Deuteronomy 21

1 If one shall be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:

Then there shall be found in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee, the corpse of a man slain, and it is not known who is guilty of the murder,

2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him that is slain:

Thy ancients and judges shall go out, and shall measure from the place where the body lieth the distance of every city round about:

3 And it shall be, that the city which is next to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been worked, and which hath not pulled the yoke;

And the ancients of that city which they shall perceive to be nearer than the rest, shall take a heifer of the herd, that hath not drawn in the yoke, nor ploughed the ground,

4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer to a rough valley, which is neither tilled nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:

And they shall bring her into a rough and stony valley, that never was ploughed, nor sown: and there they shall strike off the head of the heifer:

5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:

And the priests the sons of Levi shall come, whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in his name, and that by their word every matter should be decided, and whatsoever is clean or unclean should be judged.

6 And all the elders of that city, that are next to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:

And the ancients of that city shall come to the person slain, and shall wash their hands over the heifer that was killed in the valley,

7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

And shall say: Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.

8 Be merciful, O LORD, to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood to the charge of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, and lay not innocent blood to their charge, in the midst of thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be taken from them:

9 So shalt thou remove the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

And thou shalt be free from the innocent’s blood, that was shed, when thou shalt have done what the Lord hath commanded thee.

10 When thou goest forth to war against thy enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thy hands, and thou hast taken them captive,

If thou go out to fight against thy enemies, and the Lord thy God deliver them into thy hand, and thou lead them away captives,

11 And thou seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire to her, that thou wouldest have her for thy wife;

And seest in the number of the captives a beautiful woman, and lovest her, and wilt have her to wife,

12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;

Thou shalt bring her into thy house: and she shall shave her hair, and pare her nails,

13 And she shall put off from her the raiment of her captivity, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.

And shall put off the raiment, wherein she was taken: and shall remain in thy house, and mourn for her father and mother one month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and shalt sleep with her, and she shall be thy wife.

14 And it shall be, if thou shalt have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go where she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

Rut if afterwards she please thee not, thou shalt let her go free, but thou mayst not sell her for money nor oppress her by might because thou hast humbled her.

15 If a man shall have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:

If a man have two wives, one beloved, and the other hated, and they have had children by him, and the son of the hated be the firstborn,

16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not prefer the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:

And he meaneth to divide his substance among his sons: he may not make the son of the beloved the firstborn, and prefer him before the son of the hated.

17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, and shall give him a double portion of all he hath: for this is the first of his children, and to him are due the first birthrights.

18 If a man shall have a stubborn and rebellious son, who will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not hearken to them:

If a man have a stubborn and unruly son, who will not hear the commandments of his father or mother, and being corrected, slighteth obedience:

19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out to the elders of his city, and to the gate of his place;

They shall take him and bring him to the ancients of his city, and to the gate of judgment,

20 And they shall say to 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.

And shall say to them: This our son is rebellious and stubborn, he slighteth hearing our admonitions, he giveth himself to revelling, and to debauchery and banquetings:

21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he may die: so shalt thou remove evil from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

The people of the city shall stone him: and he shall die, that you may take away the evil out of the midst of you, and all Israel hearing it may be afraid.

22 And if a man shall have committed a sin worthy of death, and he must be put to death, and thou shalt hang him on a tree:

When a man hath committed a crime for which he is to be punished with death, and being condemned to die is hanged on a gibbet:

23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God; ) that thy land may not be defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

His body shall not remain upon the tree, but shall be buried the same day: for he is accursed of God that hangeth on a tree: and thou shalt not defile thy land, which the Lord thy God shall give thee in possession.