Exodus 23
1 You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a dishonest witness.
Thou shalt not utter a false report; put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 You must not follow a crowd to do evil, nor may you bear witness while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice.
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou bear witness in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to pervert justice;
3 You must not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
neither shalt thou favour a poor man in his cause.
4 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him.
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under its burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt surely release it with him.
6 Do not thrust aside justice for your poor in his lawsuit.
Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
7 Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not; for I will not justify the wicked.
8 Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people's words.
And thou shalt take no gift; for a gift blindeth them that have sight, and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
And a stranger shalt thou not oppress; for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10 For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce.
And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and gather in the increase thereof;
11 But in the seventh year you will leave it unplowed and fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards.
but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
12 During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave's son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed.
Six days thou shalt do thy work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.
13 Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.
And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed; and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
14 You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year.
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto Me in the year.
15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Aviv, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed.
The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep; seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib — for in it thou camest out from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty;
16 You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields.
and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labours, which thou sowest in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field.
17 All your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh three times every year.
Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
18 You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning.
Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning.
19 You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.
20 I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him.
Take heed of him, and hearken unto his voice; be not rebellious against him; for he will not pardon your transgression; for My name is in him.
22 If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
But if thou shalt indeed hearken unto his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them.
For Mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.
24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces.
Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their doings; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break in pieces their pillars.
25 You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you.
And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
26 No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives.
None shall miscarry, nor be barren, in thy land; the number of thy days I will fulfil.
27 I will send fear of myself on those into whose land you advance. I will kill all the people whom you meet. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in fright.
I will send My terror before thee, and will discomfit all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
And I will send the hornet before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become abandoned, and the wild animals would become too many for you.
I will not drive them out from before thee in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee.
30 Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land.
By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31 I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give you victory over the land's inhabitants. You will drive them out before yourselves.
And I will set thy border from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness unto the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
32 You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods.
Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.'”
They shall not dwell in thy land — lest they make thee sin against Me, for thou wilt serve their gods — for they will be a snare unto thee.
