Deuteronomii 21

1 Quando inventum fuerit in terra, quam Dominus Deus tuus daturus est tibi, hominis cadaver occisi, et ignorabitur caedis reus,

If, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you come across the dead body of a man in the open country, and you have no idea who has put him to death:

2 egredientur maiores natu, et iudices tui, et metientur a loco cadaveris singularum per circuitum spatia civitatum:

Then your responsible men and your judges are to come out, and give orders for the distance from the dead body to the towns round about it to be measured;

3 et quam viciniorem ceteris esse perspexerint, seniores civitatis illius tollent vitulam de armento, quae non traxit iugum, nec terram scidit vomere,

And whichever town is nearest to the body, the responsible men of that town are to take from the herd a young cow which has never been used for work or put under the yoke;

4 et ducent eam ad vallem asperam atque saxosam, quae numquam arata est, nec sementem recepit: et caedent in ea cervices vitulae:

And they are to take the cow into a valley where there is flowing water, and which is not ploughed or planted, and there the neck of the cow is to be broken:

5 accedentque sacerdotes filii Levi, quos elegerit Dominus Deus tuus ut ministrent ei, et benedicant in nomine eius, et ad verbum eorum omne negotium, et quidquid mundum, vel immundum est, iudicetur.

Then the priests, the sons of Levi, are to come near; for they have been marked out by the Lord your God to be his servants and to give blessings in the name of the Lord; and by their decision every argument and every blow is to be judged:

6 Et venient maiores natu civitatis illius ad interfectum, lavabuntque manus suas super vitulam, quae in valle percussa est,

And all the responsible men of that town which is nearest to the dead man, washing their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the valley,

7 et dicent: Manus nostrae non effuderunt sanguinem hunc, nec oculi viderunt.

Will say, This death is not the work of our hands and our eyes have not seen it.

8 propitius esto populo tuo Israel, quem redemisti Domine, et ne reputes sanguinem innocentem in medio populi tui Israel. Et auferetur ab eis reatus sanguinis:

Have mercy, O Lord, on your people Israel whom you have made free, and take away from your people the crime of a death without cause. Then they will no longer be responsible for the man's death.

9 tu autem alienus eris ab innocentis cruore, qui fusus est, cum feceris quod praecepit Dominus.

So you will take away the crime of a death without cause from among you, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

10 Si egressus fueris ad pugnam contra inimicos tuos, et tradiderit eos Dominus Deus tuus in manu tua, captivosque duxeris,

When you go out to war against other nations, and the Lord your God gives them up into your hands and you take them as prisoners;

11 et videris in numero captivorum mulierem pulchram, et adamaveris eam, voluerisque habere uxorem,

If among the prisoners you see a beautiful woman and it is your desire to make her your wife;

12 introduces eam in domum tuam: quae radet caesariem, et circumcidet ungues,

Then take her back to your house; and let her hair and her nails be cut;

13 et deponet vestem, in qua capta est: sedensque in domo tua, flebit patrem et matrem suam uno mense: et postea intrabis ad eam, dormiesque cum illa, et erit uxor tua.

And let her take off the dress in which she was made prisoner and go on living in your house and weeping for her father and mother for a full month: and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she will be your wife.

14 Si autem postea non sederit animo tuo, dimittes eam liberam, nec vendere poteris pecunia, nec opprimere per potentiam: quia humiliasti eam.

But if you have no delight in her, you are to let her go wherever she will; you may not take a price for her as if she was your property, for you have made use of her for your pleasure.

15 Si habuerit homo uxores duas, unam dilectam, et alteram odiosam, genueritque ex eis liberos, et fuerit filius odiosae primogenitus,

If a man has two wives, one greatly loved and the other hated, and the two of them have had children by him; and if the first son is the child of the hated wife:

16 volueritque substantiam inter filios suos dividere: non poterit filium dilectae facere primogenitum, et praeferre filio odiosae,

Then when he gives his property to his sons for their heritage, he is not to put the son of his loved one in the place of the first son, the son of the hated wife:

17 sed filium odiosae agnoscet primogenitum, dabitque ei de his quae habuerit cuncta duplicia: iste est enim principium liberorum eius, et huic debentur primogenita.

But he is to give his first son his birthright, and twice as great a part of his property: for he is the first-fruits of his strength and the right of the first son is his.

18 Si genuerit homo filium contumacem et protervum, qui non audierit patris aut matris imperium, et coercitus obedire contempserit:

If a man has a son who is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, who gives no attention to the voice of his father and mother, and will not be ruled by them, though they give him punishment:

19 apprehendent eum, et ducent ad seniores civitatis illius, et ad portam iudicii,

Then let his father and mother take him to the responsible men of the town, to the public place;

20 dicentque ad eos: Filius noster iste protervus et contumax est, monita nostra audire contemnit, comessationibus vacat, et luxuriae atque conviviis:

And say to them, This son of ours is hard-hearted and uncontrolled, he will not give attention to us; he gives himself up to pleasure and strong drink.

21 lapidibus eum obruet populus civitatis: et morietur, ut auferatis malum de medio vestri, et universus Israel audiens pertimescat.

Then he is to be stoned to death by all the men of the town: so you are to put away the evil from among you; and all Israel, hearing of it, will be full of fear.

22 Quando peccaverit homo quod morte plectendum est, et adiudicatus morti appensus fuerit in patibulo:

If a man does a crime for which the punishment is death, and he is put to death by hanging him on a tree;

23 non permanebit cadaver eius in ligno, sed in eadem die sepelietur: quia maledictus a Deo est qui pendet in ligno: et nequaquam contaminabis Terram tuam, quam Dominus Deus tuus dederit tibi in possessionem.

Do not let his body be on the tree all night, but put it to rest in the earth the same day; for the man who undergoes hanging is cursed by God; so do not make unclean the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.