Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 132
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
23:6-21
“In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.
“Be sure never to charge anyone falsely with evil. Never sentence an
innocent or blameless person to death, for I never declare a guilty person
to be innocent.
“Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly
see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.
“You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
“Plant and harvest your crops for six years, but let the land be renewed
and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you
harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat.
The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.
“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh
day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance
to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to
be refreshed.
“Pay close attention to all my instructions. You must not call on the
name of any other gods. Do not even speak their names.
“Each year you must celebrate three festivals in my honor. First, celebrate
the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must
be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival
annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for
that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt. No one may appear
before me without an offering.
“Second, celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring me the first
crops of your harvest.
“Finally, celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the
harvest season, when you have harvested all the crops from your fields.
At these three times each year, every man in Israel must appear before the
Sovereign, the Lord.
“You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any
baked goods containing yeast. And do not leave the fat from the festival
offerings until the next morning.
“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the
house of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and
lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention
to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my
