Deuteronomy 26

1 And it shall be, when thou hast come in to the land which the LORD thy God 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 the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put [it] in a basket, and shalt go to the place which the LORD thy God 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 to the priest that shall be in those days, and say to him, I profess this day to the LORD thy God, that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers 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 from thy hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.

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 the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish [was] my father, and he went down to 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 ill-treated 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 to the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, 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 the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an out-stretched 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 first-fruits 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:

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 the LORD thy God hath given to thee, and to thy 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 thy increase the third year, [which is] the year of tithing, and hast given [it] to 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 the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of [my] house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to 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 of it in my mourning, neither have I taken away [aught] of it for [any] unclean [use], nor given [aught] of it 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.

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 didst swear to 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 the LORD thy God hath commanded thee to perform these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thy 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 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 to 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 the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that [thou] shouldst 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 honor; and that thou mayest be a holy people to the LORD thy God, 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.