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Exodus 23

World English Bible

WEB

1“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. 2“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice. 3You shall not favor a poor man in his cause. 4“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it. 6“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked. 8“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous. 9“You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 10“For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase, 11but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove. 12“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed. 13“Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth. 14“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year. 15You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty. 16And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labors out of the field. 17Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh. 18“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning. 19You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. 20“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him. 22But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. 23For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off. 24You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars. 25You shall serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. 27I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you. 29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you. 30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land. 31I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org

Overview

Exodus Chapter 23 continues to outline the laws and guidelines that God provided to the Israelites through Moses, emphasizing justice, mercy, and the importance of maintaining a covenant relationship with Him. The chapter begins with instructions against bearing false witness and encourages the people to pursue justice, stating, "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness" (Exodus 23:1, ESV). This highlights the significance of truthfulness and integrity within the community, reflecting God's character as the ultimate source of truth. The chapter also addresses the treatment of enemies, instructing the Israelites to help their enemies in times of need, which demonstrates God's call to love and compassion even towards those who oppose us (#love, #compassion).

The chapter further emphasizes the importance of observing the Sabbath and the annual festivals, reminding the Israelites to dedicate time for rest and worship. God commands, "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest" (Exodus 23:12, ESV), reinforcing the principle of rest as a gift from God. Additionally, the chapter outlines the promise of God’s presence and protection as the Israelites enter the Promised Land, stating that He will send an angel before them to guard them on their journey (Exodus 23:20). This assurance of divine guidance and support is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness to His people as they navigate their path toward fulfilling His promises (#Sabbath, #promisedland, #faithfulness).

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Referenced by

  1. Leviticus 18:3v24Leviticus 18:3 warns against following the practices of Egypt and Canaan, similar to Exodus 23:24, which instructs the Israelites not to follow the gods of the nations they encounter.
  2. Deuteronomy 7:2v32Deuteronomy 7:2 commands the Israelites to make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land, which echoes the earlier command in Exodus 23:32-33 to avoid making covenants with them to prevent idolatry.
  3. Deuteronomy 16:16v14Deuteronomy 16:16 mandates the appearance of all males before the Lord during three annual feasts, which is also commanded in Exodus 23:14-17, emphasizing the importance of communal worship and dedication.
  4. Joshua 13:6v31Joshua 13:6 reiterates God's promise to drive out the inhabitants of the land, which aligns with the promise in Exodus 23:31 where God sets the boundaries of the land He will give to Israel. This highlights the continuity of God's covenant and His faithfulness to His word.
  5. Joshua 23:7v13Joshua 23:7 warns against associating with the nations and invoking the names of their gods, similar to the command in Exodus 23:13 to be careful not to mention other gods.
  6. Judges 1:28v32Judges 1:28 describes Israel subjecting the Canaanites to forced labor instead of driving them out, contrary to God's command in Exodus 23:32-33 to not make covenants with them. This disobedience foreshadows future troubles.
  7. Judges 2:1v20Judges 2:1 mentions the Angel of the LORD, who reminds Israel of the covenant and deliverance from Egypt, echoing the promise of divine guidance and protection in Exodus 23:20-23.
  8. 1 Kings 11:14v221 Kings 11:14 introduces Hadad as an adversary raised by God, reflecting the principle in Exodus 23:22 that God would oppose those who oppose His people when they are obedient.
  9. 2 Chronicles 17:10v272 Chronicles 17:10 describes the fear of the Lord falling on surrounding kingdoms, preventing them from making war against Jehoshaphat, which parallels Exodus 23:27 where God promises to send His terror ahead of Israel to dismay their enemies.

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