Deuteronomio 21
1 Cuando fuere hallado algún muerto en la tierra que Jehová tu Dios te da, para que la heredes, echado en el campo, y no se supiere quien le hirió;
“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 Entonces tus ancianos y tus jueces saldrán, y medirán hasta las ciudades que están al derredor del muerto:
[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 Y será que los ancianos de aquella ciudad, de la ciudad más cercana al muerto, tomarán una becerra de las vacas, que no haya servido, que no haya traído yugo;
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 Y los ancianos de aquella ciudad traerán la becerra a un valle áspero, que nunca haya sido arado ni sembrado, y descervigarán allí la becerra en el valle;
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 Y vendrán los sacerdotes hijos de Leví, porque a ellos escogió Jehová tu Dios para que le sirvan, y para bendecir en nombre de Jehová, y por el dicho de ellos, se determinará todo pleito, y toda llaga.
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 Y todos los ancianos de aquella ciudad más cercana al muerto lavarán sus manos sobre la becerra descervigada en el valle.
The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
7 Y protestarán, y dirán: Nuestras manos no han derramado esta sangre, ni nuestros ojos lo vieron:
and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
8 Expía a tu pueblo Israel al cual redimiste, oh Jehová, y no pongas la sangre inocente en medio de tu pueblo Israel. Y la sangre les 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 Y tú quitarás la sangre inocente de en medio de ti, cuando hicieres lo que es recto en los ojos de Jehová.
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 salieres a la guerra contra tus enemigos, y Jehová tu Dios los diere en tu mano, y tomares de ellos cautivos,
“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 Y vieres entre los cautivos alguna mujer hermosa, y la codiciares, y la tomares para ti por mujer;
one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
12 Meterla has en tu casa, y ella raerá su cabeza, y cortará sus 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 quitará de sí el vestido de su cautiverio, y quedarse ha en tu casa: y llorará a su padre y a su madre un mes de tiempo: y después entrarás a ella y tú serás su marido, y ella tu mujer.
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 Y será, que si no te agradare, dejarla has en su libertad, y no la venderás por dinero, y no mercadearás con ella, por cuanto la afligiste.
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 Cuando algún varón tuviere dos mujeres, la una amada, y la otra aborrecida, y la amada y la aborrecida le parieren hijos, y el hijo primogénito fuere de la aborrecida;
“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 Será que el día que hiciere heredar a sus hijos lo que tuviere, no podrá dar el derecho de primogenitura a los hijos de la amada delante del hijo de la aborrecida el primogénito.
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 Mas al hijo de la aborrecida conocerá por primogénito para darle dos tantos de todo lo que le fuere hallado; porque aquel es el principio de su fuerza, el derecho de la primogenitura es suyo.
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 Cuando alguno tuviere hijo contumaz y rebelde, que no obedeciere a la voz de su padre ni a la voz de su madre, y habiéndole castigado, no les obedeciere;
“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 Entonces tomarle han su padre, y su madre, y sacarle han a los ancianos de su ciudad, y a la puerta de su lugar,
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 dirán a los ancianos de la ciudad: Este nuestro hijo es contumaz y rebelde, no obedece a nuestra voz, es glotón y borracho.
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 ciudad le apedrearán con piedras, y morirá: y quitarás el mal de en medio de ti, y todo Israel oirán y temerán.
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 Cuando en alguno hubiere pecado de sentencia de muerte, y hubiere de morir, colgarle has en un madero.
“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 anochecerá su cuerpo en el madero, mas enterrando le enterrarás el mismo día, porque maldición de Dios es el colgado: y no contaminarás tu tierra, que Jehová tu Dios te da por heredad.
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.”
