Exodus 23

Exodus · Chapter 23

Exodus 23:21

1Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.2Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:3Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.4If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.5If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.6Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.7Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.8And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.9Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.10And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:11But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.12Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed.13And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.14Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.15Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)16And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.17Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the LORD God.18Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain until the morning.19The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk.20Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.22But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.23For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.24Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.25And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.26There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.27I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.28And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.29I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.31And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.32Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.33They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
21Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
take careהִשָּׁ֧מֶרhi-SHA-merH8104J
to keep: obey

שָׁמַר (sha.mar) : obey/observe 1) to keep, guard, observe, give heed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to keep, have charge of 1a2) to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life 1a2a) watch, watchman (participle) 1a3) to watch for, wait for 1a4) to watch, observe 1a5) to keep, retain, treasure up (in memory) 1a6) to keep (within bounds), restrain 1a7) to observe, celebrate, keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow) 1a8) to keep, preserve, protect 1a9) to keep, reserve 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be on one's guard, take heed, take care, beware 1b2) to keep oneself, refrain, abstain 1b3) to be kept, be guarded …

from before himמִפָּנָ֛יוmi-pa-NAVH6440G
face: before

פָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

and listenוּשְׁמַ֥עu-she-MA'H8085H
to hear: hear

שָׁמַע (sha.ma) : hear v 1) to hear, listen to, obey 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to hear (perceive by ear) 1a2) to hear of or concerning 1a3) to hear (have power to hear) 1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to 1a5) to understand (language) 1a6) to hear (of judicial cases) 1a7) to listen, give heed 1a7a) to consent, agree 1a7b) to grant request 1a8) to listen to, yield to 1a9) to obey, be obedient 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound) 1b2) to be heard of 1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed 1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound …

to voice hisבְּקֹל֖וֹbe-ko-LOH6963A
voice

קוֹל (qol) : voice/shout/loud 1) voice, sound, noise 1a) voice 1b) sound (of instrument)

may notאַל־'al-H0408
not

אַל (al) 1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference) 1a) do not, let not (with a verb) 1b) let there not be (with a verb understood) 1c) not, no (with substantive) 1d) nothing (as substantive) Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)

you cause bitternessתַּמֵּ֣רta-MERH4843
to provoke

מָרַר (ma.rar) 1) to be bitter 1a) (Qal) to be bitter 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to show bitterness 1b2) to make bitter 1c) (Hiphil) to make bitter, embitter 1d) (Hithpalpel) 1d1) to embitter oneself 1d2) to be enraged 2) (TWOT) to be strong, strengthen

forכִּ֣יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

notלֹ֤אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

he will forgiveיִשָּׂא֙yi-SA'H5375I
to lift: raise

נָשָׂא (na.sa) : raise/take_up 1) to lift, bear up, carry, take 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to lift, lift up 1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure 1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted 1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up 1b3) to be borne, be carried 1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist 1c2) to desire, long (fig.) 1c3) to carry, bear continuously 1c4) to take, take away 1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity) …

to transgression yourלְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֔םle-fish-'a-KHEMH6588
transgression

פֶּ֫שַׁע (pe.sah) 1) transgression, rebellion 1a1) transgression (against individuals) 1a2) transgression (nation against nation) 1a3) transgression (against God) 1a3a) in general 1a3b) as recognised by sinner 1a3c) as God deals with it 1a3d) as God forgives 1a4) guilt of transgression 1a5) punishment for transgression 1a6) offering for transgression

forכִּ֥יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

name myשְׁמִ֖יshe-MIH8034
name

שֵׁם (shem) 1) name 1a) name 1b) reputation, fame, glory 1c) the Name (as designation of God) 1d) memorial, monument Aramaic equivalent: shum (שֻׁם "name" H8036)

[is] in within himבְּקִרְבּֽוֹ׃be-kir-BOH7130G
entrails: among

קֶ֫רֶב (qe.rev) : among/within 1) midst, among, inner part, middle 1a) inward part 1a1) physical sense 1a2) as seat of thought and emotion 1a3) as faculty of thought and emotion 1b) in the midst, among, from among (of a number of persons) 1c) entrails (of sacrificial animals) Also means: qe.rev (קֶ֫רֶב ": inner_parts" H7130H)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.