Deuteronomy 21
New American Standard Bible
Expiation of a Crime
21 “If a person who has been killed by someone is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to [a]possess, and it is not known who struck him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the one who was killed. 3 And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked [b]and has not pulled in a yoke; 4 and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5 Then (A)the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, because the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and every dispute and [c]violent crime shall be [d]settled by them. 6 And all the elders of that city [e]which is nearest to the person killed shall (B)wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; 7 and they shall respond and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did. 8 [f]Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, Lord, and do not place the guilt for (C)innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the guilt for bloodshed shall be [g]forgiven them. 9 (D)So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Domestic Relations
10 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and (E)the Lord your God hands them over to you and you take them away captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and are strongly attracted to her and would take her as a wife for yourself, 12 then you shall bring her into your home, and she shall (F)shave her head and [h]trim her nails. 13 She shall also [i]remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and (G)weep for her father and mother a full month; and after that you may have relations with her and become her husband and she shall be your wife. 14 But it shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go [j]wherever she wishes; and you certainly shall not sell her for money, you shall not treat her as merchandise, since you have [k](H)humiliated her.
15 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and (I)the other [l]unloved, and both the loved and the [m]unloved have borne him sons, and the firstborn son belongs to the [n]unloved, 16 then it shall be on the day that he wills what he owns as an inheritance to his sons, he is not allowed to treat the son of the loved wife as the firstborn, [o]at the expense of the son of the [p]unloved, who actually is the firstborn son. 17 On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the [q]unloved wife, by giving him a double [r]portion of everything that [s]he owns, for he was the (J)beginning of his [t]strength; (K)to him belongs the right of the firstborn.
18 “If any person has a stubborn and rebellious son who does (L)not obey his father or his mother, and when they discipline him, he does not listen to them, 19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city [u]at the gateway of his hometown. 20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us, he is thoughtless and given to drinking.’ 21 (M)Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so (N)you shall eliminate the evil from your midst, and (O)all Israel will hear about it and fear.
22 “Now if [v]a person has committed a sin carrying (P)a sentence of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on [w]a tree, 23 (Q)his body is not to be left overnight on the [x]tree, but you shall certainly bury him on the same day (for (R)he who is hanged is cursed of God), so that you (S)do not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 21:1 Lit possess it
- Deuteronomy 21:3 Lit which has not
- Deuteronomy 21:5 Lit blow
- Deuteronomy 21:5 Lit according to their mouth
- Deuteronomy 21:6 Lit who are
- Deuteronomy 21:8 Lit Cover over, atone for
- Deuteronomy 21:8 Lit covered over, atoned for
- Deuteronomy 21:12 Lit do
- Deuteronomy 21:13 Lit remove from her
- Deuteronomy 21:14 Lit according to her soul
- Deuteronomy 21:14 I.e., by a forced marriage
- Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
- Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
- Deuteronomy 21:15 Or scorned; lit hated
- Deuteronomy 21:16 Lit against the face of
- Deuteronomy 21:16 See note v 15
- Deuteronomy 21:17 See note v 15
- Deuteronomy 21:17 Lit mouthful
- Deuteronomy 21:17 Lit is found with him
- Deuteronomy 21:17 I.e., power of procreation
- Deuteronomy 21:19 Lit and to the gate of his place
- Deuteronomy 21:22 Lit a sin is in a person carrying
- Deuteronomy 21:22 Lit wood
- Deuteronomy 21:23 Lit wood
Deuteronomy 21
King James Version
21 If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain 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 next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, 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 rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:
6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.
9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine 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 thine 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 make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:
17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened 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 with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to 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 in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 21
Living Bible
21 “If, when you arrive in the Promised Land, a murder victim is found lying in a field and no one has seen the murder, 2 the elders and judges shall measure from the body to the nearest city. 3 Then the elders of that city shall take a heifer that has never been yoked, 4 and lead it to a valley where there is running water—a valley neither plowed nor sowed—and there break its neck.
5 “Then the priests shall come (for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce his blessings and decide lawsuits and punishments), 6 and shall wash their hands over the heifer, 7 and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 O Lord, forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed, and do not charge them with murdering an innocent man. Forgive us the guilt of this man’s blood.’ 9 In this way you will put away the guilt from among you by following the Lord’s directions.
10 “When you go to war and the Lord your God delivers your enemies to you, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful girl you want as your wife, 12 take her home with you. She must shave her head and pare her nails 13 and change her clothing, laying aside that which she was wearing when she was captured, then remain in your home in mourning for her father and mother for a full month. After that you may marry her. 14 However, if after marrying her you decide you don’t like her, you must let her go free—you may not sell her or treat her as a slave, for you have humiliated her.
15 “If a man has two wives but loves one and not the other, and both have borne him children, and the mother of his oldest son is the wife he doesn’t love, 16 he may not give a larger inheritance to his younger son, the son of the wife he loves. 17 He must give the customary double portion to his oldest son, who is the beginning of his strength and who owns the rights of a firstborn son, even though he is the son of the wife his father doesn’t love.
18 “If a man has a stubborn, rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they punish him, 19 then his father and mother shall take him before the elders of the city 20 and declare, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and won’t obey; he is a worthless drunkard.’ 21 Then the men of the city shall stone him to death. In this way you shall put away this evil from among you, and all the young men of Israel will hear about what happened and will be afraid.
22 “If a man has committed a crime worthy of death, and is executed and then hanged on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain on the tree overnight. You must bury him the same day, for anyone hanging on a tree is cursed of God. Don’t defile the land the Lord your God has given you.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.