Deuteronomy 23

1 No man whose private parts have been wounded or cut off may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.

He that is a eunuch, whether he have been crushed or cut, shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah.

2 One whose father and mother are not married may not come into the meeting of the Lord's people, or any of his family to the tenth generation.

A bastard shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah; even his tenth generation shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah.

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their people to the tenth generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people:

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah; even their tenth generation shall not come into the congregation of Jehovah for ever;

4 Because they gave you no bread or water on your way, when you came out of Egypt: and they got Balaam, the son of Peor, from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to put curses on you.

because they met you not with bread and with water on the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor, of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

5 But the Lord your God would not give ear to Balaam, but let the curse be changed into a blessing to you, because of his love for you.

But Jehovah thy God would not listen to Balaam; and Jehovah thy God turned the curse into blessing unto thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee.

6 Do nothing for their peace or well-being for ever.

Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.

7 But have no hate for an Edomite, because he is your brother, or for an Egyptian, for you were living in his land.

Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother. Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a sojourner in his land.

8 Their children in the third generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.

Children that are born to them shall come into the congregation of Jehovah in the third generation.

9 When you go out to war and put your tents in position, keep from every evil thing.

When thou goest forth into camp against thine enemies, then keep thee from every evil thing.

10 If any man among you becomes unclean through anything which has taken place in the night, he is to go out from the tent-circle and keep outside it:

If there be with thee a man that is not clean from what hath happened in the night, then shall he go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp;

11 But when evening comes near, let him take a bath: and after sundown he may come back to the tents.

and it shall be, towards evening, he shall bathe in water: and at the going down of the sun he may come inside the camp.

12 Let there be a place outside the tent-circle to which you may go;

Thou shalt have a place also outside the camp, and shalt go forth thither.

13 And have among your arms a spade; and when you have been to that place, let that which comes from you be covered up with earth:

And thou shalt have a shovel amongst thy weapons, and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which is come from thee.

14 For the Lord your God is walking among your tents, to keep you safe and to give up into your hands those who are fighting against you; then let your tents be holy, so that he may see no unclean thing among you, and be turned away from you.

For Jehovah thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; and thy camp shall be holy, that he see nothing unseemly with thee, and turn away from thee.

15 Do not give back to his master a servant who has gone in flight from his master and come to you:

Thou shalt not hand over to his master a bondman that hath escaped from his master unto thee:

16 Let him go on living among you in whatever place is most pleasing to him: do not be hard on him.

he shall dwell with thee, even in thy midst, in the place that he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it seemeth good to him; thou shalt not oppress him.

17 No daughter of Israel is to let herself be used as a loose woman for a strange god, and no son of Israel is to give himself to a man.

There shall be no prostitute amongst the daughters of Israel, nor any Sodomite amongst the sons of Israel.

18 Do not take into the house of the Lord your God, as an offering for an oath, the price of a loose woman or the money given to one used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods: for these two things are disgusting to the Lord your God.

Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of Jehovah thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination to Jehovah thy God.

19 Do not take interest from an Israelite on anything, money or food or any other goods, which you let him have:

Thou shalt take no interest of thy brother, interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of anything that can be lent upon interest:

20 From men of other nations you may take interest, but not from an Israelite: so that the blessing of the Lord your God may be on everything to which you put your hand, in the land which you are about to take as your heritage.

of a foreigner thou mayest take interest, but of thy brother thou shalt not take interest; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the business of thy hand in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

21 When you take an oath to the Lord, do not be slow to give effect to it: for without doubt the Lord your God will make you responsible, and will put it to your account as sin.

When thou vowest a vow to Jehovah thy God, thou shalt not delay to perform it; for Jehovah thy God will certainly require it of thee, and it shall be sin in thee.

22 But if you take no oath, there will be no sin.

But if thou forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

23 Whatever your lips have said, see that you do it; for you gave your word freely to the Lord your God.

What is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and do, as thou hast vowed to Jehovah thy God, the voluntary-offering that thou hast promised with thy mouth.

24 When you go into your neighbour's vine-garden, you may take of his grapes at your pleasure, but you may not take them away in your vessel.

When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, thou mayest eat grapes thy fill, according to thy desire, but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.

25 When you go into your neighbour's field, you may take the heads of grain with your hand; but you may not put your blade to his grain.

When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, thou mayest pluck ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not wave the sickle against thy neighbour's standing corn.