Deuteronomy 16: Feasts of Joy and Seats of Justice
Three times a year Israel gathers to rejoice before the Lord, and in every town she appoints judges to follow justice and justice alone.
Deuteronomy 16 (WEB)
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to Yahweh your God; for in the month of Abib Yahweh your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to Yahweh your God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Yahweh shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
3 You shall eat no leavened bread with it. You shall eat unleavened bread with it seven days, even the bread of affliction; for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste; that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.
4 No yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which you sacrifice the first day at evening, remain all night until the morning.
5 You may not sacrifice the Passover within any of your gates, which Yahweh your God gives you;
6 but at the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there you shall sacrifice the Passover at evening, at the going down of the sun, at the season that you came out of Egypt.
7 You shall roast and eat it in the place which Yahweh your God chooses. In the morning you shall return to your tents.
8 Six days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Yahweh your God. You shall do no work.
9 You shall count for yourselves seven weeks. From the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks.
10 You shall keep the feast of weeks to Yahweh your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give, according as Yahweh your God blesses you.
11 You shall rejoice before Yahweh your God: you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite who is within your gates, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are in your midst, in the place which Yahweh your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there.
12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt. You shall observe and do these statutes.
13 You shall keep the feast of tents seven days, after you have gathered in from your threshing floor and from your wine press.
14 You shall rejoice in your feast, you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates.
15 You shall keep a feast to Yahweh your God seven days in the place which Yahweh chooses; because Yahweh your God will bless you in all your increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful.
16 Three times in a year all of your shall males appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he chooses: in the feast of unleavened bread, in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents. They shall not appear before Yahweh empty.
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to Yahweh your God’s blessing which he has given you.
18 You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which Yahweh your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous.
20 You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live, and inherit the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
21 You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Yahweh your God, which you shall make for yourselves.
22 Neither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which Yahweh your God hates.
Deuteronomy 16 (KJV)
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee:
6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
11 And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:
14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.
Deuteronomy 16 (ASV)
1 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto Jehovah thy God; for in the month of Abib Jehovah thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.
2 And thou shalt sacrifice the passover unto Jehovah thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which Jehovah shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there.
3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
4 And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all thy borders seven days; neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrificest the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.
5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee;
6 but at the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.
8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to Jehovah thy God; thou shalt do no work therein.
9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: from the time thou beginnest to put the sickle to the standing grain shalt thou begin to number seven weeks.
10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto Jehovah thy God with a tribute of a freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as Jehovah thy God blesseth thee:
11 and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which Jehovah 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 observe and do these statutes.
13 Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress:
14 and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.
15 Seven days shalt thou keep a feast unto Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah shall choose; because Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful.
16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Jehovah thy God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not appear before Jehovah empty:
17 every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee.
18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, according to thy tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
19 Thou shalt not wrest justice: thou shalt not respect persons; neither shalt thou take a bribe; for a bribe doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
22 Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar; which Jehovah thy God hateth.
Summary
Moses sets before Israel the rhythm of her worship in three annual feasts. At Passover, kept in the month of Abib, she remembers the night the Lord brought her out of Egypt in haste, eating unleavened bread, the bread of affliction. Seven weeks later comes the Feast of Weeks, a freewill offering given in proportion to God's blessing, marked by rejoicing that gathers in sons, daughters, servants, Levites, foreigners, the fatherless, and the widow. The Feast of Tents follows the harvest, seven days in which the people are to be “altogether joyful.” Three times a year every man is to appear before the Lord at the place he chooses, none coming empty-handed, but each giving as he is able. Worship at God's appointed place binds the nation together in shared memory and gladness. The chapter then turns to public justice: judges and officers are to be appointed in every town to judge righteously, never perverting justice, showing partiality, or taking a bribe that blinds the eyes of the wise. Israel is to follow what is altogether just, that she may live and inherit the land. The chapter ends warning against the idolatrous Asherah and sacred pillars God hates—true worship and true justice belong together.
Key Figures
- The worshiping people of Israel — Gathered three times a year at the place God chooses to remember the exodus, give as they are able, and rejoice before the Lord.
- The Levites, foreigners, fatherless, and widows — Those without inheritance or protection, deliberately included in Israel's feasts so that the joy of worship leaves no one out.
- The judges and officers — Those appointed in every town to judge with righteous judgment, refusing partiality and bribes and following what is altogether just.
Key Verse
Deuteronomy 16:20 (WEB)
You shall follow that which is altogether just, that you may live, and inherit the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
Lessons Learned
- God shapes the life of his people around regular seasons of remembering his salvation and rejoicing in him.
- Genuine worship overflows in joy that includes the servant, the stranger, and the vulnerable.
- We come before God not empty-handed but giving in proportion to how he has blessed us.
- A people who worship rightly must also do justice—impartial, incorruptible, and altogether fair.
- Worship is rooted in remembering redemption. Israel keeps Passover so “that you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life” (Deuteronomy 16:3, WEB).
- Joy is a command, not an accident. At the Feast of Tents, “you shall be altogether joyful” (Deuteronomy 16:15, WEB); God invites his people into wholehearted gladness in his presence.
- Give according to the blessing you have received. “Every man shall give as he is able, according to Yahweh your God's blessing which he has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:17, WEB).
- Justice must be pursued without compromise. “You shall follow that which is altogether just” (Deuteronomy 16:20, WEB), refusing partiality and bribes, for justice and worship belong together.
- How do the three feasts each anchor Israel's worship in memory and gratitude (16:1-15)?
- Why does God repeatedly include servants, foreigners, the fatherless, and the widow in the rejoicing?
- What does it mean to appear before the Lord “not empty” and to give “as he is able” (16:16-17)?
- Why does the chapter move so directly from worship to courts of justice (16:18-20)?
- What helps you move from dutiful religion to genuine joy in worship, and where might God be calling you to do justice?
- Passover recalls the exodus, Weeks celebrates God's blessing on the harvest, and Tents looks back on God's provision—each tying worship to what God has done. The repeated feasts keep gratitude fresh and form a people whose calendar is built around grace.
- God insists the powerless share fully in the celebration so that joy in him is communal and inclusive. Worship that leaves out the vulnerable is incomplete; the feast becomes a picture of a kingdom where the marginalized are seated at the table.
- To come “not empty” is to bring an offering shaped by gratitude, and to give “as he is able” keeps giving proportional and sincere rather than competitive or burdensome. Worship engages our resources, but God measures faithfulness, not amount.
- The placement teaches that love for God and justice among people cannot be separated. A nation cannot truly worship the just God while tolerating corrupt courts; right worship and right dealings with neighbors are two sides of one faithful life.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to name what stirs real delight in worship and to consider one concrete area of fairness or advocacy. As leader, hold worship and justice together, as the chapter does, without letting either crowd out the other.