top Exodus ch 23
Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
Chapter 23
Various Laws
1 Οὐ παραδέξῃ ἀκοὴν ματαίαν. οὐ συγκαταθήσῃ μετὰ τοῦ ἀδίκου γενέσθαι μάρτυς ἄδικος. 2 οὐκ ἔσῃ μετὰ πλειόνων ἐπὶ κακίᾳ. οὐ προστεθήσῃ μετὰ πλήθους ἐκκλῖναι μετὰ πλειόνων ὥστε ἐκκλῖναι κρίσιν. 3 καὶ πένητα οὐκ ἐλεήσεις ἐν κρίσει. 4 ἐὰν δὲ συναντήσῃς τῷ βοὶ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου ἢ τῷ ὑποζυγίῳ αὐτοῦ πλανωμένοις, ἀποστρέψας ἀποδώσεις αὐτῷ. 5 ἐὰν δὲ ἴδῃς τὸ ὑποζύγιον τοῦ ἐχθροῦ σου πεπτωκὸς ὑπὸ τὸν γόμον αὐτοῦ, οὐ παρελεύσῃ αὐτό ἀλλὰ συνεγερεῖς αὐτὸ μετ' αὐτοῦ. 1 You shall not accept a false report. You shall not join hands with the unrighteous to become an unjust witness. 2 You shall not follow a majority to do evil. You shall not turn aside with a crowd so as to pervert justice. 3 Nor shall you show favoritism to a poor man in his trial. 4 If you meet your enemy’s ox or his beast of burden wandering, you shall surely turn it back and return it to him. 5 If you see the beast of burden of your enemy fallen under its load, you shall not pass by it, but you shall help him raise it up.
Integrity in the Court and Treatment of Strangers
6 οὐ διαστρέψεις κρίμα πένητος ἐν κρίσει αὐτοῦ. 7 ἀπὸ παντὸς ῥήματος ἀδίκου ἀποστήσῃ· ἀθῷον καὶ δίκαιον οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖς καὶ οὐ δικαιώσεις τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων. 8 καὶ δῶρα οὐ λήμψῃ· τὰ γὰρ δῶρα ἐκτυφλοῖ ὀφθαλμοὺς βλεπόντων καὶ λυμαίνεται ῥήματα δίκαια. 9 καὶ προσήλυτον οὐ θλίψετε· ὑμεῖς γὰρ οἴδατε τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ προσηλύτου· αὐτοὶ γὰρ προσήλυτοι ἦτε ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ. 6 You shall not pervert the judgment of the poor in his trial. 7 Keep far away from every unrighteous word; you shall not kill the innocent and the righteous, and you shall not justify the ungodly for the sake of gifts. 8 And you shall not take bribes; for bribes blind the eyes of those who see and ruin righteous words. 9 And you shall not oppress a stranger; for you know the heart of a stranger, since you yourselves were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Sabbath Year and the Sabbath Day
10 ἓξ ἔτη σπερεῖς τὴν γῆν σου καὶ συνάξεις τὰ γενήματα αὐτῆς· 11 τῷ δὲ ἑβδόμῳ ἄφεσιν ποιήσεις καὶ ἀνήσεις αὐτήν, καὶ ἔδονται οἱ πτωχοὶ τοῦ ἔθνους σου, τὰ δὲ ὑπολειπόμενα ἔδεται τὰ ἄγρια θηρία. οὕτως ποιήσεις τὸν ἀμπελῶνά σου καὶ τὸν ἐλαιῶνά σου. 12 ἓξ ἡμέρας ποιήσεις τὰ ἔργα σου, τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀνάπαυσις, ἵνα ἀναπαύσηται ὁ βοῦς σου καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιόν σου, καὶ ἵνα ἀναψύξῃ ὁ υἱὸς τῆς παιδίσκης σου καὶ ὁ προσήλυτος. 13 πάντα, ὅσα εἴρηκα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, φυλάξασθε. καὶ ὄνομα θεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναμνησθήσεσθε, οὐδὲ μὴ ἀκουσθῇ ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. 10 For six years you shall sow your land and gather its produce, 11 but in the seventh year you shall grant it a release and let it rest, so that the poor of your nation may eat, and what they leave over the wild beasts shall eat. You shall do the same for your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day there shall be rest, so that your ox and your beast of burden may rest, and the son of your maidservant and the stranger may be refreshed. 13 Guard everything I have said to you. You shall not mention the name of other gods, nor shall it be heard from your mouth.
Three Annual Feasts
14 τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἑορτάσατέ μοι. 15 τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν ἀζύμων φυλάξασθε ποιεῖν· ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἔδεσθε ἄζυμα, καθάπερ ἐνετειλάμην σοι, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ μηνὸς τῶν νέων· ἐν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐξῆλθες ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός. 16 καὶ ἑορτὴν θερισμοῦ πρωτογενημάτων ποιήσεις τῶν ἔργων σου, ὧν ἐὰν σπείρῃς ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ σου, καὶ ἑορτὴν συντελείας ἐπ' ἐξόδου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ τῶν ἔργων σου τῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἀγροῦ σου. 17 τρεῖς καιροὺς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικόν σου ἐνώπιον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου. 18 ὅταν γὰρ ἐκβάλω ἔθνη ἀπὸ προσώπου σου καὶ ἐμπλατύνω τὰ ὅριά σου, οὐ θύσεις ἐπὶ ζύμῃ αἷμα θυσιάσματός μου, οὐδὲ μὴ κοιμηθῇ στέαρ τῆς ἑορτῆς μου ἕως πρωί. 19 τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τῶν πρωτογενημάτων τῆς γῆς σου εἰσοίσεις εἰς τὸν οἶκον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου. οὐχ ἑψήσεις ἄρνα ἐν γάλακτι μητρὸς αὐτοῦ. 14 Three times a year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, just as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of new grain, for in it you came out of Egypt. You shall not appear before me empty-handed. 16 And you shall observe the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labors, whatever you sow in your field; and the Feast of Completion at the end of the year, in the gathering of your labors from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God. 18 For when I cast out nations from before your face and enlarge your borders, you shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall the fat of my feast remain until morning. 19 You shall bring the first of the firstfruits of your land into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a lamb in its mother’s milk.
The Angel and the Conquest of the Land
20 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν μου πρὸ προσώπου σου, ἵνα φυλάξῃ σὲ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ὅπως εἰσαγάγῃ σὲ εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἡτοίμασά σοι. 21 πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ καὶ εἰσάκουε αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ ἀπείθει αὐτῷ· οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑποστείληταί σε, τὸ γὰρ ὄνομά μού ἐστιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ 22 ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς καὶ ποιήσῃς πάντα, ὅσα ἄν ἐντείλωμαί σοι, καὶ φυλάξητε τὴν διαθήκην μου, ἔσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν· ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον. ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε τῆς φωνῆς μου καὶ ποιήσῃς πάντα, ὅσα ἄν εἴπω σοι, ἐχθρεύσω τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου καὶ ἀντικείσομαι τοῖς ἀντικειμένοις σοι. 20 And behold, I send my Angel before your face, to guard you on the way, so that he may lead you into the land which I have prepared for you. 21 Pay attention to yourself, listen to him, and do not disobey him; for he will not yield to you, for my name is upon him. 22 If you indeed listen to my voice and do all that I command you, and if you keep my covenant, you shall be a special people to me above all nations; for all the earth is mine, but you shall be to me a royal priesthood and a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the children of Israel: If you indeed listen to my voice and do all that I say to you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 πορεύσεται γὰρ ὁ ἄγγελός μου ἡγούμενός σου καὶ εἰσάξει σὲ πρὸς τὸν Ἀμορραῖον καὶ Χετταῖον καὶ Φερεζαῖον καὶ Χαναναῖον καὶ Γεργεσαῖον καὶ Εὐαῖον καὶ Ἰεβουσαῖον, καὶ ἐκτρίψω αὐτούς. 24 οὐ προσκυνήσεις τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν οὐδὲ μὴ λατρεύσῃς αὐτοῖς· οὐ ποιήσεις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καθαιρέσει καθελεῖς καὶ συντρίβων συντρίψεις τὰς στήλας αὐτῶν. 25 καὶ λατρεύσεις κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ σου, καὶ εὐλογήσω τὸν ἄρτον σου καὶ τὸν οἶνόν σου καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ σου καὶ ἀποστρέψω μαλακίαν ἀφ' ὑμῶν. 26 οὐκ ἔσται ἄγονος οὐδὲ στεῖρα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς σου· τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν σου ἀναπληρώσω. 23 For my Angel will go as your leader and will lead you to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, and I will wipe them out. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them; you shall not do according to their works, but you shall utterly tear them down and completely break their sacred pillars. 25 And you shall serve the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread, your wine, and your water, and I will turn away sickness from you. 26 There shall not be one who miscarries or is barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
Boundaries and Warnings
27 καὶ τὸν φόβον ἀποστελῶ ἡγούμενόν σου καὶ ἐκστήσω πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, εἰς οὓς σὺ εἰσπορεύῃ εἰς αὐτούς, καὶ δώσω πάντας τοὺς ὑπεναντίους σου φυγάδας. 28 καὶ ἀποστελῶ τὰς σφηκίας προτέρας σου, καὶ ἐκβαλεῖ τοὺς Ἀμορραίους καὶ τοὺς Εὐαίους καὶ τοὺς Χαναναίους καὶ τοὺς Χετταίους ἀπὸ σοῦ. 29 οὐκ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν ἐνιαυτῷ ἑνί, ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ γῆ ἔρημος καὶ πολλὰ γένηται ἐπὶ σὲ τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς· 30 κατὰ μικρὸν μικρὸν ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἕως ἄν αὐξηθῇς καὶ κληρονομήσῃς τὴν γῆν. 27 And I will send my fear as your leader, and I will throw into confusion all the nations to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies flee. 28 And I will send hornets before you, and they shall drive out the Amorites, the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out in a single year, lest the land become a desert and the wild beasts of the earth become too many for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.
31 καὶ θήσω τὰ ὅριά σου ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης ἕως τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Φυλιστιὶμ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου ἕως τοῦ μεγάλου ποταμοῦ Εὐφράτου· καὶ παραδώσω εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν τοὺς ἐγκαθημένους ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ ἐκβαλῶ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ σου. 32 οὐ συγκαταθήσῃ αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν διαθήκην, 33 καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαθήσονται ἐν τῇ γῇ σου, ἵνα μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν σὲ ποιήσωσιν πρός με· ἐὰν γὰρ δουλεύσῃς τοῖς θεοῖς αὐτῶν, οὗτοι ἔσονταί σοί πρόσκομμα. 31 And I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the great river Euphrates; and I will deliver into your hands those dwelling in the land, and I will drive them out from before you. 32 You shall not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, these will be a stumbling block to you.
"Vain Report" (v. 1): The Greek ἀκοὴν ματαίαν refers to baseless rumors or "empty hearing." This warns against the social sin of spreading unverified information that can destroy a person's reputation.

"Show partiality to the poor" (v. 3): This is a unique ethical command. While the law usually protects the poor, here it warns against "reverse bias." Justice must be blind to social status; a poor man should not win a case simply because the judge feels pity for him.

"Refreshed" (v. 12): The Greek ἀναψύξῃ (from anapsychō) literally means "to catch one's breath" or "to be cooled off." It beautifully depicts the Sabbath not as a legalistic burden, but as a "breather" for the weary.

"Special People / Royal Priesthood" (v. 22): The LXX repeats the high-calling language of Exodus 19. It links the successful conquest of the land directly to Israel's identity as God's unique treasure and a kingdom of priests.

"Wine and Water" (v. 25): Interestingly, the LXX adds οἶνόν (wine) to the blessing of bread and water found in the Hebrew. This reflects the Mediterranean "triad" of diet (grain, wine, oil) and signifies a complete blessing of the land's produce.

"Hornets" (v. 28): The Greek σφηκίας (hornets/wasps) might be literal or metaphorical for a divine panic. In antiquity, swarms of insects were known to force entire populations to relocate, serving as a "biological" vanguard for Israel.

"Stumbling block" (v. 33): The Greek πρόσκομμα is the same word used in the New Testament (e.g., Romans 14:13). It refers to a stone in the path that causes one to trip. Idolatry is presented not just as a religious error, but as a practical hazard that causes the nation to fall.