Justice and Fairness
1 “Do not spread false rumors, and do not help a guilty person by giving false testimony. 2 Do not follow the majority when they do wrong or when they give testimony that perverts justice. 3 Do not show partiality to a poor person at his trial.
4 “If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey running loose, take it back to him. 5 If his donkey has fallen under its load, help him get the donkey to its feet again; don't just walk off.
6 “Do not deny justice to a poor person when he appears in court. 7 Do not make false accusations, and do not put an innocent person to death, for I will condemn anyone who does such an evil thing. 8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe makes people blind to what is right and ruins the cause of those who are innocent.
9 “Do not mistreat a foreigner; you know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
The Seventh Year and the Seventh Day
10 “For six years plant your land and gather in what it produces. 11 But in the seventh year let it rest, and do not harvest anything that grows on it. The poor may eat what grows there, and the wild animals can have what is left. Do the same with your vineyards and your olive trees.
12 “Work six days a week, but do no work on the seventh day, so that your slaves and the foreigners who work for you and even your animals can rest.
13 “Listen to everything that I, the Lord, have said to you. Do not pray to other gods; do not even mention their names.
The Three Great Festivals
(Exodus 34.18-26Deuteronomy 16.1-17)14 “Celebrate three festivals a year to honor me. 15 In the month of Abib, the month in which you left Egypt, celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the way that I commanded you. Do not eat any bread made with yeast during the seven days of this festival. Never come to worship me without bringing an offering.
16 “Celebrate the Harvest Festival when you begin to harvest your crops.
“Celebrate the Festival of Shelters in the autumn, when you gather the fruit from your vineyards and orchards. 17 Every year at these three festivals all your men must come to worship me, the Lord your God.
18 “Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. The fat of animals sacrificed to me during these festivals is not to be left until the following morning.
19 “Each year bring to the house of the Lord your God the first grain that you harvest.
“Do not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother's milk.
Promises and Instructions
20 “I will send an angel ahead of you to protect you as you travel and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and obey him. Do not rebel against him, for I have sent him, and he will not pardon such rebellion. 22 But if you obey him and do everything I command, I will fight against all your enemies. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them. 24 Do not bow down to their gods or worship them, and do not adopt their religious practices. Destroy their gods and break down their sacred stone pillars. 25 If you worship me, the Lord your God, I will bless you with food and water and take away all your sicknesses. 26 In your land no woman will have a miscarriage or be without children. I will give you long lives.
27 “I will make the people who oppose you afraid of me; I will bring confusion among the people against whom you fight, and I will make all your enemies turn and run from you. 28 I will throw your enemies into panic; I will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites as you advance. 29 I will not drive them out within a year's time; if I did, the land would become deserted, and the wild animals would be too many for you. 30 Instead, I will drive them out little by little, until there are enough of you to take possession of the land. 31 I will make the borders of your land extend from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Mediterranean Sea and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give you power over the inhabitants of the land, and you will drive them out as you advance. 32 Do not make any agreement with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let those people live in your country; if you do, they will make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will be a fatal trap for you.”
Likumi par taisnīgumu un žēlsirdību
1 Nebaumo! Necel zvērestā roku kopā ar ļaundari, kļūdams par viltus liecinieku!
2 Neskrien pakaļ visiem citiem, darīdams ļaunu, un nesniedz liecību tiesā, sagrozīdams patiesību kā daudzi! 3 Pat nabaga pusē nestājies tiesā netaisni.
4 Ja satiec nomaldījušos sava ienaidnieka vērsi vai ēzeli, aizved to viņam atpakaļ.
5 Ja redzi ēzeli, kas pieder tam, kas tevi nīst, guļam pakritušu zem jūga – nepamet to, atbrīvo viņu!
6 Nesagrozi nabaga tiesu, kad tas tiesājas! 7 Turies tālu no melu vārdiem, neslepkavo nevainīgo un taisnīgo – es ļaundari neattaisnošu! 8 Neņem kukuli, jo kukulis dara ierēdņus aklus un sagroza taisnīgas lietas! 9 Un svešinieku neapspied – jūs zināt, kā svešiniekam iet, jo paši bijāt svešinieki Ēģiptes zemē!
Sabata gads un sabats
10 Sešus gadus apsēj savu zemi un ievāc tās ražu. 11 Bet septītajā gadā atstāj to nelietotu un ļauj tai atpūsties, lai paēd tavas tautas nabagi, un to, kas tiem paliks pāri, lai ēd lauka zvēri, – tāpat dari ar savu vīnadārzu un olīvkokiem. 12 Sešas dienas dari savus darbus, bet septītajā dienā atpūties. Lai atpūšas tavs vērsis un ēzelis, lai atvelk elpu tavas verdzenes dēls un svešinieks. 13 Ievērojiet visu, ko es jums saku! Un citu dievu vārdus nepieminiet! Lai tos nedzird no jūsu mutes!
Trīs gadskārtējie svētki
(2Moz 34:18–265Moz 16:1–17)14 Trīs reizes gadā sviniet man svētkus! 15 Neraudzētās maizes svētki lai jums ir septiņas dienas. Ēd neraudzētu maizi, kā es tev pavēlēju – noliktajā laikā, abība mēnesī, jo tad tu iznāci no Ēģiptes. Nevienu manā priekšā lai neredz tukšā! 16 Un sviniet Pļaujas svētkus – par pirmajiem augļiem no tā, ko tu sēji laukā. Un Ražas svētkus, gadam aizejot, kad tu novāc no lauka sava darba augļus. 17 Trīs reizes gadā visi tavi vīri lai nāk Dieva Kunga priekšā! 18 Neupurē mana upura asinis ar raudzētu. Un lai nepaliek manu svētku treknums līdz rītam! 19 Pirmos no tavas zemes pirmajiem augļiem pienes Kunga, tava Dieva, namam. Nevāri kazlēnu viņa mātes pienā!
Apsolījums par zemes iekarošanu
20 Redzi, es sūtu eņģeli tev pa priekšu, lai tas tevi sargā ceļā un aizved tevi uz vietu, ko es esmu sagatavojis. 21 Pakļaujies un klausi viņam, nedumpo pret viņu, jo jūsu pārkāpumus viņš nepiedos – mans vārds ir pie viņa! 22 Ja tu viņu klausīt klausīsi un darīsi visu, ko es saku, tad es būšu ienaidnieks taviem ienaidniekiem un pretinieks taviem pretiniekiem! 23 Mans eņģelis ies tev pa priekšu un aizvedīs tevi pie amoriešiem, hetiešiem, periziešiem, kanaāniešiem, hiviešiem un jebūsiešiem, un tad es tos izdeldēšu! 24 Nezemojieties viņu dieviem, nevergojiet tiem un nedariet, kā viņi dara, bet gan plēstin noplēsiet un grautin sagraujiet viņu elku stabus. 25 Kalpojiet Kungam, savam Dievam, un viņš svētīs jūsu maizi un ūdeni, un es jums noņemšu visas kaites. 26 Tavā zemē nebūs izmetušos un neauglīgu sievu. Tavu dienu skaitu es piepildīšu!
27 Savas šausmas es sūtīšu tev pa priekšu un apstulbošu visas tautas, pret kurām tu ej. Es darīšu, ka visi tavi ienaidnieki griezīs tev muguru! 28 Es sūtīšu sirseņus tev pa priekšu, tie padzīs tavā priekšā hiviešus, kanaāniešus un jebūsiešus. 29 Vienā gadā es nepadzīšu tos tavā priekšā, ka tā zeme netop izdeldēta un tev tur nesavairojas lauka zvēri! 30 Pamazām, pamazām vien es viņus padzīšu tavā priekšā, kamēr tu būsi savairojies un apguvis zemi. 31 Es nolikšu tavas robežas no Niedru jūras līdz Filistiešu jūrai un no tuksneša līdz Upei , jo es jums atdošu tās zemes iemītniekus, un tu padzīsi viņus. 32 Neslēdz derību ne ar viņiem, ne ar viņu dieviem! 33 Tie nedzīvos tavā zemē, ka tie neapgrēcina tevi pret mani. Ja tu kalposi viņu dieviem, tas tev kļūs par lamatām!”
