Old Testament

New Testament

Deuter­­onomy 23:2-19 Modern English Version (MEV)

2. No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to his tenth generation no one related to him may enter the assembly of the Lord.

3. No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to their tenth generation they may not enter the assembly of the Lord forever,

4. because they refused you bread and water on the way, when you came from out of Egypt and because they hired Balaam, the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, against you to curse you.

5. Nevertheless, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam. Instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing on you because the Lord your God loves you.

6. You are not ever to seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days.

7. You are not to abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a foreigner in his land.

8. The children who are born of them may enter the assembly of the Lord in their third generation.

9. When the army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.

10. If there be among you any man who is not clean because of a nocturnal emission, then he must leave the camp. He may not re-enter the camp.

11. And it must be that when evening comes, he must wash himself with water, and at sunset he may re-enter the camp.

12. You must also have a place outside the camp where one may go outside.

13. You must have a spade among your equipment, and it must be, when you relieve yourself outside, you must dig there and turn and cover up your excrement.

14. For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to defeat your enemies before you. Therefore, your camp must be holy, so that He does not see any indecent thing among you, and turn away from you.

15. You must not deliver back to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you.

16. He is to dwell with you, even among you, in a place which he shall choose in one of your towns, where he prefers. You must not oppress him.

17. There must never be a cult prostitute among the daughters of Israel nor a cult prostitute among the sons of Israel.

18. You must never bring the wage of a prostitute or the wage of a dog into the house of the Lord your God for any vow, for both of these are abominations to the Lord your God.

19. You must not charge interest on a loan to your brother: interest on money, interest on food, or on anything that may be lent with interest.

Read complete chapter Deuter­­onomy 23