Deuteronomy 23

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

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 Yhwh; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of Yhwh.

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 Yhwh; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of Yhwh 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 ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.

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 Yhwh thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; But Yhwh thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because Yhwh thy God loved thee.

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

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

7 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.

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 Yhwh in their third generation.

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

9 When the army goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee 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 chanceth 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 cometh 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 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:

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

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

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 Yhwh thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.

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 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:

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

16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt 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 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of Yhwh thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto Yhwh thy 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 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:

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

20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that Yhwh thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest 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 thou shalt vow a vow unto Yhwh thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for Yhwh thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.

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

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

23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto Yhwh thy God, which thou hast promised with thy 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 thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy 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 thou comest into the standing grain of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the heads with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing grain.

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.