Deuteronomy 16

1 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.

“[Each year] honor Yahweh our God by celebrating the Passover [Festival] in the month of Abib [in early spring]. It was on a night in that month that Yahweh rescued your ancestors from Egypt.

2 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.

[In order to celebrate that festival], go to the place that Yahweh will choose [for you to worship him], and offer [there one young animal] from your cattle or your sheep to be the Passover sacrifice, to honor Yahweh [MTY].

3 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.

[When you eat the Passover meal], the bread that you eat must not have yeast in it. You must eat this kind of bread, which will be called the bread of suffering/misery, for seven days. This is to help you to remember all during the time that you are alive that when your ancestors left Egypt, [where they were suffering because they were slaves], they left very quickly. [They did not put in yeast and wait for the dough to swell up].

4 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.

[During that festival], you must not have any yeast in any house in your land for seven days. Furthermore, the meat [of the animals] that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day [of the Passover Festival must be eaten during that night]; do not allow any of it to remain until the next day.

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

“To honor Yahweh our God, you must offer the Passover sacrifice only at the place that he chooses for you [to worship him]; do not offer that sacrifice in any other town in the land that Yahweh is giving to you. Offer that sacrifice when the sun is setting, at the same time of day that your ancestors [started to] leave Egypt.

6 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 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.

Boil [the meat] and eat it at the place [of worship] that Yahweh our God chooses. The next morning, you may return to your tents.

8 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.

Each day for six days the bread that you eat must have no yeast in it. On the seventh day, you must all gather to worship Yahweh our God. [It will be a day of rest]; you must not do any work on that day.”

9 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.

“[Each year], from the day that you start to harvest your grain, count seven weeks.

10 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.

Then, to honor Yahweh our God, celebrate the Harvest Festival. Do that by bringing to him an offering [of grain]. Yahweh has blessed you [by causing it to grow in your fields during that year]. If you had a big harvest, bring a big offering. If you had a small harvest, bring a small offering.

11 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.

[Each married couple] should be joyful in the presence of Yahweh. Their children, their servants, the descendants of Levi [who are in that town], and the foreigners, orphans, and widows [who are living among you], should also be joyful. Bring those offerings to the place of worship that Yahweh will choose.

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

[“When you celebrate these festivals] by obeying these commands, remember that your ancestors were previously slaves in Egypt.”

13 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:

“[Each year], after you have threshed all your grain and pressed [the juice from] all your grapes, you must celebrate the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters for seven days.

14 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.

[Each married couple] along with their children, their servants, the descendants of Levi [who are in that town], and the foreigners, orphans, and widows [who are living among you], should be joyful in the presence of Yahweh.

15 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.

Honor Yahweh our God by celebrating this festival for seven days in the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him]. You should all be joyful, because Yahweh will have blessed your harvest and all the other work that you have done.

16 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;

“So, each year all of you Israeli men must gather [with your families] to worship Yahweh our God at the place that he will choose, [to celebrate three festivals]: The Passover Festival, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. Each of you men must bring [LIT] an offering [for Yahweh to these festivals]

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

in proportion to the blessings that Yahweh has given you [during that year].”

18 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.

“Appoint judges and other officials throughout your tribes, in all the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you. They must judge people fairly/justly.

19 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.

They must not judge unjustly. They must not favor one person more than another. The judges must not accept bribes, because if a judge accepts a bribe, even if he is wise and honest, it will be very difficult for him to judge fairly [IDM]; [he will do what the person who gave him the bribe wants him to do and declare that] the righteous/innocent people [must be punished].

20 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.

You must be completely fair and just [DOU], in order that you will enter and occupy the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”

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

“When you make an altar to worship Yahweh our God, do not put next to it any wooden statue [that represents] the goddess Asherah.

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

And do not set up any [stone] pillar [to worship any idol, because] Yahweh hates them.”