Exodus 23

A Call for Justice

23"You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.H5375H7723H8088H7896H3027H7563H2555H57072"You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.H310H7227H7451H6030H7379H5186H310H7227H51863And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.H1921H1800H73794"If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.H6293H341H7794H2543H8582H7725H7725H77255If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.H7200H2543H8130H7257H4853H2308H5800H5800H58006"In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.H5186H4941H34H73797"Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.H7368H8267H1697H5355H6662H2026H6663H75638"Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.H3947H7810H7810H5786H6493H5557H1697H66629"You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it's like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.H3905H1616H3045H5315H1616H3588H1616H776H471410"Plant and harvest your crops for six years,H8337H8141H2232H776H622H839311but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.H7637H8058H5203H34H5971H398H3499H2416H7704H398H6213H3754H213212"You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.H8337H3117H6213H4639H7637H3117H7673H7794H2543H5117H1121H519H1616H531413"Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.H559H8104H2142H8034H312H430H8085H5921H6310

Three Annual Festivals

14"Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.H7969H7272H2287H814115First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib

, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.H8104H2282H4682H398H4682H7651H3117H6680H4150H2320H24H3318H4714H7200H6440H738716"Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest

, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. "Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.H2282H7105H1061H4639H2232H7704H2282H614H3318H8141H622H4639H770417At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD.H7969H6471H8141H2138H7200H6440H113H306818"You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.H2076H1818H2077H2557H2459H2282H3885H124219"As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God. "You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.H7225H1061H127H935H1004H3068H430H1310H1423H517H2461

A Promise of the Lord’s Presence

20"See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.H7971H4397H6440H8104H1870H935H4725H355921Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.H8104H6440H8085H6963H4843H5375H6588H8034H713022But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.H8085H8085H6963H6213H1696H340H341H6887H669623For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely.H4397H3212H6440H935H567H2850H6522H3669H2340H2983H358224You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.H7812H430H5647H6213H4639H2040H2040H7665H7665H467625"You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, I

will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.H5647H3068H430H1288H3899H4325H5493H4245H5493H713026There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.H7921H6135H776H4557H3117H439027"I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.H7971H367H6440H2000H5971H935H5414H341H620328I will send terror

ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.H7971H6880H6440H1644H2340H3669H2850H644029But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.H1644H6440H259H8141H776H8077H2416H7704H722730I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.H4592H4592H1644H6440H6509H5157H77631And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea

, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.H7896H1366H5488H3220H3220H6430H4057H5104H5414H3427H776H3027H1644H644032"Make no treaties with them or their gods.H3772H1285H43033They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry."H3427H776H2398H5647H430H4170