Deuteronomy 21

Laws Concerning Unsolved Murder

1 If a homicide victimt should be found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you,t and no one knows who killedt him,2 your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in the vicinity of the corpse.t3 Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpset must take from the herd a heifer that has not been worked – that has never pulled with the yoke –4 and bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water,t to a valley that is neither plowed nor sown.s There at the wadi they are to break the heifer’s neck.5 Then the Levitical priestst will approach (for the Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name,t and to decidet every judicial verdictt)6 and all the elders of that city nearest the corpset must wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.t7 Then they must proclaim, “Our hands have not spilled this blood, nor have wet witnessed the crime.t8 Do not blamet your people Israel whom you redeemed, O Lord, and do not hold them accountable for the bloodshed of an innocent person.”t Then atonement will be made for the bloodshed.

9 In this manner you will purge out the guilt of innocent blood from among you, for you must do what is right beforet the Lord.

Laws Concerning Wives

10 When you go out to do battle with your enemies and the Lord your God allows you to prevailt and you take prisoners,11 if you should see among themt an attractive woman whom you wish to take as a wife,12 you may bring her back to your house. She must shave her head,s trim her nails,13 discard the clothing she was wearing when captured,t and stayt in your house, lamenting for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may have sexual relationst with her and become her husband and she your wife.

14 If you are not pleased with her, then you must let her gos where she pleases. You cannot in any case sellt her;t you must not take advantage oft her, since you have already humiliateds her.

Laws Concerning Children

15 Suppose a man has two wives, one whom he loves more than the other,t and they botht bear him sons, with the firstborn being the child of the less loved wife.16 In the day he divides his inheritancet he must not appoint as firstborn the son of the favorite wife in place of the othert wife’s son who is actually the firstborn.

17 Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less lovedt wife as firstborn and give him the double portiont of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father’s procreative powert – to him should go the right of the firstborn.
18 If a person has a stubborn, rebellious son who pays no attention to his father or mother, and they discipline him to no avail,t19 his father and mother must seize him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his city.20 They must declare to the elderss of his city, “Our son is stubborn and rebellious and pays no attention to what we say – he is a glutton and drunkard.”

21 Then all the men of his city must stone him to death. In this way you will purge outt wickedness from among you, and all Israels will hear about it and be afraid.

Disposition of a Criminal’s Remains

22 If a person commits a sin punishable by death and is executed, and you hang the corpset on a tree,

23 his body must not remain all night on the tree; instead you must make certain you buryt him that same day, for the one who is left exposedt on a tree is cursed by God.s You must not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Deuteronomy 21

1 If one be found slain in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him;2 then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:3 and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;4 and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Jehovah thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be.6 And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;7 and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.8 Forgive, O Jehovah, thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.9 So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.

10 When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and Jehovah thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou carriest them away captive,11 and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and thou hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thee to wife;12 then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;13 and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her.

15 If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated;16 then it shall be, in the day that he causeth his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born:17 but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath; for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the first-born is his.

18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and, though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them;19 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 unto 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.21 And all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he 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 the same day; for he that is hanged is accursed of God; that thou defile not thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.