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16 ¶ Keep the month of the new fruit, {Heb. of Abib} and thou shalt do the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in the month of the new fruit the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

Thou shalt, therefore, sacrifice the passover unto the LORD thy God, of the sheep and the cows, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause his name to dwell therein.

Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou didst come forth out of the land of Egypt in haste; that thou may remember the day when thou didst come forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

And there shall be no leavened bread seen in thee within all thy borders for seven days; neither shall any of the flesh which thou didst sacrifice the evening of the first day remain all night until the morning.

Thou may not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates (or within any of thy towns) which the LORD thy God gives thee

but at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause his name to dwell in; there thou shalt sacrifice the passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time when thou came forth out of Egypt.

And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, and thou shalt turn in the morning and return unto thy tabernacles.

Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day shall be a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work in this.

Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou shalt begin to put the sickle to the grain.

10 And thou shalt do the solemn feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God; out of the voluntary abundance of thy hand thou shalt give, according as the LORD thy God has blessed thee.

11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy manslave and thy maidslave and the Levite that is within thy gates and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God has chosen to place his name there.

12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a slave in Egypt; therefore thou shalt keep and do these statutes.

13 Thou shalt observe the solemn feast of the tabernacles seven days after thou hast gathered in the harvest of thy threshing floor and thy winepress.

14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy solemn feast, thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy manslave and thy maidslave and the Levite and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, that are within thy gates (or within thy towns).

15 Seven days shalt thou celebrate a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose; because the LORD thy God shall have blessed thee in all thy fruits and in all the works of thine hands, therefore, thou shalt truly be glad.

16 Three times each year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the solemn feast of unleavened bread and in the solemn feast of weeks and in the solemn feast of the tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty,

17 Each man with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God, which he shall have given thee.

18 ¶ Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all the gates of thy cities, which the LORD thy God shall give thee throughout thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just (and righteous) judgment.

19 Thou shalt not twist that which is right; thou shalt not respect persons neither take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

20 Thou shalt follow justice and righteousness, that thou may live and inherit the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.

21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image, which the LORD thy God hates.

The Passover(A)

16 Observe the month of Aviv(B) and celebrate the Passover(C) of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.(D) Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,(E) because you left Egypt in haste(F)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.(G) Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening(H) of the first day remain until morning.(I)

You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a](J) of your departure from Egypt. Roast(K) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly(L) to the Lord your God and do no work.(M)

The Festival of Weeks(N)

Count off seven weeks(O) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.(P) 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice(Q) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name(R)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites(S) in your towns, and the foreigners,(T) the fatherless and the widows living among you.(U) 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,(V) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles(W)

13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor(X) and your winepress.(Y) 14 Be joyful(Z) at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy(AA) will be complete.

16 Three times a year all your men must appear(AB) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(AC) the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.(AD) No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:(AE) 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Judges

18 Appoint judges(AF) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(AG) 19 Do not pervert justice(AH) or show partiality.(AI) Do not accept a bribe,(AJ) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Worshiping Other Gods

21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole(AK) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,(AL) 22 and do not erect a sacred stone,(AM) for these the Lord your God hates.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:6 Or down, at the time of day