Deuteronomy 24
Chapter 24
1 “Suppose a man marries a woman but she does not please him. Having discovered something wrong with her, he writes her a letter of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house.2 When she leaves his house, she is free to marry another man.3 But if the second husband also turns against her and divorces her, or if he dies,
4 the first husband may not marry her again, for she has been defiled. That would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt upon the land the LORD your God is giving you as a special possession.
5 “A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married.
6 “It is wrong to take a set of millstones, or even just the upper millstone, as security for a loan, for the owner uses it to make a living.
7 “If anyone kidnaps a fellow Israelite and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.
8 “In all cases involving serious skin diseases,t be careful to follow the instructions of the Levitical priests; obey all the commands I have given them.
9 Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam as you were coming from Egypt.
10 “If you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to pick up the item he is giving as security.11 You must wait outside while he goes in and brings it out to you.12 If your neighbor is poor and gives you his cloak as security for a loan, do not keep the cloak overnight.
13 Return the cloak to its owner by sunset so he can stay warm through the night and bless you, and the LORD your God will count you as righteous.
14 “Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns.
15 You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it. If you don’t, they might cry out to the LORD against you, and it would be counted against you as sin.
16 “Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes.
17 “True justice must be given to foreigners living among you and to orphans, and you must never accept a widow’s garment as security for her debt.
18 Always remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God redeemed you from your slavery. That is why I have given you this command.
19 “When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.20 When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don’t go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.21 When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.
22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.
DEUTERONOMY 24
A Law about Divorce
Moses said to Israel:
1 t Suppose a woman was divorced by her first husband because he found something disgraceful about her.t He wrote out divorce papers, gave them to her, and sent her away. 2 Later she married another man, 3 who then either divorced her in the same way or died.
4 Since she has slept with her second husband, she cannot marry her first husband again. Their marriage would pollute the land that the [Lord] your God is giving you, and he would be disgusted.Newlyweds
Moses said to Israel:
5 If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.Loans
Moses said to Israel:
6 When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.Kidnapping
Moses said to Israel:
7 t If you are guilty of kidnapping Israelites and forcing them into slavery, you will be put to death to remove this evil from the community.Skin Diseases
Moses said to Israel:
8 t I have told the priestst what to do if any of you have leprosy, t so do exactly what they say.
9 t And remember what the [Lord] your God did to Miriamt after you left Egypt.Loans
Moses said to Israel:
10 t When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that the money will be paid back. But you must not go into their house to get it.
11 Wait outside, and they will bring out the item you have agreed on.
12 Suppose someone is so poor that a coat is the only thing that can be offered as a guarantee on a loan. Don't keep the coat overnight.
13 Instead, give it back before sunset, so the owner can keep warm and sleep and ask the [Lord] to bless you. Then the [Lord] your God will notice that you have done the right thing.Poor People's Wages
Moses said:
14 t If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay, t whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town.
15 Pay them their wages at the end of each day, because they live in poverty and need the money to survive. If you don't pay them on time, they will complain about you to the [Lord], and he will punish you.The Death Penalty
Moses said to Israel:
16 t Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.Don't Mistreat //the Powerless
Moses said to Israel:
17 t Make sure that orphans and foreigners are treated fairly. And if you lend money to a widow and want to keep something of hers to guarantee that she will pay you back, don't take any of her clothes.
18 You were slaves in Egypt until the [Lord] your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.Leave Some //of Your Harvest //for the Poor
Moses said to Israel:
19 t If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the [Lord] will make you successful in everything you do.
20 When you harvest your olives, don't try to get them all for yourself, but leave some for the poor. 21 And when you pick your grapes, go over the vines only once, then let the poor have what is left. 22 You lived in poverty as slaves in Egypt until the [Lord] your God rescued you. That's why I am giving you these laws.
