The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

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- Chapter 23 -

No man injured by crushing or cutting off may enter the assembly of Yahweh.

No illegitimate child may belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

An Ammonite or a Moabite may not belong to the assembly of Yahweh; as far as to the tenth generation of his descendants, none of them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

This is because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the road when you had come out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you.

But Yahweh your God would not listen to Balaam; instead, Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you.

You must never seek their peace or prosperity, during all your days.

You must not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you must not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a foreigner in his land.

The descendants of the third generation that are born to them may belong to the assembly of Yahweh.

Uncleanness in the Camp

(Leviticus 15:1–12)

When you march out as an army against your enemies, then you must keep yourselves from every evil thing.

If there is among you any man who is unclean because of what happened to him at night, then he must go out of the army’s camp; he must not come back into the camp.

When evening comes, he must bathe himself in water; when the sun goes down, he will come back inside the camp.

You must have a place also outside the camp to which you will go;

and you will have something among your tools to dig with; when you squat down to relieve yourself, you must dig with it and then put back the earth and cover up what has come out from you.

For Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp to give you victory and to hand over your enemies to you. Therefore, your camp must be holy, so that he may not see any unclean thing among you and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

You must not give back to his master a slave who has escaped from his master.

Let him live with you, in whatever town he chooses. Do not oppress him.

There must be no cultic prostitute among any of the daughters of Israel, neither must there be a cultic prostitute among the sons of Israel.

You must not bring the wages of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow; for both these are abominations to Yahweh your God.

You must not lend on interest to your fellow Israelite-interest of money, interest of food, or the interest of anything that is lent on interest.

To a foreigner you may lend on interest; but to your fellow Israelite you must not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land which you are going in to possess.

When you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you must not be slow in fulfilling it, for Yahweh your God will surely require it of you; it would be sin for you not to fulfill it.

But if you will refrain from making a vow, it will be no sin for you.

That which has gone out from your lips you must observe and do; according as you have vowed to Yahweh your God, anything that you have freely promised with your mouth.

When you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you desire, but do not put any in your basket.

When you go into your neighbor’s ripe grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s ripe grain.

He who is emasculated by crushing or cutting shall not enter into the LORD’s assembly.

A person born of a forbidden union shall not enter into the LORD’s assembly; even to the tenth generation shall no one of his enter into the LORD’s assembly.

An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the LORD’s assembly; even to the tenth generation shall no one belonging to them enter into the LORD’s assembly forever,

because they didn’t meet you with bread and with water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

Nevertheless the LORD your God wouldn’t listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing to you, because the LORD your God loved you.

You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.

You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land.

The children of the third generation who are born to them may enter into the LORD’s assembly.

Uncleanness in the Camp

(Leviticus 15:1–12)

When you go out and camp against your enemies, then you shall keep yourselves from every evil thing.

If there is among you any man who is not clean by reason of that which happens to him by night, then shall he go outside of the camp. He shall not come within the camp;

but it shall be, when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water. When the sun is down, he shall come within the camp.

You shall have a place also outside of the camp where you go relieve yourself.

You shall have a trowel among your weapons. It shall be, when you relieve yourself, you shall dig with it, and shall turn back and cover your excrement;

for the LORD your God walks in the middle of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you. Therefore your camp shall be holy, that he may not see an unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

You shall not deliver to his master a servant who has escaped from his master to you.

He shall dwell with you, among you, in the place which he shall choose within one of your gates, where it pleases him best. You shall not oppress him.

There shall be no prostitute of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel.

You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a male prostitute,(a) into the house of the LORD your God for any vow; for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.

You shall not lend on interest to your brother: interest of money, interest of food, interest of anything that is lent on interest.

You may charge a foreigner interest; but you shall not charge your brother interest, that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to possess it.

When you vow a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not be slack to pay it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.

But if you refrain from making a vow, it shall be no sin in you.

You shall observe and do that which has gone out of your lips. Whatever you have vowed to the LORD your God as a free will offering, which you have promised with your mouth, you must do.

When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat your fill of grapes at your own pleasure; but you shall not put any in your container.

When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.

Footnotes

(a)23:18 literally, dog