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 wounded in the testicles, or hath his privy member cut, shall not enter into the congregation 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.

One born from prohibited connections shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even the tenth generation of him shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.

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 and a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even the tenth generation of him shall not enter into the congregation 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.

For the reason, that they met you not with bread and with water on the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because he hired against thee Bil'am the son of Beor of Pethor in 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 the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Bil'am; and the Lord thy God changed unto thee the curse into a blessing, because the Lord thy God loved thee.

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

Thou shalt not seek their peace and their welfare 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 stranger in his land.

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

The children that are born unto them in the third generation, may enter of them into the congregation of the Lord.

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 thy enemies, then 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 thee any man, that is not clean by reason of an occurrence by night; then shall he go abroad to without the camp, he shall not come within the camp;

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

But it shall be, that toward evening he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun goeth down, he may come into the midst of the camp.

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

And a place shalt thou have without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:

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 a spade shalt thou have with thy weapons: and it shall be, when thou sittest abroad, that thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt afterward cover that which cometh 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 the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee and to give up thy enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy; that he see no unseemly thing in 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 deliver unto his master the servant who may escape unto thee from his master;

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

With thee shall he dwell, in the midst of thee, in the place which he may choose in any one of thy gates, where it seemeth best 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 not be a prostitute of the daughters of Israel, and there shall not be a sodomite of 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 the Lord thy God for any vow; for both of these are equally an abomination unto 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 take interest from thy brother, interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is 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.

From an alien thou mayest take interest; but from thy brother thou shalt not take interest; in order that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the acquisition 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 makest a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would 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 shalt thou keep and perform, as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God voluntarily, as thou hast spoken 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 neighbor's vineyard, thou mayest eat grapes at thy own pleasure, till thou have enough; but into thy vessel shalt thou not put any.

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 neighbor, thou mayest pluck ears with thy hand; but a sickle shall thou not move over thy neighbor's standing corn.