Deuteronomy 23

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

An eunuch, whose testicles are broken or cut away, or yard cut off, shall not enter into the church of the Lord.

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 mamzer, that is to say, one born of a prostitute, shall not enter into the church of the Lord, until the tenth generation.

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

The Ammonite and the Moabite, even after the tenth generation shall not enter into the church of the Lord 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 would not meet you with bread and water in the way, when you came out of Egypt: hand because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beer, from Mesopotamia in Syria, 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.

And the Lord thy God would not hear Balaam, and he turned his cursing into thy blessing, because he loved thee.

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

Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither shalt thou seek their prosperity all the days of thy life 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 the Edomite, because he is thy brother: nor the Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.

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

They that are born of them, in the third generation shall enter into the church of the Lord.

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

When thou goest out to war against thy enemies, thou shalt keep thyself 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 among you any man, that is defiled in a dream by night, he shall go forth out of the camp.

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

And shall not return, before he be washed with water in the evening: and after sunset he shall return into the camp.

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

Thou shalt have a place without the camp, to which thou mayst go for the necessities of nature,

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:

Carrying a paddle at thy girdle. And when thou sittest down, thou shalt dig round about, and with the earth that is dug up thou shalt cover

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.

That which thou art eased of: (for the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies to thee: ) and let thy camp be holy, and let no uncleanness appear therein, lest he go 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 deliver to his master the servant that is fled to 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 ill the place that shall please him, and shall rest, in one of thy cities: give him no trouble.

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 whore among the daughters of Israel, nor whoremonger among 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 offer the hire of a strumpet, nor the price of a dog, in the house of the Lord thy God, whatsoever it be that thou hast vowed: because both these are an abomination to the Lord 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 not lend to thy brother money to usury, nor corn, nor any other thing:

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.

But to the stranger. To thy brother thou shalt lend that which he wanteth, without usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all thy works in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.

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 hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin.

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

If thou wilt not promise, thou shalt be without sin.

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

But that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou shalt observe, and shalt do as thou hast promised to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken with thy own will and with thy own 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.

Going into thy neighbour’s vineyard, thou mayst eat as many grapes as thou pleasest: but must carry none out with thee:

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.

If thou go into thy friend’s corn, thou mayst break the ears, and rub them in thy hand: but not reap them with a sickle.