Deuteronomy 25:1-3
New English Translation
25 If controversy arises between people,[a] they should go to court for judgment. When the judges[b] hear the case, they shall exonerate[c] the innocent but condemn[d] the guilty. 2 Then,[e] if the guilty person is sentenced to a beating,[f] the judge shall force him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows his wicked behavior deserves.[g] 3 The judge[h] may sentence him to forty blows,[i] but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite[j] with contempt.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “men.”
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the judges) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “declare to be just”; KJV, NASB “justify the righteous”; NAB, NIV “acquitting the innocent.”
- Deuteronomy 25:1 tn Heb “declare to be evil”; NIV “condemning the guilty (+ party NAB).”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “and it will be.”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “if the evil one is a son of smiting.”
- Deuteronomy 25:2 tn Heb “according to his wickedness, by number.”
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.
- Deuteronomy 25:3 tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”
Deuteronomy 25:1-3
International Standard Version
Limitations on Punishment
25 “When there is a conflict between individuals, let them come to court to judge the case, decide who is innocent, and condemn the guilty person. 2 If the guilty person deserves a beating, the judge will make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes fit for his crime. 3 But he must not be beaten more than 40 lashes, because if he receives more than 40 lashes, your brother will be humiliated in your eyes.
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