DeuteronomyChapter 26

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¹You will go into the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own. You will take it over and settle there. ²Then take some of the firstfruits of all the crops you grow in the land the LORD your God is giving you. Put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose to be the home for his Name. ³Go to the priest who is serving at that time. Say to him, "Today I announce to the LORD your God that I have come into the land. It is the land the LORD swore to our fathers to give us." ⁴Then the priest must take the basket from your hands. He must set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. ⁵Then you must say before the LORD your God, "My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down to Egypt with only a few people and lived there. There he became a great nation, strong and large. ⁶But the Egyptians treated us badly and made us suffer. They forced us to do hard work. ⁷So we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers. The LORD heard our voice. He saw how we suffered, how hard we worked, and how badly we were treated. ⁸Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand and his strong arm. He did it with great and terrible acts and with signs and wonders. ⁹He brought us to this place and gave us this land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁰And now, LORD, look! I have brought the firstfruits of the land you have given me." Then set the basket down before the LORD your God, and bow down before him. ¹¹Then you must celebrate all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your family. Celebrate with the Levite and the foreigner who lives among you. ¹²Every third year is the year of the tithe. That year, set aside a tenth of all your crops. When you are done, give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. Then they can eat in your towns until they are full. ¹³Then say in the presence of the LORD your God, "I have taken the holy share out of my house. I have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. I did everything you commanded me. I have not broken any of your commands or forgotten them. ¹⁴I have not eaten any of the holy share while I was mourning. I have not taken any of it out while I was unclean. I have not offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God. I have done everything you commanded me. ¹⁵Look down from heaven, your holy home. Bless your people Israel. Bless the land you have given us, as you swore to our fathers. It is a land flowing with milk and honey." ¹⁶Today the LORD your God commands you to follow these laws and rules. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and with all your soul. ¹⁷Today you have announced that the LORD is your God. You have said you will walk in his ways. You will keep his laws, commands, and rules. And you will listen to his voice. ¹⁸And today the LORD has announced that you are his people. You are his treasured possession, as he promised. He has said you must keep all his commands. ¹⁹He has said he will set you high above all the nations he has made. He will give you praise, fame, and honor. And you will be a holy people to the LORD your God, as he promised.