06:59.289 --> 00:07:02.079 in the name of another God must die. 00:07:02.889 --> 00:07:06.699 But you may wonder how will we know whether or not a prophecy is from 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:11.169 the Lord if the prophet speaks in the Lord's name, but his prediction 00:07:11.169 --> 00:07:12.489 does not happen or come true. 00:07:13.209 --> 00:07:16.929 You will know that the Lord did not give that message that 00:07:16.929 --> 00:07:20.499 prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared. 00:07:22.569 --> 00:07:26.169 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he is giving you, 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:31.809 you will take over their land and settle in their towns and homes, then you must 00:07:31.809 --> 00:07:35.469 set apart three cities of refuge and the land the Lord your God has given you. 00:07:36.354 --> 00:07:38.814 Survey the territory and divide the land. 00:07:38.814 --> 00:07:42.144 The Lord your God is giving you into three districts with one of 00:07:42.144 --> 00:07:43.824 these cities in each district. 00:07:44.664 --> 00:07:47.274 Then anyone who has killed someone can flee to one of the 00:07:47.274 --> 00:07:49.014 cities of refuge for safety. 00:07:49.944 --> 00:07:53.394 If someone kills another person unintentionally without previous 00:07:53.394 --> 00:07:58.164 hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety. 00:07:58.884 --> 00:08:03.204 For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. 00:08:03.804 --> 00:08:08.064 And suppose one of them swings and ax to chop down a tree and the AXS head flies 00:08:08.064 --> 00:08:10.344 off the handle killing the other person. 00:08:10.974 --> 00:08:16.104 In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety. 00:08:17.094 --> 00:08:21.444 If the distance to the nearest city of refuge is too far an enraged avenger 00:08:21.444 --> 00:08:25.284 might be able to chase down and kill the person who caused the death. 00:08:26.094 --> 00:08:30.054 Then the slayer would die unfairly since he had never shown hostility 00:08:30.054 --> 00:08:31.344 toward the person who died. 00:08:32.079 --> 00:08:35.769 That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge. 00:08:36.699 --> 00:08:40.809 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory as he swore to your 00:08:40.814 --> 00:08:45.699 ancestors and gives you all the land he promised them, you must designate 00:08:45.699 --> 00:08:47.679 three additional cities of refuge. 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:51.249 He will give you this land if you are careful to obey all 00:08:51.249 --> 00:08:52.539 the commands I have given you. 00:08:53.049 --> 00:08:56.319 If you always love the Lord your God and walk in his ways. 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:00.009 That way you will prevent the death of innocent people and the 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:03.669 land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession. 00:09:04.509 --> 00:09:07.599 You will not be held responsible for the death of innocent people. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.279 But suppose someone is hostile toward a neighbor and deliberately 00:09:12.284 --> 00:09:16.089 ambushes and murders him and then flees to one of the cities of refuge. 00:09:16.884 --> 00:09:21.144 In that case, the elders of the murderer's hometown must send agents 00:09:21.144 --> 00:09:25.404 to the city of refuge to bring him back and hand him over to the dead 00:09:25.404 --> 00:09:27.294 persons of injure to be put to death. 00:09:28.164 --> 00:09:30.444 Do not feel sorry for that murderer. 00:09:31.044 --> 00:09:32.394 Purge from Israel. 00:09:32.634 --> 00:09:36.684 The guilt of murdering innocent people, then all will go well with you. 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:40.959 When you arrive in the land, the Lord your God has given 00:09:40.959 --> 00:09:42.429 you as your special possession. 00:09:42.849 --> 00:09:44.619 You must never steal anyone's land. 00:09:44.619 --> 00:09:48.669 By moving the boundary markers your ancestors set up to mark their property. 00:09:50.319 --> 00:09:55.089 You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness, the 00:09:55.089 --> 00:09:59.769 facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:04.359 If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime. 00:10:04.974 --> 00:10:09.174 Then both the accuser and accused must appear before the Lord by coming 00:10:09.174 --> 00:10:10.794 to the priests and judges in office. 00:10:10.794 --> 00:10:14.634 At that time, the judges must investigate the case thoroughly. 00:10:15.264 --> 00:10:19.494 If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, you must 00:10:19.499 --> 00:10:23.184 impose on the accuser, the sentence he intended for the other person. 00:10:23.844 --> 00:10:27.054 In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. 00:10:28.044 --> 00:10:30.474 Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be 00:10:30.474 --> 00:10:32.154 afraid to do such an evil thing. 00:10:32.904 --> 00:10:35.034 You must show no pity for the guilty. 00:10:35.664 --> 00:10:37.974 Your rule should be life for life. 00:10:38.334 --> 00:10:42.174 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand. 00:10:42.624 --> 00:10:43.794 Foot forefoot. 00:10:45.834 --> 00:10:48.684 This concludes today's Immerse reading experience. 00:10:48.834 --> 00:10:50.034 Thank you for joining us. 00:10:50.204 --> 00:10:50.324 I.