³No Ammonite^k or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.^l ⁴For they did not come to meet you with bread and water^m on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaamⁿ son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim^c^o to pronounce a curse on you.^p ⁵However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse^q into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves^r you. ⁶Do not seek a treaty^s of friendship with them as long as you live.^t

⁷Do not despise an Edomite,^u for the Edomites are related to you.^v Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.^w ⁸The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.

Uncleanness in the Camp

⁹When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.^x ¹⁰If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.^y ¹¹But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset^z he may return to the camp.^a

¹²Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. ¹³As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. ¹⁴For the Lord your God moves^b about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy,^c so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

¹⁵If a slave has taken refuge^d with you, do not hand them over to their master.^e ¹⁶Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress^f them.

¹⁷No Israelite man^g or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.^h ¹⁸You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute^d into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.ⁱ

¹⁹Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.^j ²⁰You may charge a foreigner^k interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless^l you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

²¹If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it,^m for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.ⁿ ²²But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.^o ²³Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

²⁴If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. ²⁵If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.^p

Read in Logos

Footnotes

aIn Hebrew texts 23:1–25 is numbered 23:2–26.
bOr one of illegitimate birth
cThat is, Northwest Mesopotamia
dHebrew of a dog

Cross references

jSee Lev 21:20
kSee Ge 19:38
lver 4; Ne 13:2
m Dt 2:28
nSee Nu 23:7; See 2 Pe 2:15
oSee Ge 24:10
pSee ver 3
q Nu 24:10; Jos 24:10; Pr 26:2
rSee Dt 4:37
sSee Nu 24:17; Isa 15:1; 25:10; Jer 25:21; 27:3; 48:1; Eze 25:8; Zep 2:9
t Ezr 9:12; Mt 5:43
uSee Ge 25:30
vSee Ge 25:26
wSee Lev 19:34
x Lev 15:1–33
y Lev 15:16
zSee Lev 15:16
a 1 Sa 21:5
bSee Ge 3:8
c Ex 3:5
d 2 Sa 22:3; Ps 2:12; 71:1
e 1 Sa 30:15
f Ex 22:21; See 23:6
g 1 Ki 14:24; 15:12; 22:46; 2 Ki 23:7; Job 36:14
hSee Ge 38:21
iSee Ge 19:5; See Lev 20:13; Rev 22:15
jSee Lev 25:35–37; Ne 5:2–7
kSee Ge 31:15; See Dt 15:3
l Dt 15:10
mSee Nu 6:21; Jdg 11:35; Ps 15:4
n Nu 30:1–2; Job 22:27; Ps 61:8; 65:1; 76:11; Isa 19:21; See Mt 5:33; Ac 5:3
o Ac 5:4
p Mt 12:1; Mk 2:23; Lk 6:1