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Deuteronomy 17:15-17
New English Translation
Deuteronomy 17:15-17
New English Translation
15 you must select without fail[a] a king whom the Lord your God chooses. From among your fellow citizens[b] you must appoint a king—you may not designate a foreigner who is not one of your fellow Israelites.[c] 16 Moreover, he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so,[d] for the Lord has said you must never again return that way. 17 Furthermore, he must not marry many[e] wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 17:15 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, indicated in the translation by the words “without fail.”
- Deuteronomy 17:15 tn Heb “your brothers,” but not referring to siblings (cf. NIV “your brother Israelites”; NLT “a fellow Israelite”). The same phrase also occurs in v. 20.
- Deuteronomy 17:15 tn Heb “your brothers.” See the preceding note on “fellow citizens.”
- Deuteronomy 17:16 tn Heb “in order to multiply horses.” The translation uses “do so” in place of “multiply horses” to avoid redundancy (cf. NAB, NIV).
- Deuteronomy 17:17 tn Heb “must not multiply” (cf. KJV, NASB); NLT “must not take many.”
Deuteronomy 17:15-17
New International Version
Deuteronomy 17:15-17
New International Version
15 be sure to appoint(A) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.(B) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses(C) for himself(D) or make the people return to Egypt(E) to get more of them,(F) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”(G) 17 He must not take many wives,(H) or his heart will be led astray.(I) He must not accumulate(J) large amounts of silver and gold.(K)
New English Translation (NET)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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