Deuteronomy 23

Exclusion From the Assembly

1 No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.

2 No one born of a forbidden marriage[b] nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation.

3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. 

4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim[c] to pronounce a curse on you.

5 However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. 

6 Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.

7 Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country. 

8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.

Uncleanness in the Camp

9 When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure. 

10 If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. 

11 But as evening approaches he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.

12 Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. 

13 As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. 

14 For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.

Miscellaneous Laws

15 If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand them over to their master.16 Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.

17 No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. 

18 You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute[d] into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both.

19 Do not charge a fellow Israelite interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. 

20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

21 If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lordyour God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 

22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 

23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 

25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to their standing grain.

Footnotes:

1. Deuteronomy 23:1 In Hebrew texts 23:1-25 is numbered 23:2-26.
2. Deuteronomy 23:2 Or one of illegitimate birth
3. Deuteronomy 23:4 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
4. Deuteronomy 23:18 Hebrew of a dog

Observation Questions

Who was forbidden to enter the assembly of the Lord? (verse 1)

What was said about those who are born of a forbidden marriage? (verse 2)

 What was said about the Ammonites and Moabites in verses 3-6?

What was said about the Edomites in verses 7-8?

What were the Israelites to do when encamped against their enemies? (verse 9)

Why were the Israelites to keep away from everything impure? (verse 9-14)

What was not to be done if a slave took refuge among the Israelites? (verse 15-16)

What is said about shine prostitution? (verse 17-18)

What was said about charging interest? (verse 19-20)

What was said about making a vow to the Lord? (verse 21-23)

24 If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not ___________________________. 

25 If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not _______________________________. - verses 24-25

Thoughts

When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from everything impure. - verse 

"No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation." Deuteronomy 23:3

During the time of the Judges when there was a famine, an Israelite family from Bethlehem – Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their sons Mahlon and Chilion – emigrated to the nearby country of Moab. Elimelech died, and the sons married two Moabite women: Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah.

Matthew 1:1-17 

 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

Perez the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

 Ram the father of Amminadab,

Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

 and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asa,

 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

 Uzziah the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amon,

Amon the father of Josiah,

 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

 After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

 Azor the father of Zadok,

Zadok the father of Akim,

Akim the father of Elihud,

 Elihud the father of Eleazar,

Eleazar the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.