Deuteronomy 23

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'A man must not take his father's wife; he must not withdraw the skirt of his father's cloak from her.	1 "A man shall not marry his father's wife, nor shall he dishonor his father's bed.
2 'A man whose testicles have been crushed or whose male member has been cut off must not beadmitted to the assembly of Yahweh.	2 "No one whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may be admitted into the community of the LORD.
3 No half-breed may be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh; not even his descendants to the tenthgeneration may be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh.	3 No child of an incestuous union may be admitted into the community of the LORD, nor any descendant of his even to the tenth generation.
4 No Ammonite or Moabite may be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh; not even his descendants tothe tenth generation may be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh, and this is for all time;	4 No Ammonite or Moabite may ever be admitted into the community of the LORD, nor any descendants of theirs even to the tenth generation,
5 since they did not come to meet you with food and drink when you were on your way out of Egypt, andeven hired Balaam son of Beor to oppose you by cursing you, from Pethor in Aram Naharaim.	5 because they would not succor you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt, and because Moab hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you;
6 But Yahweh your God refused to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse on you intoa blessing, because Yahweh your God loved you.	6 though the LORD, your God, would not listen to Balaam and turned his curse into a blessing for you, because he loves you.
7 Never, as long as you live, must you seek their welfare or their prosperity.	7 Never promote their peace and prosperity as long as you live.
8 'You must not regard the Edomite as detestable, for he is your brother; you must not regard theEgyptian as detestable, since you were once a foreigner in his country.	8 But do not abhor the Edomite, since he is your brother, nor the Egyptian, since you were an alien in his country.
9 The third generation of children born to these may be admitted to the assembly of Yahweh.	9 Children born to them may in the third generation be admitted into the community of the LORD.
10 'When you are in camp, at war with your enemies, you must avoid anything bad.	10 "When you are in camp during an expedition against your enemies, you shall keep yourselves from everything offensive.
11 If any one of you is unclean by reason of a nocturnal emission, he must leave and not come backinto camp,	11 If one of you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he shall go outside the camp, and not return until,
12 but towards evening wash himself, and return to camp at sunset.	12 toward evening, he has bathed in water; then, when the sun has set, he may come back into the camp.
13 'You must have a latrine outside the camp, and go out to this;	13 Outside the camp you shall have a place set aside to be used as a latrine.
14 you must have a trowel in your equipment and, when you squat outside, you must scrape a hole withit, then turn round and cover up your excrement.	14 You shall also keep a trowel in your equipment and with it, when you go outside to ease nature, you shall first dig a hole and afterward cover up your excrement.
15 For Yahweh your God goes about the inside of your camp to guard you and put your enemies at yourmercy. Your camp must therefore be a holy place; Yahweh must not see anything indecent there or he willdesert you.	15 Since the LORD, your God, journeys along within your camp to defend you and to put your enemies at your mercy, your camp must be holy; otherwise, if he sees anything indecent in your midst, he will leave your company.
16 'You must not allow a master to imprison a slave who has escaped from him and come to you.	16 "You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has taken refuge from him with you.
17 Let him make his home with you and yours, wherever he pleases in whichever of your towns heprefers; you must not molest him.	17 Let him live with you wherever he chooses, in any one of your communities that pleases him. Do not molest him.
18 'There must be no sacred prostitute among the women of Israel, and no sacred prostitute among themen of Israel.	18 "There shall be no temple harlot among the Israelite women, nor a temple prostitute among the Israelite men.
19 You must not bring the wages of a prostitute or the earnings of a 'dog' to the house of Yahweh yourGod, whatever vow you may have made: both are detestable to Yahweh your God.	19 You shall not offer a harlot's fee or a dog's price as any kind of votive offering in the house of the LORD, your God; both these things are an abomination to the LORD, your God.
20 'You must not lend on interest to your brother, whether the loan be of money, of food, or of anythingelse that may earn interest.	20 "You shall not demand interest from your countrymen on a loan of money or of food or of anything else on which interest is usually demanded.
21 You may demand interest on a loan to a foreigner, but you must not demand interest from yourbrother; so that Yahweh your God may bless you in al your labours, in the country which you are about to enterand make your own.	21 You may demand interest from a foreigner, but not from your countryman, so that the LORD, your God, may bless you in all your undertakings on the land you are to enter and occupy.
22 'If you make a vow to Yahweh your God, you must not be slack about fulfil ing it: Yahweh your Godwil certainly hold you answerable for it and you wil incur guilt.	22 "When you make a vow to the LORD, your God, you shall not delay in fulfilling it; otherwise you will be held guilty, for the LORD, your God, is strict in requiring it of you.
23 If, however, you make no vow, you do not incur guilt.	23 Should you refrain from making a vow, you will not be held guilty.
24 Whatever passes your lips you must keep to, and the vow that you have made to Yahweh, yourgenerous God, you must fulfil.	24 But you must keep your solemn word and fulfill the votive offering you have freely promised to the LORD.
25 'If you go into your neighbour's vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you please, but you mustnot put any in your basket.	25 "When you go through your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat as many of his grapes as you wish, but do not put them in your basket.
26 If you go into your neighbour's standing corn, you may pick ears by hand, but you must not put asickle into your neighbour's corn.'	26 When you go through your neighbor's grainfield, you may pluck some of the ears with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor's grain.