Law of Divorce

1“When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, that he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and [a]sends her away from his house, 2and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3and the latter husband [b]turns against her, writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand, and [c]sends her away from his house, or if the latter husband who took her to be his wife dies, 4then her former husband who [d]sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, after [e]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 is giving you as an inheritance.

5“When a man takes a new wife, he is not to go out with the army, nor be assigned any duty; he shall be free at home for one year and shall make his wife whom he has taken happy.

Various Laws

6“No one shall seize a handmill or an upper millstone as a pledge for a loan, since he would be seizing the debtor’s [f]means of life as a pledge.

7“If someone is [g]caught kidnapping any of his countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he treats him as merchandise and sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall eliminate the evil from among you.

8“Be careful about an infestation of leprosy, that you are very attentive and act in accordance with everything that the Levitical priests teach you; just as I have commanded them, you shall be careful to act. 9Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

10“When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11You shall stand outside, and the person to whom you are making the loan shall bring the pledge outside to you. 12And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13When the sun goes down you shall certainly return the pledge to him, so that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God.

14“You shall not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your countrymen or one of your strangers who are in your land in your [h]towns. 15You shall give him his wages on his day [i]before the sun sets—for he is poor and sets his [j]heart on it—so that he does not cry out against you to the LORD, and it becomes a sin in you.

16“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.

17“You shall not pervert the justice [k]due a stranger or [l]an orphan, nor seize a widow’s garment as a [m]pledge. 18But you are to 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“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you are not to go back to get it; it shall belong to the stranger, the [n]orphan, and to the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches [o]again; that shall be left for the stranger, the [p]orphan, and for the widow.

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