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Deuteronomy 26

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Read Deuteronomy Chapter 26

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1And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein;

2That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

3And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us.

4And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.

5And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

6And the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage:

7And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

8And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

9And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey.

10And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

11And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.

12When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

13Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

14I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

15Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

16This day the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.

17Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice:

18And the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;

19And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as he hath spoken.

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Explanation

Deuteronomy 26

In short

This chapter gives instructions for two ceremonies when Israel enters the promised land. First, they must bring the earliest fruits from their harvest to the sanctuary and recite how God rescued them from slavery. Second, every third year they must declare they have shared their increase fairly with the poor and the Levites, and God promises to bless them as his special people.

What the text says

Verses 1-2: When you live in the land God gives you, take the first fruits that grow and put them in a basket.

Verses 2-4: Bring this basket to the sanctuary where God has chosen to place his name. Tell the priest, and he takes the basket and sets it before God's altar.

Verses 5-9: You then speak before God, recalling that your ancestors were wandering, went to Egypt, became enslaved and mistreated there, cried out to God, and God brought you out with power and brought you to this fertile land.

Verses 10-11: You present the firstfruits to God and rejoice in everything he has given you, including the Levites and strangers living among you.

Verses 12-14: Every third year, after giving your tithe to Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows, you declare before God that you have obeyed his commands faithfully and kept the gifts holy.

Verses 15-19: You ask God to bless the nation from heaven. God has made you his special people above all nations, and you have promised to follow his ways and keep his commandments.

Takeaways

  • The ceremonies connect the gift of land and food to God's past rescue and present relationship with Israel.
  • Sharing harvest with those who have nothing is part of how Israel responds to God's faithfulness.
  • Both God and Israel make commitments to each other: God to bless them, Israel to obey and keep his ways.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.

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