< Deuteronomy 23 >

1 No man whose private parts have been wounded or cut off may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.
He that is wounded or mutilated in his secrets, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
2 One whose father and mother are not married may not come into the meeting of the Lord's people, or any of his family to the tenth generation.
A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their people to the tenth generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people:
An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
4 Because they gave you no bread or water on your way, when you came out of Egypt: and they got Balaam, the son of Peor, from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to put curses on you.
Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth from Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
5 But the Lord your God would not give ear to Balaam, but let the curse be changed into a blessing to you, because of his love for you.
Nevertheless, the LORD thy God would not hearken to Balaam: but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
6 Do nothing for their peace or well-being for ever.
Thou shalt not seek their peace, nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
7 But have no hate for an Edomite, because he is your brother, or for an Egyptian, for you were living in his land.
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he [is] thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.
8 Their children in the third generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.
The children that are begotten by them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
9 When you go out to war and put your tents in position, keep from every evil thing.
When the host goeth forth against thy enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
10 If any man among you becomes unclean through anything which has taken place in the night, he is to go out from the tent-circle and keep outside it:
If there shall be among you any man that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth to him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11 But when evening comes near, let him take a bath: and after sundown he may come back to the tents.
But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash [himself] with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp [again].
12 Let there be a place outside the tent-circle to which you may go;
Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And have among your arms a spade; and when you have been to that place, let that which comes from you be covered up with earth:
And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon: and it shall be when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig with it, and shalt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 For the Lord your God is walking among your tents, to keep you safe and to give up into your hands those who are fighting against you; then let your tents be holy, so that he may see no unclean thing among you, and be turned away from you.
For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he may see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
15 Do not give back to his master a servant who has gone in flight from his master and come to you:
Thou shalt not deliver to his master the servant who hath escaped from his master to thee:
16 Let him go on living among you in whatever place is most pleasing to him: do not be hard on him.
He shall dwell with thee, [even] among you in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates where it pleaseth him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
17 No daughter of Israel is to let herself be used as a loose woman for a strange god, and no son of Israel is to give himself to a man.
There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
18 Do not take into the house of the Lord your God, as an offering for an oath, the price of a loose woman or the money given to one used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods: for these two things are disgusting to the Lord your God.
Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these [are] abomination to the LORD thy God.
19 Do not take interest from an Israelite on anything, money or food or any other goods, which you let him have:
Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother; interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest:
20 From men of other nations you may take interest, but not from an Israelite: so that the blessing of the Lord your God may be on everything to which you put your hand, in the land which you are about to take as your heritage.
To a stranger thou mayest lend upon interest; but to thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thy hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
21 When you take an oath to the Lord, do not be slow to give effect to it: for without doubt the Lord your God will make you responsible, and will put it to your account as sin.
When thou shalt vow a vow to the LORD thy God, thou shalt not defer to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22 But if you take no oath, there will be no sin.
But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23 Whatever your lips have said, see that you do it; for you gave your word freely to the Lord your God.
That which is uttered by thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; [even] a free-will-offering, according as thou hast vowed to the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
24 When you go into your neighbour's vine-garden, you may take of his grapes at your pleasure, but you may not take them away in your vessel.
When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest satisfy thy appetite with grapes at thy own pleasure; but thou shalt not put [any] in thy vessel.
25 When you go into your neighbour's field, you may take the heads of grain with your hand; but you may not put your blade to his grain.
When thou comest into the standing-corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thy hand: but thou shalt not move a sickle to thy neighbor's standing-corn.

< Deuteronomy 23 >