^23:9When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure.¹⁵^23:10If there is someone among you who is impure because of some nocturnal emission,¹⁶ he must leave the camp; he may not reenter it immediately. ^23:11When evening arrives he must wash himself with water and then at sunset he may reenter the camp.

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Footnotes

15 Heb “evil.” The context makes clear that this is a matter of ritual impurity, not moral impurity, so it is “evil” in the sense that it disbars one from certain religious activity.
16 Heb “nocturnal happening.” The Hebrew term קָרֶה (qareh) merely means “to happen” so the phrase here is euphemistic (a “night happening”) for some kind of bodily emission such as excrement or semen. Such otherwise normal physical functions rendered one ritually unclean whether accidental or not. See Lev 15:16–18; 22:4.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

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

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

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure. If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“When you are encamped against your enemies, be careful to avoid anything offensive. If there is a man among you who is unclean because of a bodily emission during the night, he must go outside the camp; he may not come anywhere inside the camp. When evening approaches, he is to wash with water, and when the sun sets he may come inside the camp.

NLTNew Living Translation

“When you go to war against your enemies, be sure to stay away from anything that is impure.

“Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a nocturnal emission must leave the camp and stay away all day. Toward evening he must bathe himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“If you go out to encamp against your enemies, then you shall guard against doing anything evil.

“If there is among you a man that is not clean because of a seminal emission during the night, he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come within the camp. And then toward the coming of the evening, he shall bathe with water, and at the going down of the sun, he may come to the midst of the camp.

KJV 1900King James Version

When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing. If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.

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