Exodus 23

1 You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a dishonest witness.

“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

2 You must not follow a crowd to do evil, nor may you bear witness while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice.

You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

3 You must not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him.

If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.

If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.

6 Do not thrust aside justice for your poor in his lawsuit.

You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.

7 Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people's words.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

9 You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

10 For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce.

For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce,

11 But in the seventh year you will leave it unplowed and fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards.

but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

12 During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave's son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed.

For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

13 Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.

Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

14 You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year.

Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.

15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Aviv, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed.

You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed.

16 You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields.

You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

17 All your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh three times every year.

Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.

18 You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning.

You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.

19 You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

20 I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

21 Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him.

Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.

22 If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them.

For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.

24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces.

You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

25 You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you.

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

26 No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives.

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

27 I will send fear of myself on those into whose land you advance. I will kill all the people whom you meet. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in fright.

I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.

I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become abandoned, and the wild animals would become too many for you.

I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.

30 Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land.

Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.

31 I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give you victory over the land's inhabitants. You will drive them out before yourselves.

And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

32 You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.

33 They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.'”

They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”