21
1 If
someone is found
slain in the
land which the
LORD your God
gives you to
possess, lying in
the field, and
it isn’t known who
has struck him,
2 then
your elders and
your judges shall
come out, and
they shall measure
to the cities
which are around
him who is
slain.
3 It
shall be that
the elders of
the city which
is nearest to
the slain man
shall take a
heifer of the
herd, which hasn’t
been worked with
and which has
not drawn in
the yoke.
4 The
elders of that
city shall bring
the heifer down
to a valley
with running water, which
is neither plowed
nor sown, and
shall break the
heifer’s neck
there in the
valley.
5 The
priests the sons
of Levi shall
come near, for
them the LORD
your God has chosen
to minister to
him, and to
bless in the
LORD’s name; and
according to their
word shall every
controversy and
every assault be
decided.
6 All
the elders of
that city which
is nearest to
the slain man
shall wash their
hands over the
heifer whose neck
was broken in
the valley.
7 They
shall answer
and say, “Our
hands have not
shed this blood,
neither have our
eyes seen it.
8 Forgive,
LORD, your people
Israel, whom you
have redeemed,
and don’t allow
innocent blood
among your people
Israel.” The blood
shall be forgiven
them.
9 So
you shall put
away the innocent
blood from among
you, when you
shall do that
which is right
in the LORD’s
eyes.
10 When
you go out
to battle against
your enemies, and
the LORD your
God delivers them
into your hands
and you carry
them away captive,
11 and
see among the
captives a
beautiful woman, and
you are attracted to
her, and desire
to take her
as your wife,
12 then
you shall bring
her home to
your house. She
shall shave her
head and trim
her nails.
13 She
shall take off
the clothing of
her captivity, and
shall remain in
your house, and
bewail her father
and her mother a
full month. After
that you shall
go in to
her and be
her husband, and
she shall be
your wife.
14 It
shall be, if
you have no
delight in her,
then you shall
let her go
where she desires;
but you shall
not sell her
at all for
money. You shall
not deal with her
as a slave,
because you have
humbled her.
15 If
a man has
two wives, the
one beloved and
the other hated,
and they have
borne him children,
both the beloved
and the hated,
and if the
firstborn son
is hers who was
hated,
16 then
it shall be,
in the day
that he causes his
sons to inherit
that which he
has, that he
may not give
the son of
the beloved the rights
of the firstborn
before the son
of the hated,
who is the
firstborn;
17 but
he shall
acknowledge the
firstborn, the son
of the hated,
by giving him
a double portion
of all that
he has; for
he is the
beginning of
his strength. The
right of the
firstborn is his.
18 If
a man has
a stubborn and
rebellious son who
will not obey
the voice of
his father or
the voice of
his mother, and
though they
chasten him, will
not listen to
them,
19 then
his father and
his mother shall
take hold of
him and bring
him out to
the elders of
his city and
to the gate
of his place.
20 They
shall tell 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 All
the men of
his city shall
stone him to
death with stones.
So you shall
remove the evil
from among you.
All Israel shall
hear, and fear.
22 If
a man has
committed a sin
worthy of death,
and he is
put to death,
and you hang
him on a
tree,
23 his
body shall not
remain all night
on the tree,
but you shall
surely bury him
the same day;
for he who
is hanged is
accursed of God.
Don’t defile your
land which the
LORD your God
gives you for
an inheritance.