Deuteronomy
Chapter 26
1 When you enter the land God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and live there;
2 You must take some of the first fruits from your harvest, from the land that God gives you, put them in a basket, and go to the place God chooses for his name to live.
3 You will go to the priest who is serving at that time, and tell him, “I declare today to God that I have arrived in the land God promised to our ancestors to give to us.”
4 The priest will take the basket from your hand and put it in front of God’s altar.
5 You will say in front of God, “My father was a struggling Syrian, and he went down to Egypt and stayed there with just a few people, and there he became a large, strong, and numerous nation.”
6 The Egyptians treated us badly, hurt us, and forced us into harsh slavery.
7 When we cried to God of our ancestors, God heard us and saw our suffering, our hard work, and our oppression.
8 God led us out of Egypt with great power, with a strong arm, with fearsome acts, and with miraculous signs.
9 God has led us to this place and given us this land, a land rich with milk and honey.
10 And now, look, I have brought the first crops of the land that you, God, have given me. You will place them before God, and bow down before God.
11 You will be happy with every good thing that God has given to you, your family, the Levite, and the foreigner living with you.
12 When you finish taking a tenth part of all your crops every third year, the year for giving a tenth, and give it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows so they can have enough food in your towns and be satisfied.
13 Then you will say in front of God, “I have removed the sacred things from my house, and I have given them to the Levite, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, just as you commanded me. I have not broken your commands, nor have I forgotten them.”
14 I have not eaten any of it while sad, nor have I used any for impure purposes, nor have I given any for the dead. But I have listened to God’s voice and done everything you commanded me.
15 Look from your holy home in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you gave us, like you promised our ancestors, a land filled with milk and honey.
16 Today, God has told you to follow these rules and decisions: so you must obey them with all your heart and with all your soul.
17 You have promised today that God is your God, and to follow his ways, keep his rules, commands, and decisions, and to listen to his voice.
18 Today, God has declared you to be his special people, just as he promised, and you should follow all his commands.
19 God will make you greater than any other nation He created, in praise, reputation, and honor, so you will be a special people dedicated to God, just as He promised.