Deuteronomy 26

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

Once you've entered the country that the Lord your God is giving you to own, and you take it over and settle there,

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

take some of the firstfruits of all your crops produced by the land that the Lord your God is giving you and place them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose to live with you,

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

and tell the priest in charge at the time, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I now live in the country that the Lord promised our forefathers to give us.”

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

The priest will take the basket from you and place it in front of the altar of the Lord your God.

5 And thou shalt speak and say before YHWH thy Elohim, 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:

Then this is what you are to publicly declare before the Lord your God, “My father was a Aramean who moved from place to place. There were only a few of them when he and his family went to live in Egypt. But they became a large and powerful nation.

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

But the Egyptians treated us very badly, oppressing us and forcing us to do hard labor.

7 And when we cried unto YHWH Elohim of our fathers, YHWH heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:

We cried out for help to the Lord, the God of our forefathers; and the Lord answered us as he saw how much we were suffering, forced to work so hard in such cruelty.

8 And YHWH 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:

The Lord led us out of Egypt with his great power and incredible strength and terrifying actions, signs and miracles.

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

He brought us here and gave us this country, a land flowing with milk and honey.

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

Look, Lord! I have brought you the firstfruits of the land that you have given me.” You shall place the basket before the Lord your God and bow down in worship before him.

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

Then you, the Levites, and the foreigners who live with you are to celebrate all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your family.

12 When 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;

Once you've finished storing up a tenth of all your crops in the third year, (the year of the tithe), you shall give it to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, so they will have enough to eat in your towns.

13 Then thou shalt say before YHWH thy Elohim, 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.

Then you are to make this declaration in the presence of the Lord your God: “I have brought the holy tithe and I have given it to the Levite, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows as you have ordered me to do. I have not broken or forgotten your commandments.

14 I 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 YHWH my Elohim, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me.

I have not eaten any of the holy tithe while in mourning, or taken any of it while I was unclean, or used any of it as an offering for the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God. I have done everything you ordered me to do.

15 Look 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.

Please look down from your home in heaven, and bless your people the Israelites and the country you have given us as you promised our fathers—a land flowing with milk and honey.”

16 This day YHWH thy Elohim 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.

Today the Lord your God orders you to carry out these rules and regulations. Make sure you follow them with all your mind and with all your being.

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

Today you have publicly declared that the Lord is your God and that you will follow his ways, keep rules and commandments and regulations, and obey what he says.

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

Today the Lord has announced that you are a special people who belong to him as he promised. He has announced that you are to keep all his commandments.

19 And 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 YHWH thy Elohim, as he hath spoken.

He has announced that he will give you greater praise and reputation and honor than any other nation he has made. He has announced that you will be a holy people to the Lord your God, as he promised.