Exodus 23

Laws About Social Justice

1 "You a shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an b unrighteous witness. 2 c "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; d nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 3 "You shall not show partiality to a e poor man in his dispute.

4 f "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5 g "If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

6 h "You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 i "Keep yourself far from a false matter; j do not kill the innocent and righteous. For k I will not justify the wicked. 8 "And l you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

9 "Also m you shall not oppress a 1 stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 n "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 "but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your 2 olive grove.

12 o "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

13 "And in all that I have said to you, p be circumspect and q make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

14 r "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 s "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; t none shall appear before Me empty); 16 u "and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and v the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 w "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord 3 GOD.

18 x "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened y bread; nor shall the fat of My 4 sacrifice remain until morning.

19 z "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. a You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 b "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 "Beware of Him and obey His voice; c do not provoke Him, for He will d not pardon your transgressions; for e My name is in Him.

22 "But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then f I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 g "For My Angel will go before you and h bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will 5 cut them off. 24 "You shall not i bow down to their gods, nor serve them, j nor do according to their works; k but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. 25 "So you shall l serve the LORD your God, and m He will bless your bread and your water. And n I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 o "No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will p fulfill the number of your days. 27 "I will send q My fear before you, I will r cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 "And s I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 t "I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 "Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31 "And u I will set your 6 bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the 7 River. For I will v deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 w "You shall make no 8 covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 "They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, x it will surely be a snare to you."

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 20:16
    You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    Leviticus 19:11
    You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.
    Deuteronomy 5:20
    You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    Psalms 101:5
    Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.
    Proverbs 10:18
    Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
  2. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 19:16 - 21
    If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing.
    Psalms 35:11
    Fierce witnesses rise up; They ask me things that I do not know.
    Proverbs 19:5
    A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who speaks lies will not escape.
    Acts 6:11
    Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.
  3. Cross References
    Genesis 7:1
    Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
  4. Cross References
    Leviticus 19:15
    You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
  5. Cross References
    Exodus 23:6
    You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.
    Leviticus 19:15
    You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
    Deuteronomy 1:17
    'You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid in any man's presence, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, bring to me, and I will hear it.'
    Deuteronomy 16:19
    You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
  6. Cross References
    Romans 12:20
    Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 22:4
    You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again.
  8. Cross References
    Ecclesiastes 5:8
    If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 20:16
    You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
    Psalms 119:29
    Remove from me the way of lying, And grant me Your law graciously.
    Ephesians 4:25
    Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
  10. Cross References
    Matthew 27:4
    Saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." And they said, "What is that to us? You see to it!
  11. Cross References
    Exodus 34:7
    "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."
    Deuteronomy 25:1
    If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
    Romans 1:18
    For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 10:17
    For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord o...
    Deuteronomy 16:19
    You shall not pervert justice; you shall not sh...
    Proverbs 15:27
    He who is greedy for gain troubles his own hous...
    Proverbs 17:8
    A present is a precious stone in the eyes of it...
    Proverbs 17:23
    A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To...
    Isaiah 5:22
    Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men ...
    Isaiah 5:23
    Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take aw...
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 22:21
    You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
    Leviticus 19:33
    And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.
    Deuteronomy 24:17
    You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge.
    Deuteronomy 27:19
    'Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.' "And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 25:1 - 7
    And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying.
  15. Cross References
    Luke 13:14
    But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.
  16. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:9
    Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren.
    Deuteronomy 4:23
    Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you.
    1 Timothy 4:16
    Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
  17. Cross References
    Joshua 23:7
    And lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them.
    Psalms 16:4
    Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.
    Hosea 2:17
    For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 23:17
    Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
    Exodus 34:22 - 24
    And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.
    Deuteronomy 16:16
    Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 12:14 - 20
    So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
    Leviticus 23:6 - 8
    And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread.
    Numbers 28:16 - 25
    On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Passover of the LORD.
  20. Cross References
    Exodus 22:29
    You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
    Exodus 34:20
    But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
  21. Cross References
    Exodus 34:22
    And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end.
    Leviticus 23:10
    Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
    Numbers 28:26
    Also on the day of the firstfruits, when you bring a new grain offering to the LORD at your Feast of Weeks, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work.
  22. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 16:13
    You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 23:14
    Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year:
    Exodus 34:23
    Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel.
    Deuteronomy 16:16
    Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.
  24. Cross References
    Exodus 34:25
    You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.
    Leviticus 2:11
    No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 12:10
    You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
    Leviticus 7:15
    The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.
    Deuteronomy 16:4
    And no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory for seven days, nor shall any of the meat which you sacrifice the first day at twilight remain overnight until morning.
  26. Cross References
    Exodus 22:29
    You shall not delay to offer the first of your ...
    Exodus 34:26
    "The first of the firstfruits of your land you ...
    Deuteronomy 26:2
    That you shall take some of the first of all th...
    Deuteronomy 26:10
    And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits...
    Nehemiah 10:35
    And we made ordinances to bring the firstfruits...
    Proverbs 3:9
    Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with ...
  27. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 14:21
    You shall not eat anything that dies of itself; you may give it to the alien who is within your gates, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
  28. Cross References
    Exodus 3:2
    And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
    Exodus 13:15
    'And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'
    Exodus 14:19
    And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
    Joshua 5:14
    So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?
  29. Cross References
    Numbers 14:11
    Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?
    Deuteronomy 9:7
    Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
    Psalms 78:40
    How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!
    Psalms 78:56
    Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies.
  30. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 18:19
    And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
    1 John 5:16
    If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.
  31. Cross References
    Isaiah 9:6
    For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    Jeremiah 23:6
    In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  32. Cross References
    Genesis 12:3
    I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
    Numbers 24:9
    'He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?' "Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you."
    Deuteronomy 30:7
    Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.
    Jeremiah 30:20
    Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish all who oppress them.
  33. Cross References
    Exodus 23:20
    Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
  34. Cross References
    Joshua 24:8
    And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who dwelt on the other side of the Jordan, and they fought with you. But I gave them into your hand, that you might possess their land, and I destroyed them from before you.
    Joshua 24:11
    Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you - also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand.
  35. Cross References
    Exodus 20:5
    You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.
    Exodus 23:13
    And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
    Exodus 23:33
    "They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
  36. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 12:30
    "take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'
    Deuteronomy 12:31
    You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
  37. Cross References
    Exodus 34:13
    But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images
    Numbers 33:52
    Then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places.
    Deuteronomy 7:5
    But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.
    Deuteronomy 12:3
    And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place.
    2 Kings 18:4
    He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.
  38. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 6:13
    You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
    Matthew 4:10
    Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'
  39. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 28:5
    Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
  40. Cross References
    Exodus 15:26
    And said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.
    Deuteronomy 7:15
    And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.
  41. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:14
    You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock.
    Deuteronomy 28:4
    Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
    Malachi 3:11
    And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts.
  42. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 23:1
    So when David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
  43. Cross References
    Genesis 35:5
    And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
    Exodus 15:16
    Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of Your arm They will be as still as a stone, Till Your people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over Whom You have purchased.
    Deuteronomy 2:25
    'This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.'
    Joshua 2:9
    And said to the men: "I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.
  44. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:23
    But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed.
  45. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:20
    Moreover the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed.
    Joshua 24:12
    I sent the hornet before you which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow.
  46. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:22
    And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
  47. Cross References
    Genesis 15:18
    On the same day the LORD made a covenant with A...
    Deuteronomy 1:7
    Turn and take your journey, and go to the mount...
    Deuteronomy 1:8
    'See, I have set the land before you; go in and...
    Deuteronomy 11:24
    Every place on which the sole of your foot trea...
    1 Kings 4:21
    So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the R...
    1 Kings 4:24
    For he had dominion over all the region on this...
  48. Cross References
    Joshua 21:44
    The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
  49. Cross References
    Exodus 34:12
    Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.
    Exodus 34:15
    Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice.
    Deuteronomy 7:2
    And when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them.
  50. Cross References
    Exodus 34:12
    Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant...
    Deuteronomy 12:30
    "take heed to yourself that you are not ensnare...
    Joshua 23:13
    Know for certain that the LORD your God will no...
    Judges 2:3
    "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them ...
    1 Samuel 18:21
    So Saul said, "I will give her to him, that she...
    Psalms 106:36
    They served their idols, Which became a snare t...
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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