Deuteronomy 23:1-8
New Living Translation
Regulations concerning Worship
23 [a]“If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.
2 “If a person is illegitimate by birth, neither he nor his descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.
3 “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the Lord. 4 These nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim to curse you. 5 But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the Lord your God loves you. 6 As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites.
7 “Do not detest the Edomites or the Egyptians, because the Edomites are your relatives and you lived as foreigners among the Egyptians. 8 The third generation of Edomites and Egyptians may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 23:1 Verses 23:1-25 are numbered 23:2-26 in Hebrew text.
Deuteronomy 23:1-8
Living Bible
23 “If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis cut off, he shall not enter the sanctuary. 2 A bastard may not enter the sanctuary, nor any of his descendants for ten generations.
3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may ever enter the sanctuary, even after the tenth generation. 4 The reason for this law is that these nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt; they even tried to hire Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor, Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 But the Lord wouldn’t listen to Balaam; instead, he turned the intended curse into a blessing for you because the Lord loves you. 6 You must never, as long as you live, try to help the Ammonites or the Moabites in any way. 7 But don’t look down on the Edomites and the Egyptians; the Edomites are your brothers and you lived among the Egyptians. 8 The grandchildren of the Egyptians who came with you from Egypt may enter the sanctuary of the Lord.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.