Deuteronomy 16

1 You are to observe the month of Abib and to celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, because it was in the month of Abib that the Lord your God led you out of Egypt by night.

Observe the month of Abib, and prepare the passover-sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; for in the month of Abib did the Lord thy God bring thee forth out of Egypt by night.

2 The Passover sacrifice from your herd or flock must be offered to the Lord your God in the place where the Lord will choose to live with you.

And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto the Lord thy God of sheep and oxen, in the place which the Lord will choose to let his name dwell there.

3 Don't eat ordinary bread with it. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast with it, the bread of hardship, because you had to leave Egypt in such a hurry. This way you'll remember day you left Egypt for the rest of your lives.

Thou shalt not eat therewith any leavened bread: seven days shalt thou eat therewith unleavened bread, the bread of affliction; for in haste didst thou go forth out of the land of Egypt; in order that thou mayest remember the day of thy going forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

4 Don't have yeast anywhere in your country for seven days. Don't keep any of the meat that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day until the morning.

And there shall not be seen with thee any leaven in all thy borders seven days: neither shall there any of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst in the evening, on the first day, remain all night until the morning.

5 Don't sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns that the Lord your God is giving you.

Thou mayest not slay the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee;

6 The Passover sacrifice must be offered by you only at the place where the Lord your God will choose to live with you. You are to do this in the evening at sunset-the same time you left Egypt.

But at the place which the Lord thy God will choose to let his name dwell in, there shalt thou slay the passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

7 Cook it and eat it in the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning go back to your tents.

And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God will choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

8 Eat bread without yeast for six days, and the on the seventh day you are to have a holy meeting to honor the Lord your God. You are not to do any work.

Six days shalt thou eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work.

9 Count off seven weeks from when you start the grain harvest.

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thyself: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn, shalt thou begin to number seven weeks.

10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to honor him the Lord your God by giving him a freewill offering, depending on just how much the Lord your God has blessed you.

And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give: according as the Lord thy God shall have blessed thee.

11 You will celebrate in the Lord's presence in the place where he will choose to live with you. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your towns, as well as the foreigners, orphans, and widows among you.

And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which the Lord thy God will choose to let his name dwell there.

12 Don't forget that you were once slaves in Egypt, and be careful to follow these regulations.

And thou shalt remember that thou hast been a bond-man in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

13 Celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days once you have finished threshing your grain and pressing your grapes.

The feast of tabernacles shalt thou hold for thyself seven days, when thou hast gathered in the produce of thy threshing-floor and of thy wine-press:

14 Enjoy your feast—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your towns, as well as the foreigners, orphans, and widows among you.

And thou shalt rejoice on thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

15 Celebrate this Festival for seven days to honor the Lord your God in the place he will choose, because the Lord your God will bless your whole harvest and everything you do, so you will be really happy.

Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord will choose; because the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy product, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt only rejoice.

16 All your men must come before the Lord your God in the place He will choose three times every year: the Festival of Bread without Yeast, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Shelters. No one should come before the Lord without an offering.

Three times in the year shall every one of thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he will choose: on the feast of unleavened bread, and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of tabernacles; and no one shall appear before the Lord empty;

17 Each of you is to bring whatever gift you can, depending on how much the Lord your God has blessed you.

Every man according to what his hand can give, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

18 Choose judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town that the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly.

Judges and officers shalt thou appoint unto thyself in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with a just judgment.

19 Don't pervert justice or show favoritism. Don't take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the wise and twists the words of the truthful.

Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, and thou shalt not take a bribe; for the bribe blindeth the eyes of the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

20 Always do what is right and just, so that you may go on living, occupying the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Justice, only justice shalt thou pursue; in order that thou mayest live, and retain possession of the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

21 Don't ever set up a wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you build for the Lord your God,

Thou shalt not plant unto thyself a grove, any tree, near the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make unto thyself.

22 and don't make for yourselves an idolatrous stone pillar, which the Lord your God hates.

Neither shalt thou set thee up any statue, which the Lord thy God hateth.