1He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 2A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. 3An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: 4Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. 5Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. 6Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.23.6 prosperity: Heb. good
7¶ Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land. 8The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
9¶ When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
10¶ If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: 11But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.23.11 cometh…: Heb. turneth toward
12¶ Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: 13And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:23.13 wilt…: Heb. sittest down 14For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.23.14 unclean…: Heb. nakedness of any thing
15¶ Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: 16He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.23.16 liketh…: Heb. is good for him
17¶ There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.23.17 whore: or, sodomitess 18Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
19¶ Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 20Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
21¶ When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. 22But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 23That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
24¶ When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. 25When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.
Who Can Join in Worship With the Lord’s People?
1No man whose sex organs have been crushed or cut can join in worship with the Lord’s people.
2No one born to an unmarried woman can join in worship with the Lord’s people. That also applies to the person’s children for all time to come.
3The people of Ammon and Moab can’t join in worship with the Lord’s people. That also applies to their children after them for all time to come. 4The Ammonites and Moabites didn’t come to meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt. They even hired Balaam from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to put a curse on you. Balaam was the son of Beor. 5The Lord your God wouldn’t listen to Balaam. Instead, he turned the curse into a blessing for you. He did it because he loves you. 6So don’t make a peace treaty with the Ammonites and Moabites as long as you live.
7Don’t hate the people of Edom. They are your relatives. Don’t hate the people of Egypt. After all, you lived as outsiders in their country. 8The great-grandchildren of the Edomites and Egyptians can join in worship with the Lord’s people.
Keep the Camp of the Soldiers Pure and “Clean”
9There will be times when you are at war with your enemies. And your soldiers will be in camp. Then keep away from anything that isn’t pure and “clean.” 10Suppose semen flows from the body of one of your soldiers during the night. Then that will make him “unclean.” He must go outside the camp and stay there. 11But as evening approaches, he must wash himself. When the sun goes down, he can return to the camp.
12Choose a place outside the camp where you can go to the toilet. 13Keep a shovel among your tools. When you go to the toilet, dig a hole. Then cover up your waste. 14The Lord your God walks around in your camp. He’s there to keep you safe. He’s also there to hand your enemies over to you. So your camp must be holy. Then he won’t see anything among you that is shameful. He won’t turn away from you.
Several Other Laws
15If a slave comes to you for safety, don’t hand them over to their master. 16Let them live among you anywhere they want to. Let them live in any town they choose. Don’t treat them badly.
17A man or woman in Israel must not become a temple prostitute. 18The Lord your God hates the money that men and women get for being prostitutes. So don’t take that money into the house of the Lord to pay what you promised to give.
19Don’t charge your own people any interest. Don’t charge them when they borrow money, food or anything else. 20You can charge interest to people from another country. But don’t charge your own people. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. He will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own.
21Don’t put off giving to the Lord your God everything you promise him. He will certainly require it from you. And you will be guilty of committing a sin. 22But if you don’t make a promise, you won’t be guilty. 23Make sure you do what you promised to do. With your own mouth you made the promise to the Lord your God. No one forced you to do it.
24When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you can eat all the grapes you want. But don’t put any of them in your basket. 25When you enter your neighbor’s field, you can pick heads of grain. But don’t cut down their standing grain.
