1 C UANDO fuere hallado en la tierra que Jehová tu Dios te da para que la poseas, muerto echado en el campo, y no se supiere quién lo hirió,

“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 E ntonces tus ancianos y tus jueces saldrán y medirán hasta las ciudades que están alrededor del muerto:

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

3 Y será, que los ancianos de aquella ciudad, de la ciudad más cercana al muerto, tomarán de la vacada una becerra que no haya servido, que no haya traído yugo;

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 Y los ancianos de aquella ciudad traerán la becerra á un valle áspero, que nunca haya sido arado ni sembrado, y cortarán el pescuezo á la becerra allí en el valle.

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 E ntonces vendrán los sacerdotes hijos de Leví, porque á ellos escogió Jehová tu Dios para que le sirvan, y para bendecir en nombre de Jehová; y por el dicho de ellos se determinará todo pleito y toda llaga.

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 Y todos los ancianos de aquella ciudad más cercana al muerto lavarán sus manos sobre la becerra degollada en el valle.

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 Y protestarán, y dirán: Nuestras manos no han derramado esta sangre, ni nuestros ojos lo vieron.

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

8 E xpía á tu pueblo Israel, al cual redimiste, oh Jehová; y no imputes la sangre inocente derramada en medio de tu pueblo Israel. Y la sangre les será perdonada.

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 Y tú quitarás la culpa de sangre inocente de en medio de ti, cuando hicieres lo que es recto en los ojos de Jehová.

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 C uando salieres á la guerra contra tus enemigos, y Jehová tu Dios los entregare en tu mano, y tomares de ellos cautivos,

“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 Y vieres entre los cautivos alguna mujer hermosa, y la codiciares, y la tomares para ti por mujer,

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

12 L a meterás en tu casa; y ella raerá su cabeza, y cortará sus uñas,

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

13 Y se quitará el vestido de su cautiverio, y quedaráse en tu casa: y llorará á su padre y á su madre el tiempo de un mes: y después entrarás á ella, y tu serás su marido, y ella tu mujer.

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 Y será, si no te agradare, que la has de dejar en su libertad; y no la venderás por dinero, ni mercadearás con ella, por cuanto la afligiste.

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 C uando un hombre tuviere dos mujeres, la una amada y la otra aborrecida, y la amada y la aborrecida le parieren hijos, y el hijo primogénito fuere de la aborrecida;

“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 S erá que, el día que hiciere heredar á sus hijos lo que tuviere, no podrá dar el derecho de primogenitura á los hijos de la amada en preferencia al hijo de la aborrecida, que es el primogénito;

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 M as al hijo de la aborrecida reconocerá por primogénito, para darle dos tantos de todo lo que se hallare que tiene: porque aquél es el principio de su fuerza, el derecho de la primogenitura es suyo.

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 C uando alguno tuviere hijo contumaz y rebelde, que no obedeciere á la voz de su padre ni á la voz de su madre, y habiéndolo castigado, no les obedeciere;

“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 E ntonces tomarlo han su padre y su madre, y lo sacarán á los ancianos de su ciudad, y á la puerta del lugar suyo;

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 Y dirán á los ancianos de la ciudad: Este nuestro hijo es contumaz y rebelde, no obedece á nuestra voz; es glotón y borracho.

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 E ntonces todos los hombres de su ciudad lo apedrearán con piedras, y morirá: así quitarás el mal de en medio de ti; y todo Israel oirá, y temerá.

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 C uando en alguno hubiere pecado de sentencia de muerte, por el que haya de morir, y le habrás colgado de un madero,

“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 N o estará su cuerpo por la noche en el madero, mas sin falta lo enterrarás el mismo día, porque maldición de Dios es el colgado: y no contaminarás tu tierra, que Jehová tu Dios te da por heredad.

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.