Fair Treatment of Captured Women

10 “When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God hands them over to you and you take some of them prisoner, and 11 if you see a beautiful woman among the captives, desire her, and want to take her as your wife, 12 you are to bring her into your house. She is to shave her head, trim her nails, 13 remove the clothes she was wearing when she was taken prisoner, live in your house, and mourn for her father and mother a full month. After that, you may have sexual relations with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife. 14 Then if you are not satisfied with her, you are to let her go where she wants, but you must not sell her or treat her as merchandise,[a] because you have humiliated her.

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Footnotes

  1. 21:14 Hb obscure

Domestic Relations

10 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and (A)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 (B)shave her head and [a]trim her nails. 13 She shall also [b]remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and (C)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 [c]wherever she wishes; and you certainly shall not sell her for money, you shall not treat her as merchandise, since you have [d](D)humiliated her.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 21:12 Lit do
  2. Deuteronomy 21:13 Lit remove from her
  3. Deuteronomy 21:14 Lit according to her soul
  4. Deuteronomy 21:14 I.e., by a forced marriage