1 “ 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,

If someone is found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him;

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

then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain.

3 T he 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.

It shall be that the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn’t been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke.

4 T he 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.

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.

5 T hen 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.

The priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Yahweh’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.

6 A ll 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.

All the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.

7 T hen they will say, ‘Our hands have not killed him. Our eyes have not seen it.

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

8 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.

Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.

9 S o 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

So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.

10 “ 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,

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands, and you carry them away captive,

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

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and desire to take her as your wife;

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

then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails.

13 S he 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.

She shall take the clothing of her captivity off of herself, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.

14 I f 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.

It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money. You shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her.

15 “ 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,

If a man has two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son is hers who was hated;

16 o n 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.

then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not give the son of the beloved the rights of the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn;

17 H e 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.

but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, 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 “ 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,

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

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

then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place.

20 T hey 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.’

They shall tell 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.”

21 T hen 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.

All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel shall hear, and fear.

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

If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree;

23 h is 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.

his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God; that you don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.