Deuteronomy 23

1 No man whose genitals have been damaged or cut off is allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary.

He that is wounded or mutilated in his secrets, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

2 No one of mixed race is allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary, and none of his descendants may do so either, up to the tenth generation.

A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants are allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary, up to the tenth generation.

An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

4 For they did not come to meet you with food and water on your journey from Egypt, and they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse you.

Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth from 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 refused to listen to Balaam. The Lord your God turned what was meant to be a curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you.

Nevertheless, the LORD thy God would not hearken to Balaam: but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.

6 Don't arrange a peace treaty with them or help them out as long as you live.

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

7 Don't look down on an Edomite, for they are your relatives. Don't look down on an Egyptian either, because you lived as foreigners in their country.

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 The third generation of their children are allowed to enter the Lord's sanctuary.

The children that are begotten by them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.

9 When you are in an army camp during a war with your enemies, make sure you avoid anything wrong.

When the host goeth forth against thy enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

10 Any man there who becomes unclean because of a release of semen must leave the camp and remain outside.

If there shall be among you any man that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth to him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:

11 Towards the end of the day he must wash himself with water, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash [himself] with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp [again].

12 Choose a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet.

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

13 You need to have a spade as part of your equipment so that you can dig a hole, and then when you're finished you can cover up your excrement.

And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon: and it shall be when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig with it, and shalt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee:

14 The Lord your God is present with you in your camp to keep you safe and to defeat your enemies. Your camp must be kept holy, because if he sees anything unclean among you and he will leave 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 may see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

15 Don't send a slave back to their master if they have come to you for protection.

Thou shalt not deliver to his master the servant who hath escaped from his master to thee:

16 Let the slave live in your country wherever they want, in whatever town they want. Don't mistreat them.

He shall dwell with thee, [even] among you in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates where it pleaseth him best: thou shalt not oppress him.

17 No Israelite women or men are to be cult prostitutes.

There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

18 Don't bring into the house of the Lord your God any money from a prostitute, whether a woman or a man, using it to fulfill a promise to the Lord, for both are offensive 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 even both these [are] abomination to the LORD thy God.

19 Don't charge a fellow Israelite interest on money, food, or any other kind of loan.

Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother; interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of any thing that is lent upon interest:

20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not an Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the country that you are going in to occupy.

To a stranger thou mayest lend upon interest; but to thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thy hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

21 If you make a promise to the Lord your God, don't be slow in keeping it, because he will definitely demand that you fulfill it and you will be guilty of sin if you don't.

When thou shalt vow a vow to the LORD thy God, thou shalt not defer to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

22 If you don't make such promises then you won't be guilty of sin.

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

23 But make sure to carry out what you've said to the Lord your God, because it was you who freely chose to make such a promise.

That which is uttered by thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; [even] a free-will-offering, according as thou hast vowed to the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.

24 When you walk through your neighbor's vineyard, you can eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not collect any to take with you.

When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest satisfy thy appetite with grapes at thy own pleasure; but thou shalt not put [any] in thy vessel.

25 When you walk through your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick the ears of grain with your hand, but you must not use a sickle to harvest it.

When thou comest into the standing-corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thy hand: but thou shalt not move a sickle to thy neighbor's standing-corn.