Font Size
Deuteronomy 23-24
Contemporary English Version
Deuteronomy 23-24
Contemporary English Version
Who Cannot Become One of the Lord's People
Moses said to Israel:
23 If a man's private parts have been crushed or cut off,[a] he cannot fully belong to the Lord's people.
2 No one born outside of a legal marriage, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can fully belong to the Lord's people.
3 (A) No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the Lord's people. 4 (B) This is because when you came out of Egypt, they refused to provide you with food and water. And besides, they hired Balaam[b] to put a curse on you. 5 (C) But the Lord your God loves you, so he refused to listen to Balaam and turned Balaam's curse into a blessing. 6 Don't even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon.
7 But Edomites are your relatives, and you lived as foreigners in the country of Egypt. Now you must be kind to Edomites and Egyptians 8 and let their great-grandchildren become part of Israel, the Lord's people.
Keep the Army Camp Acceptable
Moses said to Israel:
9 When you men go off to fight your enemies, make sure your camp is acceptable to the Lord.
10 For example, if something happens at night that makes a man unclean and unfit for worship, he[c] must go outside the camp and stay there 11 until late afternoon. Then he must take a bath, and at sunset he can go back into camp.
12 Set up a place outside the camp to be used as a toilet area. 13 And make sure that you have a small shovel in your equipment. When you go out to the toilet area, use the shovel to dig a hole. Then, after you relieve yourself, bury the waste in the hole. 14 You must keep your camp clean of filthy and disgusting things. The Lord is always present in your camp, ready to rescue you and give you victory over your enemies. But if he sees something disgusting in your camp, he may turn around and leave.
Runaway Slaves from Other Countries
Moses said:
15 When runaway slaves from other countries come to Israel and ask for protection, you must not hand them back to their owners. 16 Instead, you must let them choose which one of your towns they want to live in. Don't be cruel to runaway slaves.
Temple Prostitutes
Moses said:
17 (D) People of Israel, don't any of you ever be temple prostitutes.[d] 18 The Lord your God is disgusted with men and women who are prostitutes of any kind, and he will not accept a gift from them, even if it had been promised to him.
Interest on Loans
Moses said:
19 (E) When you lend money, food, or anything else to another Israelite, you are not allowed to charge interest. 20 You can charge a foreigner interest. But if you charge other Israelites interest, the Lord your God will not let you be successful in the land you are about to take.
Sacred Promises to the Lord
Moses said:
21 (F) People of Israel, if you make a sacred promise to give a gift to the Lord, then do it as soon as you can. If the Lord has to come looking for the gift you promised, you will be guilty of breaking that promise. 22 On the other hand, if you never make a sacred promise, you can't be guilty of breaking it. 23 You must keep whatever promises you make to the Lord. After all, you are the one who chose to make the promises.
Eating Someone Else's Produce
24 If you go into a vineyard that belongs to someone else, you are allowed to eat as many grapes as you want while you are there. But don't take any with you when you leave. 25 In the same way, if you are in a grain field that belongs to someone else, you can pick heads of grain and eat the kernels. But don't cut down the stalks of grain and take them with you.
A Law about Divorce
Moses said to Israel:
24 (G) Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her.[e] He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away. 2 Later she married another man, 3 who then either divorced her in the same way or died. 4 Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.
Newlyweds
Moses said to Israel:
5 If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.
Loans
Moses said to Israel:
6 When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.
Kidnapping
Moses said to Israel:
7 (H) If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.
Skin Diseases
Moses said to Israel:
8 (I) I have told the priests[f] what to do if any of you have leprosy,[g] so do exactly what they say. 9 (J) And remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam[h] after you left Egypt.
Loans
Moses said to Israel:
10 (K) When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it. 11 Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.
12 Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight. 13 Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the Lord to bless you. Then the Lord your God will notice that you have done the right thing.
Poor People's Wages
Moses said:
14 (L) If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay,[i] whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town. 15 Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the Lord, and he will punish you.
The Death Penalty
Moses said to Israel:
16 (M) Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.
Don't Mistreat the Powerless
Moses said to Israel:
17 (N) Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes. 18 You were slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
Leave Some of Your Harvest for the Poor
Moses said to Israel:
19 (O) If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.
20 When you harvest your olives, don't try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor. 21 And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left. 22 You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the Lord your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
Footnotes
- 23.1 a man's private parts have been crushed or cut off: This was sometimes done to show devotion to pagan gods.
- 23.4 Balaam: Hebrew “Balaam son of Beor from Pethor.”
- 23.10 if something … worship, he: Or “if a man has a flow of semen at night, he is unclean and unfit for worship, and he.”
- 23.17 temple prostitutes: Some Canaanites worshiped by going to their temples and having sex with prostitutes that represented their gods.
- 24.1 something disgraceful about her: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 24.8 the priests: See the note at 17.8-12.
- 24.8 leprosy: The word “leprosy” was used for many different kinds of skin diseases.
- 24.9 what the Lord your God did to Miriam: See Numbers 12.1-16.
- 24.14 don't hold back their pay: The Dead Sea Scrolls; the Standard Hebrew Text “treat them right.”
Deuteronomy 23-24
New International Version
Deuteronomy 23-24
New International Version
Exclusion From the Assembly
23 [a]No one who has been emasculated(A) by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
2 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.
3 No Ammonite(B) or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.(C) 4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water(D) on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam(E) son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim[c](F) to pronounce a curse on you.(G) 5 However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse(H) into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves(I) you. 6 Do not seek a treaty(J) of friendship with them as long as you live.(K)
7 Do not despise an Edomite,(L) for the Edomites are related to you.(M) Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.(N) 8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Uncleanness in the Camp
9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.(O) 10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.(P) 11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset(Q) he may return to the camp.(R)
12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. 13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14 For the Lord your God moves(S) about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy,(T) so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15 If a slave has taken refuge(U) with you, do not hand them over to their master.(V) 16 Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress(W) them.
17 No Israelite man(X) or woman is to become a shrine prostitute.(Y) 18 You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute[d] into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.(Z)
19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.(AA) 20 You may charge a foreigner(AB) interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless(AC) you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it,(AD) for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.(AE) 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.(AF) 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.
24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.(AG)
24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him(AH) because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,(AI) gives it to her and sends her from his house, 2 and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, 4 then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord(AJ) your God is giving you as an inheritance.
5 If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.(AK)
6 Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.(AL)
7 If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die.(AM) You must purge the evil from among you.(AN)
8 In cases of defiling skin diseases,[e] be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical(AO) priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.(AP) 9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.(AQ)
10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge.(AR) 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge(AS) in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset(AT) so that your neighbor may sleep in it.(AU) Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.(AV)
14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.(AW) 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor(AX) and are counting on it.(AY) Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.(AZ)
16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(BA)
17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless(BB) of justice,(BC) or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt(BD) and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.(BE) Leave it for the foreigner,(BF) the fatherless and the widow,(BG) so that the Lord your God may bless(BH) you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.(BI) Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.(BJ)
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 23:1 In Hebrew texts 23:1-25 is numbered 23:2-26.
- Deuteronomy 23:2 Or one of illegitimate birth
- Deuteronomy 23:4 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
- Deuteronomy 23:18 Hebrew of a dog
- Deuteronomy 24:8 The Hebrew word for defiling skin diseases, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.