שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק׃

Judges and officers you shall place for you within all your gates that the Lord your God is giving you for your tribes. Israel is obligated to appoint judges and officers in all their dwelling places. And they shall judge the people a fair judgment, which is a necessary precondition for the existence of a nation.

לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם׃

This verse addresses the judges: You shall not distort judgment, you shall not give preference to a litigant who is your acquaintance; and you shall not take a bribe, as the bribe will blind even the eyes of the wise, who thereby lose their impartiality, and corrupt the words of the righteous. The latter phrase may also be understood to mean that a bribe will cause words that are correct to appear corrupt. The reference here is not only a benefit offered for the express purpose of rendering a particular verdict. The very acceptance of a favor from someone, even with no stipulation of a quid pro quo, is enough to cause a judge to view matters differently, which will prevent him from reaching a just decision.

צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)

It is not enough merely for the law to be just; rather, justice, justice you shall pursue, take the initiative to impose justice, so that you will live, and take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, by establishing a civilized state, where integrity and justice reign.

לֹֽא־תִטַּ֥ע לְךָ֛ אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה כָּל־עֵ֑ץ אֵ֗צֶל מִזְבַּ֛ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ׃ (ס)

You shall not plant for you any kind of sacred tree next to the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make for you. Do not seek to honor God in the same manner that idols are worshipped.

וְלֹֽא־תָקִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מַצֵּבָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

Similarly, you shall not establish for you a monument, a stone or tall construction used as a focal point for worship, which the Lord your God hates.

לֹא־תִזְבַּח֩ לַיהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ שׁ֣וֹר וָשֶׂ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִהְיֶ֥ה בוֹ֙ מ֔וּם כֹּ֖ל דָּבָ֣ר רָ֑ע כִּ֧י תוֹעֲבַ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ הֽוּא׃ (ס)

You shall not slaughter to the Lord your God an ox, or a lamb, an animal from the herd or flock, in which there is a blemish, as defined in the Torah, or a cow or sheep that has any bad thing, other flaws that are not classified as blemishes but which disfigure the animal or render it unacceptable as an offering, e.g., conspicuous signs of old age, as that is an abomination of the Lord your God. The blemish itself is not an abomination; it is the act of offering the blemished animal to God that is an abomination. One’s gift to God must be as respectable as possible.

כִּֽי־יִמָּצֵ֤א בְקִרְבְּךָ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ אִ֣ישׁ אוֹ־אִשָּׁ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֧ה אֶת־הָרַ֛ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה־אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַעֲבֹ֥ר בְּרִיתֽוֹ׃

If there will be found in your midst, within any of your gates, your places of settlement, that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or a woman who will perform evil in the eyes of the Lord your God, to violate His covenant;

וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ וַֽיַּעֲבֹד֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לָהֶ֑ם וְלַשֶּׁ֣מֶשׁ ׀ א֣וֹ לַיָּרֵ֗חַ א֛וֹ לְכָל־צְבָ֥א הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־צִוִּֽיתִי׃

he went and served other gods, and prostrated himself before them. Idolatry is not merely a violation of one Torah prohibition among others; rather, it is a breach of the fundamental covenant with God. Perhaps this is the reason for the phrase “he went,” as that person distances himself from the Jewish religion. Indeed, the Torah frequently uses forms of the verb “to go” to describe Jews who worship idols, as they thereby depart from God. It makes no difference whether one bowed to an idol, or to the sun, or to the moon, or to any of the host of the heavens that I did not command, which I commanded you not to worship or honor. Alternatively, this means that God did not grant the host of the heavens dominion or influence over the world, as their worshippers suppose.

וְהֻֽגַּד־לְךָ֖ וְשָׁמָ֑עְתָּ וְדָרַשְׁתָּ֣ הֵיטֵ֔ב וְהִנֵּ֤ה אֱמֶת֙ נָכ֣וֹן הַדָּבָ֔ר נֶעֶשְׂתָ֛ה הַתּוֹעֵבָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

It, this occurrence, will be told to you, and you will hear, and you shall inquire and clarify diligently. Like all cases that come to the court, the judge may not rule based on rumors alone; he must examine all the details of the case in order to establish the truth. And behold, it turns out that it is true, the matter is correct, this abomination was performed in Israel.

וְהֽוֹצֵאתָ֣ אֶת־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֡וּא אוֹ֩ אֶת־הָאִשָּׁ֨ה הַהִ֜וא אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָ֠שׂוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֨ר הָרָ֤ע הַזֶּה֙ אֶל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֶת־הָאִ֕ישׁ א֖וֹ אֶת־הָאִשָּׁ֑ה וּסְקַלְתָּ֥ם בָּאֲבָנִ֖ים וָמֵֽתוּ׃

You shall take out that man or that woman who has performed this evil thing to your gates, the man or the woman who committed idolatry; you shall stone them with stones, and they will die .

עַל־פִּ֣י ׀ שְׁנַ֣יִם עֵדִ֗ים א֛וֹ שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה עֵדִ֖ים יוּמַ֣ת הַמֵּ֑ת לֹ֣א יוּמַ֔ת עַל־פִּ֖י עֵ֥ד אֶחָֽד׃

Here the Torah provides a general principle that goes beyond the parameters of this particular case. At the word of two witnesses, or three witnesses, a person shall be put to death. In capital cases it is vital that testimony be received from at least two witnesses. He shall not be put to death at the word of one witness.

יַ֣ד הָעֵדִ֞ים תִּֽהְיֶה־בּ֤וֹ בָרִאשֹׁנָה֙ לַהֲמִית֔וֹ וְיַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם בָּאַחֲרֹנָ֑ה וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ׃ (פ)

In addition to the court’s examination, there is another role assigned to the witnesses that indirectly serves as a moral deterrent to them. The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last, and you shall eliminate the evil from your midst. Although the witnesses do not carry out the death penalty in its entirety, they start implementing the verdict. Consequently, if witnesses falsely accuse someone, they might be frightened into reconsidering their action and retract their testimony at the last minute when they realize that they will have to participate in implementing the ruling of capital punishment that was reached due to their testimony.

כִּ֣י יִפָּלֵא֩ מִמְּךָ֨ דָבָ֜ר לַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט בֵּֽין־דָּ֨ם ׀ לְדָ֜ם בֵּֽין־דִּ֣ין לְדִ֗ין וּבֵ֥ין נֶ֙גַע֙ לָנֶ֔גַע דִּבְרֵ֥י רִיבֹ֖ת בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ וְקַמְתָּ֣ וְעָלִ֔יתָ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּֽוֹ׃

The Torah addresses a local judge and instructs him with regard to a doubt that might arise in a case that comes before him. For example: If a matter of judgment will be obscure to you, and you do not know how to distinguish between the blood of one who is not guilty of a capital offense and the blood of one who is guilty, or alternatively, between blood that is ritually pure and blood that is ritually impure; or you do not know how to decide between one monetary case and another similar case in order to determine which of them can serve as a legal precedent for the case that is currently being adjudicated; or between one type of leprous mark and a different type of leprous mark; the difference of opinion between two or more judges is liable to lead to matters of dispute within your gates, the place of the local court. Therefore, you shall arise, and you shall go up to the place that the Lord your God shall choose, which is the seat of the greatest experts in Torah law.

וּבָאתָ֗ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם וְאֶל־הַשֹּׁפֵ֔ט אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם וְדָרַשְׁתָּ֙ וְהִגִּ֣ידוּ לְךָ֔ אֵ֖ת דְּבַ֥ר הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃

You shall come to the priests, who are all Levites, who study the Torah regularly and teach it, and to the highest judge, the head of the Great Sanhedrin, who shall be in those days, and you shall inquire, and they shall tell you the statement of judgment. Not only are these judges likely to know the correct ruling of the Torah, but they are granted the ultimate authority to decide these cases.

וְעָשִׂ֗יתָ עַל־פִּ֤י הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַגִּ֣ידֽוּ לְךָ֔ מִן־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִבְחַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֣ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹרֽוּךָ׃

You shall do according to the statement that they will tell you from that place that the Lord shall choose, and you shall take care to perform in accordance with everything that they, the judges of the highest court, will instruct you.

עַל־פִּ֨י הַתּוֹרָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יוֹר֗וּךָ וְעַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּ֛ט אֲשֶׁר־יֹאמְר֥וּ לְךָ֖ תַּעֲשֶׂ֑ה לֹ֣א תָס֗וּר מִן־הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־יַגִּ֥ידֽוּ לְךָ֖ יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹֽאל׃

On the basis of the law that they, those judges, will instruct you, and the judgment that they will say to you, you shall act; you shall not deviate from the matter that they will tell you, right or left.

וְהָאִ֞ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה בְזָד֗וֹן לְבִלְתִּ֨י שְׁמֹ֤עַ אֶל־הַכֹּהֵן֙ הָעֹמֵ֞ד לְשָׁ֤רֶת שָׁם֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ א֖וֹ אֶל־הַשֹּׁפֵ֑ט וּמֵת֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא וּבִֽעַרְתָּ֥ הָרָ֖ע מִיִּשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Since these matters are subject to dispute and argumentation, the verse stresses that one who ignores the ruling of the court has committed a very serious transgression. The man who shall perform with intent, to not heed the priest who stands to serve the Lord your God there, the High Priest, or the judge who heads the court, that man shall die, and you shall eliminate the evil, of undermining the authority of the central judiciary body, from Israel.

וְכָל־הָעָ֖ם יִשְׁמְע֣וּ וְיִרָ֑אוּ וְלֹ֥א יְזִיד֖וּן עֽוֹד׃ (ס)

All the people shall hear that this person was executed for defying the central court, and they shall fear, and they will not act with evil intent anymore.