Deuteronomy 21:1-13 ▼

1 Whan there is one slayne founde in ye londe which ye LORDE yi God shall geue ye to possesse it, & lyeth in ye felde, & it is not knowne who hath slaine him,

2 then shal thy Elders & iudges go forth, and meet from the slayne vnto the cities that lye rounde aboute.

3 Loke which cite is the nexte, ye Elders of the same shal take a yoge cowe, which hath not bene laboured, ner hath drawe in the yocke,

4 & they shal brynge her in to a valley, where as is nether earinge nor sowinge, and strike of hir heade there in the valley.

5 Then shal the prestes ye children of Leui come forth. (For the LORDE thy God hath chosen them, to serue him, and to prayse his name: and at their mouth shal all plees and strypes be tryed.)

6 And all the Elders of the same cite shall come forth vnto the slayne, & wash their handes ouer ye yonge cowe, whose heade is stricken of in the valley,

7 and shal answere and saie: Oure hades haue not shed this bloude, nether haue oure eyes sene it.

8 Be mercifull (O LORDE) vnto thy people of Israel, who thou hast delyuered, laye no innocent bloude vnto thy people of Israels charge: then shall they be reconcyled from the bloude.

9 Thus shalt thou put awaye the innocent bloude from the, in that thou doest the thinge whis is righte in the sighte of ye LORDE.

10 Wha thou goest forth to warre against thine enemies, & the LORDE thy God delyuereth them in to thine handes, so that thou cariest awaye their presoners,

11 and seist amoge the captyues a bewtyfull woman, & hast a desyre vnto her to take her to thy wife,

12 the brynge her home to thine house, and let her shaue hir heade, and pare hir nayles,

13 and put of hir clothes that she was taken presoner in, and let her sit in thine house, and mourne for hir father and mother a moneth longe after that lye with her, and mary her, and let her be thy wife.