Deuteronomy 17
The full text of Deuteronomy 17 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 Do not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him.
2 If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the LORD gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God in violation of his covenant,
3 and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars of the sky,
4 and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,
5 take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death.
6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
7 The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.
8 If cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge—whether bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults—take them to the place the LORD your God will choose.
9 Go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office at that time. Inquire of them and they will give you the verdict.
10 You must act according to the decision they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you to do.
11 Act according to whatever they teach you and the judgments they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.
12 Anyone who shows contempt for the judge or for the priest who stands ministering there to the LORD your God is to be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
13 All the people will hear and be afraid, and will not be contemptuous again.
14 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken it over and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,"
15 be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your own people. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.
16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, "You are not to go back that way again."
17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.
18 When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.
19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees,
20 not considering himself better than his fellow Israelites and not turning from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Translation notes (10)
- Deuteronomy 17:3a The phrase "the stars of the sky" translates the Hebrew tseva' hashamayim, which means "the host of heaven." This refers to the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, a widespread ancient practice explicitly forbidden to Israel (compare Deuteronomy 4:19).
- Deuteronomy 17:5a This verse describes capital punishment by stoning for idolatry, which was carried out at the city gate, the place of public judgment. The death penalty for turning away from God is stated plainly here; its ethics and theology are not decided in this draft and are reserved for review by a group of scholars.
- Deuteronomy 17:6a The rule requiring two or three witnesses is a basic safeguard against wrongful execution. This rule is cited throughout Scripture (compare Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1).
- Deuteronomy 17:7a Requiring the accusing witnesses to strike first places the burden of a false accusation back on the accuser. This verse is quoted in 1 Corinthians 5:13 ("purge the evil from among you"), and the severity of this command is reserved for review by a group of scholars.
- Deuteronomy 17:11a The phrase "what they teach you" translates the verb from which the Hebrew word torah ("instruction") comes, referring to the binding ruling of the central court. The idiom "do not turn aside to the right or the left" is used repeatedly in Scripture to mean total adherence (compare Deuteronomy 5:32; 17:20; 28:14).
- Deuteronomy 17:12a The phrase "shows contempt" translates the Hebrew ya'aseh vezadon, which means "acts presumptuously or defiantly." This refers to a willful refusal to obey the central court's ruling, treated as a crime punishable by death against the judicial system. The specific penalty is reserved for review by a group of scholars.
- Deuteronomy 17:16a Multiplying horses meant building a chariot army and trading with Egypt to acquire them. This prohibition guards against military self-reliance and a return to dependence on Egypt (compare 1 Kings 10:28-29; Isaiah 31:1).
- Deuteronomy 17:17a The three limits placed on the king—regarding horses, wives, and silver and gold—are meant to protect him from military, political, and economic self-exaltation. The phrase "his heart will be led astray" directly anticipates the failure of King Solomon (1 Kings 11:1-4).
- Deuteronomy 17:18a The phrase "a copy of this law" translates the Hebrew mishneh hatorah, which gives Deuteronomy its traditional name (the Greek word "Deuteronomy" means "second law" or "copy of the law"). The king himself was required to produce a copy, which was to be checked against the authoritative text held by the priests.
- Deuteronomy 17:20a The phrase "not considering himself better" translates the Hebrew levilti rum levavo me'echav, which literally means "that his heart not be lifted above his brothers." This emphasizes that the king remains a brother under the same law as the people, not above it.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew rather than revised from an older English Bible. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and notes on every verse, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
Continue: Deuteronomy 18 → · All of Deuteronomy · About the TBV · Read Deuteronomy 17 in the KJV
Get the app: iOS · Android · Trinity Plus