Exodus 23

1 "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 "If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

6 "You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

9 "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 "For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,11 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 beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

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

13 "Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

14 "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me.15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed.16 You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.

18 "You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.

19 "The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
"You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 "Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 "But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 "When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and het will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.31 And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.32 You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.33 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."

Exodus 23

Justice

1 s “You must not givet a false report.t Do not make common causet with the wickedt to be a malicioust witness.
2 “You must not follow a crowdt in doing evil things;t in a lawsuit you must not offer testimony that agrees with a crowd so as to pervert justice,t

3 and you must not show partialityt to a poor man in his lawsuit.
4 “If you encountert your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means returnt it to him.

5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him,t but be sure to helpt him with it.s
6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.

7 Keep your distancet from a false charget – do not kill the innocent and the righteous,t for I will not justify the wicked.s

8 “You must not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who seet and subverts the words of the righteous.

9 “You must not oppresst a foreigner, since you know the lifet of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Sabbaths and Feasts

10 s “For six yearst you are to sow your land and gather in its produce.11 But in the seventh yeart you must let it lie fallow and leave it alone so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave any animal in the fieldt may eat; you must do likewise with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and any hired helpt may refresh themselves.t

13 “Pay attention to dot everything I have told you, and do not even mentiont the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips.ts
14 “Three timest in the year you must make a pilgrim feastt to me.

15 You are to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven dayst you must eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for at that timet you came out of Egypt. No one may appear beforet me empty-handed.
16 “You are also to observet the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors that you have sown in the field, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the yeart when you have gathered int your harvestt out of the field.

17 Att three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord God.t
18 “You must not offert the blood of my sacrifice with bread containing yeast; the fat of my festal sacrifice must not remain until morning.s

19 The first of the firstfruits of your soil you must bring to the house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.s

The Angel of the Presence

20 s “I am going to sendt an angels before you to protect you as you journeyt and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.t21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my names is in him.22 But if you diligently obey himt and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries.

23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely.t
24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stonest to pieces.t25 You must servet the Lord your God, and het will bless your bread and your water,s and I will remove sickness from your midst.

26 No woman will miscarry her youngt or be barren in your land. I will fulfills the number of your days.
27 “I will send my terrort before you, and I will destroyt all the people whom you encounter; I will make all your enemies turn their backst to you.28 I will sendt hornets before you that will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you.29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animalst multiply against you.30 Little by littlet I will drive them out before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land.

31 I will sett your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River,t for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32 “You must make no covenant with them or with their gods.

33 They must not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snaret to you.”