The Passover Feast
1Celebrate the Passover Feast of the Lord your God in the month of Aviv. In that month he brought you out of Egypt at night. 2Sacrifice an animal from your flock or herd. It is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord your God. Sacrifice it at the special place the Lord will choose. He will put his Name there. 3Don’t eat the animal along with bread made with yeast. Instead, for seven days eat bread made without yeast. It’s the bread that reminds you of how much you suffered. Remember that you left Egypt in a hurry. Remember it all the days of your life. Don’t forget the day you left Egypt. 4Don’t keep any yeast anywhere in your land for seven days. You will sacrifice the Passover animal on the evening of the first day. Do not let any of its meat be left over until the next morning.
5You must not sacrifice the Passover animal in just any town the Lord your God is giving you. 6Sacrifice it only in the special place he will choose for his Name. Sacrifice it there in the evening when the sun goes down. Do it on the same day every year. Be sure it’s the day you left Egypt. 7Cook the animal and eat it. Do it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8For six days eat bread made without yeast. On the seventh day come together for a service to honor the Lord your God. Don’t do any work on that day.
The Feast of Weeks
9Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to cut your grain in the field. 10Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to honor the Lord your God. Give to the Lord anything you choose to give as an offering. Give, just as the Lord has given to you. 11Be filled with joy in the sight of the Lord your God. Be joyful at the special place he will choose for his Name. You, your children, and your male and female servants should be joyful. So should the Levites living in your towns. So should the outsiders and widows living among you. And so should the children whose fathers have died. 12Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Be careful to obey the rules I’m giving you.
The Feast of Booths
13Gather the grain from your threshing floors. Take the fresh wine from your winepresses. Then celebrate the Feast of Booths for seven days. 14Be filled with joy at your feast. You, your children, and your male and female servants should be joyful. So should the Levites, the outsiders, and the widows living in your towns. And so should the children whose fathers have died. 15For seven days celebrate the feast to honor the Lord your God. Do it at the place he will choose. The Lord will bless you when you gather all your crops. He’ll bless you in everything you do. And you will be full of joy. 16All your men must appear in front of the Lord your God at the holy tent. They must go to the place he will choose. They must do it three times a year. They must go there to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths. None of your men should appear in front of the Lord without bringing something with him. 17Each of you must bring a gift. Give to the Lord your God, just as he has given to you.
Appoint Judges and Officials
18Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes. Do it in every town the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly. 19Do what is right. Treat everyone the same. Don’t take money from people who want special favors. It makes those who are wise close their eyes to the truth. It twists the words of those who have done nothing wrong. 20Do only what is right. Then you will live. You will take over the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Don’t Worship Other Gods
21Don’t set up a wooden pole used to worship the female god named Asherah. Don’t set it up beside the altar you build to worship the Lord your God. 22Don’t set up a sacred stone to honor another god. The Lord your God hates Asherah poles and sacred stones.
Repetition af de tre årlige højtider
1Husk altid at fejre påskefesten i aviv måned16,1 Aviv var den første måned i året, svarende til marts-april. til minde om den nat, da Herren jeres Gud førte jer ud af Egypten. 2Offerdyret skal tages fra småkvæget16,2 Det vil sige får eller geder. Efterhånden blev det almindeligt at bruge et lam. eller hornkvæget. Efter at I har bragt dyret til helligdommen og slagtet det, 3skal I spise det sammen med det usyrnede brød, og I skal fortsætte med at spise usyrnet brød i syv dage til minde om det brød, I spiste, da I forlod Egypten i en sådan hast, at der ikke var tid til at lade brødet hæve. Fremover skal I altid huske at fejre den dag, I forlod Egypten. 4I syv dage må der ikke findes surdej i jeres hjem, og I må ikke levne noget af påskeofferet til næste morgen.
5I må ikke spise påskeofferet hjemme. 6Det må kun spises på det sted, som Herren vil udvælge til sin helligdom, og det skal slagtes ved solnedgang på årsdagen for befrielsen fra slaveriet i Egypten. 7Når I har stegt dyret og spist det, kan I næste morgen tage tilbage til jeres telte, 8og de følgende seks dage må I ikke spise brød med surdej i. På den syvende dag skal I lade arbejdet hvile, og I skal alle samles for Herrens ansigt til højtidsfest.
9Tæl syv uger frem fra den første kornhøst. 10Da skal der være høstfest. (Som også kaldes ugefesten.) På den dag skal I bringe Herren frivillige ofre i forhold til den høst, han har velsignet jer med. 11I skal glæde jer for Herrens ansigt sammen med jeres familie og husstand, og ikke glemme at invitere levitterne, de fremmede, enkerne og de forældreløse iblandt jer til at følge med jer til festen i helligdommen. 12Husk på, at I selv var slaver i Egypten. Det vil hjælpe jer til at værdsætte baggrunden for denne regel.
13-15Den tredje højtid, løvhyttefesten, skal I fejre efter endt høst, når kornet er tærsket, og vindruerne er presset. I syv dage skal I glæde jer sammen med jeres familie og husstand, og glem ikke at invitere levitterne, de fremmede, enkerne og de forældreløse iblandt jer til at følge med jer til festen i helligdommen på det sted, Herren vil udvælge. Dér skal I glæde jer og takke Herren for hans velsignelse over høsten og det arbejde, I har udført.
16Ved de tre højtider skal alle mænd i Israel drage op til helligdommen og medbringe deres offergaver 17i forhold til den velsignelse, Herren har givet dem.
Om retfærdige domme
18-19I de byer, som Herren, jeres Gud, giver de enkelte stammer, skal I udpege dommere og administrative ledere, der kan dømme folket retfærdigt. De skal være upartiske og må ikke tage imod bestikkelse, for bestikkelse påvirker ledernes dømmekraft og får dem til at bøje retten. 20Lad retfærdigheden råde iblandt jer, så I kan indtage det land, Herren giver jer, og også blive boende i landet.
Undgå al afgudsdyrkelse og urene ofre
21Når I bygger et alter for Herren, jeres Gud, må I ikke rejse Asherapæle ved siden af, 22eller stenstøtter, for den slags er udtryk for afgudsdyrkelse, og det er noget, Herren hader.
