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The Feast of Temporary Shelters

13 You must celebrate the Feast of Shelters[a] for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest.[b] 14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages.[c] 15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he[d] chooses, for he[e] will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do;[f] so you will indeed rejoice! 16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Shelters; and they must not appear before him[g] empty-handed. 17 Every one of you must give as you are able,[h] according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:13 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכֹּת (khag hassukkot, “Feast of Shelters” or “Feast of Huts”) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is now preferable to the traditional “tabernacles” (KJV, ASV, NIV) in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. Clearer is the English term “shelters” (so NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). This feast was a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt, in which they dwelt in temporary shelters.
  2. Deuteronomy 16:13 tn Heb “when you gather in your threshing-floor and winepress.”
  3. Deuteronomy 16:14 tn Heb “in your gates.”
  4. Deuteronomy 16:15 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.
  5. Deuteronomy 16:15 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.
  6. Deuteronomy 16:15 tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”
  7. Deuteronomy 16:16 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 16:1.
  8. Deuteronomy 16:17 tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.

The Feast of Booths

13 (A)“You shall keep the Feast of Booths seven days, when you have gathered in the produce from your threshing floor and your winepress. 14 (B)You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. 15 For (C)seven days you shall keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place that the Lord will choose, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 (D)“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. (E)They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Every man (F)shall give as he is able, (G)according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.

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