Deuteronomy 24

1 Should a man marry a woman, but then isn't pleased with her because he finds out something shameful about her, he is allowed to write out a certificate of divorce for her, give it to her, and send her out of his house.

When a man takes a wife and marries her, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unsuitable thing in her, then he must write her a certificate of divorce, put it into her hand, and send her out of his house.

2 Suppose that after leaving his house, she goes marries another man,

When she has gone out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife.

3 and suppose the second man also ends up hating her, writes out a certificate of divorce for her, gives it to her, and sends her out of his house—or he may happen to die.

If the second husband hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it into her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the second husband dies, the man who took her to be his wife—

4 The first husband who divorced her is not permitted to marry her again after she was shamed, for that offends the Lord. You are not bring guilt upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you to own.

then her former husband, the one who had first sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has become impure; for that would be an abomination to Yahweh. You must not cause the land to become guilty, the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

5 If a man has just got married, he is not to be sent to war or made to do any other duties. He is free to stay at home for one year and make his wife happy.

When a man takes a new wife, he will not go to war with the army, neither may he be commanded to go on any forced duty; he will be free to be at home for one year and will cheer his wife whom he has taken.

6 Don't accept a pair of millstones, or even just an upper millstone, as security for a debt, because that would put the borrower's life in danger.

No man may take a mill or an upper millstone as a pledge, for that would be taking a person's life as a pledge.

7 Anyone caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite must be executed, whether the kidnapper makes him a slave or sells him. You must eliminate the evil from among you.

If a man is found kidnapping any of his brothers from among the people of Israel, and treats him as a slave and sells him, that thief must die; and you will remove the evil from among you.

8 When it comes to infectious skin diseases, make sure you follow carefully all the instructions of the Levitical priests. Be careful to follow the orders I've given them.

Take heed regarding any plague of leprosy, so that you carefully observe and follow every instruction given to you which the priests, the Levites, teach you; as I commanded them, so you will act.

9 Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the journey out of Egypt.

Call to mind what Yahweh your God did to Miriam as you were coming out of Egypt.

10 If you lend anything to someone, don't go into their house to take some kind of security.

When you make your neighbor any kind of loan, you must not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

11 Stand outside while they go inside and bring the security out to you.

You will stand outside, and the man to whom you have lent will bring the pledge outside to you.

12 If he is a poor man he may give his cloak as security, but you must not keep it when you go to sleep.

If he is a poor man, you must not sleep with his pledge in your possession.

13 Make sure you give it back by sunset, so that he can sleep in his own cloak and thank you, and you will be counted as doing good by the Lord your God.

You must surely restore to him the pledge by the time the sun goes down, so that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; it will be righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.

14 Don't mistreat a paid servant who is poor and needy, whether he's an Israelite or a foreigner living in one of your towns.

You must not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is of your fellow Israelites, or of the foreigners who are in your land within your city gates;

15 Pay his wages every day before sunset, because he is poor and is relying on them. If you don't he may complain to the Lord about you, and you will be found guilty of sin.

Each day you must give him his wage; the sun must not go down on this unsettled matter, for he is poor and is counting on it. Do this so that he does not cry out against you to Yahweh, and so that it not be a sin that you have committed.

16 Fathers are not to be executed because of their children, and children are not to be executed because of their fathers. Each person is to be executed because of their own sin.

The parents must not be put to death for their children, neither must the children be put to death for their parents. Instead, everyone must be put to death for his own sin.

17 Don't treat foreigners or orphans unjustly; don't take a widow's cloak as security.

You must not use force to take away the justice that is due the foreigner or the fatherless, nor take the widow's cloak as a pledge.

18 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God rescued you from that place. That's why I'm ordering you to do this.

Instead, you must call to mind that you were a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God rescued you from there. Therefore I instruct you to obey this command.

19 If when you're harvesting in your field you forget a sheaf there, don't go back for it. Leave it for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you do.

When you reap your harvest in your field, and if you have forgotten an omer of grain in the field, you must not go back to get it; it must be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

20 When you shake the olive trees to knock down the olives, don't go over the branches again. What's left is for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.

When you shake your olive tree, you must not go over the branches again; it will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, or for the widow.

21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, don't go over the vines again. What's left is for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.

When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not glean it again. What is left over will be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22 Remember you were once slaves in Egypt. That's why I'm ordering you to do this.

You must call to mind that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I instruct you to obey this command.