Then they must proclaim, &#8220;Our hands have not spilled this blood, nor have we<n id="1" /> witnessed the crime.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;The Levites will call out to every Israelite<n id="1" /> with a loud voice:

They must declare to the elders<n id="1" /> of his city, &#8220;Our son is stubborn and rebellious and pays no attention to what we say &#8211; he is a glutton and drunkard.&#8221;

&#8216;Cursed is the one<n id="1" /> who makes a carved or metal image &#8211; something abhorrent<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>, the work of the craftsman<n id="3" /> &#8211; and sets it up in a secret place.&#8217; Then all the people will say, &#8216;Amen!&#8217;<n id="4" />

Then all the nations will ask, &#8220;Why has the <sc>Lordsc> done all this to this land? What is this fierce, heated display of anger<n id="1" /> all about?&#8221;

Then people will say, &#8220;Because they abandoned the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of their ancestors, which he made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

So be sure to do them, because this will testify of your wise understanding<n id="1" /> to the people who will learn of all these statutes and say, &#8220;Indeed, this great nation is a very wise<n id="2" /> people.&#8221;

In addition, the officers are to say to the troops, &#8220;Who among you is afraid and fainthearted? He may go home so that he will not make his fellow soldier&#8217;s<n id="1" /> heart as fearful<n id="2" /> as his own.&#8221;