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,2your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighbouring towns.3Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke4and lead it down to a valley that has not been ploughed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck.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.6Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley,7and they shall declare: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.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,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.
Marrying a captive woman
10When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives,11if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife.12Bring her into your home and make her shave her head, trim her nails13and 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.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 dishonoured her.
The right of the firstborn
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,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.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.
A rebellious son
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,19his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.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.’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.
Various laws
22If someone guilty of a capital offence is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole,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.
1Suppose you find someone who has been killed. The body is lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your own. But no one knows who the killer was.2Then your elders and judges will go out to the field. They will measure the distance from the body to the nearby towns.3The elders from the town that is nearest to the body will get a young cow. It must never have been used for work. It must never have pulled a load.4The elders must lead it down into a valley. The valley must not have been farmed. There must be a stream flowing through it. There in the valley the elders must break the cow’s neck.5The priests, who are sons of Levi, will step forward. The LORD your God has chosen them to serve him. He wants them to bless the people in his name. He wants them to decide all cases that have to do with people arguing and attacking others.6Then all the elders from the town that is nearest to the body will wash their hands. They will wash them over the young cow whose neck they broke in the valley.7They’ll say to the LORD, ‘We didn’t kill that person. We didn’t see it happen.8Accept this payment for the sin of your people Israel. LORD, you have set your people free. Don’t hold them guilty for spilling the blood of someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.’ That will pay for the death of that person.9So you will get rid of the guilt of killing someone who didn’t do anything wrong. That’s because you have done what is right in the LORD’s eyes.
Marrying a woman who is your prisoner
10Suppose you go to war against your enemies. And the LORD your God hands them over to you and you take them as prisoners.11Then you notice a beautiful woman among them. If you like her, you may marry her.12Bring her home. Have her shave her head and cut her nails.13Have her throw away the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. Let her live in your house and mourn the loss of her parents for a full month. Then you can go to her and be her husband. And she will be your wife.14But suppose you aren’t pleased with her. Then let her go where she wants to. You must not sell her. You must not treat her as a slave. You have already brought shame on her.
The rights of the eldest son
15Suppose a man has two wives. He loves one but not the other. And both of them have sons by him. But the eldest son is the son of the wife the man doesn’t love.16Someday he’ll leave his property to his sons. When he does, he must not give the rights of the eldest son to the son of the wife he loves. He must give those rights to his eldest son. He must do it even though his eldest son is the son of the wife he doesn’t love.17He must recognise the full rights of the eldest son. He must do it, even though that son is the son of the wife he doesn’t love. He must give that son a double share of everything he has. That son is the first sign of his father’s strength. So the rights of the eldest son belong to him.
A stubborn son
18Suppose someone has a very stubborn son. He doesn’t obey his father and mother. And he won’t listen to them when they try to correct him.19Then his parents will take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town.20They will say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is very stubborn. He won’t obey us. He eats too much. He’s always getting drunk.’21Then all the people in his town will put him to death by throwing stones at him. Get rid of that evil person. All the Israelites will hear about it. And they will be afraid to disobey their parents.
Several other laws
22Suppose someone is put to death for a crime worthy of death. And a pole is stuck through their body and set up where people can see it.23Then you must not leave the body on the pole all night. Make sure you bury it that same day. Everyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not make the land ‘unclean’. The LORD your God is giving it to you as your own.
1Wenn in dem Land, das der HERR, dein Gott, dir gibt, es in Besitz zu nehmen, ein Erschlagener auf dem Feld liegend gefunden wird, ohne dass es bekannt ist, wer ihn erschlagen hat, (De 3:18)2dann sollen deine Ältesten und deine Richter hinausgehen und ⟨die Strecke⟩ zu den Städten hin abmessen, die im Umkreis des Erschlagenen ⟨liegen⟩.3Und es soll geschehen: Die Stadt, die dem Erschlagenen am nächsten ⟨liegt⟩ – die Ältesten jener Stadt sollen eine junge Kuh nehmen, mit der noch nicht gearbeitet worden ist, die noch nicht am Joch gezogen hat, (Nu 19:2; De 10:8)4und die Ältesten jener Stadt sollen das Kalb zu einem immerfließenden Bach[1] hinabführen, wo nicht gearbeitet und nicht gesät wird, und sollen dem Kalb dort im Bach das Genick brechen.5Dann sollen die Priester, die Söhne Levis, herantreten. Denn sie hat der HERR, dein Gott, erwählt, seinen Dienst zu verrichten und im Namen des HERRN zu segnen; und nach ihrem Ausspruch soll man bei jedem Rechtsstreit und bei jeder Gewalttat[2] verfahren. (Le 9:22; De 17:8; 2Ch 19:10)6Und alle Ältesten jener Stadt, die dem Erschlagenen am nächsten sind, sollen über dem Kalb, dem das Genick im Bach gebrochen wurde, ihre Hände waschen (Ps 26:6; Mt 27:24)7und sollen bezeugen und sagen: Unsere Hände haben dieses Blut nicht vergossen, und unsere Augen haben es nicht gesehen.8Vergib[3], HERR, deinem Volk Israel, das du erlöst hast, und lege nicht unschuldiges Blut in die Mitte deines Volkes Israel[4]! So wird ihnen die Blutschuld vergeben werden. (Le 17:4; Jon 1:14)9Und du, du sollst das unschuldige Blut aus deiner Mitte wegschaffen; denn du sollst tun, was in den Augen des HERRN recht ist. (De 12:25; De 19:13)
Ehe mit kriegsgefangenen Frauen
10Wenn du gegen deine Feinde zum Krieg ausziehst und der HERR, dein Gott, sie in deine Hand gibt und du ihre Gefangenen wegführst11und du unter den Gefangenen eine Frau, schön von Gestalt, siehst und hängst an ihr und nimmst ⟨sie⟩ dir zur Frau,12dann sollst du sie in das Innere deines Hauses bringen. Und sie soll ihr Haupt scheren und ihre Nägel beschneiden13und die Kleidung ihrer Gefangenschaft von sich ablegen und in deinem Haus bleiben und ihren Vater und ihre Mutter einen vollen Monat lang beweinen. Danach magst du zu ihr eingehen und sie heiraten[5], sodass sie dir zur Frau wird.14Und es soll geschehen, wenn du kein Gefallen ⟨mehr⟩ an ihr hast, dann sollst du sie nach ihrem Wunsch entlassen[6]. Aber du darfst sie keineswegs für Geld verkaufen; du sollst sie nicht als Sklavin behandeln[7], weil du ihr Gewalt angetan hast. (Ex 21:8)
Erbrecht des erstgeborenen Sohnes
15Wenn ein Mann zwei Frauen hat, eine geliebte und eine gehasste[8], und sie gebären ihm Söhne, die geliebte und die gehasste, und der erstgeborene Sohn ist von der gehassten, (Ge 29:30)16dann soll es geschehen an dem Tag, an dem er seine Söhne erben lässt, was ihm gehört, dass er nicht den Sohn der geliebten zum Erstgeborenen machen kann gegen den Sohn der gehassten, ⟨der doch⟩ der Erstgeborene ⟨ist⟩, (2Ch 11:21)17vielmehr soll er den Erstgeborenen, den Sohn der gehassten, anerkennen, dass er ihm zwei Teile von allem gibt, was sich bei ihm findet. Denn er ist der Erstling seiner Kraft, ihm gehört das Recht der Erstgeburt. (Ge 25:31; Ge 49:3; 1Ch 5:2; 2Ch 21:3)
Ein unverbesserlicher Sohn
18Wenn ein Mann einen störrischen und widerspenstigen Sohn hat, der auf die Stimme seines Vaters und auf die Stimme seiner Mutter nicht hört, und sie züchtigen ihn, er aber hört ⟨weiterhin⟩ nicht auf sie, (Ex 20:12; De 27:16; Pr 19:18)19dann sollen sein Vater und seine Mutter ihn ergreifen und ihn hinausführen zu den Ältesten seiner Stadt und zum Tor seines Ortes.20Und sie sollen zu den Ältesten seiner Stadt sagen: Dieser unser Sohn ist störrisch und widerspenstig, er hört nicht auf unsere Stimme, er ist ein Schlemmer und Säufer! (Pr 23:19)21Dann sollen ihn alle Leute seiner Stadt steinigen, dass er stirbt; so sollst du das Böse aus deiner Mitte wegschaffen. Und ganz Israel soll es hören und sich fürchten. (Ex 21:17; Le 20:2; De 13:12; De 17:7; Pr 30:17)
Bestattung Hingerichteter
22Und wenn bei einem Mann eine Sünde geschieht, ⟨auf die⟩ das Todesurteil ⟨steht⟩, und er wird getötet, und du hängst ihn an ein Holz[9], (Ge 40:19; Nu 25:4; 2Sa 4:12; 2Sa 21:9; Ac 2:36; Ac 5:30)23dann darf seine Leiche nicht über Nacht an dem Holz[10] bleiben, sondern du sollst ihn unbedingt am selben Tag begraben. Denn ein Aufgehängter ist ein Fluch Gottes. So sollst du dein Land nicht unrein machen, das der HERR, dein Gott, dir als Erbteil gibt. (Nu 35:34; De 4:21; De 25:19; Jos 8:29; Jos 10:26; Mr 15:43; Joh 19:31; Ga 3:13)