1
“You shall not spread a false report; you shall not join with the wicked by being a false witness.
2
You shall not follow the crowd to do evil, and in giving testimony in a case, you shall not go along with the crowd so as to pervert justice.
3
You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his case.
4
If you see your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him.
5
If you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden, you shall not leave him alone; you shall surely help him with it.
6
You shall not deny justice to your poor among you in his case.
7
Keep far from a false matter. Do not kill the innocent and the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8
You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
9
You shall not oppress a foreigner, for you know the heart of a foreigner, since you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
10
For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,
11
but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat; and what they leave, the wild animals shall eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
12
For six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your female servant and the foreigner may be refreshed.
13
In all that I have said to you, be careful; make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth.”
14
“Three times in the year you shall hold a feast to Me.
15
You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out from Egypt. But no one shall appear before Me empty-handed.
16
You shall also keep the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labor from what you sow in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your labor from the field.
17
Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.”
18
You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened, and the fat of My feast shall not remain overnight until morning.
19
The best of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
20
“Behold, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
21
Take heed before him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.
22
But if you indeed listen to his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and oppose those who oppose you.
23
For My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
24
You shall not bow down to their gods or serve them, and you shall not follow their practices, but you shall utterly destroy their carved images, and you shall completely break down their sacred pillars.
25
You shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
26
No woman in your land shall miscarry or be barren. I will fulfill the number of your days.
27
I will send My terror ahead of you: I will throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs and flee from you.
28
I will also send the hornet ahead of you, so that it will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
29
I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.
30
Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
31
I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out from before you.
32
You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33
They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me by serving their gods, for that will surely be a snare to you.”
⚖️🌾🕊️ Summary of Exodus 23 – Justice, Festivals, and the Promise of God’s Presence
Exodus 23 contains further laws concerning social justice, the seventh year and the seventh day, three annual festivals, and the promise of God’s presence as Israel journeys toward the Promised Land.
1. Laws of Justice and Social Conduct (verses 1–9)
- Prohibition against spreading false reports, bearing false witness, and following the crowd to do evil.
- Justice must not be partial—whether toward the rich or the poor.
- If one finds an enemy’s stray donkey, it must be returned.
- One must not oppress the foreigner, for Israel also once was a foreigner in Egypt.
2. The Seventh Year and the Seventh Day (verses 10–13)
- Every seventh year, the land must be left to rest (a sabbath year), and its produce may be eaten by the poor and by wild animals.
- The seventh day (Sabbath) is a day of rest for people and livestock.
- It is forbidden to mention the name of other gods—the Lord requires complete loyalty.
3. The Three Feasts (verses 14–19)
- The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover)
- The Feast of the First Harvest (Pentecost)
- The Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Booths)
Every Israelite man must appear before the Lord three times a year. - The blood of a sacrifice must not be offered with leavened bread, and the fat of the sacrifice must not be left overnight.
- The firstfruits of the harvest must be offered to the Lord.
- Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk (a prohibition of certain customs—symbolizing separation from pagan practices).
4. The Promise of the Lord’s Presence and His Angel (verses 20–33)
- The Lord promises to send an angel before Israel, to guard them and bring them to the Promised Land.
- Israel is called to complete obedience, not to worship other gods.
- The Lord will drive out the enemies little by little, so that the land can be managed well.
- They must not make a covenant with the native inhabitants, lest they be trapped in idolatry.
📖 Main Lessons
- Justice must be applied without partiality, both to the weak and to the strong.
- Social righteousness is shown in concrete actions—including toward enemies and strangers.
- The Lord desires rest and relief in human life and in His creation.
- Feasts are moments of thanksgiving and corporate worship, not merely tradition.
- The Lord’s presence is not automatic, but calls for obedience.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Justice in the Bible is not only legal, but full of mercy and integrity.
- The Sabbath and the sabbatical year are symbols of relief, dependence on God, and rest that restores.
- The feasts draw the people closer to God and strengthen their spiritual identity as a chosen people.
- The promise that God will drive out the enemies little by little teaches that spiritual growth and victory are a process.
- The prohibition against compromise with the pagan nations is a warning against syncretism and compromise of faith.
