LittleNipper wrote:I feel that the presumption is that what will happen is already predestined to occur. God foreknew and sealed their fate accordingly.
Cheap determinism, two cent of a dozen. (Two mite, to be more biblical - anyway, I am on the Bible verse by verse thread...)
That determinism reveals its absurdity. A phonograph record of angelic singing is not an iota better morally than one that reproduces, when played, a scream of murder. According to determinism, he who desired and was able to be better was no more or less fated beforehand than he who desired but was unable, or than he who did not even attempt to desire. This is a false image, for the sound of battle played on a record is not an actual battle.
If my fate was foreknown and sealed, then I should not move my little finger - or any other (and bigger...) part of my body - to become better.
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And God would have already figured out such an attitude. God understands exactly what one is about, and deals with one accordingly. The question is, do you ultimately know what you are about or are you still wanting to consider and learn... Once a person becomes saved, he will very often see how it came about and the dangers that could have brought about a Christ-less eternity which were somehow averted...
Deuteronomy 19:1-21 God will destroy the nations whose land God gives to Israel. Israel take their place and live in their cities and houses. They should set apart three cities in the land the Lord your God provides. Make the roads good that lead to these cities. Divide into three parts the land God gives. Any a man who kills another may run to one of these cities and be safe. This is the law of the person who kills another and runs to a city to save his life. He might have killed his friend without meaning to, a friend he did not hate in the past. He could have gone among the trees with his friend to cut wood. As he was using his ax to cut down a tree, the ax head could have come off the stick and hit his friend --- an accidental death. Then he may run to one of these cities and live. Or else the one who is angry will want to punish him for the killing, and will catch him and kill him. But the killer should not be put to death. He had not hated the man in the past. The Lord God will provide even more land, as He has promised past generations. He will give all the land which He promised, if Israel is careful to obey the laws presently being explained. Love the Lord God. Walk in His ways always. They will add three other cities to these three to total 6. So the person without guilt will not be put to death in the land that God has gifted. They will not be guilty of blood.
But there might be a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, and hurts him so that he dies. After this he might run to one of these cities. The leaders of his city should send men to take him from there and bring him to the one who wants to punish him for the killing that he may die. Do not pity him. In Israel be only free from the blood of those that are not guilty. Do not move a neighbor’s land-mark which the fathers of long ago have set in the land God gives for Israel to own.
One person will not prove the guilt of a sin another may have done. It will take two or three people attesting to the sin to prove the man’s guilt. If an angry person speaks against a man, saying that he did something wrong, then both men who are arguing should stand before the Lord, in front of the religious leaders and the judges who are at work at that time. The judges will choose careful questions to ask about the problem. If the man lied who said his brother is guilty, then do to him just what he wanted to do to his brother. In this way sin is eliminated. The rest of the people will hear and be afraid. They will never do such a sinful thing. Do not pity him. It will be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot --- even exchange.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
1 `When Jehovah thy God doth cut off the nations, whose land Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, and thou hast succeeded them, and dwelt in their cities, and in their houses,
2 three cities thou dost separate for thee in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.
3 Thou dost prepare for thee the way, and hast divided into three parts the border of thy land which Jehovah thy God doth cause thee to inherit, and it hath been for the fleeing thither of every man-slayer.
4 `And this [is] the matter of the man-slayer who fleeth thither, and hath lived: He who smiteth his neighbour unknowingly, and is not hating him heretofore,
5 even he who cometh in with his neighbour into a forest to hew wood, and his hand hath driven with an axe to cut the tree, and the iron hath slipped from the wood, and hath met his neighbour, and he hath died -- he doth flee unto one of these cities, and hath lived,
6 lest the redeemer of blood pursue after the man-slayer when his heart is hot, and hath overtaken him (because the way is great), and hath smitten him -- the life, and he hath no sentence of death, for he is not hating him heretofore;
7 therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Three cities thou dost separate to thee.
8 `And if Jehovah thy God doth enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn to thy fathers, and hath given to thee all the land which He hath spoken to give to thy fathers --
9 when thou keepest all this command to do it, which I am commanding thee to-day, to love Jehovah thy God, and to walk in His ways all the days -- then thou hast added to thee yet three cities to these three;
10 and innocent blood is not shed in the midst of thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance, and there hath been upon thee blood.
11 `And when a man is hating his neighbour, and hath lain in wait for him, and risen against him, and smitten him -- the life, and he hath died, and he hath fled unto one of these cities,
12 then the elders of his city have sent and taken him from thence, and given him into the hand of the redeemer of blood, and he hath died;
13 thine eye hath no pity on him, and thou hast put away the innocent blood from Israel, and it is well with thee.
14 `Thou dost not remove a border of thy neighbour, which they of former times have made, in thine inheritance, which thou dost inherit in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it.
15 `One witness doth not rise against a man for any iniquity, and for any sin, in any sin which he sinneth; by the mouth of two witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, is a thing established.
16 `When a violent witness doth rise against a man, to testify against him apostacy,
17 then have both the men who have the strife stood before Jehovah, before the priests and the judges who are in those days,
18 and the judges have searched diligently, and lo, the witness [is] a false witness, a falsehood he hath testified against his brother:
19 `Then ye have done to him as he devised to do to his brother, and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst,
20 and those who are left do hear and fear, and add not to do any more according to this evil thing in thy midst;
21 and thine eye doth not pity -- life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
4 ... Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; 11 ... But if any man hate his neighbour, --- and we all know the status of hate or not hate in other people's heart ---
14. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Treaty of Trianon. I don't think You know what is it... A flyspeck on Europe's map.
21. And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Mark 12 wrote:30. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
Deuteronomy 20:1-20 Israel is not to be afraid of the military might of her enemies. God, who brought them out of Egypt is on their side. When preparing for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’ Then the officers of the army must address the troops and say, ‘Has anyone here just built a new house but not yet dedicated it? If so, you may go home! You might be killed in the battle, and someone else would dedicate your house. Has anyone here just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit? If so, you may go home! You might die in battle, and someone else would eat the first fruit. Has anyone here just become engaged to a woman but not yet married her? Well, you may go home and get married! You might die in the battle, and someone else would marry her.’ Then the officers will also say, ‘Is anyone here afraid or worried? If you are, you may go home before you frighten anyone else.’
When the officers have finished speaking to their troops, they will appoint the unit commanders. As they approach a town to attack it, they must first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept those terms and open the gates, then all the people inside will serve in forced labor. If they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight --- attack the town. When the Lord God hands the town over, use swords to kill every man in the town. They may keep all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder and appreciate it.
These instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the promised land. In those towns that the God is giving, as a special possession, destroy every living thing. Completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, remaining in the promised land. This will prevent the people of the land from teaching through imitation their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause a terrible sin against the Lord God.
When attacking a town and the war drags on, do not cut down the trees. Israel may eat the fruit, but do not cut down the trees -- they are not evil. They may cut down trees that are not valuable for food and use them to build a wall or embankment raised as a defensive fortification.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
1 `When thou goest out to battle against thine enemy, and hast seen horse and chariot -- a people more numerous than thou -- thou art not afraid of them, for Jehovah thy God [is] with thee, who is bringing thee up out of the land of Egypt;
2 and it hath been, in your drawing near unto the battle, that the priest hath come nigh, and spoken unto the people,
3 and said unto them, Hear, Israel, ye are drawing near to-day to battle against your enemies, let not your hearts be tender, fear not, nor make haste, nor be terrified at their presence,
4 for Jehovah your God [is] He who is going with you, to fight for you with your enemies -- to save you.
5 `And the authorities have spoken unto the people, saying, Who [is] the man that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? -- let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man dedicate it.
6 `And who [is] the man that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not made it common? -- let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man make it common.
7 `And who [is] the man that hath betrothed a woman, and hath not taken her? -- let him go and turn back to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man take her.
8 `And the authorities have added to speak unto the people, and said, Who [is] the man that is afraid and tender of heart? -- let him go and turn back to his house, and the heart of his brethren doth not melt like his heart;
9 and it hath come to pass as the authorities finish to speak unto the people, that they have appointed princes of the hosts at the head of the people.
10 `When thou drawest near unto a city to fight against it, then thou hast called unto it for Peace,
11 and it hath been, if Peace it answer thee, and hath opened to thee, then it hath come to pass -- all the people who are found in it are to thee for tributaries, and have served thee.
12 `And if it doth not make peace with thee, and hath made with thee war, then thou hast laid siege against it,
13 and Jehovah thy God hath given it into thy hand, and thou hast smitten every male of it by the mouth of the sword.
14 Only, the women, and the infants, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, thou dost seize for thyself, and thou hast eaten the spoil of thine enemies which Jehovah thy God hath given to thee.
15 So thou dost do to all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16 `Only, of the cities of these peoples which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee [for] an inheritance, thou dost not keep alive any breathing;
17 for thou dost certainly devote the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee,
18 so that they teach you not to do according to all their abominations which they have done to their gods, and ye have sinned against Jehovah your God.
19 `When thou layest siege unto a city many days, to fight against it, to capture it, thou dost not destroy its trees to force an axe against them, for of them thou dost eat, and them thou dost not cut down -- for man's [is] the tree of the field -- to go in at thy presence in the siege.
20 Only, the tree, which thou knowest that it [is] not a fruit-tree, it thou dost destroy, and hast cut down, and hast built a bulwark against the city which is making with thee war till thou hast subdued it.
Deuteronomy 21:1-23 Once Israel possesses the land, someone may be found murdered in a field, and the murderer unknown. In such a case, the elders and judges must measure the distance from the site of the crime to the nearby towns --- finding the nearest. That town’s elders must select from the herd a young cow that has never been trained or yoked to a plow. They must lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and that has a stream running through it. There in the valley they must break the young cow’s neck. Then the Levitical priests must step forward, for the Lord has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in the Lord’s name. They are to decide all legal and criminal cases.
The elders of the town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken, saying that their hands did not shed the blood, nor see it happen. They will ask God for forgiveness for Israel. And not to charge Israel with the guilt of murdering an innocent person. Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person’s blood. By following these instructions, they will do what is right in the Lord’s sight and will cleanse the guilt of murder from the community.
Suppose Israel goes out to war and God hands them over, and captives are taken. Suppose among the captives is a beautiful woman, and an Israelite wants to marry her. If this happens, he may take her to home, where she must shave her head, cut her nails, and change the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. She will stay in the home, but let her mourn for her father and mother for a full month. Then she maybe married. But if married and she does not please the husband, let her go free. She may not be sold or treated as a slave, for she has been humiliated.
Suppose a man has two wives, but he loves one and not the other, and both have given him sons. And suppose the firstborn son is the son of the wife he does not love. When the man divides his inheritance, he may not give the larger inheritance to his younger son, the son of the wife he loves, as if he were the firstborn son. He must recognize the rights of his oldest son, the son of the wife he does not love, by giving him a double portion. He is the first son of his father’s virility, and the rights of the firstborn belong to him.
Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate. The parents must say to the elders that this one is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard. Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, they will purge this evil, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.
If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree, the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. It must be buried that same day. Anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way defilement of the promised land is prevented.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
1 `When one is found slain on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it -- fallen in a field -- it is not known who hath smitten him,
2 then have thine elders and thy judges gone out and measured unto the cities which [are] round about the slain one,
3 and it hath been, the city which [is] near unto the slain one, even the elders of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in the yoke,
4 and the elders of that city have brought down the heifer unto a hard valley, which is not tilled nor sown, and have beheaded there the heifer in the valley.
5 `And the priests, sons of Levi, have come nigh -- for on them hath Jehovah thy God fixed to serve Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth is every strife, and every stroke --
6 and all the elders of that city, who are near unto the slain one, do wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,
7 and they have answered and said, Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen --
8 receive atonement for Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast ransomed, O Jehovah, and suffer not innocent blood in the midst of Thy people Israel; and the blood hath been pardoned to them,
9 and thou dost put away the innocent blood out of thy midst, for thou dost that which [is] right in the eyes of Jehovah.
10 `When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and Jehovah thy God hath given them into thy hand, and thou hast taken captive its captivity,
11 and hast seen in the captivity a woman of fair form, and hast delighted in her, and hast taken to thee for a wife,
12 then thou hast brought her in unto the midst of thy household, and she hath shaved her head, and prepared her nails,
13 and turned aside the raiment of her captivity from off her, and hath dwelt in thy house, and bewailed her father and her mother a month of days, and afterwards thou dost go in unto her and hast married her, and she hath been to thee for a wife:
14 `And it hath been -- if thou hast not delighted in her, that thou hast sent her away at her desire, and thou dost not at all sell her for money; thou dost not tyrannize over her, because that thou hast humbled her.
15 `When a man hath two wives, the one loved and the other hated, and they have borne to him sons (the loved one and the hated one), and the first-born son hath been to the hated one;
16 then it hath been, in the day of his causing his sons to inherit that which he hath, he is not able to declare first-born the son of the loved one, in the face of the son of the hated one -- the first-born.
17 But the first-born, son of the hated one, he doth acknowledge, to give to him a double portion of all that is found with him, for he [is] the beginning of his strength; to him [is] the right of the first-born.
18 `When a man hath a son apostatizing and rebellious -- he is not hearkening to the voice of his father, and to the voice of his mother, and they have chastised him, and he doth not hearken unto them --
19 then laid hold on him have his father and his mother, and they have brought him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place,
20 and have said unto the elders of his city, Our son -- this one -- is apostatizing and rebellious; he is not hearkening to our voice -- a glutton and drunkard;
21 and all the men of his city have stoned him with stones, and he hath died, and thou hast put away the evil out of thy midst, and all Israel do hear and fear.
22 `And when there is in a man a sin -- a cause of death, and he hath been put to death, and thou hast hanged him on a tree,
23 his corpse doth not remain on the tree, for thou dost certainly bury him in that day -- for a thing lightly esteemed of God [is] the hanged one -- and thou dost not defile thy ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance.
If this thread proceeds with the same velocity, then - it will end at 2021.06.14 (9 years after its start) - there will be 388 pages - and 8036 comments
We see the light at the end of the tunnel.
or... .
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
Deuteronomy 22:1-30 If one should see someone else's ox or sheep wandering away, don’t pretend not to notice; take it back to its owner. When one doesn't know who the owner is, keep it until the owner comes looking for it, and then give it to him. This applies to donkeys, clothing, or anything else found. Keep it for its owner. (Finders keepers is not a godly option) When one sees someone trying to get an ox or donkey onto its feet when it has slipped beneath its load, don’t look the other way. Go and help!
A woman must not dress as a man, and a man must not dress as a woman. This disgusts God. If a bird’s nest is lying on the ground, or if one finds one in a tree, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, don’t take the mother with the young. Let her go, and take only the young. The Lord will send a blessing for doing such.
Every new house must have a guardrail around the edge of the flat rooftop to prevent anyone from falling off and bringing guilt on both the house and its owner. Do not sow other crops together in the rows of one's vineyard. If done, both the crops and the grapes shall be confiscated by the priests. Israelites are not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together or wear clothing woven from two kinds of thread: for instance, wool and linen. (Such is an illustration of purity) Israelites must sew tassels on the four corners of their cloaks. ( That many stranded tassel hanging from the garment is to remind Israel of the many faceted instructions which God has given his people to live by.)If a man marries a girl, then after sleeping with her accuses her of having had premarital intercourse with another man, saying, ‘She was not a virgin when I married her,’ then the girl’s father and mother shall bring the proof of her virginity to the city judges. Her father shall tell them, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he despises her and has accused her of shameful things, claiming that she was not a virgin when she married; yet here is the proof.’ And they shall spread before the judges the blood-stained sheet from her marriage bed. The judges shall sentence the man to be whipped, and fine him one hundred dollars to be given to the girl’s father, for he has falsely accused a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife and he may never divorce her. But if the man’s accusations are true, and she was not a virgin, the judges shall take the girl to the door of her father’s home where the men of the city shall stone her to death. She has defiled Israel by flagrant crime, being a prostitute while living at home with her parents; and such evil must be cleansed from Israel.
If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the other man’s wife must be killed; in this way evil will be cleansed from Israel. If a girl who is engaged is seduced within the walls of a city, both she and the man who seduced her shall be taken outside the gates and stoned to death—the girl because she didn’t scream for help, and the man because he has violated the virginity of another man’s fiancée. In this way Israel will reduce such crimes. But if this deed takes place out in the country, only the rapist shall die. The girl is as innocent as any murder victim. It must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to hear and rescue her out in the field. If a man rapes a girl who is not engaged and is caught in the act, he must pay a fine to the girl’s father and marry her; he may never divorce her. A man shall never have sex with his father’s widow since she had sexual relations to his father.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
1 `Thou dost not see the ox of thy brother or his sheep driven away, and hast hidden thyself from them, thou dost certainly turn them back to thy brother;
2 and if thy brother [is] not near unto thee, and thou hast not known him, then thou hast removed it unto the midst of thy house, and it hath been with thee till thy brother seek it, and thou hast given it back to him;
3 and so thou dost to his ass, and so thou dost to his garment, and so thou dost to any lost thing of thy brother's, which is lost by him, and thou hast found it; thou art not able to hide thyself.
4 `Thou dost not see the ass of thy brother, or his ox, falling in the way, and hast hid thyself from them; thou dost certainly raise [them] up with him.
5 `The habiliments of a man are not on a woman, nor doth a man put on the garment of a woman, for the abomination of Jehovah thy God [is] any one doing these.
6 `When a bird's nest cometh before thee in the way, in any tree, or on the earth, brood or eggs, and the mother sitting on the brood or on the eggs, thou dost not take the mother with the young ones;
7 thou dost certainly send away the mother, and the young ones dost take to thyself, so that it is well with thee, and thou hast prolonged days.
8 `When thou buildest a new house, then thou hast made a parapet to thy roof, and thou dost not put blood on thy house when one falleth from it.
9 `Thou dost not sow thy vineyard [with] divers things, lest the fulness of the seed which thou dost sow, and the increase of the vineyard, be separated.
10 `Thou dost not plow with an ox and with an ass together.
11 `Thou dost not put on a mixed cloth, wool and linen together.
12 `Fringes thou dost make to thee on the four skirts of thy covering with which thou dost cover [thyself].
13 `When a man taketh a wife, and hath gone in unto her, and hated her,
14 and laid against her actions of words, and brought out against her an evil name, and said, This woman I have taken, and I draw near unto her, and I have not found in her tokens of virginity:
15 `Then hath the father of the damsel -- and her mother -- taken and brought out the tokens of virginity of the damsel unto the elders of the city in the gate,
16 and the father of the damsel hath said unto the elders, My daughter I have given to this man for a wife, and he doth hate her;
17 and lo, he hath laid actions of words, saying, I have not found to thy daughter tokens of virginity -- and these [are] the tokens of the virginity of my daughter! and they have spread out the garment before the elders of the city.
18 `And the elders of that city have taken the man, and chastise him,
19 and fined him a hundred silverlings, and given to the father of the damsel, because he hath brought out an evil name on a virgin of Israel, and she is to him for a wife, he is not able to send her away all his days.
20 `And if this thing hath been truth -- tokens of virginity have not been found for the damsel --
21 then they have brought out the damsel unto the opening of her father's house, and stoned her have the men of her city with stones, and she hath died, for she hath done folly in Israel, to go a-whoring [in] her father's house; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.
22 `When a man is found lying with a woman, married to a husband, then they have died even both of them, the man who is lying with the woman, also the woman; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of Israel.
23 `When there is a damsel, a virgin, betrothed to a man, and a man hath found her in a city, and lain with her;
24 then ye have brought them both out unto the gate of that city, and stoned them with stones, and they have died: -- the damsel, because that she hath not cried, [being] in a city; and the man, because that he hath humbled his neighbour's wife; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of thy midst.
25 `And if in a field the man find the damsel who is betrothed, and the man hath laid hold on her, and lain with her, then hath the man who hath lain with her died alone;
26 and to the damsel thou dost not do anything, the damsel hath no deadly sin; for as a man riseth against his neighbour and hath murdered him -- the life, so [is] this thing;
27 for in a field he found her, she hath cried -- the damsel who is betrothed -- and she hath no saviour.
28 `When a man findeth a damsel, a virgin who is not betrothed, and hath caught her, and lain with her, and they have been found,
29 then hath the man who is lying with her given to the father of the damsel fifty silverlings, and to him she is for a wife; because that he hath humbled her, he is not able to send her away all his days.
30 `A man doth not take his father's wife, nor uncover his father's skirt.
If a man’s testicles are crushed or his privates cut off, he may not be admitted to Israel's assembly of the Lord. If a person is illegitimate by birth, neither he nor his descendants for ten generations may be admitted to that assembly. No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly. These nations did not welcome Israel with food and water when they came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim set a curse. But the Lord God refused to listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the Lord loves Israel so. Israel must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites. Do not detest the Edomites or the Egyptians, because the Edomites are relatives and Israel lived as foreigners among the Egyptians. The third generation of Edomites and Egyptians may enter the assembly of the Lord.
When going to war against enemies, be sure to stay away from anything that is impure. Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a nocturnal emission must leave the camp and stay away all day. Toward evening he must bathe himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp. Soldiers must have a designated area outside the camp where they can go to the bathroom. Each must have a spade as part of his equipment --- dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement. The camp must be holy, for the Lord God moves around in camp to protect and to defeat enemies. He must not see any shameful, or he will turn away.
Slaves that escape from their masters and take refuge with you, must not be hand over to their masters. Let them live in any town they choose, and do not oppress them. No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute. When bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring to the house of the Lord your God any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, whether a man or a woman, for both are detestable to the Lord God.
Do not charge interest on the loans made to fellow Israelites, whether loan of money, or food, or anything else. Israel may charge interest to foreigners, but not to Israelites, so that God may bless Israel in everything they do in the promised land. When one makes a vow to the Lord God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever promised him. The Lord God demands promptly fulfill all vows. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But once made, be careful to fulfill that promise to the Lord your God. When entering a neighbor’s vineyard, one may eat his fill of grapes, but must not carry any away in a basket. hen entering a neighbor’s field of grain, one may pluck the heads of grain by hand, but must not harvest it with a sickle.
King James Version (KJV)
1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever:
4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
5 Nevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.
6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation.
9 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:
14 For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee:
16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
17 There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the Lord thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
24 When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
LittleNipper (echochamber) wrote:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: 4 Because ...
If I may look ahead...
Ruth 1 wrote:1. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 3. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
Matthew 1 wrote:5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat ...
David the king is the third generation from a Moabite...
Consistency...
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
LittleNipper (echochamber) wrote:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever: 4 Because ...
If I may look ahead...
Ruth 1 wrote:1. Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 2. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there. 3. And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
Matthew 1 wrote:5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat ...
David the king is the third generation from a Moabite...
Consistency...
The reality is that both these women renounced their ancestry and became adopted into the nation of Israel. they "were" Moabites but became "children of God." It is like saying unsaved do not go to heaven. I was once unsaved and headed for hell. However, I became a son of God when I accepted Jesus and rejected the ways of this world....
