Fairness and Mercy

¹If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.

²If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.

³He may receive no more than forty lashes, lest your brother be beaten any more than that and be degraded in your sight.

⁴Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

Widowhood and Marriage

⁵When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.

⁶The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

⁷But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a brother-in-law for me.”

⁸Then the elders of his city shall summon him and speak with him. If he persists and says, “I do not want to marry her,”

⁹his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal, spit in his face, and declare, “This is what is done to the man who will not maintain his brother’s line.”

¹⁰And his family name in Israel will be called “The House of the Unsandaled.”

¹¹If two men are fighting, and the wife of one comes to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she reaches out her hand and grabs his genitals,

¹²you are to cut off her hand. You must show her no pity.

Standard Weights and Measures

¹³You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light.

¹⁴You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small.

¹⁵You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

¹⁶For everyone who behaves dishonestly in regard to these things is detestable to the LORD your God.

Revenge on the Amalekites

¹⁷Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt,

¹⁸how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God.

¹⁹When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

Future Glory for Zion

¹Arise, shine, for your light has come,and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

²For behold, darkness covers the earth,and thick darkness is over the peoples;but the LORD will rise upon you,and His glory will appear over you.

³Nations will come to your light,and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

⁴Lift up your eyes and look around:They all gather and come to you;your sons will come from afar,and your daughters will be carried on the arm.

⁵Then you will look and be radiant,and your heart will tremble and swell with joy,because the riches of the sea will be brought to you,and the wealth of the nations will come to you.

⁶Caravans of camels will cover your land,young camels of Midian and Ephah,and all from Sheba will come,bearing gold and frankincenseand proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

⁷All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you;the rams of Nebaioth will serve youand go up on My altar with acceptance;I will adorn My glorious house.

⁸Who are these who fly like clouds,like doves to their shelters?

⁹Surely the islandswill wait for Me,with the ships of Tarshishin the lead,to bring your children from afar,with their silver and gold,to the honor of the LORD your God,the Holy One of Israel,for He has glorified you.

¹⁰Foreigners will rebuild your walls,and their kings will serve you.Although I struck you in anger,yet in favor I will show you mercy.

¹¹Your gates will always stand open;they will never be shut, day or night,so that the wealth of the nations may be brought into you,with their kings being led in procession.

¹²For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;it will be utterly destroyed.

¹³The glory of Lebanon will come to you—its cypress,elm, and boxwood together—to adorn the place of My sanctuary,and I will glorify the place of My feet.

¹⁴The sons of your oppressorswill come and bow down to you;all who reviled youwill fall facedown at your feetand call you the City of the LORD,Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵Whereas you have been forsaken and despised,with no one passing through,I will make you an everlasting pride,a joy from age to age.

¹⁶You will drink the milk of nationsand nurse at the breasts of royalty;you will know that I, the LORD, am your Saviorand your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

¹⁷Instead of bronze I will bring you gold;I will bring silver in place of iron,bronze instead of wood,and iron instead of stones.I will appoint peace as your governorand righteousness as your ruler.

¹⁸No longer will violence be heard in your land,nor ruin or destruction within your borders.But you will name your walls Salvationand your gates Praise.

¹⁹No longer will the sun be your light by day,nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night;for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your God will be your splendor.

²⁰Your sun will no longer set,and your moon will not wane;for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and the days of your sorrow will cease.

²¹Then all your people will be righteous;they will possess the land forever;they are the branch of My planting,the work of My hands,so that I may be glorified.

²²The least of you will become a thousand,and the smallest a mighty nation.I am the LORD;in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

¹Asa’s son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel.

²He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured.

³Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier waysof his father David. He did not seek the Baals,

⁴but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel.

⁵So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an abundance of riches and honor.

⁶And his heart took delightin the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

⁷In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah,

⁸accompanied by certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah—along with the priests Elishama and Jehoram.

⁹They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.

¹⁰And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat.

¹¹Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

¹²Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah

¹³and kept vast supplies in the cities of Judah. He also had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty men of valor.

¹⁴These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers:From Judah, the commanders of thousands:Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;

¹⁵next to him, Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000;

¹⁶and next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer for the LORD, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor.

¹⁷From Benjamin:Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields;

¹⁸and next to him, Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for battle.

¹⁹These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Wine Is a Mocker

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler,and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion;whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.

³It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,but any fool will quarrel.

⁴The slacker does not plow in season;at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.

⁵The intentions of a man’s heart are deep waters,but a man of understanding draws them out.

⁶Many a man proclaims his loving devotion,but who can find a trustworthy man?

⁷The righteous man walks with integrity;blessed are his children after him.

⁸A king who sits on a throne to judgesifts out all evil with his eyes.

⁹Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;I am cleansed from my sin”?

¹⁰Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.

¹¹Even a young man is known by his actions—whether his conduct is pure and upright.

¹²Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.

¹³Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor;open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.

¹⁴“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer,but on the way out, he gloats.

¹⁵There is an abundance of gold and rubies,but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

¹⁶Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger;get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

¹⁷Food gained by fraud is sweet to a man,but later his mouth is full of gravel.

¹⁸Set plans by consultation,and wage war under sound guidance.

¹⁹He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip;avoid the one who babbleswith his lips.

²⁰Whoever curses his father or mother,his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.

²¹An inheritance gained quicklywill not be blessed in the end.

²²Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!”Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.

²³Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD,and dishonest scales are no good.

²⁴A man’s steps are from the LORD,so how can anyone understand his own way?

²⁵It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,only later to reconsider his vows.

²⁶A wise king separates out the wickedand drives the threshing wheel over them.

²⁷The spiritof a man is the lamp of the LORD,searching out his inmost being.

²⁸Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;by these he maintains his throne.

²⁹The glory of young men is their strength,and gray hair is the splendor of the old.

³⁰Lashes and wounds scour evil,and beatings cleanse the inmost parts.