The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

⭑ Unlocked Literal Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 23 -

You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a dishonest witness.

You must not follow a crowd to do evil, nor may you bear witness while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice.

You must not favor a poor man in his lawsuit.

If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him.

If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.

You must not pervert justice when it should go to your poor people in a poor man’s lawsuit.

Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.

Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people’s words.

You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

(Leviticus 25:1–7; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce.

But in the seventh year you will leave it unplowed and fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards.

During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave’s son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed.

Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.

The Three Feasts of Pilgrimage

(Leviticus 23:1–3)

You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year.

You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Abib, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed.

You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields.

All your males must appear before me, Yahweh, three times every year.

You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning.

You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

God’s Angel to Lead

(Deuteronomy 7:12–26)

I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him.

If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them.

You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces.

You must worship me, Yahweh your God. If you do, I will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you.

No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives.

I will send fear of myself on those into whose land you advance. I will kill all the people whom you meet. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in fright.

I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hethites from before you.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become abandoned, and the wild animals would become too many for you.

Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land.

I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give you victory over the land’s inhabitants. You will drive them out before yourselves.

You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.’”

“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.

You shall not favor a poor man in his cause.

“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.

If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it.

“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.

“You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

(Leviticus 25:1–7; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

“For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase,

but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.

“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.

“Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.

The Three Feasts of Pilgrimage

(Leviticus 23:1–3)

“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.

You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty.

And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field.

Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.

You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

God’s Angel to Lead

(Deuteronomy 7:12–26)

“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.

But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.

For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.

You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.

You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.

No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.

I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.

I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.

I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.

You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”