Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

v1

“No man with crushed testicles ^[Literally “bruised of crushing”] or whose male organ is cut off ^[Literally “cut off of male organ”] may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

v2

An illegitimate child may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants ^[Literally “to him”] may come into the assembly of Yahweh.

v3

An Ammonite or a Moabite may not come into the assembly of Yahweh; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants ^[Literally “to him”] may come into the assembly of Yahweh forever, ^[Literally “until eternity”]

v4

because ^[Literally “because of the event when”] they did not come to meet you with food and with water when you came out of Egypt, ^[Literally “at your going out of Egypt”] and also because ^[Literally “because of the event when”] they ^[Hebrew “he,” but with plural meaning] hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim ^[Or “Mesopotamia” = “between the rivers”] to act against you to curse you.

v5

But Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you.

v6

You shall not promote their welfare or their prosperity all your days forever. ^[Literally “until eternity”]

v7

“You shall not abhor an Edomite, because he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian because you were an alien in his land.

v8

The children ^[Or “sons”] that are born to them in the third generation may come representing them ^[Literally “for them” or possibly “become members of”] in the assembly of Yahweh.

v9

“If ^[Or “when”] you go out to encamp against your enemies, then you shall guard against doing anything evil.

v10

“If there is among you a man that is not clean because of a seminal emission during the night, ^[Literally “of the night”] he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come within the camp.

v11

And then ^[Literally “And it will happen/come about that”] toward the coming ^[Literally “turning”] of the evening, he shall bathe with ^[Hebrew “in” but this is instrumental use of this preposition] water, and at the going down ^[The verb can mean “coming/going” and here it means “going”] of the sun, he may come to the midst of the camp.

v12

“And there shall be for you a designated place outside the camp; and you shall go there to relieve yourself, ^[Literally “and you shall go out there, outside to relieve yourself”]

v13

and a digging tool ^[Or “spade”] shall be included in addition to your other utensils ^[Hebrew “utensil”] for yourself; and then ^[Literally “and it will happen”] when you relieve yourself ^[Literally “at your sitting”] outside the camp you shall dig with it, and then you shall turn, and you shall cover your excrement.

v14

For Yahweh your God is walking about in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to hand your enemies over to you before you, ^[Literally “to give your enemies to the face of you”] and so let your camp be holy, so that he shall not see in it anything indecent, ^[Literally “nakedness of a thing”] and he shall turn away from going with you. ^[Literally “from behind/after you”]

v15

“And you shall not hand over a slave to his master who has escaped and fled to you from his master.

v16

He shall reside with you in your midst in the place that he chooses in one of your towns wherever he pleases; ^[Literally “in your gates good for him”] you shall not oppress him.

v17

“No woman of Israel ^[Literally “from the daughters of Israel”] shall be a temple prostitute, and no man of Israel ^[Literally “from the sons of Israel”] shall be a male shrine prostitute.

v18

You may not bring the hire ^[Literally “gift”] of a prostitute or the earnings of a male prostitute ^[Literally “the earnings of a dog”] into the house of Yahweh your God, for any vow offerings, because both ^[Literally “both, the two of them”] are a detestable thing to Yahweh your God.

v19

You shall not charge your brother interest on money, ^[Literally “You shall not lend on interest to your brother, interest of money”] interest on ^[Hebrew “of”] food, or interest on ^[Hebrew “of”] anything that one could lend ^[Or “can lend”] on interest.

v20

You may lend on interest to the foreigner, but to your countryman ^[Or “brother”] you may not lend on interest, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all your undertakings ^[Literally “in all the sending_s_ out of your hand”] in the land where you are going, ^[Literally “the land that you are going there”] in order to take possession of it. ^[Literally “to take possession”]

v21

When you make a vow ^[Literally “When/if you vow a vow”] to Yahweh your God, you shall not postpone fulfillment of it, ^[Literally “to fulfill it”] for certainly Yahweh your God shall require it from you and if postponed you will incur guilt. ^[Literally “it shall become against you as sin”]

v22

And if you refrain from vowing, ^[Literally “if you refrain to make a vow”] you shall not incur guilt. ^[Literally “it shall not become against you as sin”]

v23

The utterance of your lips you must perform diligently ^[Literally “you must observe and you shall do”] just as you have vowed freely to Yahweh your God whatever it was that you promised ^[Or “spoke”] with your mouth.

v24

“When ^[Or “If”] you come into the vineyard of your neighbor, then you may eat grapes as you please ^[Literally “according to your desire”] and until you are full, ^[Literally “to your satiation”] but you shall not put any into your container.

v25

“When ^[Or “If”] you come into the standing grain of your neighbor, then you may pluck ears with your hand, but you may not swing ^[Literally “wave”] a sickle among the standing grain of your neighbor.”