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17:1  If an ox or sheep has ·something wrong with it [L a blemish/defect, anything wrong with it; Lev. 22:17–25], do not offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. He would ·hate [detest] that.
17:2  A man or woman in one of the ·towns [L gates] the Lord gave you might be found doing something evil in the ·sight [L eyes] of the Lord your God and ·breaking [transgressing] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty].
17:3  That person may have served other gods and bowed down to them or to the sun or moon or ·stars of the sky [any of the host of heaven], which I have commanded should not be done [4:19].
17:4  If someone has told you about it, you must look into the matter carefully. If it is true that such a ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] thing has happened in Israel,
17:5  take the man or woman who has done the evil thing to the city gates and ·throw stones at [stone] that person until he dies.
17:6  There must be two or three witnesses that it is true before the person is put to death; if there is only one witness, the person should not be put to death [Num. 35:30].
17:7  The hands of the witnesses must be the first to ·throw stones at [stone] the person, and then everyone else will follow. You must get rid of the evil among you.
17:8  Some cases that come before you, ·such as murder [between one kind of bloodshed and another; C intentional or unintentional], ·quarreling [between one kind of right and another], or ·attack [L between one kind of assault and another; Ex. 21:18–21], may be too difficult to judge. Take these cases to the place the Lord your God will choose [12:4–7].
17:9  Go to the priests who are Levites and to the judge who is ·on duty at that time [in office in those days]. ·Ask them about the case [Make inquiry], and they will decide.
17:10  You must follow the decision they give you at the place the Lord your God will choose. Be careful to do everything they ·tell [L teach] you.
17:11  Follow the ·teachings [laws; instructions] they give you, and do whatever they decide, ·exactly as they tell you [L you must not turn aside from the thing they tell you to the right or to the left].
17:12  The person who ·does not show respect for [presumes not to listen to] the judge or priest who is there serving the Lord your God must be put to death. You must ·get rid of [banish; purge] that evil from Israel.
17:13  Then everyone will hear about this and will be afraid, and they will not ·show disrespect [be presumptuous] anymore.
17:14  When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, taking it as your ·own [possession] and living in it, you will say, “·Let’s appoint [L I will set] a king over ·us [L me] like the nations all around us [1 Sam. 8:5, 20].”
17:15  Be sure to ·appoint [set] over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be one of your own ·people [relatives; L brothers]. Do not ·appoint [set] as your king a foreigner who is not a ·fellow Israelite [relative; L brother].
17:16  The king must not ·have too many [multiply] horses for himself [Is. 2:7–9], and he must not send people to Egypt to get more horses, because the Lord has told you, “Don’t return that way again.”
17:17  The king must not ·have many [multiply for himself] wives, or his heart will ·be led away [turn aside] from God [1 Kin. 11:1–13]. He must not have too much silver and gold.
17:18  When he ·becomes king [L sits on the throne of his kingdom], he should write a copy of ·the teachings [these laws/instructions] on a scroll for himself, a copy taken from the priests and Levites.
17:19  He should keep it with him all the time and read from it every day of his life. Then he will learn to ·respect [fear] the Lord his God, and he will obey all ·the teachings [these laws/instructions] and ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
17:20  He should not ·think he is better than his fellow Israelites [L exalt his heart above his relatives/brothers], and he must not ·stop obeying [turn aside from] the law ·in any way [L to the right or the left] so that he and his ·descendants [sons] may rule the kingdom for a long time [2 Sam. 7:16].