Exodus 23
Revised Standard Version
Justice for All
23 “You shall not utter a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man, to be a malicious witness. 2 You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; nor shall you bear witness in a suit, turning aside after a multitude, so as to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his suit.
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it, you shall help him to lift it up.[a]
6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his suit. 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not slay the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.
9 “You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Sabbatical Year and Sabbath
10 “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild beasts may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.
12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your ass may have rest, and the son of your bondmaid, and the alien, may be refreshed. 13 Take heed to all that I have said to you; and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let such be heard out of your mouth.
The Annual Festivals
14 “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. 16 You shall keep the feast of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the feast of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.
18 “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.
19 “The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.
“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
The Conquest of Canaan Promised
20 “Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21 Give heed to him and hearken to his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.
22 “But if you hearken attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 “When my angel goes before you, and brings you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Per′izzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jeb′usites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and I[b] will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 None shall cast her young or be barren in your land; I will fulfil the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you, and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out Hivite, Canaanite, and Hittite from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you are increased and possess the land. 31 And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphra′tes; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 23:5 Gk: Heb obscure
- Exodus 23:25 Gk Vg: Heb he
Exodus 23
Revised Geneva Translation
23 “You shall not bring a false report, nor shall you put in your hand with the wicked, to be a false witness.
2 “You shall not follow a multitude to evil, nor testify in a dispute to follow after many and pervert justice.
3 “You shall not be partial to a poor man in his cause.
4 “If you meet your enemy’s ox, or his donkey, going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
5 “If you see your enemy’s donkey lying under his load, and would decline to help him, you shall indeed help him up again with it.
6 “You shall not pervert the rights of the poor in his suit.
7 “You shall keep yourself far from a false matter. You shall kill neither the innocent nor the righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.
8 “You shall take no gifts. For a gift blinds the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 “You shall not oppress a stranger. For you know the heart of a stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
10 “Moreover, six years you shall sow your land, and gather its fruits.
11 “But the seventh year, you shall let it rest, and lie still, so that the poor of your people may eat. And what they leave, the wild animals shall eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard and with your olive trees.
12 “Six days you shall do your work; and on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maid and the stranger may be refreshed.
13 “And you shall pay attention to all things which I have said to you. And you shall make no mention of the name of other gods, nor shall it be heard from your mouth.
14 “You shall keep a Feast to Me three times during the year.
15 “You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread: You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days, as I commanded you, in the season of the month of Abib. For in it, you came out of Egypt. And no one shall appear before Me empty.
16 Also, The Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors (which you have sown in the field) and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors from the field.
17 “Three times in the year shall all your male children appear before the Lord GOD.
18 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread. Nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until the morning.
19 “The first of the firstfruits of your land, you shall bring into the House of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
20 “Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you on your way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.
21 “Pay attention to him and hear his voice. Do not provoke him. For he will not spare your misdeeds, because my Name is in him.
22 “But if you listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and will afflict those who afflict you.
23 “For My angel shall go before you, and bring you to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will destroy them.
24 “You shall neither bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do according the works of them. But utterly overthrow them and break their images in pieces.
25 “For you shall serve the LORD your God; and He shall bless your bread and your water. And I will take all sickness away from the midst of you.
26 “No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.
27 “I will send My fear before you and will destroy all the people among whom you shall go. And I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 “And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
29 “I will not cast them out from before you in one year, lest the land grow into a wilderness, and the wild animals multiply against you.
30 “I will gradually drive them out from before you, until you increase and inherit the land.
31 “And I will make your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and you shall drive them out from before you.
32 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33 “Nor shall they dwell in the land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it shall surely be to your destruction.”
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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