Exodus 23

1 “You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

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

2 You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

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

3 And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

You shall not favour a poor man in his cause.

4 If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

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

5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.

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 You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.

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

7 Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

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

8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists 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 Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners 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 For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce,

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

11 but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

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 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

“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 Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

“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 a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.

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

15 You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me 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 You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from 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 a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.

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

18 You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast 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 Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

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 Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place 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 Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in 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 you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

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 angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate 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 You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

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 you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you.

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 No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.

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

27 I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

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 I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

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 before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.

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 I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.

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

31 And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

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 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.

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

33 They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

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.”