Deuteronomy 23

Those Excluded from the Assembly

1“A man whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off will not enter the assembly of the LORD. 2One born from a forbidden union will not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his will enter the assembly of the LORD. 3An Ammonite or Moabite will not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of theirs will enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out from Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-Naharaim to curse you. 5But the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loved you. 6You will not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.

Edomites and Egyptians

7“You will not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You will not abhor an Egyptian, for you were a resident alien in his land. 8Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Holiness in the Camp

9“When you go out as a camp against your enemies, you will guard yourself from every evil thing. 10If there is among you a man who is not clean because of a nighttime emission, he will go outside the camp; he will not enter the camp. 11Toward evening he will wash with water, and when the sun goes down he may enter the camp. 12You will have a place outside the camp, and you will go out there. 13You will have a digging tool among your equipment, and when you sit outside, you will dig with it and turn and cover your excrement. 14For the LORD your God walks among your camp to deliver you and to give your enemies before you. Therefore your camp will be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Do Not Return an Escaped Servant

15“You will not hand over to his master a servant who has escaped from his master to you. 16He will live with you, in your midst, in the place he chooses within one of your gates, wherever is good for him. You will not oppress him.

No Cult Prostitution

17“There will be no cult prostitute among the daughters of Israel, and there will be no cult prostitute among the sons of Israel. 18You will not bring the wages of a prostitute or the price of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any vow, for both of these are detestable to the LORD your God.

Interest, Vows, and Neighbor’s Produce

19“You will not charge interest to your brother—interest on silver, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent at interest. 20You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother you will not charge interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess. 21When you vow a vow to the LORD your God, you will not delay to pay it, for the LORD your God will surely require it from you, and it will be sin in you. 22But if you refrain from vowing, it will not be sin in you. 23What goes out from your lips you will keep and do, just as you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God, what you spoke with your mouth. 24When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat grapes according to your desire, until you are satisfied, but you will not put any into your vessel. 25When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck ears with your hand, but you will not swing a sickle against your neighbor’s standing grain.