Deuteronomy 23

Those Excluded from the Assembly

1 "No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.

2 j "No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.

3 k "No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever, 4 l because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they m hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of n Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned o the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6 You p shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.

7 "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for q he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because r you were a sojourner in his land. 8 Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the Lord.

Uncleanness in the Camp

9 "When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.

10 "If any man among you becomes s unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, 11 but when evening comes, he shall t bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp.

12 "You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. 13 And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. 14 Because u the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

15 v "You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.

17 "None of the w daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none x of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog 1 into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.

19 y "You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, z interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20 a You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, b that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

21 c "If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.

24 "If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, d you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain.

  1. Cross References
    Zechariah 9:6
    A mixed people shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of Philistia.
  2. Cross References
    Nehemiah 13:1 - 2
    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 enter the assembly of God.
  3. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 2:29
    As the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.
  4. Cross References
    Numbers 22:5 - 6
    Sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me.
    2 Peter 2:15
    Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.
  5. Cross References
    Acts 7:2
    And Stephen said: "Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.
  6. Cross References
    Numbers 23:11
    And Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.
    Numbers 24:10
    And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.
  7. Cross References
    Ezra 9:12
    Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 25:24 - 26
    When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb.
    Numbers 20:14
    Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met:
    Obadiah 1:10
    Because of the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off forever.
    Obadiah 1:12
    But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 10:19
    Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
    Exodus 22:21
    You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
    Exodus 23:9
    You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
    Leviticus 19:34
    You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
  10. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:16
    If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening.
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 15:5
    And anyone who touches his bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening.
  12. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:12
    And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
  13. Cross References
    1 Samuel 30:15
    And David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:29
    Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity.
  15. Cross References
    1 Kings 14:24
    And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.
    1 Kings 15:12
    He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
    1 Kings 22:46
    And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.
    2 Kings 23:7
    And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 22:25
    If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.
  17. Cross References
    Nehemiah 5:10
    Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:3
    Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.
  19. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:10
    You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
  20. Cross References
    Psalms 66:13 - 14
    I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you.
    Psalms 76:11
    Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared.
    Numbers 30:2
    If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
  21. Cross References
    Matthew 12:1
    At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
    Mark 2:23
    One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.
    Luke 6:1
    On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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