Knox Bible

1

The emasculate, the mutilated, are not to be admitted into the Lord’s assembly.

2

Nor is there any place in the Lord’s assembly for a bastard, born out of wedlock, or for any of his descent, though ten generations have passed.

3

Nor, though ten generations have passed, may one of Ammonite or Moabite descent be admitted to the Lord’s assembly; this disability they have incurred for all time,

4

by refusing to provide food and drink, when Israel came on their way from Egypt. Nay, they hired Balaam the son of Beor to come from Mesopotamia of the Syrians and curse thee;

5

only the Lord would not listen to Balaam, and transformed that curse of his into a blessing, so well he loved thee.

6

No peace with these, no friendly dealings with these at any time, while thy life lasts;

7

but for the Edomites thou shalt have no repugnance, they are thy brethren, nor for the Egyptians, in whose land thou didst formerly dwell;

8

their descendants in the third generation may be admitted to the Lord’s assembly.

9

When thou goest out to war against thy enemies, keep clear of all offence.

10

Should any of you incur defilement at night in his sleep, he must leave the camp,

11

and not return to it all day; at sunset, when he has washed, he may enter the camp again.

12

If thou wouldst ease thyself, thou must have a place to go to away from the camp,

13

and carry a scoop at thy girdle, so that when thou art eased thou canst dig about thee and heap loose earth

14

over thy excrement. In this camp of thine the Lord thy God goes to and fro, waiting to deliver thee and give thee victory over thy enemies; all must be holiness there, no defilement be seen in it, lest his presence should be withdrawn.

15

If a man escapes from bondage and takes refuge with thee, thou shalt not give him back into the hands of his lord;

16

let him settle where he pleases, and live at peace in some city of thine; leave him unmolested.✻

17

No Israelite, man or woman, shall be devoted to a life of shame;

18

wouldst thou bring into the temple of the Lord thy God the wages of a harlot, or the price of nameless sin? Either of these is hateful to the Lord thy God.

19

Do not charge interest to thy fellow-Israelite when thou lendest him money or grain or anything else of thine.

20

Keep that for the alien; to thy brother thou shalt lend without interest all that he needs; so the Lord God will bless every enterprise of thine in the land which is to be thy home.

21

If thou makest a vow to the Lord thy God, do not defer payment of it. The Lord thy God will hold thee to thy promise; thou delayest at thy peril.

22

Hadst thou refrained from making the vow, it would have been no sin in thee,

23

but once the word has been spoken, it must be made good; thy own lips pronounced it, and thy will was under no compulsion, the promise must be kept.

24

When thou art passing through thy neighbour’s vineyard, eat the grapes to thy heart’s content, but take none away with thee.

25

And when thou art passing through a neighbour’s corn-field, thou mayst break off ears and rub them in thy hands; but sickle put none to thy neighbour’s corn.