Deuteronomy 23:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Various Precepts. 16 (A)You shall not hand over to their master any slaves who have taken refuge with you from their master. 17 Let them live among you in any place they choose, in any one of your communities[a] that seems good to them. Do not oppress them.
18 There shall be no temple prostitute[b] among the Israelite women, nor a temple prostitute among the Israelite men.(B)
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- 23:17 In any one of your communities: from this it would seem that the slave in question is a fugitive from a foreign country.
- 23:18–19 Temple prostitute: Heb. qedesha, lit., “holy one,” a title of the goddess of fertility. The role or function of the qedesha is debated; some see this as simply a term for a prostitute (Heb. zona). Others see it as designating a cultic role but not necessarily one involving sexual activity. The evidence is insufficient to give a final answer.
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