Exodus 23

Great(i) 1 Thou shalt not accept a vayne tale, nether shalt put thyne hande with the wyked to be an vuryghteous witnesse. 2 Thou shalt not folowe a multitude to do euell: nether answere in a matter of plee that thou woldest (to folowe many) turne asyde from the trueth, 3 nether shalt thou paynte a poore mans cause. 4 Yf thou mete thyne enemies oxe or asse goynge astraye, thou shalt brynge them to hym agayne. 5 If thou se thyne enemies asse synke vnder his burthen, thou shalt not passe by and let hym alone: but shalt helpe hym to lyfte hym vp agayne. 6 Thou shalt not bynder the ryghte of thy poore, in theyr sute. 7 Kepe the ferre from a false mater, and the Innocent & ryghteous se thou sley not, for I will not iustifye the wyked. 8 Thou shalt take no gyftes, for gyftes blynde the seynge, and peruerte the wordes of the ryghteous. 9 Thou shalt not oppresse a straunger, for ye knowe the herte of a straunger, seinge ye were straungers in the londe of Egypte. 10 Syxe yeres thou shalt sowe thy lande, and gather in the frutes therof: 11 and the seuenth yere thou shalt let it rest and lye still, that the poore of thy people maye eate: & what they leaue, the beastes of the feld shall eate. In lyke maner thou shalt do also with thy vineyarde and thyne olyue trees. 12 Syxe dayes thou shalt do thy worcke, and in the seuenth daye thou shalt rest, that thyne oxe and thyne asse maye rest, and the sonne of thy mayde and the straunger maye be refreshed. 13 In all thynges that I haue sayde vnto you, be circumspecte. And make no rehersall of the names of straunge goddes nether let it be hearde out of thy mouth 14 Thre feastes thou shalt holde vnto me in a yere. 15 Thou shalt kepe the feaste of swete bread, that thou eate vnleuend bread seuen dayes longe as I commaunded the, in the tyme of the moneth whan corne beginneth to ripe, for in that moneth ye came oute of Egypte: and se that no man appeare before me emptye. 16 And the feaste of Heruest, when thou reapest the fyrst frutes of thy laboures, which thou hast sowne in the felde. And the feast of ingatheryng, which is in the ende of the yere: when thou hast gathered in thy laboures out of the felde. 17 Thre tymes in a yere shall all thy men chyldren appeare before the Lord God. 18 Thou shalt not offer the bloude of my sacrifyce vpon leuended bread: nether shal the fatt of my feast remayne vntyll the mornynge. 19 The fyrst of the fyrst frutes of thy lande thou shalt brynge into the house of the Lord thy God thou shalt also not seth a kydd in hys mothers mylke. 20 Beholde, I sende an Angell before the, to kepe the in the waye, and to brynge the into the place which I haue prepared. 21 Beware of hym, and heare his voyce, and resyst hym not: for he wyll not spare youre mysdedes & my name is in hym. 22 But and yf thou shalt herken vnto his voyce, & do all that I speake, I wylbe an enemye vnto thyne enemyes, and an aduersarye vnto thyne aduersaryes. 23 For myne Angell shall go before the, and brynge the in vnto the Amorites, and Hethites, & Pherezites, and Cananites, Heuites, & Iebusites, and I shall destroye them. 24 Thou shalt not worshyppe theyr goddes, nether serue them, nether do after the workes of them: but ouerthrowe them, and breake doune the ymages of them. 25 And ye shall serue the Lorde youre God, and he shall blesse thy bread & thy water, and I will take all sycknesse awaye from the myddes of the. 26 There shalbe no woman childlesse or vnfrutefull in thy lande: the nombre of thy dayes wyll I fulfyll. 27 I wyll sende my feare before the, and wyll trouble all the people whether thou shalt go. And I will make all thine enemyes turne theyr backes vnto the, 28 and I wyll sende hornettes before the, which shall dryue out the Heuites, the Cananites, and the Hethites before the. 29 Neuertheles I wyll not cast them oute in one yere, lest the lande growe to a wyldernesse: and the beastes of the felde multiplie agaynst the. 30 By lytle and lytle I will dryue them oute before the, vntyll thou be increased, & enheret the lande. 31 And I wyll make thy costes from the redd see vnto the see of the Philistines, and from the deserte vnto the ryuer. For I wyll delyuer the inhabyters of the lande into thyne hande, and thou shalt dryue them oute before the. 32 Thou shalt make none appoyntement with them, nor with theyr goddes. 33 Nether let them dwell in thy lande, lest they make the synne against me: for yf thou serue theyr goddes, it wyll be thy decaye.