1 I f one is found slain in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has killed him,

¶ When one is found dead in the land which the LORD thy God gives thee to inherit, lying in the field, and it is not known who has slain him,

2 T hen your elders and judges shall come forth and measure the distance to the cities around him who is slain.

then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is dead;

3 A nd the city which is nearest to the slain man, the elders of that city shall take a heifer which has never been worked, never pulled in the yoke,

and it shall be that the elders of the city which is next unto the dead man shall take a heifer, which has not served, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

4 A nd the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which has neither been plowed nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

5 A nd the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the Lord, and by their word shall every controversy and every assault be settled.

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for the LORD thy God has chosen them to minister unto him and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be determined.

6 A nd all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,

And all the elders of that closest city next to the dead man shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley.

7 A nd they shall testify, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

8 F orgive, O Lord, Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow the shedding of innocent blood to be charged to Your people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be forgiven them.

Reconcile thy people Israel, whom thou hast ransomed, O LORD, and impute not the innocent blood shed in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

9 S o shall you purge the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.

So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

10 W hen you go forth to battle against your enemies and the Lord your God has given them into your hands and you carry them away captive,

¶ When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God has delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,

11 A nd you see among the captives a beautiful woman and desire her, that you may have her as your wife,

and seest among the captives a beautiful woman and hast a desire unto her that thou would have her to thy wife,

12 T hen you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and pare her nails

then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head and pare her nails,

13 A nd put off her prisoner’s garb, and shall remain in your house and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.

and she shall put off the clothing of her captivity and shall remain in thine house and bewail her father and her mother a full month, and after that thou shalt go in unto her and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

14 A nd if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go absolutely free. You shall not sell her at all for money; you shall not deal with her as a slave or a servant, because you have humbled her.

And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go free, but thou shalt not sell her at all for money; thou shalt not make merchandise of her because thou hast humbled her.

15 I f a man has two wives, one loved and the other disliked, and they both have borne him children, and if the firstborn son is the son of the one who is disliked,

¶ When a man has two wives, one beloved and the other hated, and they have born him sons, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son is of the one that was hated,

16 T hen on the day when he wills his possessions to his sons, he shall not put the firstborn of his loved wife in place of the firstborn of the disliked wife—her firstborn being older.

then it shall be, when he makes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not give the right of the firstborn unto the son of the beloved in preference over the son of the hated, who is indeed the firstborn;

17 B ut he shall acknowledge the son of the disliked as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he was the first issue of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

18 I f a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or his mother and though they chasten him will not listen to them,

¶ When anyone has a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother and when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them,

19 T hen his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,

then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him and bring him out unto the elders of his city and unto the gate of his place;

20 A nd they shall say to the elders of his city, This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.

and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not hear our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.

21 T hen all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall cleanse out the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, and he shall die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear and fear.

22 A nd if a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree,

And when a man shall have committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and thou shall have hung him on a tree,

23 H is body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day, for a hanged man is accursed by God. Thus you shall not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance.

his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt without fail bury him that same day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God) that thy land not be defiled, which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance.