Deuteronomy 23:7-17

7 Don't hate Edomites; they are your close relatives. Don't hate Egyptians, because you were foreigners in their country.

8 The great-grandchildren of these two peoples may come into the meeting to worship the Lord.

9 When you are camped in time of war, keep away from unclean things.

10 If a man becomes unclean during the night, he must go outside the camp and not come back.

11 But when evening comes, he must wash himself, and at sunset he may come back into the camp.

12 Choose a place outside the camp where people may go to relieve themselves.

13 Carry a tent peg with you, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your dung.

14 The Lord your God moves around through your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies for you, so the camp must be holy. He must not see anything unclean among you so that he will not leave you

15 If an escaped slave comes to you, do not hand over the slave to his master.

16 Let the slave live with you anywhere he likes, in any town he chooses. Do not mistreat him.

17 No Israelite man or woman must ever become a temple prostitute.

Deuteronomy 23:7-17 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.