Exodus 23
1 Non suscipies vocem mendacii, nec junges manum tuam ut pro impio dicas falsum testimonium.
“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 Non sequeris turbam ad faciendum malum: nec in judicio, plurimorum acquiesces sententiæ, ut a vero devies.
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 Pauperis quoque non misereberis in judicio.
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 Si occurreris bovi inimici tui, aut asino erranti, reduc ad eum.
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 Si videris asinum odientis te jacere sub onere, non pertransibis, sed sublevabis cum eo.
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 Non declinabis in judicium pauperis.
Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].
7 Mendacium fugies. Insontem et justum non occides: quia aversor impium.
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 Nec accipies munera, quæ etiam excæcant prudentes, et subvertunt verba justorum.
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 Peregrino molestus non eris. Scitis enim advenarum animas: quia et ipsi peregrini fuistis in terra Ægypti.
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 Sex annis seminabis terram tuam, et congregabis fruges ejus:
Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.
11 anno autem septimo dimittes eam, et requiescere facies, ut comedant pauperes populi tui: et quidquid reliquum fuerit, edant bestiæ agri: ita facies in vinea et in oliveto tuo.
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 Sex diebus operaberis: septimo die cessabis, ut requiescat bos et asinus tuus, et refrigeretur filius ancillæ tuæ, et advena.
[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 Omnia quæ dixi vobis, custodite. Et per nomen externorum deorum non jurabitis, neque audietur ex ore vestro.
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 Tribus vicibus per singulos annos mihi festa celebrabitis.
“Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.
15 Solemnitatem azymorum custodies. Septem diebus comedes azyma, sicut præcepi tibi, tempore mensis novorum, quando egressus es de Ægypto: non apparebis in conspectu meo vacuus.
[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 Et solemnitatem messis primitivorum operis tui, quæcumque seminaveris in agro: solemnitatem quoque in exitu anni, quando congregaveris omnes fruges tuas de agro.
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 Ter in anno apparebit omne masculinum tuum coram Domino Deo tuo.
Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.
18 Non immolabis super fermento sanguinem victimæ meæ, nec remanebit adeps solemnitatis meæ usque mane.
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 Primitias frugum terræ tuæ deferes in domum Domini Dei tui. Non coques hædum in lacte matris suæ.
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 Ecce ego mittam angelum meum, qui præcedat te, et custodiat in via, et introducat in locum quem paravi.
“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 Observa eum, et audi vocem ejus, nec contemnendum putes: quia non dimittet cum peccaveris, et est nomen meum in illo.
22 Quod si audieris vocem ejus, et feceris omnia quæ loquor, inimicus ero inimicis tuis, et affligam affligentes te.
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 Præcedetque te angelus meus, et introducet te ad Amorrhæum, et Hethæum, et Pherezæum, Chananæumque, et Hevæum, et Jebusæum, quos ego conteram.
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 Non adorabis deos eorum, nec coles eos: non facies opera eorum, sed destrues eos, et confringes statuas eorum.
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 Servietisque Domino Deo vestro, ut benedicam panibus tuis et aquis, et auferam infirmitatem de medio tui.
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 Non erit infœcunda, nec sterilis in terra tua: numerum dierum tuorum implebo.
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 Terrorem meum mittam in præcursum tuum, et occidam omnem populum, ad quem ingredieris: cunctorumque inimicorum tuorum coram te terga vertam:
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 emittens crabrones prius, qui fugabunt Hevæum, et Chananæum, et Hethæum, antequam introëas.
I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.
29 Non ejiciam eos a facie tua anno uno: ne terra in solitudinem redigatur, et crescant contra te bestiæ.
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 Paulatim expellam eos de conspectu tuo, donec augearis, et possideas terram.
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 Ponam autem terminos tuos a mari Rubro usque ad mare Palæstinorum, et a deserto usque ad fluvium: tradam in manibus vestris habitatores terræ, et ejiciam eos de conspectu vestro.
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 Non inibis cum eis fœdus, nec cum diis eorum.
You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.
33 Non habitent in terra tua, ne forte peccare te faciant in me, si servieris diis eorum: quod tibi certe erit in scandalum.
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].”
