Deuteronomio 21
1 Es posible que encuentres a un hombre asesinado, tirado en un campo en el país que el Señor tu Dios te da, y que nadie sepa quién lo mató.
“Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
2 Tus ancianos y jueces deben venir y medir la distancia del cuerpo a los pueblos de alrededor.
[If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
3 Entonces los ancianos del pueblo que se encuentren más cerca del cuerpo tomarán una vaca que nunca haya sido sometida a un yugo o utilizada para el trabajo.
Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
4 Llevarán la vaca a un valle que tenga un arroyo que lo atraviese y cuya tierra nunca haya sido arada o sembrada. Rómpele el cuello a la vaca allí, junto al arroyo.
They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
5 Los sacerdotes levitas deben estar allí también, porque el Señor tu Dios los ha elegido para servirle y para dar bendiciones en su nombre, y para decidir sobre las disputas legales y los casos de asalto.
The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
6 Entonces todos los ancianos del pueblo más cercano al cuerpo deben lavarse las manos en el arroyo sobre la vaca muerta, diciendo,
The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
7 “No tuvimos nada que ver con este asesinato, y no vimos quién lo hizo.
and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
8 Señor, por favor perdona a tu pueblo Israel, a quien rescataste, y no lo hagas culpable de derramar sangre inocente. De esta manera la culpa por derramar sangre será perdonada”.
Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
9 Así es como deberán quitarse la culpa de derramar sangre inocente, ya que han hecho lo que es correcto a los ojos del Señor.
By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
10 Cuando vayan a la guerra con sus enemigos y el Señor su Dios los entregue en derrota y los capturen,
“When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
11 es posible que vean que uno de ellos es una mujer hermosa que les gusta y con la que se quieren casar.
one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
12 Llévenla a casa y hagan que se afeite la cabeza, que se corte las uñas,
He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
13 y que se deshaga de la ropa que llevaba puesta cuando fue capturada. Después de que haya vivido en tu casa y haya terminado su mes de luto por su padre y su madre, puedes dormir con ella y casarte con ella, y será tu esposa.
She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
14 Sin embargo, si no eres feliz con ella, debes dejarla ir donde ella quiera. No se te permite venderla por dinero o tratarla como una esclava, porque la has avergonzado.
Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
15 Si un hombre tiene dos esposas, una que ama y otra que no, y ambas tienen hijos a su cargo, pero el hijo primogénito es de la esposa que no ama,
“Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
16 cuando llegue el momento de que el hombre decida lo que cada hijo heredará de él, no debe preferir al hijo de la esposa que ama y tratarlo como primogénito en lugar del hijo de la esposa que no ama.
On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
17 Sino que debe reconocer al primogénito, el hijo de la esposa que no ama por medio de la costumbre habitual de darle una doble porción de todo lo que posee. El hijo primogénito es la primicia de la fuerza de su padre, y por lo tanto los derechos del primogénito son suyos.
He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
18 Si alguien tiene un hijo obstinado y rebelde que no obedece a sus padres y no les obedece ni siquiera cuando está castigado,
“Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
19 sus padres deben llevarlo a los ancianos del pueblo, al tribunal de su ciudad natal,
If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
20 y decirles: “Nuestro hijo es obstinado y rebelde, no nos obedece. ¡Es un borracho inútil!”
Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
21 Entonces todos los hombres de su pueblo lo apedrearán hasta la muerte. Deben eliminar el mal de entre ustedes, y todo israelita se enterará y tendrá miedo.
Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
22 Si alguien comete un crimen castigado con la muerte, y la persona es ejecutada colgando de un árbol,
“If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
23 no dejes el cuerpo colgando allí de la noche a la mañana. Asegúrate de enterrar el cuerpo el mismo día, porque cualquiera que sea colgado está bajo la maldición de Dios. No profanen el país que el Señor su Dios les ha dado para que lo posean.
you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
