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23 Don’t spread false rumors. Don’t plot with evil people to act as a lying witness. Don’t take sides with important people to do wrong. When you act as a witness, don’t stretch the truth to favor important people. But don’t privilege unimportant people in their lawsuits either.

When you happen to come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has wandered off, you should bring it back to them.

When you see a donkey that belongs to someone who hates you and it’s lying down under its load and you are inclined not to help set it free, you must help set it free.

Don’t undermine the justice that your poor deserve in their lawsuits. Stay away from making a false charge. Don’t put an innocent person who is in the right to death, because I will not consider innocent those who do such evil. Don’t take a bribe, because a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

Don’t oppress an immigrant. You know what it’s like to be an immigrant, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt.

Sabbaths and festivals

10 For six years you should plant crops on your land and gather in its produce. 11 But in the seventh year you should leave it alone and undisturbed so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave behind, the wild animals may eat. You should do the same with your vineyard and your olive trees.

12 Do your work in six days. But on the seventh day you should rest so that your ox and donkey may rest, and even the child of your female slave and the immigrant may be refreshed.

13 Be careful to obey everything that I have said to you. Don’t call on the names of other gods. Don’t even mention them.

14 You should observe a festival for me three times a year. 15 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread, as I commanded you. Eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib,[a] because it was in that month that you came out of Egypt.

No one should appear before me empty-handed. 16 Observe the Harvest Festival for the early produce of your crops that you planted in the field, and the Gathering Festival at the end of the year, when you gather your crop of fruit from the field. 17 All your males should appear three times a year before the Lord God.

18 Don’t offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened. Don’t let the fat of my festival offering be left over until the morning.

19 Bring the best of your land’s early produce to the Lord your God’s temple.

Don’t boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

God’s promise: messenger and land

20 I’m about to send a messenger in front of you to guard you on your way and to bring you to the place that I’ve made ready. 21 Pay attention to him and do as he says. Don’t rebel against him. He won’t forgive the things you do wrong because I[b] am with him. 22 But if you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, then I’ll be an enemy to your enemies and fight those fighting you.

23 When my messenger goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I wipe them out, 24 don’t bow down to their gods, worship them, or do what they do. Instead, you should completely destroy them and smash their sacred stone pillars to bits. 25 If you worship the Lord your God, the Lord will bless your bread and your water. I’ll take sickness away from you, 26 and no woman will miscarry or be infertile in your land. I’ll let you live a full, long life. 27 My terrifying reputation will precede you, and I’ll throw all the people that you meet into a panic. I’ll make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 I’ll send insect swarms in front of you and drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 I won’t drive them out before you in a single year so the land won’t be abandoned and the wild animals won’t multiply around you. 30 I’ll drive them out before you little by little, until your numbers grow and you eventually possess the land. 31 I’ll set your borders from the Reed Sea[c] to the Philistine Sea and from the desert to the River. I’ll hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out before you. 32 Don’t make any covenants with them or their gods. 33 Don’t allow them to live in your land, or else they will lead you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will become a dangerous trap for you.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:15 March–April, named Nisan after the exile
  2. Exodus 23:21 Or my name
  3. Exodus 23:31 Or Red Sea

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.(A) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.(B)

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice(C) by siding with the crowd,(D) and do not show favoritism(E) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

“If you come across your enemy’s(F) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.(G) If you see the donkey(H) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

“Do not deny justice(I) to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge(J) and do not put an innocent(K) or honest person to death,(L) for I will not acquit the guilty.(M)

“Do not accept a bribe,(N) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

“Do not oppress a foreigner;(O) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.(P) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 “Six days do your work,(Q) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.(R)

13 “Be careful(S) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;(T) do not let them be heard on your lips.(U)

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(V) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(W) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(X) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(Y)

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(Z) with the firstfruits(AA) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(AB) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(AC)

17 “Three times(AD) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(AE)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(AF)

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(AG) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(AH)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

20 “See, I am sending an angel(AI) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.(AJ) 21 Pay attention to him and listen(AK) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive(AL) your rebellion,(AM) since my Name(AN) is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(AO) all that I say, I will be an enemy(AP) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(AQ) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(AR) them or follow their practices.(AS) You must demolish(AT) them and break their sacred stones(AU) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(AV) and his blessing(AW) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(AX) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(AY) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(AZ)

27 “I will send my terror(BA) ahead of you and throw into confusion(BB) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(BC) 28 I will send the hornet(BD) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(BE) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(BF) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(BG) of the land.

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(BH) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(BI) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(BJ) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(BK) to you.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  2. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines

23 »No te dejes llevar por falsos rumores.(A)

»No te dejes llevar por el impío para ser testigo falso.

»No vayas tras las mayorías para actuar mal.

»En un litigio, no respondas a las malas intenciones de la mayoría.

»No discrimines al pobre cuando pida justicia.(B)

»Si encuentras el buey o el asno extraviado de tu enemigo, llévaselo.

»Si ves que el asno del que te aborrece ha caído por el peso de su carga, no dejes de ayudarlo. Al contrario, ayúdalo a levantarse.(C)

»No perviertas el derecho de los pobres cuando pidan justicia.

»Aléjate de la mentira.

»No condenes a muerte al hombre justo e inocente, porque yo no tendré por inocente al malvado.

»No aceptes regalos, porque los regalos impiden ver con claridad y pervierten los actos de justicia.(D)

»No oprimas al extranjero. Bien saben ustedes lo que es ser extranjero, pues extranjeros fueron en la tierra de Egipto.(E)

10 »Sembrarás tu tierra y recogerás tu cosecha durante seis años, 11 pero el séptimo año la dejarás sin sembrar, para que de ella coma la gente pobre de tu pueblo, y los animales del campo se coman lo que quede.

»Lo mismo harás con tu viña y con tu olivar.(F)

12 »Trabajarás seis días, pero el séptimo día reposarás,(G) para que descansen tu buey y tu asno, y recobren sus fuerzas tus esclavos y los extranjeros.

13 »No invoquen con sus labios el nombre de otros dioses. Ni siquiera los mencionen.

»Cumplan ustedes con todo lo que les he ordenado.

Las tres fiestas anuales(H)

14 »Celebrarás en mi honor tres fiestas en el año. 15 Celebrarás la fiesta de los panes sin levadura.(I) Tal y como yo te lo ordené, comerás panes sin levadura durante siete días en el mes de Aviv, que es la fecha establecida, porque en ese mes saliste de Egipto. Y nadie debe presentarse ante mí con las manos vacías.

16 »Celebrarás también la fiesta de la siega, es decir, de los primeros frutos de lo que hayas sembrado(J) en el campo; y al terminar el año, cuando hayas recogido los frutos de tus labores del campo,(K) celebrarás la fiesta de la cosecha.

17 »Todo varón se presentará delante del Señor su Dios tres veces al año.

18 »No ofrecerás la sangre de mi sacrificio junto con pan leudado, ni dejarás para el día siguiente la grasa del animal que me ofrezcas.

19 »Traerás a la casa del Señor tu Dios los primeros frutos de tu tierra.(L)

»No guisarás el cabrito en la leche de su madre.(M)

El ángel del Señor guía a Israel

20 »Como verás, voy a enviar a mi ángel para que te preceda en el camino, y te proteja y te introduzca en el lugar que te he preparado. 21 Ten mucho cuidado y escucha su voz. No le seas rebelde, porque él no les perdonará su rebelión, porque va en mi nombre.

22 »Pero si en verdad escuchas su voz y haces todo lo que yo te diga, seré enemigo de tus enemigos y afligiré a los que te aflijan.

23 »Sí, mi ángel te precederá y te llevará a la tierra de los amorreos, hititas, ferezeos, cananeos, jivitas y jebuseos, a los que voy a destruir.

24 »No te inclinarás ante sus dioses, ni los servirás, ni harás lo que ellos hacen. Al contrario, los destruirás por completo y harás pedazos todas sus estatuas. 25 Pero me servirán a mí, el Señor su Dios, y yo bendeciré tu pan y tus aguas, y quitaré de en medio de ti toda enfermedad.

26 »No habrá en tu tierra mujer que aborte, ni estéril. Yo haré que vivas los años que debes vivir. 27 Haré que mi terror te preceda, y que en todo pueblo donde entres su gente tiemble delante de ti, y que todos tus enemigos se dobleguen ante ti. 28 Delante de ti enviaré a la avispa, para que a tu paso despeje a los jivitas, cananeos e hititas. 29 No los echaré de tu presencia en un año, para que la tierra no se quede desierta ni aumenten contra ti las fieras salvajes. 30 Los echaré de tu presencia poco a poco, hasta que te multipliques y tomes posesión de la tierra. 31 Estableceré tus fronteras desde el Mar Rojo hasta el mar de los filisteos, y desde el desierto hasta el río Éufrates. Sí, pondré en tus manos a los habitantes de la tierra, y tú los arrojarás de tu presencia.

32 »No harás alianzas con ellos ni con sus dioses.

33 »No habitarán en tu tierra, para que no te sean de tropiezo y te hagan pecar y servir a sus dioses.»