16 The month Abib is a special month for you. [ b ] In this month, you must eat a meal to remember the Passover. Remember what the Lord your God did for you. In that month, he brought you out of Egypt during the night. 2 You must go to the special place that the Lord will choose for his people to worship him. There you must kill one of your animals as a sacrifice to remember the Passover. You may kill one of your cows or sheep. 3 At this feast, eat bread that you make without any yeast. For seven days, you must eat bread that you make without yeast. You ate that kind of bread when you had much trouble in Egypt. You had to leave Egypt in a hurry that night. You must eat that bread each year. Then you will always remember the day when you left Egypt. 4 During those seven days, no one may keep any yeast in their house. There must not be any yeast in the whole land. On the first day, you will kill your animal to eat in the evening. You must eat all the meat that same night, so that there is no meat left in the morning.
5 You must not kill the animal for the Passover sacrifice in any of the towns that the Lord your God gives to you. 6 You must go to the place that he will choose as his special home. You must kill the animal there, at sunset. That was the time of day when you came out of Egypt. 7 Cook the meat and eat it in the place that the Lord your God will choose. The next morning, you may return to your tents. 8 For the next six days, you must eat bread that you make without yeast. On the seventh day, you must all come together to worship the Lord your God. You must not do any work on that day.
9 Count seven weeks from the first day that you bring in crops of grain from your fields. 10 Then eat the Feast of Weeks to worship the Lord your God. Bring the gifts that you want to offer to him. Bring gifts that show how much he has blessed you. 11 You and your family will be happy to worship the Lord your God, at the special place that he chooses. Enjoy time together with your children, your servants and the Levites who live in your town. Also join with the foreign people who live among you, with widows, and children who have no family. Worship God happily together. 12 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt. So be careful to obey these commands.
13 When you have prepared the grain and the grapes from your fields, eat the Feast of Huts for seven days. 14 Enjoy your feast with your children, your servants and the Levites. Join with the foreign people who live among you, and also with the widows and the children who have no family. 15 Eat this feast to worship the Lord your God at the special place that he chooses. Do it for seven days. He will bless you in everything that you do, so that you grow plenty of food. So you should all enjoy this feast!
16 Three times in every year, all your men must go to the place that the Lord your God will choose. They must go there for the Passover festival, the festival of Weeks and the festival of Huts. Each man must bring with him gifts to offer to the Lord . 17 Give to the Lord as much as you are able to. Your gifts may be large or small, as much as the Lord has blessed you.
18 Each tribe must choose judges and officers in every town that the Lord gives you. They must judge the people in a way that is fair. 19 Judges must do what is right for every person, rich or poor. They must not accept any bribes. A bribe may hide the truth even from a wise man. It can make honest people tell lies. 20 Make sure that there is justice for everyone in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. Then the land will belong to you and you will enjoy life in it.
21 When you build an altar to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God, do not put any Asherah pole there. 22 Do not put up any stone pillar as an idol. The Lord your God hates everything like that. [ e ]
16 “Remember, in the month of Abib you must celebrate Passover to honor the Lord your God. It was that night in Abib when the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt. 2 You must go to the place the Lord your God will choose to be the home for his name. There you must offer the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord . You must offer the cattle and goats. 3 Don’t eat bread that has yeast in it with this sacrifice. You must eat unleavened bread for seven days. This bread is called ‘Bread of Trouble.’ It will help you remember the troubles you had in Egypt. Remember how quickly you had to leave that country. You must remember that day as long as you live. 4 There must be no yeast in anyone’s house anywhere in the country for seven days. And all the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day must be eaten before morning.
5 “You must not sacrifice the Passover animal in any of the towns that the Lord your God gives you. 6 You must sacrifice the Passover animal only at the place that the Lord your God will choose to be the home for his name. There you must sacrifice the Passover animal in the evening when the sun goes down. This is the festival when you remember that God brought you out of Egypt. 7 You must cook the meal and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. The next morning you may go back home. 8 You must eat unleavened bread six days. On the seventh day you must not do any work. On this day the people will come together for a special meeting to honor the Lord your God.
9 “You must count seven weeks from the time you begin to harvest the grain. 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Harvest for the Lord your God. Do this by bringing him some special gift you want to bring. Decide how much to give by thinking about how much the Lord your God has blessed you. 11 Go to the place the Lord will choose to be the home for his name. You and your people should enjoy yourselves together there with the Lord your God. Take all your people with you—your sons, your daughters, and all your servants. And take the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows living in your towns. 12 Remember, you were slaves in Egypt. So be sure to obey these laws.
13 “Seven days after you have gathered your harvest in from your threshing floor and from your winepress, you should celebrate the Festival of Shelters. 14 Enjoy yourselves at this festival—you, your sons, your daughters, all your servants, and the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows living in your towns. 15 Celebrate this festival for seven days at the special place the Lord will choose. Do this to honor the Lord your God. The Lord your God blessed your harvest and all the work you did, so be very happy!
16 “Three times a year all your men must come to meet with the Lord your God at the special place he will choose. They must come for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. Everyone who comes to meet with the Lord must bring a gift. 17 Each man should give as much as he can. He should decide how much to give by thinking about how much the Lord has given him.
18 “Choose men to be judges and officers in every town that the Lord your God gives you. Every tribe must do this. And these men must be fair in judging the people. 19 You must always be fair. You must not favor some people over other people. You must not take money to change your mind in judgment. Money blinds the eyes of wise people and changes what a good person will say. 20 Goodness and Fairness! You must try very hard to be good and fair all the time. Then you will live and keep the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
21 “When you set up an altar for the Lord your God, you must not place beside the altar any of the wooden poles that honor the goddess Asherah. 22 You must not set up special stones for worshiping false gods. The Lord your God hates them.
16 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 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 go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
11 And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, 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 hath chosen to place his name there.
12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth 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 hateth.
16 “Observe ( A ) the month of Abib and [ a ] ( B ) celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. 3 ( C ) You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt ( D ) all the days of your life. 4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in your entire territory, and ( E ) none of the meat which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall be left overnight until the morning. 5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your [ b ] towns which the Lord your God is giving you; 6 but only ( F ) at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. 7 You shall ( G ) cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents. 8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and ( H ) on the seventh day there shall be ( I ) a festive assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it .
9 “ ( J ) You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall [ c ] celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a [ d ] voluntary offering of your hand in a proportional amount, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall ( K ) rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and ( L ) the Levite who is in your [ e ] town, and ( M ) the stranger, the [ f ] orphan, and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 ( N ) You shall also remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful and [ g ] comply with these statutes.
13 “ ( O ) You shall [ h ] celebrate the Feast of [ i ] Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall ( P ) rejoice in your feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the [ j ] orphan, and the widow who are in your [ k ] towns. 15 For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.
16 “ ( Q ) Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and ( R ) they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Everyone [ l ] shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.
18 “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your [ m ] towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 ( S ) You shall not distort justice, ( T ) you shall not [ n ] show partiality; and ( U ) you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that ( V ) you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
21 “ ( W ) You shall not plant for yourself an [ o ] Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 And ( X ) you shall not set up for yourself a memorial stone, which the Lord your God hates.
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. 2 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 ) 3 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 ) 4 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 )
5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you 6 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. 7 Roast ( K ) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 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 )
9 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.
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.
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.
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.
