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. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be 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 a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.

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

You shall not favor a poor man in his cause.

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

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

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 him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it.

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

“You shall not deny right judgement to your poor people 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 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.

“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 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.

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

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

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

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 shall observe the festival of Matzah ·Unleavened bread·. Seven days you shall eat matzah ·unleavened bread·, as I enjoined you, at the time appointed in the first month Aviv ·Ripening grain (of a new crop), 1· (for in it you came out of Egypt [Abode of slavery]), and no one shall appear before me empty.

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.

And the festival of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the festival of in-gathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your labors out of the field.

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

Three times in the year all your males shall appear before 'Adon Adonai [Lord Yahweh].

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 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 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.

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

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 send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which 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 sh'ma ·hear obey· his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your rebellious breaches of relationships, for 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 sh'ma ·hear obey· sh'ma ·hear obey· his voice, and sh'ma ·hear obey· all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

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 shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite [Descendants of Talkers], the Hittite [Descendant of Trembling fear], the Perizzite [Descendant of Belonging to village], the Canaanite [Descendant of Humbled], the Hivite [Wicked], and the Jebusite [Descendants of Thresher]; and I will cut them off.

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 shall not hawa ·bow low, prostrate· to their deities, nor abad ·serve· them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

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

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

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

No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. 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 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 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, which will divorce and drive out the Hivite [Wicked], the Canaanite [Descendant of Humbled], and the Hittite [Descendant of Trembling fear], from before you.

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 divorce them from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field 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 divorce them from before you, until you have increased and inherit 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.

I will set your border from the Sea of Suf [Reed Sea] even to the sea of the Philistines [To roll in dust (As an insult)], and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall divorce them from before you.

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

You shall make no covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties· with them, nor with their elohim ·deities·.

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 shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin ·err (the standard goal)· against me, for if you abad ·serve· their deities, it will surely be a snare to you.”