IF
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:
2 Then
thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the
cities which are round about him that is slain:
3 And 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;
4 And 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:
5 And 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:
6 And 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:
7 And
they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed
this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8 Be
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.
9 So
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.
10 When
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,
11 And
seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
12 Then
thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and
pare her nails;
13 And
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.
14 And
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.
15 If 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:
16 Then
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:
17 But
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.
18 If 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:
19 Then
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;
20 And
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.
21 And
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.
22 And
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:
23 His
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.