Exodus 23

1 Thou shalt not receive a false report: put not thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause, to incline after many, to wrest judgment.

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.

3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.

You shall not favor a poor man in his cause.

4 If thou meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to unload him, [thou must not do so, but] thou shalt surely unload with him.

If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it.

6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.

“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 Keep thyself far from a false speech; and him who hath been declared innocent and righteous thou shalt not slay; for I will not justify the wicked.

“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

8 And thou shalt take no bribe; for the bribe blindeth the clear-sighted, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

9 And a stranger shalt thou not oppress; for ye know well the spirit of the stranger, seeing ye yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.

“You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

10 And six years shalt thou sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof;

“For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase,

11 But the seventh year shalt thou let it rest and lie still; that the needy of thy people may eat [of it]; and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat: in like manner shalt thou deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive tree.

but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.

12 Six days shalt thou do thy work, and on the seventh day shalt thou rest; that thy ox and thy ass may repose, and the son of thy hand-maid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.

“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.

13 And in all things that I have said unto you be on your guard; and of the name of other gods ye shall make no mention, it shall not be heard out of thy mouth.

“Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.

14 Three times shalt thou keep a feast unto me in the year.

“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.

15 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month of Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty.

You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty.

16 And the feast of harvest, of the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in thy field: and the feast of ingathering, at the conclusion of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field.

And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.

17 Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord, the Eternal.

Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my festive sacrifice remain until morning.

“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.

19 The first of the first-fruits of thy land shalt thou bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.

You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

20 Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee on the way, and to bring thee unto the place which I have prepared.

“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, disobey him not; for he will not pardon your transgression, because my name is in him.

Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.

22 But if thou wilt carefully hearken to his voice, and do all that I shall speak: then will I be an enemy unto thy enemies, and afflict those that afflict thee.

But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 For my angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Emorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.

24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their deeds; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and completely break down their statuary images.

You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will remove sickness from the midst of thee.

You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

26 There shall be no one casting her children, nor a barren woman, in thy land; the number of thy days I will make full.

No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.

27 My terror will I send before thee, and will bring in confusion all the people to which thou shalt come; and I will make all thy enemies turn their back unto thee.

I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

28 And I will send hornets before thee, and they shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.

I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.

29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.

30 Little by little will I drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased and canst possess the land.

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.

31 And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river; for I will deliver into your hand the inhabitants of the land, and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.

32 Thou shalt not make a covenant with them, nor with their gods.

You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

33 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against me; for thou mightest [be led to] serve their gods, and this would surely be a snare unto thee.

They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”