Deuteronomy 16

1 Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night.2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.

4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.
5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.7 Roast it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents.

8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the Lord your God and do no work.
9 Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.11 And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites in your towns, and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows living among you.

12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees.
13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.14 Be joyful at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns.

15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.
16 Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:

17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.
18 Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.
21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,

22 and do not erect a sacred stone, for these the Lord your God hates.

DEUTERONOMY 16

Passover

(Exodus 12.1-20; Leviticus 23.4-8)

Moses said:

1  t People of Israel, you must celebrate Passover in the month of Abib, t because one night in that month years ago, the [Lord] your God rescued you from Egypt. 2 The Passover sacrifice must be a cow, a sheep, or a goat, and you must offer it at the place where the [Lord] chooses to be worshiped.

3-4 Eat all of the meat of the Passover sacrifice that same night. But don't serve bread made with yeast at the Passover meal. Serve the same kind of thin bread that you ate when you were slaves suffering in Egyptt and when you had to leave Egypt quickly. As long as you live, this thin bread will remind you of the day you left Egypt.
For seven days following Passover, t don't make any bread with yeast. In fact, there should be no yeast anywhere in Israel.
5 Don't offer the Passover sacrifice in just any town where you happen to live. 6 It must be offered at the place where the [Lord] chooses to be worshiped. Kill the sacrifice at sunset, the time of day when you left Egypt.t

7 Then cook it and eat it there at the place of worship, returning to your tents the next morning.

8 Eat thin bread for the next six days. Then on the seventh day, don't do any work. Instead, come together and worship the [Lord].

The Harvest Festival

(Exodus 34.22; Leviticus 23.15-21)

Moses said to Israel:

12 Remember that you used to be slaves in Egypt, so obey these laws.

The Festival of Shelters

(Leviticus 23.33-43; Numbers 29.12-38)

Moses said to Israel:

13-15  t After you have finished the grain harvest and the grape harvest, t take your sons and daughters and all your servants to the place where the [Lord] chooses to be worshiped. Celebrate the Festival of Shelters for seven days. Also invite the poor, including Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows.
The [Lord] will give you big harvests and make you successful in everything you do. You will be completely happy, so celebrate this festival in honor of the [Lord] your God.

Three Festivals //at the Place //of Worship

(Exodus 23.14-17)

Moses said:

17 The bigger the harvest the [Lord] gives you, the bigger your gift should be.

Treat Everyone //with Justice

Moses said to Israel:

18-19  t After you are settled in the towns that you will receive from the [Lord] your God, the people in each town must appoint judges and other officers. Those of you that become judges must be completely fair when you make legal decisions, even if someone important is involved. Don't take bribes to give unfair decisions. Bribes keep people who are wise from seeing the truth and turn honest people into liars.t

20 People of Israel, if you want to enjoy a long and successful life, make sure that everyone is treated with justice in the land the [Lord] is giving you.

Don't Set Up //Sacred Poles //or Stones

Moses said to Israel: