Legacy Standard Bible

Deuteronomy 23

Those Who May Not Enter the Assembly

23aNo one who is 1emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of Yahweh. 2No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation, none of his seed shall enter the assembly of Yahweh. 3aNo Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation, none of their seed shall ever enter the assembly of Yahweh, 4abecause they did not meet you with 1food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you bBalaam the son of Beor from Pethor of 2Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5Nevertheless, Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but Yahweh your God aturned the curse into a blessing for you because Yahweh your God bloves you. 6aYou shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.
7You shall not abhor an Edomite, for ahe is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian, bfor you were a sojourner in his land. 8The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of Yahweh.
9When you go out as 1an army against your enemies, you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.
10aIf there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he must go outside the camp; he may not 1reenter the camp. 11But it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may 1reenter the camp.
12You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, 13and you shall have a 1spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn 2to cover up your excrement. 14Since aYahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to give your enemies over to you, therefore your camp must be bholy; and He must not see 1anything indecent among you, 2or He will turn away from you.
15aYou shall not hand over to his master a slave who has 1escaped from his master to you. 16He shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of your gates of the towns where it pleases him; ayou shall not mistreat him.
17aNone of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, bnor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. 18You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a 1,adog into the house of Yahweh your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to Yahweh your God.
19aYou shall not charge interest to your brother: interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. 20aYou may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, so that bYahweh your God may bless you in all 1that you send forth your hand to do in the land which you are about to enter to 2possess.
21aWhen you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; and it will be a sin in you. 22However, if you refrain from vowing, it will not be a sin in you. 23You shall be careful and do what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to Yahweh your God that which you spoke with your mouth.
24When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes 1until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your 2basket.
25aWhen you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.