Deuteronomy 21:1-9

Expanded Bible

A Person Found Murdered

21 Suppose ·someone is found murdered [^La corpse], lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your ·own [possession], and no one knows who ·killed [^Lstruck] the person. ² Your elders and judges should go to where the ·body [^Lcorpse] was found, and they should measure how far it is to the nearby cities. ³ The elders of the city nearest the body must take a ·young cow [heifer] that has never worked or ·worn [^Lpulled] a yoke, ⁴ and they must lead her down to a ·valley [wadi] that has never been plowed or planted, with a ·stream [wadi] flowing through it. There they must break the ·young cow’s [heifer’s] neck. ⁵ The priests, the sons of Levi, should come forward, because they have been chosen by the Lord your God to serve him and to give blessings in the Lord’s name. They are the ones who decide cases of ·quarreling [accusation] and attacks. ⁶ Then all the elders of the city nearest the ·murdered person [^Lcorpse] should wash their hands over the ·young cow [heifer] whose neck was broken in the ·valley [wadi]. ⁷ They should declare: “·We did not kill this person [^LOur hands did not spill this blood], and ·we [^Lour eyes] did not see it happen. ⁸ Lord, ·remove this sin from [make atonement for] your people Israel, whom you have ·saved [redeemed; ransomed]. Don’t ·blame your people, the Israelites, for the murder of this innocent person [^Lplace the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel].” And so the murder will be ·paid [atoned] for. ⁹ Then you will have ·removed [banished; purged] from yourselves the guilt of ·murdering an innocent person [innocent blood], because you will be doing what ·the Lord says is right [^Lis right/virtuous in the eyes of the Lord].