< Deuteronomy 23 >

1 No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD.
He that is fractured or mutilated in his private parts shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.
2 No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation.
[One born] of a harlot shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation.
The Ammanite and Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord, even until the tenth generation he shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord, even for ever:
4 For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.
because they met you not with bread and water by the way, when you went out of Egypt; and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor of Mesopotamia to curse you.
5 Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; and the Lord your God changed the curses into blessings, because the Lord your God loved you.
6 You are not to seek peace or prosperity from them as long as you live.
You shall not speak peaceably or profitably to them all your days for ever.
7 Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.
You shall not abhor an Edomite, because he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land.
8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
If sons be born to them, in the third generation they shall enter into the assembly of the Lord.
9 When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every wicked thing.
And if you should go forth to engage with your enemies, then you shall keep you from every wicked thing.
10 If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp and stay outside.
If there should be in you a man who is not clean by reason of his issue by night, then he shall go forth out of the camp, and he shall not enter into the camp.
11 When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the camp.
And it shall come to pass toward evening he shall wash his body with water, and when the sun has gone down, he shall go into the camp.
12 You must have a place outside the camp to go and relieve yourself.
And you shall have a place outside of the camp, and you shall go out there,
13 And you must have a digging tool in your equipment so that when you relieve yourself you can dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
and you shall have a trowel on your girdle; and it shall come to pass when you would relieve yourself abroad, that you shall dig with it, and shall bring back the earth and cover your nuisance.
14 For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.
Because the Lord your God walks in your camp to deliver you, and to give up your enemy before your face; and your camp shall be holy, and there shall not appear in you a disgraceful thing, and [so] he shall turn away from you.
15 Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you.
You shall not deliver a servant to his master, who [coming] from his master attaches himself to you.
16 Let him live among you wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress him.
He shall dwell with you, he shall dwell among you where he shall please; you shall not afflict him.
17 No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute.
There shall not be a harlot of the daughters of Israel, and there shall not be a fornicator of the sons of Israel; there shall not be an idolatress of the daughters of Israel, and there shall not be an initiated person of the sons of Israel.
18 You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God.
You shall not bring the hire of a harlot, nor the price of a dog into the house of the Lord your God, for any vow; because even both are an abomination to the Lord your God.
19 Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan.
You shall not lend to your brother on usury of silver, or usury of meat, or usury of any thing which you may lend out.
20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.
You may lend on usury to a stranger, but to your brother you shall not lend on usury; that the Lord your God may bless you in all your works upon the land, into which you are entering to inherit it.
21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.
And if you will vow a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and [otherwise] it shall be sin in you.
22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin.
But if you should be unwilling to vow, it is not sin in you.
23 Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
You shall observe the words that proceed from between your lips; and as you have vowed a gift to the Lord God, [so] shall you do that which you have spoken with your mouth.
24 When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket.
And if you should go into the corn field of your neighbor, then you may gather the ears with your hands; but you shall not put the sickle to your neighbor's corn.
25 When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
And if you should go into the vineyard of your neighbor, you shall eat grapes sufficient to satisfy your desire; but you may not put them into a vessel.

< Deuteronomy 23 >