Deuteronomy 23

Those Excluded from the Assembly

1 "He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall a not enter the assembly of the LORD.

2 "One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.

3 b "An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4 c "because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and d because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of 1 Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 "Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God e loves you. 6 f "You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.

7 "You shall not abhor an Edomite, g for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because h you were an alien in his land. 8 "The children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Uncleanness in the Camp

9 "When the army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.

10 i "If there is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night, then he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp. 11 "But it shall be, when evening comes, that j he shall wash with water; and when the sun sets, he may come into the camp.

12 "Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; 13 "and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. 14 "For the LORD your God k walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

15 l "You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 "He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it 2 seems best to him; m you shall not oppress him.

17 "There shall be no ritual 3 harlot n of the daughters of Israel, or a o perverted 4 5 one of the sons of Israel. 18 "You shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog to the house of the LORD your God for any vowed offering, for both of these are 6 an abomination to the LORD your God.

19 p "You shall not charge interest to your brother - interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest. 20 q "To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, r that the LORD your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess.

21 s "When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. 22 "But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. 23 t "That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.

24 "When you come into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. 25 "When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, u you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor's standing grain.

  1. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:20
    Or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch.
    Leviticus 22:24
    You shall not offer to the LORD what is bruised or crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land.
  2. Cross References
    Nehemiah 13:1
    On that day they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God.
    Nehemiah 13:2
    Because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
  3. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 2:27 - 30
    Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left.
  4. Cross References
    Numbers 22:5
    Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me!
    Numbers 22:6
    "Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."
    Numbers 23:7
    And he took up his oracle and said: "Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. 'Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!
    Joshua 24:9
    Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.
    2 Peter 2:15
    They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.
  5. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:37
    And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power.
  6. Cross References
    Ezra 9:12
    'Now therefore, do not give your daughters as wives for their sons, nor take their daughters to your sons; and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.'
  7. Cross References
    Genesis 25:24 - 26
    So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb.
    Deuteronomy 2:4
    And command the people, saying, "You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.
    Deuteronomy 2:8
    And when we passed beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau who dwell in Seir, away from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion Geber, we turned and passed by way of the Wilderness of Moab.
    Amos 1:11
    Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 22:21
    You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
    Exodus 23:9
    Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
    Leviticus 19:34
    The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
    Deuteronomy 10:19
    Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
  9. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:16
    If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening.
  10. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:5
    And whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:12
    I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
    Deuteronomy 7:21
    You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 30:15
    And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this troop?" So he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 22:21
    You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
    Proverbs 22:22
    Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate.
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:29
    Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.
    Deuteronomy 22:21
    Then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 19:5
    And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.
    2 Kings 23:7
    Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 22:25
    If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.
    Leviticus 25:35 - 37
    If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.
    Nehemiah 5:2 - 7
    For there were those who said, "We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.
    Psalms 15:5
    He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
  17. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:3
    Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:10
    You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.
  19. Cross References
    Numbers 30:1
    Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes con...
    Numbers 30:2
    If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an ...
    Job 22:27
    You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear ...
    Psalms 61:8
    So I will sing praise to Your name forever, Tha...
    Ecclesiastes 5:4
    When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay...
    Ecclesiastes 5:5
    Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
    Matthew 5:33
    "Again you have heard that it was said to those...
  20. Cross References
    Numbers 30:2
    If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
    Psalms 66:13
    I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows.
    Psalms 66:14
    Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
  21. Cross References
    Matthew 12:1
    At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
    Mark 2:23
    Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
    Luke 6:1
    Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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