Exclusion From the Assembly

23 [a]No one who has been emasculated(A) by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.

No one born of a forbidden marriage[b] nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 23:1 In Hebrew texts 23:1-25 is numbered 23:2-26.
  2. Deuteronomy 23:2 Or one of illegitimate birth

Let no foreigner(A) who is bound to the Lord say,
    “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”(B)
And let no eunuch(C) complain,
    “I am only a dry tree.”

For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs(D) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant(E)
to them I will give within my temple and its walls(F)
    a memorial(G) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name(H)
    that will endure forever.(I)
And foreigners(J) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister(K) to him,
to love the name(L) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath(M) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain(N)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices(O)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.(P)(Q)

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10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.(A) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

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