Beginning

21 When the carrion of a man slain is found in the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, and he that is guilty of his death is unknown, (When the corpse of a slain man is found in the land which the Lord thy God shall give to thee, and he who is guilty of his death is unknown,)

² the greater men in birth and thy judges shall go out, and they shall mete from the place of the carrion the spaces of all the cities about; (the men of great age, that is, the elders, and the judges shall go out, and they shall measure the distance from the corpse to all the cities thereabouts;)

³ and which city they see to be nearer that carrion, than another, the elder men of that city shall take of [the] drove a cow calf, that hath not drawn yoke, neither hath cut the earth with a (plow)share; (and whichever city they see to be nearer to that corpse, than any other, the elders of that city shall take a cow calf from the herd, that hath not yet worn a yoke, nor hath cut the earth with a plowshare;)

⁴ and they shall lead that cow calf to a sharp stony valley, that was never eared, nor received seed; and in that valley they shall cut the head off the cow calf. (and they shall lead that cow calf to a valley of sharp stones, that was never plowed, nor received seed; and in that valley they shall cut off the head of the cow calf.)

⁵ And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall nigh, which thy Lord God chose, that they minister to him, and bless in his name, and all the cause shall hang at their word; and whatever thing is clean either unclean, be it deemed by them. (And the levitical priests shall come forth, whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and bless in his name, and all the cases shall hang on their words; and whatever thing is clean or unclean, shall be judged, or determined, by them.)

⁶ And the greater men in birth of that city shall come to the slain man, and they shall wash their hands on the cow calf, that was slain in the valley; (And the men of great age, that is, the elders, of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall come, and they shall wash their hands over the cow calf, that was killed in the valley;)

⁷ and they shall say, Our hands shed not out this blood, neither our eyes have seen who shed it.

⁸ Lord, be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast again-bought, and areckon thou not innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be done away from them. (Lord, be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast bought back, or hast redeemed, and put thou not the guilt of innocent blood on thy people Israel. And so the guilt for the innocent blood shall be done away from them.)

⁹ Forsooth thou shalt be alien, or unguilty, from the blood of the innocent which is shed, when thou hast done that that the Lord commanded. (And so thou shalt be free from any guilt for the innocent blood which is shed, when thou hast done what the Lord commanded.)

¹⁰ If thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, that thy Lord God betaketh them in thine hand, and thou leadest (back) prisoners, (When thou goest out to battle against thy enemies, and the Lord thy God delivereth them into thy hands, and thou takest some prisoners,)

¹¹ and thou seest in the number of those prisoners a fair woman, and thou lovest her, and will have her to wife (and will have her for your wife),

¹² thou shalt bring her into thine house; which woman shall shave her hair, and she shall cut her nails about, (thou shalt bring her into thy house; and this woman shall shave off her hair, and she shall pare her nails,)

¹³ and she shall put away the cloth, wherein she was taken, and she shall sit in thine house, and she shall beweep her father and her mother by a month (and she shall put away the clothes in which she was taken prisoner, and she shall sit in thy house, and she shall weep for her father and her mother for a full month); and afterward thou shalt enter to her, and thou shalt sleep with her, and she shall be thy wife.

¹⁴ But if afterward she sitteth not in thy soul, that is, (if she) pleaseth not thy will, thou shalt deliver her free, neither thou shalt be able to sell her for money, neither oppress by power, for thou madest her low. (But if afterward she sitteth not right with thy soul, that is, if she pleaseth not thy will, thou shalt set her free, and thou shalt not be able to sell her for money, nor oppress her by force, for thou hast made her low.)

¹⁵ If a man hath two wives, one loved, and another hateful, and he begetteth of her free children, and the son of the odious wife is the first begotten, (If a man hath two wives, one loved, and the other hated, and he begetteth children with them, and the son of the hated wife is the first-born,)

¹⁶ and the father will part his chattel betwixt his sons, he shall not be able to make the son of the loved wife his first begotten son, and set him before the son of the hateful wife, (and the father will divide his possessions between his sons, he shall not be able to make the son of the loved wife his first-born son, and set him before the son of the hated wife,)

¹⁷ but he shall know the son of the hateful wife to be his first begotten son, and he shall give to that son all things double of those things that he hath; for this son is the beginning of his free children, and the first engendered things be due to him. (but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated wife to be his first-born son, and he shall give double to that son of all the things that he hath; for this son is the first of his children, and the rights of the first-born son be due to him.)

¹⁸ If a man beget a son (who is a) rebel, and a froward (boy), that heareth not the behest of his father and mother, and he is chastised, and despiseth to obey to them, (If a man beget a son who is rebellious, and froward, who obeyeth not his father or his mother, and after that he is chastised, he still despiseth to obey them,)

¹⁹ they shall take him, and lead him to the elder men of that city, and to the gate of doom, (or of judgement);

²⁰ and they shall say to them, This our son is overthwart, and (a) rebel; he despiseth to hear our behests, or admonishings, he giveth attention to gluttonies, and to lechery, and to feasts. (and they shall say to them, Our son here is froward and rebellious; he despiseth to hear our commands, or our admonishments, and he only giveth attention to gluttonies, and to lechery, and to feasts.)

²¹ The people of the city shall oppress him with stones, and he shall die, (so) that ye do away evil from the midst of you, and that all Israel hear (of) it, and dread.

²² When a man doeth a sin which is worthy to be punished by death, and he is deemed to (be put to) death, and is hanged in a gibbet (and is hanged on a gallows),

²³ his carrion shall not dwell in the tree, but it shall be buried in the same day; for he that hangeth in the tree/for he that hangeth in the cross is cursed of God, and thou shalt not defoul thy land which thy Lord God gave thee into possession. (his corpse shall not remain on the gallows, but it shall be buried on the same day; for he who hangeth on a tree is cursed by God, and thou shalt not defile thy land which the Lord thy God shall give thee for a possession.)

22 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox, either sheep, erring, and shalt pass thereby, but thou shalt bring it again to thy brother. (Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox, or sheep, go astray, and pass by it, but thou shalt bring it back to thy brother, that is, thy kinsman.)

² And if thy brother is not nigh, neither thou knowest him, thou shalt lead those beasts into thine house (thou shalt bring those beasts back to thy house), and those shall be with thee, as long as thy brother seeketh them, and till he receive them (back again).

³ In like manner thou shalt do of thy brother’s ass, and of his cloth, and of each thing of thy brother, that was lost; if thou findest it, be thou not negligent, as of an alien thing. (In like manner thou shalt do with thy brother’s donkey, and his cloak, and with anything else of thy brother’s, that was lost; if thou findest it, be thou not negligent, that is, do not just pass by it.)

⁴ If thou seest that the ass, either the ox, of thy brother hath fallen in the way, thou shalt not despise (it), but thou shalt raise (it up) with him. (If thou seest that thy brother’s donkey, or his ox, hath fallen down along the way, thou shalt not just ignore it, but thou shalt help him lift it up again.)

⁵ A woman shall not be clothed in a man’s cloak, neither a man shall use a woman’s cloak; for he that doeth these things is abominable before God.

⁶ If thou goest in the way, and findest a bird’s nest in a tree, either in the earth, and findest the mother sitting on the birds, either [the] eggs, thou shalt not hold the mother with the children, (If thou goest on the way, and findest a bird’s nest in a tree, or on the ground, and findest the mother bird sitting on her young, or the eggs, thou shalt not take hold of both the mother bird and her children,)

⁷ but thou shalt suffer the mother [to] go, and shalt hold the sons taken, that it be well to thee, and that thou live in long time. (but thou shalt allow the mother bird to go free, and shalt only take her children, so that it be well with thee, and that thou live a long time.)

⁸ When thou buildest a new house, thou shalt make a wall of the roof by compass, lest blood be shed out in thine house, and thou be guilty, if another man slideth (off), and falleth into a ditch. (When thou buildest a new house, thou shalt make a wall all around the roof, lest blood be shed out on thy house, and thou be guilty, if someone slideth off, and falleth into a ditch.)

⁹ Thou shalt not sow thy vinery with another seed, lest both the seed which thou hast sown, and those things that come forth of the vinery, that is, the fruit of the vinery, be defouled^[a] together. (Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with another seed, lest both the seed which thou hast sown, and those things that come forth of the vineyard, that is, the fruit of the vineyard, be defiled.)

¹⁰ Thou shalt not ear with an ox and an ass together. (Thou shalt not plow with an ox and a donkey together.)

¹¹ Thou shalt not be clothed in a cloth, which is woven together of wool and of flax. (Thou shalt not be clothed in a cloak, which is woven with wool and flax together.)

¹² Thou shalt make little cords by four corners in the hems of thy mantle, with which thou art covered. (Thou shalt put tassels on the four corners of the hem of thy mantle, with which thou art covered.)

¹³ If a man weddeth a wife, and afterward hateth her,

¹⁴ and seeketh occasions by which he may leave her, and he putteth against her the worst name, and saith, I have taken this wife, and I have entered to her, and I found not her a virgin (and I did not find her a virgin);

¹⁵ (then) the father and mother of her shall take her, and they shall bear with them the tokens of her virginity to the elder men of the city, that be in the gate (who be at the gate);

¹⁶ and her father shall say, I gave my daughter (for a) wife to this man, and for (that) he hateth her,

¹⁷ he putteth to her the worst name, that he saith, I found not thy daughter a virgin (he hath put on her the worst name, for he saith, I did not find thy daughter to be a virgin); and lo! these be the tokens of the virginity of my daughter; (and) they shall spread forth a cloth before the elder men of the city.

¹⁸ And the elder men of that city shall take the man, and shall beat him,

¹⁹ and furthermore they shall condemn him in an hundred shekels of silver, which he shall give to the father of the damsel, for he defamed her by the worst name that may be upon a virgin of Israel; and he shall have her to wife, and he shall not be able to forsake her, in all his lifetime. (and furthermore they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, which he shall give to the young woman’s father, for he defamed her with the worst name that can be put on a virgin of Israel; and he shall have her for his wife, and he shall not be able to divorce her, all the days of his life.)

²⁰ That if it is found sooth, that (that) he putteth against her, and virginity is not found in the damsel, (But if what he hath put against her is found to be true, and no proof of the young woman’s virginity is found,)

²¹ they shall cast her out of her father’s gates; and men of that city shall oppress her with stones, and she shall die, for she did [an] unleaveful thing in Israel, that she did lechery in her father’s house; and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee. (then they shall bring her to the door of her father’s house; and men of that city shall kill her with stones, and she shall die, for she did an unlawful thing in Israel, she did lechery in her father’s house; and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee.)

²² If a man sleepeth with the wife of another man, ever either shall die, that is, the adulterer, and the adulteress; and thus thou shalt do away evil from Israel.

²³ If a man espouseth a damsel (who is a) virgin, and another man findeth her in the city, and doeth lechery with her,

²⁴ thou shalt lead ever either to the gate of that city, and they shall be killed with stones (and both of them shall be killed with stones); the damsel shall be stoned, for she cried not, when she was in the city; the man shall be stoned, for he defouled his neighbour’s wife; and thus thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee.

²⁵ But if a man findeth in the field a damsel, which is espoused (who is espoused), and he taketh (hold of) her, and doeth lechery with her, he alone shall die;

²⁶ the damsel shall suffer nothing of evil, neither is guilty of death; for as a thief riseth against his brother, and slayeth him, so and the damsel suffered; (the young woman shall not suffer any punishment, nor is she guilty of anything deserving of death; for like a thief riseth against his brother, or his kinsman, and killeth him, so this young woman also hath suffered;)

²⁷ she was alone in the field, she cried, and none was present, that should deliver her. (for she was alone in the field, and she cried, but no one was present, who could save her.)

²⁸ If a man findeth a damsel (who is a) virgin, that hath no spouse, and taketh, and doeth lechery with her, and the thing cometh to the doom, (If a man findeth a young woman who is a virgin, who hath no spouse, and he taketh hold of her, and doeth lechery with her, and the thing cometh to be known,)

²⁹ he that slept with her shall give to the father of the damsel fifty shekels of silver, and he shall have her to wife, for he made her low; he shall not be able to forsake her, in all the days of his life. (he who slept with her shall give the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and he shall have her for his wife, for he made her low; he shall not be able to divorce her, all the days of his life.)

³⁰ A man shall not take his father’s wife, neither he shall show her private(s).

23 A gelding when his stones be broken, either cut away, and his rod cut off, he shall not enter into the church of the Lord. (When a man is made a gelding, or a eunuch, that is, if his stones, or his ballocks, be broken, or cut off, or if his rod is cut off, he shall no longer be part of the Lord’s congregation.)

² A child born of whoredom shall not enter into the church of the Lord, unto the tenth generation.

³ Ammonites and Moabites, yea after the tenth generation, shall not enter into the church of the Lord (into) without end; (The Ammonites and the Moabites, even after the tenth generation, shall not be part of the Lord’s congregation, yea, forevermore;)

⁴ for they would not come to you with bread and water in the way, when ye went out of Egypt; and for they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor, of Mesopotamia of Syria, that he should curse thee; (because they would not come to you with bread and water on the way, when ye went out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beor, from Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse thee;)

⁵ and thy Lord God would not hear Balaam (but the Lord thy God would not listen to Balaam), and God turned his curse into thy blessing, for he loved thee.

⁶ Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither thou shalt seek good things to them (nor shalt thou seek good things for them), in all the days of thy life (and) into without end.

⁷ Thou shalt not loathe a man of Idumea, for he is thy brother, neither of a man of Egypt, for thou were a comeling in the land of him. (Thou shalt not despise an Edomite, for he is thy brother, nor an Egyptian, for thou were newcomers in his land.)

⁸ They that be born of them, shall enter in the third generation into the church of the Lord. (They who be born of them, from the third generation onward, can be part of the Lord’s congregation.)

⁹ When thou shalt go out into battle against thine enemies, thou shalt keep thee from all evil thing (thou shalt keep thyself from all evil things).

¹⁰ If a man is among you, that is defouled in his night sleep, he shall go out of your tents; and he shall not turn again (If there is a man among you, who is defiled during his night’s sleep, he shall go away from your tents; and he shall not return)

¹¹ before that he be washed in water at the eventide, and after the going down of the sun, he shall turn again into the tents. (until he is washed in water in the evening, and then, after the going down of the sun, he shall return to the camp.)

¹² Thou shalt have a place without the tents, to which thou shalt go out to (do the) needful things of (man)kind;

¹³ and thou shalt bear a little stake in thy girdle; and when thou hast set, thou shalt dig about, and thou shalt cover with earth things voided out, where thou art relieved. (and thou shalt bring a little peg in thy belt; and after that thou hast squatted down, thou shalt dig about, and thou shalt cover with earth the things voided out, where thou art relieved.)

¹⁴ For thy Lord God goeth in (the) midst of the tents, that he deliver thee, and betake thine enemies to thee, that thy tents be holy, and nothing of filth appear in them, lest for uncleanness he forsake thee. (For the Lord thy God goeth in the midst of thy tents, to keep thee safe, and to deliver thy enemies to thee, so thy tents must be kept holy, and nothing of filth appear in them, otherwise he shall leave thee because of thy uncleanness.)

¹⁵ Thou shalt not take a servant (back) to his lord, which fleeth to thee; (Thou shalt not take a slave, who hath fled to thee, back to his master;)

¹⁶ he shall dwell with thee in the place that pleaseth him, and he shall abide in one of thy cities; and make thou not him sorry, or heavy (and do not thou mistreat him).

¹⁷ None whore/No strumpet shall be of the daughters of Israel, neither a lecher of the sons of Israel.

¹⁸ Thou shalt not offer the hire of an whorehouse, neither the price of a dog, in the house of thy Lord God, (for) whatever thing it is that thou hast avowed; for ever either is abomination before thy Lord God. (Thou shalt not offer the wages of a common whore, or the fee of a male prostitute, in the House of the Lord thy God, to fulfill thy vow; for both of them be abominable before the Lord thy God.)

¹⁹ Thou shalt not lend to thy brother to usury, money, neither fruits, neither any other thing, (Thou shalt not lend money, or fruits, or any other thing, to thy brother, that is, thy kinsman, and charge him interest,)

²⁰ but (thou mayest) to an alien. For thou shalt lend to thy brother without usury that that he needeth, that thy Lord God bless thee in all thy work in the land to which thou shalt enter to wield. (but thou mayest do so to a foreigner, or a stranger. For thou shalt lend to thy brother what he needeth without charging interest, and then the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy work in the land to which thou shalt enter to take.)

²¹ When thou makest a vow to thy Lord God, thou shalt not tarry to yield it, for thy Lord God shall ask that of thee; and if thou tarriest, it shall be reckoned to thee into sin. (When thou makest a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shouldest not delay in fulfilling it, for the Lord thy God shall ask for that of thee; and if thou delayest, it shall be reckoned unto thee as a sin.)

²² If thou wilt not promise, thou shalt be without sin. (If thou maketh no vow, thou hast not sinned.)

²³ Forsooth thou shalt keep (thy word), and do that that went out once of thy lips, as thou promisedest to thy Lord God, and hast spoken with thine own will and thy mouth. (But once thy vow hath gone out of thy lips, thou shalt keep thy word, and do it, as thou promisedest to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken with thy own will and thy own mouth.)

²⁴ If thou enterest into the vineyard of thy neighbour, eat thou (some) grapes, as much as [it] pleaseth thee; but bear thou none out with thee (but carry none away with thee).

²⁵ If thou enterest into the corn (field) of thy friend, thou shalt break off the ears of the corn, and rub them together with thine hands; but thou shalt not reap them with a sickle.