Deuteronomy 23:13

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

and a blade, shalt thou have upon thy staff, - so shall it be, that when thou wouldest sit down outside, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which hath passed from thee:

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.

Update Bible Version
and you shall have a stick among your weapons; and it shall be, when you sit down abroad, you shall dig therewith, and shall turn back and cover that which comes from you:

English Revised Version
and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

New Century Version
Carry a tent peg with you, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your dung.

New English Translation
You must have a spade among your other equipment and when you relieve yourself outside you must dig a hole with the spade and then turn and cover your excrement.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon: and it shall be when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig with it, and shalt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee:

World English Bible
and you shall have a paddle among your weapons; and it shall be, when you sit down abroad, you shall dig therewith, and shall turn back and cover that which comes from you:

Amplified Bible
and you shall have a spade among your tools, and when you [prepare to] sit down outside [to relieve yourself], you shall dig a hole with it and shall turn and cover up your waste.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thou schalt bere a litil stake in the girdil; and whanne thou hast sete, thou schalt digge `bi cumpas, and `thou schalt hile with erthe thingis `defied out,

Young's Literal Translation
and a nail thou hast on thy staff, and it hath been, in thy sitting without, that thou hast digged with it, and turned back, and covered thy filth;

Berean Standard Bible
And you must have a digging tool in your equipment so that when you relieve yourself you can dig a hole and cover up your excrement.

Contemporary English Version
And make sure that you have a small shovel in your equipment. When you go out to the toilet area, use the shovel to dig a hole. Then, after you relieve yourself, bury the waste in the hole.

American Standard Version
and thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

Bible in Basic English
And have among your arms a spade; and when you have been to that place, let that which comes from you be covered up with earth:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thou shalt haue a paddle staffe vpon thy weapon: and when thou wilt ease thy selfe, digge therwith, and turne and couer that which is departed from thee.

Complete Jewish Bible
Also you are to have an area outside the camp to use as a latrine.

Darby Translation
And thou shalt have a shovel amongst thy weapons, and it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which is come from thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
Among your weapons, you must also carry a stick to dig with. Then, when you relieve yourself, you must dig a hole and cover it up.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad.

King James Version (1611)
And thou shalt haue a paddle vpon thy weapon: and it shall be when thou wilt ease thy selfe abroad, thou shalt digge therewith, and shalt turne backe and couer that which commeth from thee.

New Life Bible
You should have a tool there to dig with. Use it to dig a hole when you sit down outside. Then use it to cover the waste from your body.

New Revised Standard
With your utensils you shall have a trowel; when you relieve yourself outside, you shall dig a hole with it and then cover up your excrement.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And thou shalt haue a paddle among thy weapons, & when thou wouldest sit downe without, thou shalt shalt digge therewith, and returning thou shalt couer thine excrements.

George Lamsa Translation
And you shall have a peg upon your weapon; and it shall be, when you relieve yourself, you shall dig with it, and then you shall cover your dung;

Good News Translation
Carry a stick as part of your equipment, so that when you have a bowel movement you can dig a hole and cover it up.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Carrying a paddle at thy girdle. And when thou sittest down, thou shalt dig round about, and with the earth that is dug up thou shalt cover

Revised Standard Version
and you shall have a stick with your weapons; and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it, and turn back and cover up your excrement.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and thou shalt have a trowel on thy girdle; and it shall come to pass when thou wouldest relieve thyself abroad, that thou shalt dig with it, and shalt bring back the earth and cover thy nuisance.

Christian Standard Bible®
You are to have a digging tool in your equipment; when you relieve yourself, dig a hole with it and cover up your excrement.

Hebrew Names Version
and you shall have a paddle among your weapons; and it shall be, when you sit down abroad, you shall dig therewith, and shall turn back and cover that which comes from you:

King James Version
And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee:

Lexham English Bible
and a digging tool shall be included in addition to your other utensils for yourself; and then when you relieve yourself outside the camp you shall dig with it, and then you shall turn, and you shall cover your excrement.

Literal Translation
And you shall have a tool on your staff. And it shall be, as you sit outside, you shall dig with it, and shall turn back, and shall cover that which comes from you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& thou shalt haue a shouell vnder the gyrdle: and whan thou wilt set ye downe without, thou shalt dygge therwith: and whan thou hast done thine easement, thou shalt couer that which is departed from the.

New American Standard Bible
and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn and cover up your excrement.

New King James Version
and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse.

New Living Translation
Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement.

Legacy Standard Bible
and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and shall turn to cover up your excrement.

Contextual Overview

⁹ When thou goest forth into camp against thine enemies, then shalt thou beware of everything foul. ¹⁰ When there is in thy midst a man who is not clean through a mischance of the night, then shall he go forth unto the outside of the camp, he shall not come into the midst of the camp; ¹¹ but it shall be, when the evening cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water, - and at the going in of the sun, he shall come into the midst of the camp. ¹² And a place aside, shalt thou have, without the camp, - whither thou canst go forth abroad; ¹³ and a blade, shalt thou have upon thy staff, - so shall it be, that when thou wouldest sit down outside, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which hath passed from thee: ¹⁴ for, Yahweh thy God, walketh to and fro in the midst of thy camp, to rescue thee, and to deliver up thine enemies before thee, so shall thy camps be holy, - and he shall see in thee no shameful thing, that he should turn away from following thee.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wilt ease thyself: Heb. sittest down

cover that: Ezekiel 24:6-8

Cross-References

Genesis 23:5
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him:

Genesis 23:8
and spake with them, saying, - If it is with the consent of your minds that I should bury my dead from before me, hear me, and intercede for me, with Ephron son of Zohar:

2 Samuel 24:24
But the king said unto Araunah - Nay! but I will, buy, it of thee, for a price, and will not cause to ascend unto Yahweh my God, offerings that have cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor, and the oxen, for fifty shekels of silver;

Acts 20:35
In all things, I gave you to understand, that, thus toiling, it behoves to be helping the weak, also to be keeping in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, that, he himself, said - Happy is it, rather to give than to receive!

Romans 13:8
Nothing to any, be owing - save to be loving one another; for, he that loveth his neighbour, hath given to, law, its fulfillment.

Colossians 4:5
In wisdom, be walking towards them who are without, - the opportunity, buying out for yourselves,

Hebrews 13:5
Without fondness for money, be your way of life, - being content with the present things, - for, he, hath said: In nowise, thee, will I leave, no indeed! in nowise, thee, will I forsake:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon,.... A nail or spike, some kind of instrument to make a hole in the ground with, which was fastened to the sword upon their loins; which was to be instead of a spade or mattock to dig with:

and it shall be, when thou shall ease thyself abroad; without the camp, in the place appointed for that use, whenever nature required such an action to be performed;

thou shall dig therewith; with, the paddle, an hole in the earth: the Essenes used, according to Josephus, to make it a foot deep with a spade or mattock, and to everyone that was newly admitted among them, a little pickaxe was given for that purpose r:

and shalt turn back; having eased nature:

and cover that which cometh from thee; their dung, with the earth they dug out of the hole they made. This law was made to preserve modesty and decency becoming men, and not act like brute beasts, as well as cleanliness in the camp, and, the health of themselves and their fellow soldiers; and that, they might not be offensive to the smell, as well as pernicious to the health of one another; and especially for a reason that follows in Deuteronomy 23:14; so Maimonides s says, the intention of this law is especially cleanliness, and to avoid nastiness, filthiness, and impurities of every kind, that men might not be like the brute animals.

r De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 8. sect. 9. s Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 41.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The whole passage refers not to the encampments of the nation while passing from Egypt through the wilderness, but to future warlike expeditions seat out from Canaan.