Deuteronomy 23
The full text of Deuteronomy 23 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 No man who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.
2 No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of their descendants, even to the tenth generation.
3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.
4 for they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to put a curse on you.
5 However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.
7 Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country.
8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure.
10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there.
11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.
12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself.
13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.
14 For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.
15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand them over to their master.
16 Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.
17 No Israelite woman or man is to become a cult prostitute.
18 You must not bring the wages of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the LORD your God to pay any vow, because the LORD your God detests them both.
19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest.
20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.
21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.
22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty.
23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
24 If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket.
25 If you enter your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.
Translation notes (14)
- Deuteronomy 23:1a Versification seam: this verse is 23:1 in the canonical English (Masoretic-following) editions but 23:2 in the Hebrew (Masoretic Text) chapter division, since the Hebrew chapter 23 begins one verse earlier (Heb 23:1 = English 22:30). The canonical English numbering is followed here.
- Deuteronomy 23:1b This verse introduces the law of exclusion from 'the assembly of the LORD' (qehal YHWH), which refers to the worshiping and covenant community. Its scope and the later prophetic reversal (Isaiah 56:3-5 explicitly promises the faithful eunuch a place; compare Acts 8:27-39) make this a debated passage; its meaning and theology are not decided in this draft and are reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 23:2a The phrase 'born of a forbidden union' translates the Hebrew term mamzer, which is much debated: traditionally it refers to a child of incest or a forbidden marriage, but it is sometimes understood as someone of mixed or illegitimate descent. 'To the tenth generation' is likely an idiom meaning 'forever' or 'in perpetuity.' This is part of the debated law concerning exclusion from the assembly; it is reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 1).
- Deuteronomy 23:3a The exclusion of Ammon and Moab from the assembly is in tension with the book of Ruth (which features a Moabite woman who becomes David's ancestor) and the inclusion of foreigners elsewhere. The scope and later qualifications of this law are debated. This is part of the debated assembly-exclusion law; it is reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 1).
- Deuteronomy 23:4a 'Aram Naharaim' means 'Aram of the two rivers,' referring to the region around the upper Euphrates. The stated reason for the exclusion of Ammon and Moab is their hostility during the exodus and their hiring of Balaam (Numbers 22-24). This is part of the debated assembly-exclusion law; see note at verse 1.
- Deuteronomy 23:6a The phrase 'a treaty of friendship' translates the Hebrew shelomam vetovatam, which literally means 'their peace and their good,' meaning one should not actively seek their welfare or alliance. This concludes the Ammon and Moab portion of the debated assembly-exclusion law; it is reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 1).
- Deuteronomy 23:7a The same law that excludes some peoples explicitly commands openness toward Edom (who are kin through Esau) and Egypt (the land where Israel sojourned), showing that these exclusions are not a blanket xenophobia. This is part of the debated assembly law; it is reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 1).
- Deuteronomy 23:8a Descendants of Edomites and Egyptians are admitted to the assembly after three generations. This provides an explicit path to inclusion that concludes the debated exclusion law (verses 1-8) and is reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 1).
- Deuteronomy 23:14a The phrase 'anything indecent' translates the Hebrew 'erwat davar, which literally means 'the nakedness or shame of a thing.' This means the camp must be free of impurity because the LORD himself walks in its midst; the same phrase appears in the divorce law at 24:1.
- Deuteronomy 23:15a This law forbids returning an escaped slave to a master. This is a striking provision that goes against the slave-return laws of surrounding cultures, granting the fugitive asylum and freedom (verse 16).
- Deuteronomy 23:17a The Hebrew terms qedeshah and qadesh, which literally mean 'a consecrated or set-apart woman' and 'a consecrated or set-apart man,' refer to individuals associated with pagan fertility cults. The conventional translation 'cult prostitute' reflects the common scholarly understanding, though the precise nature of their role is debated.
- Deuteronomy 23:18a The phrase 'the wages of a male prostitute' translates the Hebrew mechir kelev, which literally means 'the price of a dog.' Here, 'dog' is a contemptuous term for a male prostitute. Such earnings are forbidden from being brought into the sanctuary.
- Deuteronomy 23:19a The prohibition (neshekh, which literally means 'a bite') forbids charging interest on loans to fellow Israelites, especially the poor; lending is intended as relief, not for profit. Foreigners are treated differently in verse 20.
- Deuteronomy 23:25a This courtesy, which involves plucking heads of grain by hand from a neighbor's field while passing, is the same practice the disciples follow in Matthew 12:1, Mark 2:23, and Luke 6:1.
About this translation
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