Exodus 23
23
1Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person.
2Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil: neither shalt thou yield in judgment, to the opinion of the most part, to stray from the truth.
3Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in judgment.
4If thou meet thy enemy's ox or ass going astray, bring it back to him.
5If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lie underneath his burden, thou shalt not pass by, but shalt lift him up with him.
6Thou shalt not go aside in the poor man's judgment.
7Thou shalt fly lying. The innocent and just person thou shalt not put to death: because I abhor the wicked.
8Neither shalt thou take bribes, which even blind the wise, and pervert the words of the just.
9Thou shalt not molest a stranger, for you know the hearts of strangers: for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10Six years thou shalt sow thy ground, and shalt gather the corn thereof.
11But the seventh year thou shalt let it alone, and suffer it to rest, that the poor of thy people may eat: and whatsoever shall be left, let the beasts of the field eat it. So shalt thou do with thy vineyard and thy oliveyard.
12Six days thou shalt work: the seventh day thou shalt cease; that thy ox and thy ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed.
13Keep all things that I have said to you. And by the name of strange gods you shall not swear, neither shall it be heard out of your mouth.
14Three times every year you shall celebrate feasts to me.
15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month of new corn, when thou didst come forth out of Egypt. Thou shalt not appear empty before me.
16And the feast of the harvest of the first-fruits of thy work, whatsoever thou hast sown in the field. The feast also in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in all thy corn out of the field.
17Thrice a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God.
18Thou shalt not sacrifice the blood of my victim upon leaven: neither shall the fat of my solemnity remain until the morning.
19Thou shalt carry the firstfruits of the corn of thy ground to the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam.
20Behold, I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey: and bring thee into the place that I have prepared.
21Take notice of him, and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned: for he will not forgive when thou hast sinned, and my name is in him.
22But if thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak: I will be an enemy to thy enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee.
23And my angel shall go before thee, and shall bring thee in unto the Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, whom I will destroy.
24Thou shalt not adore their gods, nor serve them. Thou shalt not do their works: but shalt destroy them, and break their statues.
25And you shall serve the Lord your God, that I may bless your bread and your waters: and may take away sickness from the midst of thee.
26There shall not be one fruitless nor barren in thy land. I will fill the number of thy days.
27I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come: and will turn the backs of all thy enemies before thee.
28Sending out hornets before, that shall drive away the Hevite, and the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, before thou come in.
29I will not cast them out from thy face in one year: lest the land be brought into a wilderness, and the beasts multiply against thee.
30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee: till thou be increased, and dost possess the land.
31And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Palestines: and from the desert to the river. I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands: and will drive them out from before you.
32Thou shalt not enter into league with them, nor with their gods.
33Let them not dwell in thy land, lest perhaps thy make thee sin against me, if thou serve their gods: which undoubtedly will be a scandal to thee.
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Exodus 23: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Exodus 23
23
Laws About Mercy and Fairness
1“Do not spread reports that are false. Do not help a guilty person by telling lies in court.
2“Do not follow the crowd when they do what is wrong. When you are a witness in court, do not turn what is right into what is wrong. Do not go along with the crowd. 3Do not show favor to a poor person in court.
4“Suppose you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away. Then be sure to return it. 5Suppose you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has fallen down under its load. Then do not leave it there. Be sure you help them with it.
6“Be fair to your poor people in their court cases. 7Do not have anything to do with a false charge. Do not put to death people not guilty of doing anything wrong. I will not let guilty people go free.
8“Do not take money from people who want special favors. It makes you blind to the truth. It twists the words of good people.
9“Do not treat outsiders badly. You yourselves know how it feels to be outsiders. Remember, you were outsiders in Egypt.
Sabbath Laws
10“For six years plant your fields and gather your crops. 11But during the seventh year do not plow your land or use it. Then the poor people among you can get food from it. The wild animals can eat what is left over. Do the same thing with your vineyards and your groves of olive trees.
12“Do all your work in six days. But do not do any work on the seventh day. Then your oxen and donkeys can rest. The slaves born in your house can be renewed. And so can the outsiders who live among you.
13“Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not speak the names of other gods. Do not even let them be heard on your lips.
Laws About Celebrating the Three Main Feasts
14“Three times a year you must celebrate a feast in my honor.
15“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days, eat bread made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Do it at the appointed time in the month of Aviv. You came out of Egypt in that month.
“You must not come to worship me with your hands empty.
16“Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your crops from your fields.
“Celebrate the Feast of Booths. Hold it in the fall when you gather in your crops from your fields.
17“Three times a year all your men must come to worship me. I am your Lord and King.
18“Do not include anything made with yeast when you offer me the blood of a sacrifice.
“Suppose the fat from sacrifices is left over from my feasts. Then do not keep it until morning.
19“Bring the best of the first share of your crops to my house. I am the Lord your God.
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
God’s Angel Will Prepare the Way
20“I am sending an angel ahead of you. He will guard you along the way. He will bring you to the place I have prepared. 21Pay attention to him. Listen to what he says. Do not refuse to obey him. He will not forgive you if you turn against him. He has my full authority. 22Listen carefully to what he says. Do everything I say. Then I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight against those who fight against you. 23My angel will go ahead of you. He will bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites. I will wipe them out. 24Do not do what they do. Do not bow down to their gods or worship them. You must destroy the statues of their gods. You must break their sacred stones to pieces. 25Worship the Lord your God. Then he will bless your food and water. I, the Lord, will take away any sickness you may have. 26In your land no woman will give birth to a dead baby. Every woman will be able to have children. I will give you a long life.
27“I will send my terror ahead of you. I will throw every nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run away. 28I will send hornets ahead of you. They will drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. 29But I will not drive them out in just one year. If I did, the land would be deserted. There would be too many wild animals for you. 30I will drive them out ahead of you little by little. I will do that until there are enough of you to take control of the land.
31“I will make your borders secure from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. They will go from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land. You will drive them out to make room for yourselves. 32Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33Do not let them live in your land. If you do, they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, that will certainly be a trap for you.”
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