Ἔξοδος 23
1 οὐ παραδέξῃ ἀκοὴν ματαίαν οὐ συγκαταθήσῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδίκου γενέσθαι μάρτυς ἄδικος
“Do not tell to others (false rumors/untrue reports) about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by (testifying falsely/lying) [about what happened].
2 οὐκ ἔσῃ μετὰ πλειόνων ἐπὶ κακίᾳ οὐ προστεθήσῃ μετὰ πλήθους ἐκκλῖναι μετὰ πλειόνων ὥστε ἐκκλῖναι κρίσιν
Do not join a group of people who are planning to do something evil. Do not testify the way the [crowd wants you to], if that will prevent [the judge from deciding the case] justly/fairly.
3 καὶ πένητα οὐκ ἐλεήσεις ἐν κρίσει
When a poor person is on trial, do not [testify in] his favor [just] because he is poor [and you feel sorry for him].
4 ἐὰν δὲ συναντήσῃς τῷ βοὶ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου ἢ τῷ ὑποζυγίῳ αὐτοῦ πλανωμένοις ἀποστρέψας ἀποδώσεις αὐτῷ
If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away [loose], take it back to [its owner, even if the owner] is your enemy.
5 ἐὰν δὲ ἴδῃς τὸ ὑποζύγιον τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου πεπτωκὸς ὑπὸ τὸν γόμον αὐτοῦ οὐ παρελεύσῃ αὐτό ἀλλὰ συνεγερεῖς αὐτὸ μετ’ αὐτοῦ
If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down [because of its heavy load], help the owner to get the donkey up again, [even if] he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away [without helping him].
6 οὐ διαστρέψεις κρίμα πένητος ἐν κρίσει αὐτοῦ
Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].
7 ἀπὸ παντὸς ῥήματος ἀδίκου ἀποστήσῃ ἀθῷον καὶ δίκαιον οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖς καὶ οὐ δικαιώσεις τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων
Do not accuse people falsely. Do not decide that innocent and righteous [DOU] people should be executed, because I will (punish/not forgive) people who do such an evil thing.
8 καὶ δῶρα οὐ λήμψῃ τὰ γὰρ δῶρα ἐκτυφλοῖ ὀφθαλμοὺς βλεπόντων καὶ λυμαίνεται ῥήματα δίκαια
Do not accept money that is a bribe, because officials who accept bribes are not able to [MTY] decide what is right to do, and they do not allow innocent people to be treated fairly.
9 καὶ προσήλυτον οὐ θλίψετε ὑμεῖς γὰρ οἴδατε τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ προσηλύτου αὐτοὶ γὰρ προσήλυτοι ἦτε ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ
Do not mistreat foreigners [who live among you]. You know [how people often treat] foreigners, because the Egyptians [did not treat you well when] you were foreigners there.
10 ἓξ ἔτη σπερεῖς τὴν γῆν σου καὶ συνάξεις τὰ γενήματα αὐτῆς
Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.
11 τῷ δὲ ἑβδόμῳ ἄφεσιν ποιήσεις καὶ ἀνήσεις αὐτήν καὶ ἔδονται οἱ πτωχοὶ τοῦ ἔθνους σου τὰ δὲ ὑπολειπόμενα ἔδεται τὰ ἄγρια θηρία οὕτως ποιήσεις τὸν ἀμπελῶνά σου καὶ τὸν ἐλαιῶνά σου
But during the seventh year you must not plant anything. [If things grow without your planting seeds], allow poor people [to harvest and] eat the crops. If there are still crops (left over/that they do not harvest), allow wild animals to eat them. Do the same thing with your grapevines/vineyards and your olive trees.
12 ἓξ ἡμέρας ποιήσεις τὰ ἔργα σου τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀνάπαυσις ἵνα ἀναπαύσηται ὁ βοῦς σου καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιόν σου καὶ ἵνα ἀναψύξῃ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης σου καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος
[You may] work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must rest [and not work]. And on the seventh day you must allow your work animals and your slaves and the foreigners [who live among you] also [to rest and] be refreshed.
13 πάντα ὅσα εἴρηκα πρὸς ὑμᾶς φυλάξασθε καὶ ὄνομα θεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναμνησθήσεσθε οὐδὲ μὴ ἀκουσθῇ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν
Make certain that you obey everything that I have commanded [you to do]. Do not pray to [MTY] other gods. Do not even mention their names.”
14 τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἑορτάσατέ μοι
“Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.
15 τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων φυλάξασθε ποιεῖν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἔδεσθε ἄζυμα καθάπερ ἐνετειλάμην σοι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ μηνὸς τῶν νέων ἐν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐξῆλθες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός
[The first one] is the Festival of Bread That Has No Yeast. Celebrate it in the month [that is named] Abib. That is the month in which you left Egypt. Celebrate it in the way that I commanded you. And always bring [LIT] an offering when you come to worship me.
16 καὶ ἑορτὴν θερισμοῦ πρωτογενημάτων ποιήσεις τῶν ἔργων σου ὧν ἐὰν σπείρῃς ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ σου καὶ ἑορτὴν συντελείας ἐπ’ ἐξόδου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν ἔργων σου τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ σου
The second one is the Festival of Harvesting. During that festival you must offer to me the first parts/harvest of your crops that grow from the seeds that you planted. The third one is the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. That will be after you finish harvesting your grain and grapes and fruit.
17 τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικόν σου ἐνώπιον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου
Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.
18 ὅταν γὰρ ἐκβάλω ἔθνη ἀπὸ προσώπου σου καὶ ἐμπλατύνω τὰ ὅριά σου οὐ θύσεις ἐπὶ ζύμῃ αἷμα θυσιάσματός μου οὐδὲ μὴ κοιμηθῇ στέαρ τῆς ἑορτῆς μου ἕως πρωί
When you sacrifice an animal [and offer it] to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. [When you] offer sacrifices, [burn] the fat [from the animals on that same day]. Do not allow any fat to remain until the next morning.
19 τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῶν πρωτογενημάτων τῆς γῆς σου εἰσοίσεις εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου οὐχ ἑψήσεις ἄρνα ἐν γάλακτι μητρὸς αὐτοῦ
Each year, when you harvest your crops, bring to the place where you worship me, Yahweh God, the first part of what you harvest. When you kill a (young animal/kid [or lamb or calf)], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
20 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου ἵνα φυλάξῃ σε ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἡτοίμασά σοι
“Note this: I am going to send an angel ahead of you, to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared [for you]. Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him, because he will have my authority [MTY] and he will (punish/not forgive) [LIT] you if you rebel against him.
21 πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ εἰσάκουε αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ἀπείθει αὐτῷ οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑποστείληταί σε τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μού ἐστιν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ
22 ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς καὶ ποιήσῃς πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐντείλωμαί σοι καὶ φυλάξητε τὴν διαθήκην μου ἔσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ποιήσῃς πάντα ὅσα ἂν εἴπω σοι ἐχθρεύσω τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου καὶ ἀντικείσομαι τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις σοι
But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you [to do], I will fight strongly [DOU] against all of your enemies.
23 πορεύσεται γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελός μου ἡγούμενός σου καὶ εἰσάξει σε πρὸς τὸν Αμορραῖον καὶ Χετταῖον καὶ Φερεζαῖον καὶ Χαναναῖον καὶ Γεργεσαῖον καὶ Ευαῖον καὶ Ιεβουσαῖον καὶ ἐκτρίψω αὐτούς
My angel will go ahead of you, and will take you to where the Amor and Heth and Periz and Canaan and Hiv and Jebus people-groups live, and I will completely get rid of them.
24 οὐ προσκυνήσεις τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς οὐ ποιήσεις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ἀλλὰ καθαιρέσει καθελεῖς καὶ συντρίβων συντρίψεις τὰς στήλας αὐτῶν
Do not bow down before their gods/idols or worship them. And do not do the things [that they think that their gods want] them to do. Completely destroy their gods/idols, and smash to pieces their sacred stones.
25 καὶ λατρεύσεις κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ σου καὶ εὐλογήσω τὸν ἄρτον σου καὶ τὸν οἶνόν σου καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ σου καὶ ἀποστρέψω μαλακίαν ἀφ’ ὑμῶν
You must worship me, Yahweh God. [If you do that], I will bless your (OR, bless [you by giving you]) food and water, and I will protect you from becoming sick.
26 οὐκ ἔσται ἄγονος οὐδὲ στεῖρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν σου ἀναπληρώσω
No women in your land will have (miscarriages/babies that will die after being born prematurely), and no women will be unable to become pregnant. And I will enable you to live a long time.
27 καὶ τὸν φόβον ἀποστελῶ ἡγούμενόν σου καὶ ἐκστήσω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη εἰς οὓς σὺ εἰσπορεύῃ εἰς αὐτούς καὶ δώσω πάντας τοὺς ὑπεναντίους σου φυγάδας
I will cause the people who oppose you to become very afraid of me. I will cause the people whom you fight against to become very confused. And then I will cause them to turn around and run away from you.
28 καὶ ἀποστελῶ τὰς σφηκίας προτέρας σου καὶ ἐκβαλεῖ τοὺς Αμορραίους καὶ τοὺς Ευαίους καὶ τοὺς Χαναναίους καὶ τοὺς Χετταίους ἀπὸ σοῦ
I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.
29 οὐκ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ ἑνί ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ γῆ ἔρημος καὶ πολλὰ γένηται ἐπὶ σὲ τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς
I will not expel [all of] them in less than one year. If I did that, your land would become deserted, and there would be very many wild animals ([that would attack you/you would not be able to control]).
30 κατὰ μικρὸν μικρὸν ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ ἕως ἂν αὐξηθῇς καὶ κληρονομήσῃς τὴν γῆν
I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.
31 καὶ θήσω τὰ ὅριά σου ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ἕως τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Φυλιστιιμ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου ἕως τοῦ μεγάλου ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου καὶ παραδώσω εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν τοὺς ἐγκαθημένους ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ
I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba) [in the southeast] to the Mediterranean Sea [in the northwest], and from the [Sinai] Desert [in the southwest] to the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast of the country]. I will enable you [MTY] to expel the people who live there, so that you will expel them as you occupy more of the country.
32 οὐ συγκαταθήσῃ αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν διαθήκην
You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.
33 καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαθήσονται ἐν τῇ γῇ σου ἵνα μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν σε ποιήσωσιν πρός με ἐὰν γὰρ δουλεύσῃς τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν οὗτοι ἔσονταί σοι πρόσκομμα
Do not allow [those people] to live in your land, in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, [you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me, just like someone caught] in a trap [is unable to escape] [MET].”
