New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Deuteronomy 26
1
You will enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. You will take it over. You will settle down in it.
Reference
References God
Deuteronomy 17:14
2
When you do, get some of the first share of everything your soil produces. Put it in a basket. It's from the land the Lord your God is giving you. Take your gifts and go to the special place he will choose. He will put his Name there.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 23:16
Romans 11:16
Romans 8:23
1 Corinthians 15:20
Ezekiel 44:30
References God
Exodus 23:19
Exodus 34:26
1 Corinthians 16:2
Deuteronomy 16:10
Ezekiel 20:40
3
Speak to the priest who is in office at that time. Tell him, "I announce today to the Lord your God that I have come to this land. It's the land he promised with an oath to our fathers to give us."
4
The priest will take the basket from you. He'll set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.
5
Then you will speak while the Lord is listening. You will say, "My father Jacob was a wanderer from the land of Aram. He went down into Egypt with a few people. He lived there and became the father of a great nation. It had huge numbers of people.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 31:20
Genesis 45:11
Genesis 43:12
Genesis 25:20
Genesis 24:4
References Egypt
Genesis 46:27
Acts 7:15
References God
Deuteronomy 10:22
Genesis 45:7
Genesis 31:24
6
"But the people of Egypt treated us badly. They made us suffer. They made us work very hard.
Reference
7
Then we cried out to the Lord. He is the God of our people who lived long ago. He heard our voice. He saw how much we were suffering. The Egyptians were crushing us. They were making us work very hard.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 3:9
Psalm 50:15
Psalm 119:132
Exodus 6:5
1 Samuel 9:16
References Lord
Jeremiah 33:2
Exodus 4:31
8
"So the Lord reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm and brought us out of Egypt. He did great and wonderful things. He did miraculous signs and wonders.
Reference
References Lord
Deuteronomy 4:34
9
He brought us to this place. He gave us this land. It's a land that has plenty of milk and honey.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 3:8
10
"Now, Lord, I'm bringing you the first share of crops from the soil. After all, you have given them to me." Place the basket in front of the Lord your God. Bow down to him.
11
You and the Levites and the outsiders among you will be full of joy. You will enjoy all of the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your family.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 65:14
References God
Deuteronomy 16:11
Deuteronomy 12:7
Deuteronomy 28:47
References Lord
Philippians 4:4
12
You will set apart a tenth of everything you produce in the third year. That's the year for giving the tenth to people who have special needs. You will give it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. You will also give it to children whose fathers have died. Then all of them will have plenty to eat in your towns.
Reference
13
Speak to the Lord your God. Say to him, "I have taken your sacred share from my house. I have given it to the Levites, outsiders and widows. I have also given it to children whose fathers have died. I've done everything you commanded me to do. I haven't turned away from your commands. I haven't forgotten any of them.
Reference
14
I haven't eaten any part of your sacred share while I was sobbing over someone who had died. I haven't taken any of it from my house while I was 'unclean.' And I haven't offered any of it to the dead. Lord my God, I've obeyed you. I've done everything you commanded me to do.
Reference
15
"Look down from the holy place where you live in heaven. Bless your people Israel. Bless the land you have given us. It's the land you promised with an oath to give to our fathers. It's a land that has plenty of milk and honey."
Reference
Holy
Isaiah 63:15
Zechariah 2:13
Jeremiah 31:23
Parallel theme
Acts 7:49
1 Kings 8:27
References Israel
1 Kings 8:43
16
This very day the Lord your God commands you to follow all of those rules and laws. Be careful to obey them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Reference
17
Today you have announced that the Lord is your God. You have said you would live exactly as he wants you to live. You have agreed to keep his rules, commands and laws. And you have said you would obey him.
Reference
Judgment
Deuteronomy 30:16
References God
Isaiah 12:2
Acts 27:23
Exodus 20:19
Romans 6:13
2 Corinthians 8:5
References Lord
Exodus 24:7
Isaiah 44:5
Word
Deuteronomy 13:18
Deuteronomy 15:5
18
Today the Lord has announced that you are his people. He has said that you are his special treasure. He promised that you would be. He has told you to keep all of his commands.
Reference
Parallel theme
Titus 2:14
References Lord
Deuteronomy 7:6
Deuteronomy 14:2
Exodus 6:7
Word
Deuteronomy 28:9
19
He has announced that he will make you famous. He'll give you more praise and honor than all of the other nations he has made. And he has said that you will be a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. That's exactly what he promised to do.
Reference
Holy
Deuteronomy 7:6
1 Peter 2:9
Isaiah 62:12
Exodus 19:6
1 Peter 2:5
Psalm 148:14
References God
Deuteronomy 28:1
Resurrection
Jeremiah 33:9
Zephaniah 3:19
Jeremiah 13:11
Summary of Deuteronomy 26
Deuteronomy chapter 26 is centred upon bringing the firstfruits of the harvest to God, giving the required tithe, and remembering how God led Israel from slavery into the promised land. The chapter links worship to gratitude. When the Israelites received the land they had been promised they were not to forget where they had come from, or who had given them their inheritance.
The chapter starts by looking forward to the time when Israel would enter the land of Canaan. Moses told the people that when they received the land and settled there, they were to take the first of the produce of the land and put it in a basket. They were to go to the place God would choose to worship, and present the offering to the priest.
When presenting the offering, the person was to make a statement remembering Israel's history. He was to say that his father had been a wandering Syrian who went down into Egypt with only a small family. In Egypt, the family grew into a great and powerful nation. The Egyptians eventually made the Israelites slaves.
The Israelites cried to God about their hardship. God heard their cry and brought them out of Egypt with great power, miracles and a mighty hand. He brought them into the Promised Land and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey.
The person bringing the firstfruits was to then acknowledge that God had given him the land and the harvest he was bringing was a produce of that land, and worship before God and rejoice in the good things God had given. His joy was not private, the passage specifically includes the Levite and the stranger who lived among the Israelites, they were to share in the celebration.
This ceremony was a reminder that Israel's prosperity did not start with the people themselves, their ancestors had been foreigners in Egypt, and had suffered being slaves. They were now living in a land where they could grow crops and enjoy the produce. The firstfruits offering was a way of remembering change.
The second main subject of the chapter is the third-year tithe. Every third year the Israelites were to bring a special tithe of their produce and store it within their towns. The tithe was for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. These people did not have the same land inheritance or financial security as others in Israel, the tithe was to provide for them.
After giving the tithe, the Israelite was to declare before God that he had followed the required instructions. He was not to keep back the holy for himself, nor was he to use it while unclean or offer it in a way that went against the command. Instead, he was to give it to them for whom it was intended.
The person was also to ask God to look down from heaven and bless Israel and the land He had given them.
The final section of Deuteronomy 26 turns away from individual offerings to Israel's covenant relationship with God. Moses reminds the people that they had declared that the Lord was their God, and they would walk in His ways, obey His commandments, statutes, and judgments, and listen to His voice.
God in turn had declared that Israel was His people, and promised to set them high above the nations He had made and to make them a people of praise, honour, and distinction. The language is about Israel's belonging to God in a covenant relationship.
The chapter ends with a reminder that the people were to keep all of God's commandments. Their relationship with Him was not simply receiving land and material blessings, but they were to respond with obedience.
Deuteronomy 26 is linked to the idea of remembering. Israel was about to receive something their ancestors had waited for, but prosperity could cause them to forget their past. The firstfruits ceremony required them to tell the story again, they had once been strangers in Egypt. They had suffered under slavery, God had heard them, delivered them and brought them into a good land.
The offering was more than a gift of food, it was an act of gratitude and a public reminder of God's faithfulness. The person did not simply say, "This is what I have produced", he remembered that God had given Israel the land where the harvest was grown.
The instructions about the tithe also show that worship was linked to caring for other people. The Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows were not to be remembered when the harvest was gathered, the blessings of the land were to be shared with people who had few resources or no land inheritance of their own.
The chapter also gives a picture of covenant life. Israel belonged to God and the people were expected to demonstrate that relationship, through obedience, gratitude, generosity, and worship. Their faith was not separated from the way they used their crops, treated vulnerable people, or remembered their history.
Deuteronomy 26 therefore marks an important point in Moses' instructions. Israel was entering the Promised Land, and Moses wanted them to understand how they should live once they were there. They were to enjoy the land, but not to forget God, they were to receive its harvest with gratitude, share with those in need, remember their history, and remain faithful to the covenant they had made with God.
The chapter starts by looking forward to the time when Israel would enter the land of Canaan. Moses told the people that when they received the land and settled there, they were to take the first of the produce of the land and put it in a basket. They were to go to the place God would choose to worship, and present the offering to the priest.
When presenting the offering, the person was to make a statement remembering Israel's history. He was to say that his father had been a wandering Syrian who went down into Egypt with only a small family. In Egypt, the family grew into a great and powerful nation. The Egyptians eventually made the Israelites slaves.
The Israelites cried to God about their hardship. God heard their cry and brought them out of Egypt with great power, miracles and a mighty hand. He brought them into the Promised Land and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey.
The person bringing the firstfruits was to then acknowledge that God had given him the land and the harvest he was bringing was a produce of that land, and worship before God and rejoice in the good things God had given. His joy was not private, the passage specifically includes the Levite and the stranger who lived among the Israelites, they were to share in the celebration.
This ceremony was a reminder that Israel's prosperity did not start with the people themselves, their ancestors had been foreigners in Egypt, and had suffered being slaves. They were now living in a land where they could grow crops and enjoy the produce. The firstfruits offering was a way of remembering change.
The second main subject of the chapter is the third-year tithe. Every third year the Israelites were to bring a special tithe of their produce and store it within their towns. The tithe was for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. These people did not have the same land inheritance or financial security as others in Israel, the tithe was to provide for them.
After giving the tithe, the Israelite was to declare before God that he had followed the required instructions. He was not to keep back the holy for himself, nor was he to use it while unclean or offer it in a way that went against the command. Instead, he was to give it to them for whom it was intended.
The person was also to ask God to look down from heaven and bless Israel and the land He had given them.
The final section of Deuteronomy 26 turns away from individual offerings to Israel's covenant relationship with God. Moses reminds the people that they had declared that the Lord was their God, and they would walk in His ways, obey His commandments, statutes, and judgments, and listen to His voice.
God in turn had declared that Israel was His people, and promised to set them high above the nations He had made and to make them a people of praise, honour, and distinction. The language is about Israel's belonging to God in a covenant relationship.
The chapter ends with a reminder that the people were to keep all of God's commandments. Their relationship with Him was not simply receiving land and material blessings, but they were to respond with obedience.
Deuteronomy 26 is linked to the idea of remembering. Israel was about to receive something their ancestors had waited for, but prosperity could cause them to forget their past. The firstfruits ceremony required them to tell the story again, they had once been strangers in Egypt. They had suffered under slavery, God had heard them, delivered them and brought them into a good land.
The offering was more than a gift of food, it was an act of gratitude and a public reminder of God's faithfulness. The person did not simply say, "This is what I have produced", he remembered that God had given Israel the land where the harvest was grown.
The instructions about the tithe also show that worship was linked to caring for other people. The Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows were not to be remembered when the harvest was gathered, the blessings of the land were to be shared with people who had few resources or no land inheritance of their own.
The chapter also gives a picture of covenant life. Israel belonged to God and the people were expected to demonstrate that relationship, through obedience, gratitude, generosity, and worship. Their faith was not separated from the way they used their crops, treated vulnerable people, or remembered their history.
Deuteronomy 26 therefore marks an important point in Moses' instructions. Israel was entering the Promised Land, and Moses wanted them to understand how they should live once they were there. They were to enjoy the land, but not to forget God, they were to receive its harvest with gratitude, share with those in need, remember their history, and remain faithful to the covenant they had made with God.