Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 318
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
23:6–24:1
the intended curse into a blessing because the Lord your God loves you.
As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of
the Ammonites or Moabites.
“Do not detest the Edomites or the Egyptians, because the Edomites
are your relatives and you lived as foreigners among the Egyptians. The
third generation of Edomites and Egyptians may enter the assembly of
the Lord.
“When you go to war against your enemies, be sure to stay away from
anything that is impure.
“Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a nocturnal
emission must leave the camp and stay away all day. Toward evening he
must bathe himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.
“You must have a designated area outside the camp where you can go to
relieve yourself. Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment.
Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the
excrement. The camp must be holy, for the Lord your God moves around
in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see
any shameful thing among you, or he will turn away from you.
“If slaves should escape from their masters and take refuge with you, you
must not hand them over to their masters. Let them live among you in any
town they choose, and do not oppress them.
“No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute.
When you are bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring
to the house of the Lord your God any offering from the earnings of a
prostitute, whether a man or a woman, for both are detestable to the Lord
your God.
“Do not charge interest on the loans you make to a fellow Israelite,
whether you loan money, or food, or anything else. You may charge interest to foreigners, but you may not charge interest to Israelites, so that the
Lord your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are
about to enter and occupy.
“When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling
whatever you promised him. For the Lord your God demands that you
promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not
a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once you have voluntarily made a
vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the Lord your God.
“When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of
grapes, but you must not carry any away in a basket. And when you enter
your neighbor’s field of grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your
hand, but you must not harvest it with a sickle.
“Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having
