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:
If there be found a slain person 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:
2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him that is slain:
Then shall thy elders and thy judges go forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about the one that is slain.
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 it shall be, that the city which is the nearest unto the slain person, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer, which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in a yoke;
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 the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither tilled nor sown, and they shall break there the neck of the heifer in the valley;
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 near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and after their decision shall be done [at] every controversy and every injury;
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 all the elders of that city who are nearest unto the slain person shall wash their hands over the heifer, the neck of which is broken in the valley.
7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
And they shall commence and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen 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.
Grant pardon unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, and lay not innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel: and the blood shall be forgiven unto 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 put away the [guilt of] the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou wilt do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
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,
When thou goest forth to war against thy enemies, and the Lord thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou takest captives of them;
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 thou seest among the captives a woman of handsome form, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldst take her to thee for wife:
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
Then shalt thou bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and let grow 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 she shall put off the raiment of her captivity from her, and she shall remain in thy house, and weep for her father and her mother a full month; and after that thou mayest go in unto her, and be her husband, that she may become 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.
And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then shalt thou let her go whither she will; but thou shalt nowise sell her for money; thou shalt not make a servant of her, 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 bear him children, both the beloved and the hated; so that the first-born son be hers that is hated:
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:
Then shall it be, when he divideth as inheritance among his sons what he hath, that he shall not institute the son of the beloved as the first-born before the son of the hated, the firstborn;
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 the first-born, the son of the hated woman, shall he acknowledge, to give him a double portion of all that is found in his possession; for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongeth the right of the first birth.
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 rebellious son, who hearkeneth not to the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and they chastise him, and he will not hearken unto them:
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;
Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
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 they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
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.
And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; and thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and 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:
And if a man have committed a sin for which there is a punishment of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:
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.
Then shall his body not remain all night on the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him on that day; [for he that is hanged is a dishonor of God; ] and thou shalt not defile thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
