21:1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy G.o.d giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: 21:2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 21:3 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; 21:4 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: 21:5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy G.o.d 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: 21:6 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: 21:7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
21:8 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.
21:9 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.
21:10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy G.o.d hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 21:11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 21:12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 21:13 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.
21:14 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.
21:15 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: 21:16 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: 21:17 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.
21:18 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: 21:19 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; 21:20 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.
21:21 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.
21:22 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: 21:23 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 G.o.d;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy G.o.d giveth thee for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy Chapter 22.
22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother"s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
22:2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
22:3 In like manner shalt thou do with his a.s.s; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother"s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
22:4 Thou shalt not see thy brother"s a.s.s or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman"s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy G.o.d.
22:6 If a bird"s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young: 22:7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
22:8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
22:9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
22:10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an a.s.s together.
22:11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.
22:12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
22:13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 22:14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: 22:15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel"s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: 22:16 And the damsel"s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; 22:17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter"s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
22:18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; 22:19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
22:20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: 22:21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father"s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the wh.o.r.e in her father"s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
22:23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 22:24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour"s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.
22:25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.
22:26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: 22:27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
22:28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 22:29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel"s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.
22:30 A man shall not take his father"s wife, nor discover his father"s skirt.
Deuteronomy Chapter 23.
23:1 He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
23:2 A b.a.s.t.a.r.d shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: 23:4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
23:5 Nevertheless the LORD thy G.o.d would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy G.o.d turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy G.o.d loved thee.
23:6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
23:7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
23:8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
23:9 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
23:10 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: 23:11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
23:12 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: 23:13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: 23:14 For the LORD thy G.o.d walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
23:15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: 23:16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
23:17 There shall be no wh.o.r.e of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
23:18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a wh.o.r.e, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy G.o.d for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy G.o.d.
23:19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 23:20 Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the LORD thy G.o.d may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
23:21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy G.o.d, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy G.o.d will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
23:22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23:23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy G.o.d, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
23:24 When thou comest into thy neighbour"s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
23:25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour"s standing corn.
Deuteronomy Chapter 24.
24:1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pa.s.s that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
24:2 And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man"s wife.
24:3 And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; 24:4 Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy G.o.d giveth thee for an inheritance.
24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.
24:6 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man"s life to pledge.
24:7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.
24:8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
24:9 Remember what the LORD thy G.o.d did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.
24:10 When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.
24:11 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.
24:12 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: 24:13 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy G.o.d.
24:14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: 24:15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
24:17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow"s raiment to pledge: 24:18 But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy G.o.d redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
24:19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy G.o.d may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
24:20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
24:21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
24:22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.
Deuteronomy Chapter 25.
25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked.
25:2 And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.
25:3 Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee.
25:4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband"s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband"s brother unto her.
25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
25:7 And if the man like not to take his brother"s wife, then let his brother"s wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband"s brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband"s brother.
25:8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; 25:9 Then shall his brother"s wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother"s house.
25:10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.
25:11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets: 25:12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
25:13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
25:14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.
25:15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy G.o.d giveth thee.
25:16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy G.o.d.
25:17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not G.o.d.
25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy G.o.d hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy G.o.d giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.