Deuteronomy 17:15-17
Contemporary English Version
15 Go ahead and appoint a king, but make sure that he is an Israelite and that he is the one the Lord has chosen.
16 (A) The king should not have many horses, especially those from Egypt. The Lord has said never to go back there again. 17 (B) And the king must not have a lot of wives—they might tempt him to be unfaithful to the Lord.[a] Finally, the king must not try to get huge amounts of silver and gold.
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- 17.17 a lot of wives … unfaithful to the Lord: A king would often marry the daughter of another king that he was making a treaty with. These foreign women would naturally want to worship their own gods, and would want their husband the king to do so as well.
Deuteronomy 17:15-17
New International Version
15 be sure to appoint(A) over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites.(B) Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses(C) for himself(D) or make the people return to Egypt(E) to get more of them,(F) for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”(G) 17 He must not take many wives,(H) or his heart will be led astray.(I) He must not accumulate(J) large amounts of silver and gold.(K)
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