12. You must not make a false promise by my name, or you will show that you don’t respect your God. I am the Lord.
13. “ ‘You must not cheat your neighbor or rob him. You must not keep a hired worker’s salary all night until morning.
14. You must not curse a deaf person or put something in front of a blind person to make him fall. But you must respect your God. I am the Lord.
15. “ ‘Be fair in your judging. You must not show special favor to poor people or great people, but be fair when you judge your neighbor.
16. You must not spread false stories against other people, and you must not do anything that would put your neighbor’s life in danger. I am the Lord.
17. “ ‘You must not hate your fellow citizen in your heart. If your neighbor does something wrong, tell him about it, or you will be partly to blame.
18. Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.
19. “ ‘Obey my laws. You must not mate two different kinds of cattle or sow your field with two different kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two different kinds of material mixed together.
20. “ ‘If a man has sexual relations with a slave girl of another man, but this slave girl has not been bought or given her freedom, there must be punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because the woman was not free.
21. The man must bring a male sheep as his penalty offering to the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
22. The priest will offer the sheep as a penalty offering before the Lord for the man’s sin, to remove the sins of the man so he will belong to the Lord. Then he will be forgiven for his sin.
23. “ ‘In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit.
24. In the fourth year the fruit from the tree will be the Lord’s, a holy offering of praise to him.