Deuteronomy 25

If people have a dispute and they go to a court, the judge will decide who is innocent and who is guilty.

If the judge says that someone must punish the guilty person, he will command him to lie on the ground. While the judge watches, someone will strike the guilty person with a whip a certain number of times depending on what kind of crime he committed. \*

The judge may order someone to strike him up to forty times. Do not strike him more than that, since that would humiliate him publicly. \*

When your ox is walking on the grain to separate it from the stalks, do not prevent it from eating some of grain. \*

If two brothers live on the same property, and one of them who has no son dies, the man’s widow should not marry someone who is not a member of his family. The dead man’s brother must marry her and sleep with her. It is his duty to do that.

If she later gives birth to a son, everyone should consider that first son as the son of the man who died, in order that the dead man’s name will not disappear from Israel. \*

But if the dead man’s brother does not want to marry that woman, she must go to the city leaders at the city gate. She must say to them, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to marry me in order that I may give birth to a son who will prevent the dead man’s name from disappearing in Israel. He does not want to do his duty to me as a brother-in-law.’

Then the elders must summon that man and talk to him. Perhaps he will still refuse to marry that widow. \*

In that case, she must go up to him while the elders are watching, and take off one of his sandals {to symbolize that he would not receive any of her property}, spit in his face, and say to him, ‘This is what happens to the man who refuses to preserve his brother’s family line.’

After that happens, people will know that man’s family as ‘the family of the man of the pulled-off sandal.’ \*

When two men are fighting with each other, and the one man’s wife comes up to help her husband by grabbing hold of the other man’s private parts,

do not act mercifully toward her; cut off her hand. \*

Do not cheat people by having one weight which you use when you buy something and a different weight which you use when you sell something,

or by having one measure which you use when you buy something and a different measure which you use when you sell something.

Always be honest in your transactions by using correct weights and correct measures, in order that God our God will allow you to live a long time in the land that he is giving to you.

God our God hates all those who act dishonestly. \*

Continue to remember what the people of Amalek did to your ancestors when they were coming out of Egypt.

They attacked your ancestors as they were traveling, when they were weak and exhausted. Those people were not afraid of God at all, so they attacked your ancestors from the rear and killed all those who were unable to walk as fast as the others.

Therefore, when God our God has given you the land that he promised to give you, and when he has enabled you to rest from fighting all your enemies around you, kill all the people of Amalek, with the result that no one will remember them anymore. Do not forget to do this! \*