Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Exclusion and Inclusion

23 “No man whose testicles have been crushed^[a] or whose penis has been cut off may enter the Lord’s assembly. ² No one of illegitimate birth may enter the Lord’s assembly; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, may enter the Lord’s assembly. ³ No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the Lord’s assembly;^(A) none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, may ever enter the Lord’s assembly. ⁴ This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the journey after you came out of Egypt, and because Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim was hired to curse you.^{(B) 5} Yet the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but He turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves^(C) you.^{(D) 6} Never seek their peace or prosperity as long as you live. ⁷ Do not despise an Edomite, because he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you were a foreign resident in his land. ⁸ The children born to them in the third generation may enter the Lord’s assembly.