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19 You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort[a] the words of the righteous.[b] 20 You must pursue justice alone[c] so that you may live and inherit the land the Lord your God is giving you.

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21 You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole[d] near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:19 tn Heb “twist, overturn”; NRSV “subverts the cause.”
  2. Deuteronomy 16:19 tn Or “innocent”; NRSV “those who are in the right”; NLT “the godly.”
  3. Deuteronomy 16:20 tn Heb “justice, justice.” The repetition is emphatic; one might translate as “pure justice” or “unadulterated justice” (cf. NLT “true justice”).
  4. Deuteronomy 16:21 tn Heb “an Asherah, any tree.”sn Sacred Asherah pole. This refers to a tree (or wooden pole) dedicated to the worship of Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. See also Deut 7:5.