Deuteronomy 21
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The Atonement for an Unsolved Murder

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1If someone is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who the killer was,1“If in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess someone is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him,1"If a slain person is found lying in the open country in the land which the LORD your God gives you to possess, and it is not known who has struck him,1If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:1If a murder victim is found lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him,
2your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns.2then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure the distance to the surrounding cities.2then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the slain one.2Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:2your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance from the victim to the nearby cities.
3Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke3And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been worked and that has not pulled in a yoke.3"It shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;3And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;3The elders of the city nearest to the victim are to get a young cow that has not been yoked or used for work.
4and lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck.4And the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.4and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley.4And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:4The elders of that city will bring the cow down to a continually flowing stream, to a place not tilled or sown, and they will break its neck there by the stream.
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5The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.5Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to him and to bless in the name of the LORD, and by their word every dispute and every assault shall be settled.5"Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; and every dispute and every assault shall be settled by them.5And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:5Then the priests, the sons of Levi, will come forward, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to serve Him and pronounce blessings in His name, and they are to give a ruling in every dispute and case of assault.
6Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,6And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,6"All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;6And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:6All the elders of the city nearest to the victim will wash their hands by the stream over the young cow whose neck has been broken.
7and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.7and they shall testify, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed.7and they shall answer and say, 'Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.7And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.7They will declare, 'Our hands did not shed this blood; our eyes did not see it.
8Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person." Then the bloodshed will be atoned for,8Accept atonement, O LORD, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.’8'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven them.8Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.8 LORD, forgive Your people Israel You redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.' Then they will be absolved of responsibility for bloodshed.
9and you will have purged from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.9So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD.9"So you shall remove the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the LORD.9So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.9You must purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, for you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight."

Marrying a Captive Woman

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10When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives,10“When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive,10"When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take them away captive,10When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,10When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God hands them over to you and you take some of them prisoner, and
11if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.11and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you desire to take her to be your wife,11and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself,11And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;11if you see a beautiful woman among the captives, desire her, and want to take her as your wife,
12Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails12and you bring her home to your house, she shall shave her head and pare her nails.12then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails.12Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;12you are to bring her into your house. She must shave her head, trim her nails,
13and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.13And she shall take off the clothes in which she was captured and shall remain in your house and lament her father and her mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.13"She shall also remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and mourn her father and mother a full month; and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife.13And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.13remove the clothes she was wearing when she was taken prisoner, live in your house, and mourn for her father and mother a full month. After that, you may have sexual relations with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife.
14If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.14But if you no longer delight in her, you shall let her go where she wants. But you shall not sell her for money, nor shall you treat her as a slave, since you have humiliated her.14"It shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go wherever she wishes; but you shall certainly not sell her for money, you shall not mistreat her, because you have humbled her.14And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.14Then if you are not satisfied with her, you are to let her go where she wants, but you must not sell her for money or treat her as merchandise, because you have humiliated her."

Inheritance Rights of the Firstborn

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15If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love,15“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,15"If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,15If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:15If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved bear him sons, and if the unloved wife has the firstborn son,
16when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love.16then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn,16then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn.16Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:16when that man gives what he has to his sons as an inheritance, he is not to show favoritism to the son of the loved wife as his firstborn over the firstborn of the unloved wife.
17He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him.17but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.17"But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.17But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.17He must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved wife, by giving him two shares of his estate, for he is the firstfruits of his virility; he has the rights of the firstborn."

A Rebellious Son

(Luke 15:11-32)

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18If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,18“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them,18"If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them,18If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:18If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father or mother and doesn't listen to them even after they discipline him,
19his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.19then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives,19then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown.19Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;19his father and mother must take hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown.
20They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard."20and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’20"They shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.'20And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.20They will say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he doesn't obey us. He's a glutton and a drunkard.'
21Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.21Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.21"Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear.21And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.21Then all the men of his city will stone him to death. You must purge the evil from you, and all Israel will hear and be afraid."

Cursed is Anyone Hung on a Tree

(Galatians 3:10-14)

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22If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole,22“And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,22"If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,22And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree:22If anyone is found guilty of an offense deserving the death penalty and is executed, and you hang his body on a tree,
23you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.23his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance.23his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.23His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.23you are not to leave his corpse on the tree overnight but are to bury him that day, for anyone hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not defile the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance."



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