Deuteronomy 26
The full text of Deuteronomy 26 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it,
2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name
3 and say to the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us."
4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God.
5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.
6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor.
7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.
8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders.
9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
10 And now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him.
11 Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
13 Then say to the LORD your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.
14 I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me.
15 Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey."
16 The LORD your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
17 You have declared this day that the LORD is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will listen to him.
18 And the LORD has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands.
19 He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised.
Translation notes (8)
- Deuteronomy 26:5a The Hebrew phrase 'arami 'oved 'avi, translated as "My father was a wandering Aramean," is famously ambiguous. The Hebrew word 'oved can mean "wandering" or "perishing," referring to Jacob, which is the most common modern translation. However, it can also be read to mean "sought to destroy," suggesting "an Aramean [Laban] sought to destroy my father," an ancient Jewish interpretation. This translation uses the most widely supported reading, and the question is not decided here.
- Deuteronomy 26:8a The phrase "A mighty hand and an outstretched arm" is used repeatedly in Deuteronomy to describe the LORD's overwhelming saving power during the exodus. "Great terror" (mora' gadol in Hebrew) refers to the awe and dread that his acts inspired.
- Deuteronomy 26:13a The Hebrew phrase haqodesh, "The sacred portion," refers to the tithe set apart for the LORD and those dependent on him. This verse is a formal declaration made before God, confirming that the tithe was given as commanded.
- Deuteronomy 26:14a This verse lists three ways of misusing the tithe that are forbidden: not eating it while in mourning, not handling it while ritually unclean, and not giving any "to the dead." The last likely refers to funerary or ancestor offerings from surrounding cultures, which are here rejected.
- Deuteronomy 26:15a The Hebrew phrase me'on qodshekha, "Your holy dwelling place," refers to heaven as the LORD's home. The prayer for firstfruits and tithes ends not with a request for the worshiper, but with a prayer for the blessing of the entire people and land.
- Deuteronomy 26:17a Verses 17-18 use a rare Hebrew reciprocal verb (he'emarta / he'emirkha), meaning that the action goes both ways. It signifies that you have caused the LORD to be declared your God, and the LORD has caused you to be declared his treasured people, a mutual covenant pledge at the heart of the Sinai relationship.
- Deuteronomy 26:18a This verse describes the LORD's matching pledge: he declares Israel his "treasured possession" (segullah in Hebrew; compare Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2). This is the mutual promise that corresponds to verse 17 (see the note for that verse).
- Deuteronomy 26:19a The goal of the covenant is for Israel to be raised "for praise and fame and honor" (litehillah ulshem ultif'eret in Hebrew) and to be made "a people holy to the LORD." This is the chosen people's calling, not just a privilege.
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.
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