Parallel Bible results for "exodus 23"

Exodus 23

New Living Translation NLT

1 “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.

2 “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.

3 And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.

4 “If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.

5 If you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, do not walk by. Instead, stop and help.

6 “In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.

7 “Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person to be innocent.

8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.

9 “You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

10 “Plant and harvest your crops for six years,

11 but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.

12 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed.

13 “Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.

14 “Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor.

15 First, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear before me without an offering.

16 “Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first crops of your harvest. “Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.

17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD .

18 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival offerings until the next morning.

19 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.

21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion.

22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you.

23 For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely.

24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

25 “You must serve only the LORD your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness.

26 There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

28 I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites.

29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you.

30 I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.

31 And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the eastern wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.

32 “Make no treaties with them or their gods.

33 They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

The Message Bible MSG

1 "Don't pass on malicious gossip.

2 Don't go along with the crowd in doing evil and don't fudge your testimony in a case just to please the crowd.

3 And just because someone is poor, don't show favoritism in a dispute.

4 "If you find your enemy's ox or donkey loose, take it back to him

5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don't walk off and leave it. Help it up.

6 "When there is a dispute concerning your poor, don't tamper with the justice due them.

7 "Stay clear of false accusations. Don't contribute to the death of innocent and good people. I don't let the wicked off the hook.

8 "Don't take bribes. Bribes blind perfectly good eyes and twist the speech of good people.

9 "Don't take advantage of a stranger. You know what it's like to be a stranger; you were strangers in Egypt.

10 "Sow your land for six years and gather in its crops,

11 but in the seventh year leave it alone and give it a rest so that your poor may eat from it. What they leave, let the wildlife have. Do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

12 "Work for six days and rest the seventh so your ox and donkey may rest and your servant and migrant workers may have time to get their needed rest.

13 "Listen carefully to everything I tell you. Don't pay attention to other gods - don't so much as mention their names.

14 "Three times a year you are to hold a festival for me

15 "Hold the spring Festival of Unraised Bread when you eat unraised bread for seven days at the time set for the month of Abib, as I commanded you. That was the month you came out of Egypt. No one should show up before me empty-handed.

16 "Hold the summer Festival of Harvest when you bring in the firstfruits of all your work in the fields. "Hold the autumn Festival of Ingathering at the end of the season when you bring in the year's crops.

17 "Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Master, God.

18 "Don't offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with anything that has yeast in it. "Don't leave the fat from my festival offering out overnight.

19 "Bring the choice first produce of the year to the house of your God. "Don't boil a kid in its mother's milk

20 "Now get yourselves ready. I'm sending my Angel ahead of you to guard you in your travels, to lead you to the place that I've prepared.

21 Pay close attention to him. Obey him. Don't go against him. He won't put up with your rebellions because he's acting on my authority

22 But if you obey him and do everything I tell you, I'll be an enemy to your enemies, I'll fight those who fight you.

23 When my Angel goes ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, I'll clear the country of them.

24 So don't worship or serve their gods; don't do anything they do because I'm going to wipe them right off the face of the Earth and smash their sacred phallic pillars to bits.

25 "But you - you serve your God and he'll bless your food and your water. I'll get rid of the sickness among you;

26 there won't be any miscarriages nor barren women in your land. I'll make sure you live full and complete lives.

27 "I'll send my Terror on ahead of you and throw those peoples you're approaching into a panic. All you'll see of your enemies is the backs of their necks.

28 "And I'll send Despair on ahead of you. It will push the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites out of your way.

29 I won't get rid of them all at once lest the land grow up in weeds and the wild animals take over.

30 Little by little I'll get them out of there while you have a chance to get your crops going and make the land your own.

31 I will make your borders stretch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Wilderness to the Euphrates River. I'm turning everyone living in that land over to you; go ahead and drive them out.

32 "Don't make any deals with them or their gods.

33 They are not to stay in the same country with you lest they get you to sin by worshiping their gods. Beware. That's a huge danger."