^23:17There must never be a sacred prostitute²⁵ among the young women²⁶ of Israel nor a sacred male prostitute²⁷ among the young men²⁸ of Israel. ^23:18You must never bring the pay of a female prostitute²⁹ or the wage of a male prostitute³⁰ into the temple of the Lord your God in fulfillment of any vow, for both of these are abhorrent to the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

25 The Hebrew term translated “sacred prostitute” here (קְדֵשָׁה [qédeshah], from קַדֵשׁ [qadesh, “holy”]; cf. “shrine prostitute”; “cult prostitute”; , , “temple prostitute”) refers to the pagan fertility cults that employed female and male prostitutes in various rituals designed to evoke agricultural and even human fecundity (cf. Gen 38:21–22; 1 Kgs 14:24; 15:12; 22:47; 2 Kgs 23:7; Hos 4:14). The Hebrew term for a regular, noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute is זוֹנָה (zonah).
26 Heb “daughters.”
27 The male cultic prostitute was called קָדֵשׁ (qadesh; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” earlier in this verse). The colloquial Hebrew term for a “secular” male prostitute (i.e., a sodomite) is the disparaging epithet כֶּלֶב (kelev, “dog”) which occurs in the following verse (cf. , , , ).
28 Heb “sons.”
29 Here the Hebrew term זוֹנָה (zonah) refers to a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) female prostitute; see note on the phrase “sacred prostitute” in v. .
30 Heb “of a dog.” This is the common Hebrew term for a noncultic (i.e., “secular”) male prostitute. See note on the phrase “sacred male prostitute” in v. .

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog 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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“No Israelite woman is to be a cult prostitute, and no Israelite man is to be a cult prostitute. Do not bring a female prostitute’s wages or a male prostitute’s earnings into the house of the Lord your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the Lord your God.

NLTNew Living Translation

“No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute. When you are bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring to the house of the Lord your God any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, whether a man or a woman, for both are detestable to the Lord your God.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“No woman of Israel shall be a temple prostitute, and no man of Israel shall be a male shrine prostitute. You may not bring the hire of a prostitute or the earnings of a male prostitute into the house of Yahweh your God, for any vow offerings, because both are a detestable thing to Yahweh your God.

KJV 1900King James Version

There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.

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