Deuteronomy 23

1 He that is wounded in the stones, or has his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

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

2 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.

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.

3 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:

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

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

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.

5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing to you, because the LORD your God loved you.

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.

6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days for ever.

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

7 You shall not abhor an Edomite; for he is your brother: you shall not abhor an Egyptian; because you were a stranger in his land.

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.

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

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

9 When the host goes forth against your enemies, then keep you from every wicked thing.

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

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

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

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

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

12 You shall have a place also without the camp, where you shall go forth abroad:

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

13 And you shall have a paddle on your weapon; and it shall be, when you will ease yourself abroad, you shall dig therewith, and shall turn back and cover that which comes from you:

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.

14 For the LORD your God walks in the middle of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.

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.

15 You shall not deliver to his master the servant which is escaped from his master to you:

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

16 He shall dwell with you, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of your gates, where it likes him best: you shall not oppress him.

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

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

No Israelite women or men are to be cult prostitutes.

18 You shall not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD your God for any vow: for even both these are abomination to the LORD your God.

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.

19 You shall not lend on usury to your brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent on usury:

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

20 To a stranger you may lend on usury; but to your brother you shall not lend on usury: that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you set your hand to in the land where you go to possess it.

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.

21 When you shall vow a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not slack to pay it: for the LORD your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.

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.

22 But if you shall forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in you.

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

23 That which is gone out of your lips you shall keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as you have vowed to the LORD your God, which you have promised with your mouth.

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.

24 When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes your fill at your own pleasure; but you shall not put any in your vessel.

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.

25 When you come into the standing corn of your neighbor, then you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you shall not move a sickle to your neighbor’s standing corn.

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.