1 I f one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:

“If a person has been killed and is found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own and it is not known who killed him,

2 T hen thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:

then your leaders and judges will go out and see how far it is to the cities that are around the dead man.

3 A nd it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

The leaders of the city that is nearest to the dead man will take a young cow from the cattle. The cow must never have been worked or pulled a plow.

4 A nd the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:

The leaders of that city will bring the young cow down to a valley with flowing water, which has not been plowed or planted. They will break the cow’s neck there in the valley.

5 A nd the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

Then the religious leaders, the sons of Levi, will come near for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bring good in the name of the Lord. Every question about what is right and every fight will be decided upon by them.

6 A nd all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:

All the leaders of that city nearest to the dead man will wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken in the valley.

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

Then they will say, ‘Our hands have not killed him. Our eyes have not seen it.

8 B e merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

O Lord, forgive Your people Israel whom You have set free. Do not put the guilt of killing a man who did no wrong on Your people Israel.’ And they will be forgiven from the guilt of the man’s death.

9 S o 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.

So you must take away the guilt of taking the life of a good man by doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Marrying a Woman Taken in Battle

10 W hen thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,

“When you go out to battle against those who hate you, and the Lord your God gives them to you, and you make them go with you,

11 A nd seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;

and you see a beautiful woman and have a desire for her as a wife,

12 T hen thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;

bring her home to your house. There she will cut off all the hair from her head and cut her nails.

13 A nd she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, 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.

She will change the clothes she wore when you took her away, and stay in your house. She will have sorrow for her father and mother for one month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband and she will be your wife.

14 A nd it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

If you are not pleased with her, you should let her go wherever she wants. But do not sell her for money or act as if she were a servant because you have put her to shame.

15 I f a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:

“If a man has two wives, one loved and the other not loved, and both the loved and the one not loved have borne him sons, and if the first-born son belongs to the wife who is not loved,

16 T hen it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:

on the day when the man divides what he has for his sons, he cannot make the first-born of his loved wife the first-born before the son of the wife who is not loved, who is the first-born.

17 B ut he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

He must respect the first-born, the son of the wife who is not loved, by giving him twice the share of all he has. He is the beginning of his strength and the right of the first-born belongs to him.

18 I f a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:

“If a man has a strong-willed son who goes against him and does not obey his father or mother and when they punish him he will not even listen to them,

19 T hen 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;

then his father and mother will take hold of him and bring him to the leaders of his city at the gate of his city.

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

They will say to the leaders of his city, ‘This son of ours is strong-willed and goes against us. He will not obey us. He eats and drinks too much.’

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

Then all the men of his city will kill him with stones. You must get rid of the sin from among you. All Israel will hear about it and be afraid.

22 A nd if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:

“If a man has sinned and should be put to death and he is put to death and you hang him on a tree,

23 H is body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

his body must not hang all night on the tree. You should be sure to bury him on the same day (for he who hangs is cursed by God). So do not make your land unclean which the Lord your God is giving you.