24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him(A) because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,(B) gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord(C) your God is giving you as an inheritance.

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.(D)

Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.(E)

If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die.(F) You must purge the evil from among you.(G)

In cases of defiling skin diseases,[a] be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical(H) priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.(I) Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.(J)

10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge.(K) 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge(L) in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset(M) so that your neighbor may sleep in it.(N) Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.(O)

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.(P) 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor(Q) and are counting on it.(R) Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.(S)

16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(T)

17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless(U) of justice,(V) or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt(W) and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.(X) Leave it for the foreigner,(Y) the fatherless and the widow,(Z) so that the Lord your God may bless(AA) you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.(AB) Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.(AC)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:8 The Hebrew word for defiling skin diseases, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

Law of Divorce

24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens [a]that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some (A)indecency in her, and (B)he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, and if the latter husband [b]turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her (C)former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

(D)When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall (E)give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

Sundry Laws

“No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

(F)If a man is [c]caught kidnapping any of his [d]countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

(G)Be careful against [e]an infection of leprosy, that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. Remember what the Lord your God did (H)to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

10 (I)When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13 (J)When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and (K)it will be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.

14 (L)You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your [f]countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your [g]towns. 15 (M)You shall give him his wages on his day [h]before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his [i]heart on it; so that (N)he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you.

16 (O)Fathers shall not be put to death [j]for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death [k]for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 (P)You shall not pervert the justice [l]due an alien or [m]an orphan, nor (Q)take a widow’s garment in pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

19 (R)When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be (S)for the alien, for the [n]orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God (T)may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 (U)When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs [o]again; it shall be (V)for the alien, for the [p]orphan, and for the widow.

21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not [q]go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the [r]orphan, and for the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:1 Lit if
  2. Deuteronomy 24:3 Lit hates her
  3. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit found stealing
  4. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit brothers
  5. Deuteronomy 24:8 Lit a mark or stroke
  6. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit brothers
  7. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit gates
  8. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit that the sun shall not go down on it
  9. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit soul
  10. Deuteronomy 24:16 Or with
  11. Deuteronomy 24:16 Or with
  12. Deuteronomy 24:17 Lit of
  13. Deuteronomy 24:17 Or the fatherless
  14. Deuteronomy 24:19 Or fatherless
  15. Deuteronomy 24:20 Lit after yourself
  16. Deuteronomy 24:20 Or fatherless
  17. Deuteronomy 24:21 Lit glean it after yourself
  18. Deuteronomy 24:21 Or fatherless

24 If a man marries a woman and she does not please him because he has found something indecent[a] in her, then he may draw up a divorce document, give it to her, and evict her from his house. When she has left him[b] she may go and become someone else’s wife. If the second husband rejects[c] her and then divorces her,[d] gives her the papers, and evicts her from his house, or if the second husband who married her dies, her first husband who divorced her is not permitted to remarry[e] her after she has become ritually impure, for that is offensive to the Lord.[f] You must not bring guilt on the land[g] that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

When a man is newly married, he need not go into[h] the army nor be obligated in any way; he must be free to stay at home for a full year and bring joy to[i] the wife he has married.

One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for that is like taking a life itself as security.[j]

If a man is found kidnapping a person from among his fellow Israelites,[k] and regards him as mere property[l] and sells him, that kidnapper[m] must die. In this way you will purge[n] the evil from among you.

Respect for Human Dignity

Be careful during an outbreak of leprosy to follow precisely[o] all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you should do. Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam[p] along the way after you left Egypt.

10 When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his house to claim what he is offering as security.[q] 11 You must stand outside and the person to whom you are making the loan will bring out to you what he is offering as security.[r] 12 If the person is poor you may not use what he gives you as security for a covering.[s] 13 You must by all means[t] return to him at sunset the item he gave you as security so that he may sleep in his outer garment and bless you for it; it will be considered a just deed[u] by the Lord your God.

14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites[v] or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages.[w] 15 You must pay his wage that very day before the sun sets, for he is poor and his life depends on it. Otherwise he will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

16 Fathers must not be put to death for what their children[x] do, nor children for what their fathers do; each must be put to death for his own sin.

17 You must not pervert justice[y] due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do all this. 19 Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there,[z] you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do.[aa] 20 When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure;[ab] the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time;[ac] they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt; therefore, I am commanding you to do all this.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:1 tn The Hebrew phrase עֶרְוַת דָּבָר (ʿervat davar) involves a genitive of specification, something characterized by עֶרְוָה (ʿervah). עֶרְוָה means “nakedness,” and by extension means “shame, sexual impropriety, sexual organs, indecency” (NIDOTTE III 528, Jastrow 1114-15).
  2. Deuteronomy 24:2 tn Heb “his house.”
  3. Deuteronomy 24:3 tn Heb “hates.” See note on the word “other” in Deut 21:15.
  4. Deuteronomy 24:3 tn Heb “writes her a document of divorce.”
  5. Deuteronomy 24:4 tn Heb “to return to take her to be his wife.”
  6. Deuteronomy 24:4 sn The issue here is not divorce and its grounds per se but prohibition of remarriage to a mate whom one has previously divorced.
  7. Deuteronomy 24:4 tn Heb “cause the land to sin” (so KJV, ASV).
  8. Deuteronomy 24:5 tn Heb “go out with.”
  9. Deuteronomy 24:5 tc For the MT’s reading Piel שִׂמַּח (simmakh, “bring joy to”), the Syriac and others read שָׂמַח (samakh, “enjoy”).
  10. Deuteronomy 24:6 sn Taking millstones as security on a loan would amount to taking the owner’s own life in pledge, since the millstones were the owner’s means of earning a living and supporting his family.
  11. Deuteronomy 24:7 tn Heb “from his brothers, from the sons of Israel.” The terms “brothers” and “sons of Israel” are in apposition; the second defines the first more specifically.
  12. Deuteronomy 24:7 tn Or “and enslaves him.”
  13. Deuteronomy 24:7 tn Heb “that thief.”
  14. Deuteronomy 24:7 tn Heb “burn.” See note on the word “purge” in Deut 19:19.
  15. Deuteronomy 24:8 tn Heb “to watch carefully and to do.”
  16. Deuteronomy 24:9 sn What the Lord your God did to Miriam. The reference is to Miriam’s having contracted leprosy because of her intemperate challenge to Moses’ leadership (Num 12:1-15). The purpose for the allusion here appears to be the assertion of the theocratic leadership of the priests who, like Moses, should not be despised.
  17. Deuteronomy 24:10 tn Heb “his pledge.” This refers to something offered as pledge of repayment, i.e., as security for the debt.
  18. Deuteronomy 24:11 tn Heb “his pledge.”
  19. Deuteronomy 24:12 tn Heb “may not lie down in his pledge.” What is in view is the use of clothing as guarantee for the repayment of loans, a matter already addressed elsewhere (Deut 23:19-20; 24:6; cf. Exod 22:25-26; Lev 25:35-37). Cf. NAB “you shall not sleep in the mantle he gives as a pledge”; NRSV “in the garment given you as the pledge.”
  20. Deuteronomy 24:13 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation seeks to reflect with “by all means.”
  21. Deuteronomy 24:13 tn Or “righteous” (so NIV, NLT).
  22. Deuteronomy 24:14 tn Heb “your brothers,” but not limited only to actual siblings; cf. NASB, NAB “countrymen.”
  23. Deuteronomy 24:14 tn Heb “who are in your land in your gates.” The word “living” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  24. Deuteronomy 24:16 tn Heb “sons” (so NASB; twice in this verse). Many English versions, including the KJV, read “children” here.
  25. Deuteronomy 24:17 sn Besides not oppressing the resident foreigner (גֵּר; ger) (Exod 22:21; Deut 24:14, 17; 27:19), Israel was told to love them (Lev 19:33-34; Deut 10:18-19).
  26. Deuteronomy 24:19 tn Heb “in the field.”
  27. Deuteronomy 24:19 tn Heb “of your hands.” This law was later applied in the story of Ruth who, as a poor widow, was allowed by generous Boaz to glean in his fields (Ruth 2:1-13).
  28. Deuteronomy 24:20 tn Heb “knock down after you.”
  29. Deuteronomy 24:21 tn Heb “glean after you.”

Law Concerning Divorce

24 “When a (A)man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some [a]uncleanness in her, and he writes her a (B)certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, (C)then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is [b]an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

Miscellaneous Laws

(D)“When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and (E)bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

“No man shall take the lower or the upper millstone in pledge, for he takes [c]one’s living in pledge.

“If a man is (F)found [d]kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; (G)and you shall put away the evil from among you.

“Take heed in (H)an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. (I)Remember what the Lord your God did (J)to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt!

10 “When you (K)lend your brother anything, you shall not go into his house to get his pledge. 11 You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you lend shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 And if the man is poor, you shall not [e]keep his pledge overnight. 13 (L)You shall in any case return the pledge to him again when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment and (M)bless you; and (N)it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God.

14 “You shall not (O)oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. 15 Each day (P)you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; (Q)lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.

16 (R)“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 (S)“You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, (T)nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. 18 But (U)you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.

19 (V)“When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may (W)bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:1 indecency, lit. nakedness of a thing
  2. Deuteronomy 24:4 a detestable thing
  3. Deuteronomy 24:6 life
  4. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit. stealing
  5. Deuteronomy 24:12 Lit. sleep with his pledge