< Deuteronomy 21 >
1 “When one is found slain, fallen in a field on the ground which your God YHWH is giving to you to possess it, [and] it is not known who has struck him,
If someone is found killed in the land that Yahweh your God is giving you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has attacked him;
2 then your elderly and yours [of those] judging have gone out and measured to the cities which [are] around the slain one,
then your elders and your judges must go out, and they must measure to the cities that are around him who has been killed.
3 and it has been, the city which [is] near to the slain one, even [the] elderly of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, which has not drawn in a yoke,
Then the elders of the town nearest to the dead man's body must take a heifer from the herd, one that has never been put to work, and that has not borne the yoke.
4 and [the] elderly of that city have brought down the heifer to a hard valley, which is not tilled nor sown, and have beheaded the heifer there in the valley.
Then they must lead the heifer down to a valley with running water, a valley that has been neither plowed nor sown, and there in the valley they must break the heifer's neck.
5 And the priests, sons of Levi, have come near—for your God YHWH has fixed on them to serve Him and to bless in the Name of YHWH, and by their mouth is every strife and every stroke—
The priests, descendants of Levi, must come forward, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve him and give blessing in the name of Yahweh and to decide every case of dispute and assault by their word.
6 and all [the] elderly of that city, who are near to the slain one, wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,
All the elders of the city that is the nearest to the killed man must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;
7 and they have answered and said, Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen—
and they must answer to the case and say, 'Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8 receive atonement for Your people Israel, whom You have ransomed, O YHWH, and do not permit innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel; and the blood has been pardoned to them,
Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not put guilt for innocent bloodshed in the midst of your people Israel.' Then the bloodshed will be forgiven them.
9 and you put away the innocent blood out of your midst, for you do that which [is] right in the eyes of YHWH.
In this way you will put away the innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.
10 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and your God YHWH has given them into your hand, and you have taken captive its captivity,
When you go out to do battle against your enemies and Yahweh your God gives you victory and puts them under your control, and you take them away as captives,
11 and have seen a woman of beautiful form in the captivity, and have delighted in her, and have taken [her] to yourself for a wife,
if you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire for her and wish to take her for yourself as a wife,
12 then you have brought her into the midst of your household, and she has shaved her head, and prepared her nails,
then you will bring her home to your house; she will shave her head and cut her nails.
13 and turned aside the raiment of her captivity from off her, and has dwelt in your house, and lamented her father and her mother [for] a month of days, and afterward you go in to her and have married her, and she has been to you for a wife.
Then she will take off the clothes she was wearing when she was taken captive and she will remain in your house and mourn for her father and her mother a full month. After that you may sleep with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife.
14 And it has been, if you have not delighted in her, that you have sent her away at her desire, and surely you do not sell her for money; you do not tyrannize over her, because that you have humbled her.
But if you take no delight in her, then you may let her go where she wishes. But you must not sell her at all for money, and you must not treat her like a slave, because you have humiliated her.
15 When a man has two wives, one loved and the other hated, and they have borne sons to him (the loved one and the hated one), and the firstborn son has been to the hated one,
If a man has two wives and one is loved and the other is hated, and they have both borne him children—both the beloved wife and the hated wife—if the firstborn son is of her that is hated,
16 then it has been, in the day of his causing his sons to inherit that which he has, he is not able to declare firstborn the son of the loved one, in the face of the son of the hated one—the firstborn.
then on the day that the man causes his sons to inherit what he possesses, he may not make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn before the son of the hated wife, the son who is actually the firstborn.
17 But the firstborn, son of the hated one, he acknowledges, to give to him a double portion of all that is found with him, for he [is] the beginning of his strength; to him [is] the right of the firstborn.
Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he possesses; for that son is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn belongs to him.
18 When a man has a son apostatizing and being rebellious—he is not listening to the voice of his father and to the voice of his mother, and they have disciplined him, and he does not 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 who, even though they correct him, will not listen to them;
19 then his father and his mother have laid hold on him, and they have brought him out to [the] elderly of his city, and to the gate of his place,
then his father and his mother must lay hold on him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his city.
20 and have said to [the] elderly of his city, Our son—this one—is apostatizing and being rebellious; he is not listening to our voice—a glutton and drunkard.
They must say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.'
21 Then all the men of his city have stoned him with stones and he has died, and you have put away the evil out of your midst, and all Israel hears and fears.
Then all the men of his city must stone him to death with stones; and you will remove the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and fear.
22 And when there is a sin in a man [with] a judgment of death, and he has been put to death, and you have hanged 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 his corpse does not remain on the tree, for you certainly bury him in the day—for he who is hanged [becomes] a curse of God—and you do not defile your ground which your God YHWH is giving to you [for] an inheritance.”
then his body must not remain all night on the tree. Instead, you must surely bury him the same day; for whoever is hanged is cursed by God. Obey this commandment so that you do not defile the land that Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.