Deuteronomy 23:15-25

Escaped slaves

15 Don't return slaves to owners if they've escaped and come to you.
16 They can stay with you: in your own community or in any place they select from one of your cities, whatever seems good to them. Don't oppress them.

Consecrated workers

17 No Israelite daughter is allowed to be a consecrated worker. Neither is any Israelite son allowed to be a consecrated worker.
18 Don't bring a female prostitute's fee or a male prostitute's payment to the LORD your God's temple to pay a solemn promise because both of these things are detestable to the LORD your God.

Charging interest

19 Don't charge your fellow Israelites interest—whether on money, provisions, or anything one might loan.
20 You can charge foreigners interest, but not your fellow Israelite. Do this so that the LORD your God blesses you in all your work on the land you are entering to possess.

Solemn promise

21 When you make a promise to the LORD your God, don't put off making good on it, because the LORD your God will certainly be expecting it from you; delaying would make you guilty.
22 Now if you simply don't make any promises, you won't be guilty of anything.
23 But whatever you say, you should be sure to make good on, exactly according to the promise you freely made to the LORD your God because you promised it with your own mouth.

Neighbor’s goods

24 If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you can eat as many grapes as you like, until full, but don't carry any away in a basket.
25 If you go into your neighbor's grain field, you can pluck ears by hand, but you aren't allowed to cut off any of your neighbor's grain with a sickle.

Deuteronomy 23:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 23

Orders are here given to restrain certain persons from entering into the congregation of the Lord, De 23:1-8, and to take care that there be no unclean person in the camp, or any indecent thing done in it, De 23:9-14, to protect fugitive servants, and not deliver them up to their masters, De 23:15,16 not to suffer a filthy person to be among them, or any filthy thing to be brought into the house of God for a vow, De 23:17,18, then follow some laws against usury, and for the payment of vows, De 23:19-23, and the chapter is concluded with some directions how to behave in a neighbour's vineyard, or standing corn, De 23:24,25.

Footnotes 3

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