1 “ If a slain person is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, and it is not known who has struck 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 your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the slain one.

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

3 I t shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a 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 the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and shall break 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 T hen the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and every dispute and every assault shall be settled by them.

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 ll the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken 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 did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.

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

8 F orgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the bloodguiltiness 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 you shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Domestic Relations

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 “ When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take them away 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 see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself,

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

12 t hen you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails.

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

13 S he shall also remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and mourn her father and mother a full month; and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she shall be your 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 I t shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go wherever she wishes; but you shall certainly not sell her for money, you shall not mistreat her, because you have 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 “ If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,

“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 in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is 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 firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

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 “ If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to 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 his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.

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 T hey shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, 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 T hen all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it 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 “ If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you 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 corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the Lord your God gives you as 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.