Deuteronomy 16

Of keeping of the feasts as the Passover verse 1&c. Pentecost 9 the feast of the leaf-huts 13 who were and how they were to appear at those feasts 16 on the office of judges 18 of idolatrous groves and pillars 21.

1. Observe the month of Abib [see Exodus 13:4 and above chapter 1 on verse 3] that thou keep the Passover [others make or to do others prepare the Passover of the Passover see Exodus 12:11 Hebrews Pesath] for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night [see Exodus 12:31.]

2. Then thou shalt kill [or offer and so verse 4, 5, 6] the Passover unto the Lord thy God sheep and oxen [that is all such offerings as the Lord had commanded to be slain and to be offered at this feast Numbers 28:16 a young lamb or kid was properly called a paschal offering see exodus 12.3,4,5,27 besides that other offerings were also to be killed and offered at the feast] in the place which the Lord shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.

3. Thou shalt eat no leavened thing on it [to wit on the feast others with it to wit with the lamb and then with the offerings] seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread loaves on it a bread of misery [that is whereby thou shalt be put in the mind of the affliction which thou didst suffer in Egypt or such kind of bread that is made of haste when necessity and haste will not permit to prepare and make it fully ready after the usual manner and to make it tooth some or pleasant to the taste and palate] for thou comest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste that thou mayst remember the day of going forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

4. There shall be no leaven seen with thee in seven days in any of thy border neither shall be any of thing of flesh which thou shewedst the first day at even remain until the morning.

5. Thou mayst not slay the Passover within the gates [that is within one of the cities of the dwelling place.] which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

6. But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose his name to dwell there , there thou shalt slay the offering at even [others journeying towards the place &c. there thou shalt &c.] when the sun goeth down &c.[see Exodus 12:6, 2 Chronicles 35:14] at the set time of thy departure out of Egypt [that is just or even at the same time when thou comest fort out of Egypt [that is just or even the same time when thou comest forth out of Egypt on the fourteenth day of the month of Abib exodus 13.3,4.]

7. Then thou shalt dress it [that is rost it see Exodus 12:9 and 2 Chronicles 35 on verse 13] and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose then [to wit when the feast is past which lasted seven days] thou shalt turn thyself and go to thy tents [understand dwelling or houses so as they should be at that time.]

8. Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread loaves and on the seventh day is a prohibition day [see Leviticus 23 on verse 36] unto the Lord thy God then thou shalt do no work.

9. Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee thou shalt begin to number seven works from the time that they begin with the sicle in the standing corn [to offer a sheaf unto the Lord see Leviticus 2:14 and 23.10.]

10. Then thou shalt keep the feast of weeks [namely of the seven weeks as the aforesaid this feast is also called the feast of firstlings of the first-fruits Numbers 28:26 item the feast of Pentecost Acts 2:1] unto the Lordship God it shall be a free willing tax[Heb. Tribute or tax of free willingness see hereof below chapter 22.1 &c. others with a free willing tax or sufficiency of a free willing offering] of thine hand which thou shalt give according to the Lord thy God shalt have blessed thee.

11. And thou shalt rejoice before the face of the Lord thy God thou and thy son and thy daughter and thine man-servant and thine maid-servant and the Levites that is within thy gates and the stranger and the widow which are in the midst of thee in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.

12. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt and thou shalt keep and do these statutes.

13. Thou shalt keep unto thee the feast of the leave-huts seven days [see Leviticus 23 on verse 34] when thou shalt have gathered in of thy threshing floor and of thine wine press.

14. And thou shalt rejoice on thine wine feast thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy man-servant and thy maid-servant and the Levite and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy gates.

15. Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose for the Lord thy God shall bless[others when the Lord thy God shall have blessed thee] in all thy increase and in all the work of thine hand therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

16. three times in a year shall all that is male among you appear before the face of the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose on the feast of the unleavened-loaves an don the feast of the weeks and on the feast of the leaf-huts but it shall not appear empty before the face of the Lord.

17. every man according to the gift of his hand [according as his hand is able to give as the following seem to clear it others according to that which is given to his hand which likewise not unfitly agreeth with that which followeth compare Psalms 55 on verse 23 Numbers 18:6 Ezekiel 46:5, 7, 11] according to the blessing of the Lord thy god which he hath given thee.

18. Judges and officers shalt thou appoint thee in thy gates [compare 1 Chronicles 23:4 and 26.29 and 2 Chronicles 19:8] which the Lord thy god shall give thee among thy tribes [or for according to thy tribes] that they may judge the people with a judgment of righteousness.

19. Thou shalt not wrest judgments thou shalt not know the face [see above chapter 1 on verse 17] neither shalt thou take a gift for the gift blindeth the eyes of the wise and parteth the words of the righteous [understand the words of Judges so that they pass wrong sentences or the words of those that have just cause which are wrested and perverted by the corrupt Judges other things.]

20. Righteousness, righteousness shall thou follow after [that is meer or pure righteousness nothing else but righteous is spoken with an after impression compare Deuteronomy 2:27 Isaiah 26:5,15 Ezechiah 21.9 with the annotate] that thou mayest live and hereditarily possess the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.

21. Thou shalt not plant thee a groove of any trees [or plant a groove nor any trees[nor unto the altar of the Lord thy God which thou shalt make thee [that is with a n institution of some religious worship which shalt thereby intimate when thou shalt plant a grove near unto the altar or temple of the Lord or shalt otherwise next unto the altar of the Lord ascribe some holiness unto it and set an equal or higher value and estimation upon it see 2Kings 16 and 17.]

22. Neither shalt thou make thee an image reared up [or pillar image statue] which the Lord thy God hateth.