Exodus 23

Chapter 23

A Call for Justice

1 “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
2 “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.

3 And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.
4 “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.

5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.

6 “In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.

7 “Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.

8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.

9 “You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
10 “Plant and harvest your crops for six years,

11 but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.

12 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.

13 “Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.

Three Annual Festivals

14 “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.

15 First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib,t for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.

16 “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest,t when you bring me the first crops of your harvest.

“Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvestt at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.

17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD.

18 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.

19 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

A Promise of the LORD’s Presence

20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.23 For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely.

24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.
25 “You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, It will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.

26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.
27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.28 I will send terrort ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.30 I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.

31 And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea,t and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River.t I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32 “Make no treaties with them or their gods.

33 They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

EXODUS 23

Equal Justice for All

The [Lord] said:

1  t Don't spread harmful rumors or help a criminal by giving false evidence.
2 Always tell the truth in court, even if everyone else ist dishonest and stands in the way of justice.

3 t And don't favor the poor, simply because they are poor.

4  t If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.

5 If a donkey is overloaded and falls down, you must do what you can to help, even if it belongs to someone who doesn't like you.t
6  t Make sure that the poor are given equal justice in court.

7 Don't bring false charges against anyone or sentence an innocent person to death. I won't forgive you if you do.

8 Don't accept bribes. Judges are blinded and justice is twisted by bribes.

9  t Don't mistreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like.

Laws for the Sabbath

The [Lord] said:

11 but let the land rest during the seventh year. The poor are to eat what they want from your fields, vineyards, and olive trees during that year, and when they have all they want from your fields, leave the rest for wild animals.

12  t Work the first six days of the week, but rest and relax on the seventh day. This law is not only for you, but for your oxen, donkeys, and slaves, as well as for any foreigners among you.

13 Make certain that you obey everything I have said. Don't pray to other gods or even mention their names.

Three Annual Festivals

(Exodus 34.18-26; Deuteronomy 16.1-17)

The [Lord] said:

14 Celebrate three festivals each year in my honor.

15  t Celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread by eating bread made without yeast, just as I have commanded.t Do this at the proper time during the month of Abib, t because it is the month when you left Egypt. And make certain that everyone brings the proper offerings.

16  t Celebrate the Harvest Festivalt each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelterst each autumn when you pick your fruit.

17 Your men must come to these three festivals each year to worship me.

18 Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. And make sure that the fat of the animal is burned that same day.

19  t Each year bring the best part of your first harvest to the place of worship.
Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

A Promise and a Warning

The [Lord] said:

24 Don't worship their gods or follow their customs. Instead, destroy their idols and shatter their stone images.
25 Worship only me, the [Lord] your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong.

26 Your women will give birth to healthy children, and everyone will live a long life.
27 I will terrify those nations and make your enemies so confused that they will run from you. 28 I will make the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites panic as you approach. 29 But I won't do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere.

30 Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.
31 I will see that your borders reach from the Red Seat to the Euphrates River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert. I will let you defeat the people who live there, and you will force them out of the land. 32 But you must not make any agreements with them or with their gods. 33 Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worshiping their gods.