14 “Celebrate a festival in my honor three times a year.(A) 15 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib,[a] because you came out of Egypt in that month. No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(B) 16 Also observe the Festival of Harvest[b] with the firstfruits of your produce from what you sow in the field, and observe the Festival of Ingathering[c](C) at the end of the year, when you gather your produce[d] from the field. 17 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God.

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Footnotes

  1. 23:15 March–April; called Nisan in the post-exilic period; Neh 2:1; Est 3:7
  2. 23:16 The Festival of Harvest is called Festival of Weeks elsewhere; Ex 34:22. In the NT it is called Pentecost; Ac 2:1.
  3. 23:16 The Festival of Ingathering is called Festival of Shelters elsewhere; Lv 23:34–36.
  4. 23:16 Lit labors

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(A) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(B) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(C) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(D)

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(E) with the firstfruits(F) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(G) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(H)

17 “Three times(I) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

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