Deuteronomy 25
1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come nigh unto a court of justice, and they judge them; and they justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked:
If there is some legal argument between two people, they are to go to court to have the case judged, in order to justify the one who is right and condemn the one who is wrong.
2 Then shall it be, if the guilty man deserve to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to the degree of his fault, by a [certain] number.
If the person who is guilty is sentenced to be flogged, the judge shall order them to lie down and be flogged before him with the number of lashes the crime deserves.
3 Forty stripes may he give him, not more; so that he shall not exceed to have him beaten above these with too many stripes, and thy brother be thus rendered vile before thy eyes.
They are not to receive more than forty lashes. More than that would be to publicly humiliate them.
4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he thresheth out the corn.
Don't muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
5 If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child: then shall the wife of the dead not be married abroad, unto a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to himself for wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her.
When two brothers live near to each other and one of them dies without having a son, the widow is not to marry a stranger outside the family. Her husband's brother is to marry her and sleep with her, fulfilling the requirements of a brother-in-law to provide her with children.
6 And it shall be, that the first-born whom she may bear shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead; so that his name be not blotted out of Israel.
The first son she has will be named after the dead brother, so that his name won't be forgotten in Israel.
7 And if the man have no desire to take his sister-in-law: then shall his sister-in-law go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform on me the duty of a husband's brother.
However, if the man refuses to marry his brother's widow, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and tell them, “My husband's brother is refusing to keep his brother's name alive in Israel. He doesn't want to perform the requirements of a brother-in-law for me.”
8 Then shall the elders of his city call him, and speak unto him; and if he persist, and say, I have no desire to take her:
The town elders are to summon him and talk with him. If he continues to refuse and says, “I don't want to marry her,”
9 Then shall his sister-in-law come nigh unto him in the presence of the elders, and pull his shoe from off his foot, and spit out before him, and shall commence and say, Thus shall be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
his brother's widow is to confront him in the presence of the elders, pull off his sandal, spit in his face, and announce, “This is what happens to the man who refuses to keep his brother's family name alive.”
10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of the barefooted.
From then on his family name in Israel will be called “The Family of the Pulled-off Sandal.”
11 When men strive together one with the other, and the wife of the one draweth near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
If two men are fighting, and one of their wives intervenes to save her husband from being beaten, and she grabs hold of the attacker's genitals,
12 Then shalt thou cut off her hand, thy eye shall not have pity.
you are to cut her hand off. Don't show her any mercy.
13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
Don't have two different measuring weights in your bag, one that's heavy and one that's light.
14 Thou shalt not have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small.
Don't have two different measuring containers in your house, one that's large and one that's small.
15 A perfect and just weight shalt thou have, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; in order that thy days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee;
Make sure you always use accurate and true weights and measures. In that way you will have long lives in the country the Lord your God is giving you.
16 For an abomination of the Lord thy God is every one that doth such things, every one that acteth unrighteously.
Anyone who doesn't do so and cheats like this offends the Lord your God.
17 Remember what 'Amalek did unto thee, by the way, at your coming forth out of Egypt;
Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt.
18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were feeble behind thee, when thou was faint and weary; and he feared not God.
The came out to confront you when you were tired and weary from your journey, and they attacked all those of you who were lagging behind. They didn't have any respect for God.
19 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God giveth thee rest from all thy enemies round about, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of 'Amalek from under the heavens: thou shalt not forget.
Once the Lord your God gives you peace after fighting your enemies in the country that he's giving you to take over and own, you are to wipe out even the memory of the Amalekites from the earth. Don't forget!
