Open English Translation DEU Chapter 16

16 Each year, honour your god Yahweh in the early spring by celebrating the ‘pass-over’, because it was one night in the early spring that he brought you out of Egpyt (Heb. Mitsrayim).[ref] 2 In order to celebrate, go to the place that your god Yahweh will choose to attach his name to, and there sacrifice to him one young animal from your flock or herd. 3 Don’t eat any leavened bread with it. For seven days, you must eat flat bread (the bread of suffering) because you came out of Egypt in a rush. That’s how you should remember the day of your exit from Egypt for the rest of your life. 4 In fact, for seven days you shouldn’t even have any rising agent within your borders, and none of the meat from the sacrifice on that first evening is allowed to be left until the morning.

5 You mustn’t sacrifice the ‘pass-over’ animal within any of your towns that your god Yahweh is giving to you—6 only at the place that your god Yahweh will choose to attach his name to. That’s where you must sacrifice the ‘pass-over’ animal at sunset, which was the time when your ancestors started leaving Egypt. 7 You must cook the meat and eat it at the place that Yahweh will choose, then in the morning you can start returning to your homes. 8 Then for six days you must only eat flat bread, and the seventh day is a special celebration for your god Yahweh—don’t do any work on that day.

9 You must count off seven weeks starting from when the very first harvesting of grain begins.[ref] 10 Then celebrate the ‘Festival of Weeks’[fn] to honour your god Yahweh by contributing a freewill offering acknowledging however much he has blessed you. 11 You should celebrate in Yahweh’s presence, along with your children and your servants, and any Levites living in your town, and the foreigners, orphans, and widows living among you. Take your offerings to the place that your god Yahweh will choose to attach his name to. 12 Always remember that you were a slave in Egypt, so carefully follow those instructions.

13 After you’ve brought in the grain harvest and pressed out the grape juice, you must celebrate the ‘Festival of Shelters’ for seven days.[ref] 14 You should celebrate along with your children and your servants, as well as any Levites and foreigners and orphans and widows who live in your town. 15 Honour your god Yahweh at the place he’ll choose, by celebrating for seven days because he’s blessed your harvest and all your other work.

16 In summary, all your men must travel three times each year to the place that your god Yahweh will choose: at the Flat Bread Celebration, at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Shelters. No man should come empty-handed, 17 but rather, each man must give in proportion to the blessings that your god Yahweh has given you during that year.

18 You must appoint judges and other officials throughout your tribes, in all the towns that your god Yahweh is giving to you. They must judge the people fairly and correctly. 19 You mustn’t pervert justice or give favours. Don’t accept bribes because a bribe causes an otherwise wise person to ignore evil and misrepresents what innocent people say.[ref] 20 True justice is what you should aim for, so that you’ll occupy and live in the land that your god Yahweh is giving you.

21 Never put an Asherah pole near the altar to your god Yahweh that you’ll build for yourself,[ref] 22 and don’t erect any stone pillars that your god Yahweh hates.[ref]