Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 16th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Bible in Basic English

Deuteronomy 23:6

Do nothing for their peace or well-being for ever.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ammonites;   Inhospitableness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ammonites, the;   Moabites;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Moabites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Curse, Accursed;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Alien;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Matthew, the Gospel According to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Covenant;   Edom;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Clean and Unclean;   Crimes and Punishments;   Deuteronomy;   Leviticus;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Moab;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Congregation;   Deuteronomy;   Forgiveness;   Heredity;   Stranger and Sojourner (in the Old Testament);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Commandments, the 613;   Ḳiddushin;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for August 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Never pursue their welfare or prosperity as long as you live.
Hebrew Names Version
You shall not seek their shalom nor their prosperity all your days forever.
King James Version
Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
Lexham English Bible
You shall not promote their welfare or their prosperity all your days forever.
English Standard Version
You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days forever.
New Century Version
Don't wish for their peace or success as long as you live.
New English Translation
You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come.
Amplified Bible
"You shall never seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days.
New American Standard Bible
"You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Thou shalt not seeke their peace nor their prosperitie all thy dayes for euer.
Legacy Standard Bible
You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.
Contemporary English Version
Don't even think of signing a peace treaty with Moab or Ammon.
Complete Jewish Bible
But Adonai your God would not listen to Bil‘am; rather, Adonai your God turned the curse into a blessing for you; because Adonai your God loved you.
Darby Translation
Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
Easy-to-Read Version
You must never try to make peace with the Ammonites or Moabites. As long as you live, don't be friendly to them.
George Lamsa Translation
You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all the days of your life for ever.
Good News Translation
As long as you are a nation, never do anything to help these nations or to make them prosperous.
Literal Translation
You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days, perpetually.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt wysh him nether prosperite ner health all thy life longe for euer.
American Standard Version
Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt not seeke their peace nor wealth all thy dayes, for euer.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
King James Version (1611)
Thou shalt not seek their peace, nor their prosperity all thy dayes for euer.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not speak peaceably or profitably to them all thy days for ever.
English Revised Version
Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
Berean Standard Bible
You are not to seek peace or prosperity from them as long as you live.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not make pees with hem, nethir thou schalt seke goodis to hem, in alle the daies of thi lijf in to with outen ende.
Young's Literal Translation
thou dost not seek their peace and their good all thy days -- to the age.
Update Bible Version
You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.
Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not seek their peace, nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
World English Bible
You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.
New King James Version
You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.
New Living Translation
As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites.
New Life Bible
Do nothing for their peace or their well-being all your days.
New Revised Standard
You shall never promote their welfare or their prosperity as long as you live.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their welfare, - all thy days, unto times age-abiding.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither shalt thou seek their prosperity all the days of thy life for ever.
Revised Standard Version
You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity all your days for ever.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.

Contextual Overview

1 No man whose private parts have been wounded or cut off may come into the meeting of the Lord's people. 2 One whose father and mother are not married may not come into the meeting of the Lord's people, or any of his family to the tenth generation. 3 No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their people to the tenth generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people: 4 Because they gave you no bread or water on your way, when you came out of Egypt: and they got Balaam, the son of Peor, from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to put curses on you. 5 But the Lord your God would not give ear to Balaam, but let the curse be changed into a blessing to you, because of his love for you. 6 Do nothing for their peace or well-being for ever. 7 But have no hate for an Edomite, because he is your brother, or for an Egyptian, for you were living in his land. 8 Their children in the third generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thou shalt: 2 Samuel 8:2, 2 Samuel 12:31, Ezra 9:12, Nehemiah 13:23-25

prosperity: Heb. good

Reciprocal: Matthew 5:43 - and hate

Cross-References

Genesis 13:2
Now Abram had great wealth of cattle and silver and gold.
Genesis 14:14
And Abram, hearing that his brother's son had been made a prisoner, took a band of his trained men, three hundred and eighteen of them, sons of his house, and went after them as far as Dan.
Genesis 18:12
And Sarah, laughing to herself, said, Now that I am used up am I still to have pleasure, my husband himself being old?
Genesis 21:22
Now at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the captain of his army, said to Abraham, I see that God is with you in all you do.
Genesis 23:1
Now the years of Sarah's life were a hundred and twenty-seven.
Genesis 23:2
And Sarah's death took place in Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan: and Abraham went into his house, weeping and sorrowing for Sarah.
Genesis 23:4
I am living among you as one from a strange country: give me some land here as my property, so that I may put my dead to rest.
Genesis 23:5
And in answer the children of Heth said to Abraham,
Genesis 24:18
And she said, Take a drink, my lord: and quickly letting down her vessel onto her hand, she gave him a drink.
Genesis 24:35
The Lord has given my master every blessing, and he has become great: he has given him flocks and herds and silver and gold, and men-servants and women-servants and camels and asses.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever. Not that they were to retain malice towards them, or indulge a spirit of revenge, or not do them any good offices in a private way, which is contrary to the law of love; nor does this contradict any offices of kindness and friendship that might be performed in a personal way: so we find that David had a kindness for Hanun the Ammonite, and showed it, though ill rewarded for it, yet is not blamed for doing it; 2 Samuel 10:2 for these words respect not persons in a private capacity, but the people of Israel as a body politic, who, as such, were not to carry on trade and commerce with those people, nor intermarry with them, nor make leagues and enter into alliances with them; the reason of which was, because being very near neighbours to them, had there not been such a law, as a wall of partition between them, they might have become very familiar, and so have learnt their evil ways and customs, which this was designed to prevent: the Jews restrain o this to overtures and proclamations of peace, which they were not to make with these nations, as they were directed to do when they went out to war with others, Deuteronomy 20:10.

o Hilchot Melachim, c. 6. sect. 6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

i. e. “thou shalt not invite them robe on terms of amity with thee (compare Deuteronomy 20:10 ff), nor make their welfare thy care”: compare Ezra 9:12. There is no injunction to hatred or retaliation (compare Deuteronomy 2:9, Deuteronomy 2:19); but later history contains frequent record of hostility between Israel and these nations.


 
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