Deuteronomy 21

1 And if one be found slain with the sword in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee to inherit, having fallen in the field, and they do not know who has smitten [him];

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

2 thine elders and thy judges shall come forth, and shall measure the distances of the cities round about the slain 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 and it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not laboured, and which has not borne a yoke.

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

4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer into a rough valley, which has not been tilled and is not sown, and they shall slay the heifer in the valley.

The leaders of that town are to bring the heifer down to a valley with a stream in it that never dries up, to a place that is neither plowed nor sown; and they are to break the cow’s neck there in the valley

5 And the priests the Levites shall come, because the Lord God has chosen them to stand by him, and to bless in his name, and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be [decided].

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

6 And all the elders of that city who draw nigh to the slain man shall wash their hands over the head of the heifer which was slain 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 and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, and 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 Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, that innocent blood may not be charged on thy people Israel: and the blood shall be atoned for to them.

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

9 And thou shalt take away innocent blood from among you, if thou shouldest do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord thy God.

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

10 And if when thou goest out to war against thine enemies, the Lord thy God should deliver them into thine hands, and thou shouldest take their spoil,

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

11 and shouldest see among the spoil a woman beautiful in countenance, and shouldest desire her, and take her to thyself for a wife,

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have chasak ·set your affection· for her, and desire to take her as your wife;

12 and shouldest bring her within thine house: then shalt thou shave her head, and pare her nails;

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

13 and shalt take away her garments of captivity from off her, and she shall abide in thine house, and shall bewail her father and mother the days of a month; and afterwards thou shalt go in to her and dwell with her, and she shall be thy 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 And it shall be if thou do not delight in her, thou shalt send her out free; and she shall not by any means be sold for money, thou shalt not treat her contemptuously, because thou hast humbled her.

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 And if a man have two wives, the one loved and the other hated, and both the loved and the hated should have born him [children], and the son of the hated should be first-born;

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

16 then it shall be that whensoever he shall divide by inheritance his goods to his sons, he shall not be able to give the right of the first-born to the son of the loved one, having overlooked the son of the hated, which 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 'ahav ·affectionately loved· the rights of the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn;

17 But he shall acknowledge the first-born of the hated one to give to him double of all things which shall be found by him, because he is the first of his children, and to him belongs the birthright.

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 mishpat ·right· of the firstborn is his.

18 And if any man has a disobedient and contentious son, who hearkens not to the voice of his father and the voice of his mother, and they should correct him, and he should not hearken to them;

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

19 then shall his father and his mother take hold of him, and bring him forth to the elders of his city, and to the gate of the place:

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 and they shall say to the men of their city, This our son is disobedient and contentious, he hearkens not to our voice, he is a reveler and a drunkard.

They shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not sh'ma ·hear obey· our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”

21 And the men of his city shall stone him with stones, and he shall die; and thou shalt remove the evil one from yourselves, and the rest shall hear and fear.

All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel [God prevails] shall sh'ma ·hear obey·, and fear.

22 And if there be sin in any one, [and] the judgment of death [be upon him], and he be put to death, and ye hang him on a tree:

If a man has committed a crime deserving penalty, sin ·missing the goal· mishpat ·judged· worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree;

23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but ye shall by all means bury it in that day; for every one that is hanged on a tree is cursed of God; and ye shall by no means defile the land which the Lord thy God gives thee for an inheritance.

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 Adonai your God gives you for an inheritance.