Exodus 23 (New International Version)

Laws of Justice and Mercy

1 "Do not spread false reports.¹ Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.² 2 "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice³ by siding with the crowd,⁴ 3 and do not show favoritism⁵ to a poor man in his lawsuit. 4 "If you come across your enemy's⁶ ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him.⁷ 5 If you see the donkey⁸ of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. 6 "Do not deny justice⁹ to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge¹⁰ and do not put an innocent¹¹ or honest person to death,¹² for I will not acquit the guilty.¹³ 8 "Do not accept a bribe,¹⁴ for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous. 9 "Do not oppress an alien;¹⁵ you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

10 "For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.¹⁶ Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 "Six days do your work,¹⁷ but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.¹⁸ 13 "Be careful¹⁹ to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;²⁰ do not let them be heard on your lips.²¹

The Three Annual Festivals

14 "Three times²² a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. 15 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread;²³ for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib,²⁴ for in that month you came out of Egypt. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed.²⁵ 16 "Celebrate the Feast of Harvest²⁶ with the firstfruits²⁷ of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering²⁸ at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.²⁹ 17 "Three times³⁰ a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD. 18 "Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.³¹ "The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.³² 19 "Bring the best of the firstfruits³³ of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. "Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.³⁴

God's Angel to Prepare the Way

20 "See, I am sending an angel³⁵ ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.³⁶ 21 Pay attention to him and listen³⁷ to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive³⁸ your rebellion,³⁹ since my Name⁴⁰ is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do⁴¹ all that I say, I will be an enemy⁴² to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,⁴³ and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship⁴⁴ them or follow their practices.⁴⁵ You must demolish⁴⁶ them and break their sacred stones⁴⁷ to pieces. 25 Worship the LORD your God,⁴⁸ and his blessing⁴⁹ will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness⁵⁰ from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren⁵¹ in your land. I will give you a full life span.⁵² 27 "I will send my terror⁵³ ahead of you and throw into confusion⁵⁴ every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.⁵⁵ 28 I will send the hornet⁵⁶ ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites⁵⁷ out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals⁵⁸ too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession⁵⁹ of the land. 31 "I will establish your borders from the Red Sea^a to the Sea of the Philistines,^b and from the desert to the River.^c60 I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out⁶¹ before you. 32 Do not make a covenant⁶² with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare⁶³ to you."