וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֮ כֹּרֵ֣ת בְּרִית֒ נֶ֤גֶד כָּֽל־עַמְּךָ֙ אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה נִפְלָאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־נִבְרְא֥וּ בְכָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ וּבְכָל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאָ֣ה כָל־הָ֠עָם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֨ה בְקִרְבּ֜וֹ אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ כִּֽי־נוֹרָ֣א ה֔וּא אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י עֹשֶׂ֥ה עִמָּֽךְ׃

He, God, said to Moses: Behold, I am establishing a covenant. In the future, when you conquer the land of Canaan, before your entire people I will perform wonders that have not been created in the entire earth and in all the nations; the entire people, with you in their midst, will see the work of the Lord, that it is awesome what I am doing with you.

שְׁמָ֨ר־לְךָ֔ אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י מְצַוְּךָ֣ הַיּ֑וֹם הִנְנִ֧י גֹרֵ֣שׁ מִפָּנֶ֗יךָ אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י וְהַחִתִּי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃

The people will soon continue their journey to the land of Canaan. God therefore reiterates His commands with regard to the nations that currently dwell in Canaan: Mark for yourself that which I am commanding you today; behold, for My part I promise you that I am expelling from before you the Emorites, the Canaanites, the Hitites, the Perizites, the Hivites, and the Yevusites.

הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֗ פֶּן־תִּכְרֹ֤ת בְּרִית֙ לְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה בָּ֣א עָלֶ֑יהָ פֶּן־יִהְיֶ֥ה לְמוֹקֵ֖שׁ בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃

And you in turn, beware, lest you establish a covenant with the inhabitant of the land into which you are entering, lest he be a snare in your midst. The inhabitants of Canaan are apt to corrupt your behavior.

כִּ֤י אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָם֙ תִּתֹּצ֔וּן וְאֶת־מַצֵּבֹתָ֖ם תְּשַׁבֵּר֑וּן וְאֶת־אֲשֵׁרָ֖יו תִּכְרֹתֽוּן׃

Rather, you shall smash their altars, and shatter their monuments, and chop down their sacred trees, those used as part of idolatrous rites. You must completely destroy all objects of idol worship, including their accessories and symbolic artifacts.

כִּ֛י לֹ֥א תִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֖ה לְאֵ֣ל אַחֵ֑ר כִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ קַנָּ֣א שְׁמ֔וֹ אֵ֥ל קַנָּ֖א הֽוּא׃

For you shall not prostrate yourself to another god, as the Lord, His name is Zealous, He is a zealous God. God is not tolerant toward faith in idols, even if they are worshipped in conjunction with Him. God’s jealousy is not envy; rather, it is the jealousy of love that stems from an exclusive relationship, which leaves no room for a third party.

פֶּן־תִּכְרֹ֥ת בְּרִ֖ית לְיוֹשֵׁ֣ב הָאָ֑רֶץ וְזָנ֣וּ ׀ אַחֲרֵ֣י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֗ם וְזָבְחוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְקָרָ֣א לְךָ֔ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ מִזִּבְחֽוֹ׃

Pay heed, lest you establish a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they, those inhabitants, continue to stray after their gods and slaughter to their gods. And if you maintain neighborly relations with them, they will call you to participate in their religious festivities, and you will be likely to accept their invitation and eat from their slaughter.

וְלָקַחְתָּ֥ מִבְּנֹתָ֖יו לְבָנֶ֑יךָ וְזָנ֣וּ בְנֹתָ֗יו אַחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ן וְהִזְנוּ֙ אֶת־בָּנֶ֔יךָ אַחֲרֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽן׃

Your relationship with the inhabitants will subsequently become closer, beyond mutual visits, as you will take from their daughters for your sons. And even if you rule over the inhabitants, if you intermarry with them, their daughters will stray after their gods, and they will cause your sons to stray after their gods.

אֱלֹהֵ֥י מַסֵּכָ֖ה לֹ֥א תַעֲשֶׂה־לָּֽךְ׃

The Torah briefly reiterates several commandments that were already stated, some of them related to the exodus from Egypt. They are repeated here in the context of the renewal of the covenant. You shall not make for yourself gods of cast figures.

אֶת־חַ֣ג הַמַּצּוֹת֮ תִּשְׁמֹר֒ שִׁבְעַ֨ת יָמִ֜ים תֹּאכַ֤ל מַצּוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתִ֔ךָ לְמוֹעֵ֖ד חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָאָבִ֑יב כִּ֚י בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִ֔יב יָצָ֖אתָ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread, Passover. On this festival, for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you (12:15–20; 13:3, 7; 23:15), at the appointed time of the month of ripening, the month of Nisan, as in the month of ripening you emerged from Egypt. Not only must the date itself be preserved, but equally important is that it occur in the spring.

כָּל־פֶּ֥טֶר רֶ֖חֶם לִ֑י וְכָֽל־מִקְנְךָ֙ תִּזָּכָ֔ר פֶּ֖טֶר שׁ֥וֹר וָשֶֽׂה׃

Every first issue of the womb, the firstborn animal, is Mine; from all your livestock you shall take the males, when they are the first issue of a bull and a sheep. You shall sacrifice the firstborn male animals as offerings, as you were commanded at the time of the exodus from Egypt (13:2, 12).

וּפֶ֤טֶר חֲמוֹר֙ תִּפְדֶּ֣ה בְשֶׂ֔ה וְאִם־לֹ֥א תִפְדֶּ֖ה וַעֲרַפְתּ֑וֹ כֹּ֣ל בְּכ֤וֹר בָּנֶ֙יךָ֙ תִּפְדֶּ֔ה וְלֹֽא־יֵרָא֥וּ פָנַ֖י רֵיקָֽם׃

The first issue of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, as stated earlier (13:13); and if you do not redeem it, you shall behead it. Furthermore, every firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, as stated earlier as well (13:2, 15). And they, people who ascend to the Temple, shall not appear there before Me empty-handed.

שֵׁ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ תַּעֲבֹ֔ד וּבַיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י תִּשְׁבֹּ֑ת בֶּחָרִ֥ישׁ וּבַקָּצִ֖יר תִּשְׁבֹּֽת׃

Six days you shall perform labor, and on the seventh day you shall rest; from plowing and from harvest you shall rest. One may not perform even tasks that are essential for one’s livelihood.

וְחַ֤ג שָׁבֻעֹת֙ תַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה לְךָ֔ בִּכּוּרֵ֖י קְצִ֣יר חִטִּ֑ים וְחַג֙ הָֽאָסִ֔יף תְּקוּפַ֖ת הַשָּׁנָֽה׃

You shall hold the Festival of Weeks, Shavuot, fifty days after the start of Passover, with the ripening of the first fruits of the wheat harvest. And lastly, you shall observe the Festival of the Ingathering of the Crops, Sukkot, at the turn of the year, when the new year commences, in the autumn.

שָׁלֹ֥שׁ פְּעָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָ֑ה יֵרָאֶה֙ כָּל־זְכ֣וּרְךָ֔ אֶת־פְּנֵ֛י הָֽאָדֹ֥ן ׀ יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Three times in the year, on Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, all your males shall appear, like soldiers in a roll call, before the Master, the Lord, God of Israel.

כִּֽי־אוֹרִ֤ישׁ גּוֹיִם֙ מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּ֖י אֶת־גְּבוּלֶ֑ךָ וְלֹא־יַחְמֹ֥ד אִישׁ֙ אֶֽת־אַרְצְךָ֔ בַּעֲלֹֽתְךָ֗ לֵרָאוֹת֙ אֶת־פְּנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שָׁלֹ֥שׁ פְּעָמִ֖ים בַּשָּׁנָֽה׃

The Torah reassures the Jewish people about a potential worry with regard to the duty to ascend to Jerusalem on the pilgrimage festivals: For I will expel nations before you, and I will expand your borders, and consequently, although you will all leave your homes to ascend for the pilgrimage, no man will covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

לֹֽא־תִשְׁחַ֥ט עַל־חָמֵ֖ץ דַּם־זִבְחִ֑י וְלֹא־יָלִ֣ין לַבֹּ֔קֶר זֶ֖בַח חַ֥ג הַפָּֽסַח׃

You shall not slaughter with leavened bread the blood of My offering. This applies specifically to the paschal lamb, and prohibits one from owning any leavened bread at the time one’s paschal lamb is slaughtered. And the feast of the Paschal Festival, the meat of the paschal lamb, shall not lie until the morning. It must be eaten on the first night of Passover, and anything that remains the next day is burned (12:10).

רֵאשִׁ֗ית בִּכּוּרֵי֙ אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ תָּבִ֕יא בֵּ֖ית יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹא־תְבַשֵּׁ֥ל גְּדִ֖י בַּחֲלֵ֥ב אִמּֽוֹ׃ (פ)

You shall bring the choicest of the first fruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not cook a kid in its mother’s milk. Both of these commandments were stated previously in the exact same formulation (23:19).