The Passage on a King: Deuteronomy 17: 16-20

Only: [Your leader] is not to multiply horses [cavalry, the most powerful weapons of the ancient world] for himself,
and he is not to return the people
to Mitzrayyim/ Tight and Narrow Place/ Egyptian slavery
in order to multiply horses,
since YHWH [Breath of Life] has said to you:
“You will never return that way again!”

And he is not to multiply wives for himself,
that his heart not be turned-aside,
and silver or gold he is not to multiply for himself to excess.

But it shall be:
when he sits on the throne of his kingdom,
he is to write himself a copy of this Teaching in a document,
before the face of Levitical priests.

It is to remain beside him;
he is to read out of it all the days of his life,
in order that he may learn to have-awe-for YHWH [Breath of Life] his God,
to be-careful concerning all the words of this Teaching
and the deep-carved laws, to observe them,
that his heart not be raised above his kinfolk,
that he not turn-aside from what connects him with others,
to the right or to the left;
in order that he may prolong (his) days over his kingdom,
he and his children,
in the midst of the Godwrestlers.


     [Translation somewhat modified
     by Rabbi Arthur Waskow
     from that by Everett Fox,
     The Five Books of Moses (Schocken Books)]