25 3 The beating of the offenders. 5 To raise up seed to the kinsmen. 11 In what case a woman’s hand must be cut off. 13 Of just weights and measures. 19 To destroy the Amalekites.

When there shall be strife between men, and they shall come unto judgment, [a]and sentence shall be given upon them, and the righteous shall be justified, and the wicked condemned,

Then if so be the wicked be worthy to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down, [b]and to be beaten before his face, according to his trespass unto a certain number.

[c]Forty stripes shall he cause him to have, and not past, lest if he should exceed and beat him above that with many stripes, thy brother should appear despised in thy sight.

(A)Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.

(B)If brethren dwell together, and one of them die and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not marry without, that is, unto a stranger, but his [d]kinsman shall go in unto her, and take her to wife, and do the kinsman’s office to her.

And the firstborn which she beareth, shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.

And if the man will not take his kinswoman, then let his kinswoman go up to the gate unto the Elders, and say, My kinsman refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel: he will not do the office of a kinsman unto me.

Then the Elders of the city shall call him, and commune with him: if he stand and say, I will not take her,

Then shall his kinswoman come unto him in the presence of the Elders, and loose his shoe from his foot, and spit in his face, and answer, and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother’s house.

10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him whose shoe is put off.

11 [e]When men strive together, one with another, if the wife of the one come near, for to rid her husband out of the hands of him that smiteth him, and put forth her hand, and take him by his privities,

12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand: thine eye shall not spare her.

13 ¶ Thou shalt not have in thy bag two manner of [f]weights, a great and a small:

14 Neither shalt thou have in thine house divers [g]measures, a great and a small:

15 But thou shalt have a right and just weight: a perfect and a just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

17 (C)Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come out of Egypt:

18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of you, all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast fainted and weary, and he feared not God.

19 Therefore, when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, then thou shalt put out the [h]remembrance of Amalek from under heaven: forget not.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 25:1 Whether there be a plaintiff or none, the magistrates ought to try our faults, and punish according to the crime.
  2. Deuteronomy 25:2 When the crime deserveth not death.
  3. Deuteronomy 25:3 The Jews of superstition afterward took one away, 2 Cor. 11:24.
  4. Deuteronomy 25:5 Because the Hebrew word signifieth not the natural brother, and the word that signifieth a brother, is taken also for a kinsman: it seemeth that it is not meant that the natural brother should marry his brother’s wife, but some other of the kindred that was in that degree which might marry.
  5. Deuteronomy 25:11 This law importeth that godly shamefastness be preserved: for it is an horrible thing to see a woman past shame.
  6. Deuteronomy 25:13 Hebrew, stone and stone.
  7. Deuteronomy 25:14 Hebrew, Ephah and Ephah, read Exod. 12:6.
  8. Deuteronomy 25:19 This was partly accomplished by Saul, about 450 years afterward.

25 When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges(A) will decide the case,(B) acquitting(C) the innocent and condemning the guilty.(D) If the guilty person deserves to be beaten,(E) the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes.(F) If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.(G)

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.(H)

If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.(I) The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.(J)

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife,(K) she shall go to the elders at the town gate(L) and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.”(M) Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals,(N) spit in his face(O) and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

11 If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12 you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.(P)

13 Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light.(Q) 14 Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. 15 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long(R) in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.(S)

17 Remember what the Amalekites(T) did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.(U) 19 When the Lord your God gives you rest(V) from all the enemies(W) around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek(X) from under heaven. Do not forget!