Mark well that first spring month when the crops are yet green; it is time to celebrate the pasch in the Lord’s honour. In that month, at dead of night, the Lord thy God rescued thee from Egypt.

In the place which the Lord thy God has chosen for the sanctuary of his name, flock and herd alike must provide their paschal victims.

At this feast, no bread must be eaten that has leaven in it; for seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, the food of perilous times, when thou didst escape from Egypt in fear; never as long as thou livest shall the manner of thy departure from Egypt be forgotten.

No leaven, then, must be found in all thy domain during those seven days; and of the victim slain on that first evening nothing must remain till the morrow.

This paschal victim is not to be immolated in a city here, a city there, among all the cities the Lord thy God means to give thee;

no, the Lord thy God will choose out one place to be the sanctuary of his name, and there thou wilt immolate the paschal victim at set of sun, the time of thy escape from Egypt.

In this place of the Lord’s choice it must be cooked and eaten; then, when morning comes, thou wilt make thy way back to thy own dwelling-place.

For six days thou wilt eat unleavened bread; on the seventh thou wilt keep holiday in the Lord’s honour, and rest from work.

From the day when the sickle is first put to thy crops, count seven whole weeks,

and then keep the Feast of Weeks, honouring the Lord thy God with an offering freely made out of the fruits thy labour has earned, in that measure in which the Lord has prospered thee.

Make good cheer in the presence of the Lord thy God, with son and daughter, serving-man and serving-maid, with the Levite who dwells in thy city, wanderer and orphan and widow that are thy neighbours, in the place the Lord thy God has chosen for his name’s sanctuary.

Never forget that thou too wast a slave once in Egypt; the more reason why thou shouldst obey this order I give thee.

The Feast of Tent-dwelling thou shalt observe for seven days, at the time when corn and wine are all gathered in,

keeping holiday again and making good cheer, with son and daughter, serving-man and serving-maid, Levite and wanderer, orphan and widow that are thy neighbours.

For seven days, in the place he has chosen, thou shalt keep holiday in honour of the Lord thy God; so greatly will he prosper thy harvest and all the enterprises thou dost set thy hand to, that thou wilt have good reason to rejoice.

Three times a year, then, all thy men folk shall present themselves before the Lord thy God in the place of his choice; at the three feasts of the Pasch, of Weeks, and of Tent-dwelling. No one shall present himself before the Lord empty-handed;

each will have a gift to bring, in that measure in which the Lord his God has prospered him.

In all the cities the Lord thy God gives thee, thou shalt appoint judges and magistrates among thy fellow-tribesmen. And these are to settle their neighbours’ quarrels by just award,

and listen to both parties, not moved by influence or bribery; such power a bribe has to rob even the wise of clear vision, to alter the sentence even of the just.

Right is right, and ever thou must keep it in view, if thou wouldst live long in the enjoyment of the land which the Lord thy God means to give thee.

There must be no sacred wood around the Lord’s altar, no tree of any kind,

nor must thou make thyself an image and set it up there; all such worship is hateful to the Lord thy God.