Justice From the Court

25 “Suppose there is a dispute between people and they approach the court, the judges hear their case, and declare one righteous and the other guilty. ² Now if the guilty one deserves to be flogged, the judge is to make him lie down and be flogged before him, with the number of lashes in proportion to his guilt. ³ He may strike him 40 times but no more. Otherwise he would beat him with too many a wound beyond these, and your brother would be degraded in your eyes.

⁴ “You are not to muzzle the ox while it is threshing.

⁵ “If brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, the dead man’s wife is not to be married outside to a stranger. Her husband’s brother is to go to her and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law. ⁶ Now the firstborn that she bears is to carry on the name of his dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out of Israel. ⁷ But if the man does not want to take his brother’s widow, his brother’s widow is to go to the elders at the gate and say, ‘My brother-in-law refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel—he is unwilling to perform a brother-in-law’s duty for me.’ ⁸ Then the elders of his town are to summon him and speak to him. And if he stands firm and says, ‘I do not desire to take her,’ ⁹ then his brother’s widow is to come to him in the sight of the elders, pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his face, and reply, ‘So will it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ ¹⁰ Then his name is to be called in Israel ‘the house of the pulled-off sandal.’

¹¹ “Suppose people fight with one another, a man and his brother, and the wife of the one approaches to rescue her husband from the hand of the one hitting him; and she puts out her hand and grabs him by his genitals. ¹² Then you are to cut off her hand—your eye will show no pity.

¹³ “You are not to have stones of different weights in your bag—large and small. ¹⁴ You are not to have in your house ephahs of different measures—large and small. ¹⁵ You must have a full and honest weight and a full and honest measure, so that your days may be long on the land that Adonai your God is giving you. ¹⁶ For all who do these things, all who do injustice, are detestable to Adonai your God.

Beware, Blot Out Amalek

¹⁷ “Remember what Amalek did to you along the way as you came out from Egypt— ¹⁸ how he happened upon you along the way and attacked those among you in the rear, all the stragglers behind you, when you were tired and weary—he did not fear God. ¹⁹ Now when Adonai your God grants you rest from all the enemies surrounding you in the land Adonai your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget!