New: Plus articles on faith, family and the Bible. Read them →

About this chapterMoses sets limits on who may enter the assembly of the Lord, excluding some groups, though Edomites and Egyptians are treated more gently, since Israel once lived among them. The war camp must be kept clean, since God walks in it. A runaway slave should not be returned to his master. Interest may not be charged to fellow Israelites, and vows must be paid promptly. A traveler may eat grapes or pick grain by hand from a neighbor's field, but not carry it away. Laws about honesty, dignity and worship run throughout.

Moses sets limits on who may enter the assembly of the Lord, excluding some groups, though Edomites and Egyptians are treated more gently, since Israel once lived among them. The war camp must be kept clean, since God walks in it. A runaway slave should not be returned to his master. Interest may not be charged to fellow Israelites, and vows must be paid promptly. A traveler may eat grapes or pick grain by hand from a neighbor's field, but not carry it away. Laws about honesty, dignity and worship run throughout.

Themes

  • Holiness in the camp
  • Refuge for escaped slaves
  • Keeping vows

Key verses

Audio Bible · Deuteronomy 23

Listen while you go about your day.

Deuteronomy 23

Berean Standard Bible25 verses · 3 min read

1No man with crushed or severed genitals may enter the assembly of the LORD. 2No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation. 3No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even to the tenth generation. 4For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you. 5Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. 6You are not to seek peace or prosperity from them as long as you live. 7Do not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you lived as a foreigner in his land. 8The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD. 9When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every wicked thing. 10If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must leave the camp and stay outside. 11When evening approaches, he must wash with water, and when the sun sets he may return to the camp. 12You must have a place outside the camp to go and relieve yourself. 13And you must have a digging tool in your equipment so that when you relieve yourself you can dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 14For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you. 15Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you. 16Let him live among you wherever he chooses, in the town of his pleasing. Do not oppress him. 17No daughter or son of Israel is to be a shrine prostitute. 18You must not bring the wages of a prostitute, whether female or male, into the house of the LORD your God to fulfill any vow, because both are detestable to the LORD your God. 19Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan. 20You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess. 21If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin. 23Be careful to follow through on what comes from your lips, because you have freely vowed to the LORD your God with your own mouth. 24When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket. 25When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

Pray for them

Real requests from the YESHVA community

  • WAQAS

    🙏 Please Pray for Me Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, please keep me and my family in your prayers. 🙏 I have neither my mother nor my father. I am trying my best to support my family, and my brother also…

  • Luciano

    🙏❤️ **Prayer Request for Santiago** Today we ask you to join us in prayer for little Santiago, son of Maho and David, who will undergo two surgeries. God has led them through miracle after miracle, and today we trust…

  • David

    🙏 I ask for your prayers for my broken heart after a recent breakup. I'm struggling with sadness, anxiety, and loneliness. Please pray that God will give me peace, strength, and emotional healing during this time.…

Verses in Deuteronomy 23

Chapters of Deuteronomy

All books