Exodus 23

1 Thou shalt not utter a false report. Do not lay thy hand with a lawless man, to become a witness helping forward violence and wrong.

“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

2 Thou shalt not follow multitudes to commit wickedness, —neither shalt thou answer in a quarrel, so as to turn away after multitudes to mislead,

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.

3 Even a poor man, shalt thou not prefer in his quarrel.

You shall not favour a poor man in his cause.

4 When thou meetest the ox of thine enemy, or his ass, going astray, thou shalt, surely bring it back, to him.

“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

5 When thou seest the ass of him that hateth thee sinking down under his burden, and mightest have foreborne to unload him, thou shalt surely help him to unload,

If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it.

6 Thou shalt not pervert the vindication of thy needy one in his quarrel.

“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 From a matter of falsehood, thou shalt keep far away, —and the innocent one and the righteous, do not thou slay, for I will not justify a lawless man.

“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

8 And, a bribe, shalt thou not take, —for the bribe, blindeth the clear-sighted, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

9 And a sojourner, shalt thou not drive away, —seeing that, ye yourselves, know the, soul of a sojourner; for sojourners, became ye in the land of Egypt.

“You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

10 And six years, shalt thou sow thy land, —and shalt gather the yield thereof;

“For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase,

11 but the seventh year, shalt thou let it rest and be still so shall the needy of thy people eat, and what they leave, shall the wild-beast of the field eat, —in like manner, shalt thou deal with thy vineyard with thine oliveyard.

but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.

12 Six days, shalt thou do thy work, but on the seventh day, shalt thou keep sabbath, —that thine ox may rest and thine ass, and that the son of thy handmaid and the sojourner may be refreshed.

“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.

13 And, in all that I have said unto thee, shalt thou take heed to thyself, —and the name of other gods, shalt thou not mention, it shall not be heard upon thy mouth.

“Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.

14 Three times, shalt thou keep festival to me, in the year.

“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.

15 The festival of unleavened cakes, shalt thou keep, —seven days, shalt thou eat unleavened cakes, as I commanded thee at the appointed time of the month Abib; for, therein, camest thou forth out of Egypt, —and they shall not see my face, empty-handed.

You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty.

16 And the festival of harvest with the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou shalt sow in the field, And the festival of ingathering—at the outgoing of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labours, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labours out of the field.

17 Three times in the year, shall all thy males see the face of the Lord, Yahweh.

Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

18 Thou shalt not offer with anything leavened, the blood of my sacrifice, —neither shall the fat of my festival-sacrifice remain until morning.

“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.

19 The beginning of the firstfruits of thy ground, shalt thou bring into the house of Yahweh thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of its dam.

You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

20 Lo! I, am sending a messenger before thee, to guard thee in the way, —and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

21 Take thou heed of his presence, and hearken to his voice—do not vex him, -for he will not pardon your transgression, for, my name, is within him.

Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.

22 But if thou wilt indeed hearken, to his voice, and so wilt do all that I may speak, then will I be an enemy to thine enemies, and an adversary to thine adversaries;

But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 for my messenger 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, —so will I destroy them.

For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.

24 Thou shalt not bow thyself down to their gods neither shalt thou be led to serve them, neither shalt thou do according to their works, —but thou shalt, verily overthrow, them, and, completely break in pieces, their pillars.

You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

25 So shall ye serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless thy bread and thy water, —and I will take away sickness out of thy midst.

You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from amongst you.

26 There shall be nothing casting its young or barren in thy land, —the number of thy days, will I make full.

No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfil the number of your days.

27 My terror, will I send before thee, and will confound all the people amongst whom thou shalt come, and will deliver up all thine enemies unto thee as they flee.

I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

28 And I will send the hornet, before thee, —and it shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.

I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.

29 I will not drive them out from before thee, in one year, —lest the land should become a desolation, so would the wild-beast of the field multiply over thee.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.

30 Little by little, will I drive them out from before thee. until thou become fruitful, then shalt thou take possession of the land.

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.

31 So will I set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines and from the desert unto the River (Euphrates), —for I will deliver into your hand the inhabitants of the land, so shalt thou drive them out from before thee.

I will set your border from the Sea of Suf even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.

32 Thou shalt not make with them or with their gods, a covenant:

You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

33 they shall not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against me, —for thou mightest serve their gods, verily! it would become to thee a snare!

They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”