21 2 Inquisition for murder. 11 Of the woman taken in war. 15 The birthright cannot be changed for affection. 18 The disobedient child. 23 The body may not hang all night.

¹ If one be found ^[a]slain in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it is not known who hath slain him,

² Then thine Elders and thy Judges shall come forth, and measure unto the cities that are round about him that is slain:

³ And let the Elders of that city, which is next unto the slain man, take out of the drove an heifer that hath not been put to labor, nor hath drawn in the yoke.

⁴ And let the Elders of that city bring the heifer unto a ^[b]stony ^[c]valley, which is neither eared, nor sown, and strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

⁵ Also the Priests the sons of Levi (whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister, and to bless in the Name of the Lord) shall come forth, and by their word shall all strife and plague be tried.

⁶ And all the Elders of that city that came near to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:

⁷ And shall testify, and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

^8 [d]O Lord, be merciful unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay no innocent blood to the charge of thy people Israel, and the blood shall be forgiven them.

⁹ So shalt thou take away the cry of innocent blood from thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.

¹⁰ ¶ When thou shalt go to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God shall deliver them into thine hands, and thou shalt take them captives,

¹¹ And shalt see among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thy wife,

¹² Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, ^[e]and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails,

¹³ And she shall put off the garment that she was taken in, and she shall remain in thine house, ^[f]and bewail her father and her mother a month long: and after that shalt thou go in unto her, and marry her, and she shall be thy ^[g]wife.

¹⁴ And if thou have no favor unto her, then thou mayest let her go whither she will, but thou shalt not sell her for money, nor make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

¹⁵ ¶ If a man have two wives, one loved and another ^[h]hated, and they have born him children, both the loved and also the hated: if the firstborn be the son of the hated,

¹⁶ Then when the time cometh, that he appointeth his sons to be heirs of that which he hath, he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn ^[i]before the son of the hated, which is the firstborn:

¹⁷ But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, and give him ^[j]double portion for all that he hath: for he is the first of his strength, and to ^[k]him belongeth the right of firstborn.

¹⁸ ¶ If any man have a son that is stubborn and disobedient, which will not hearken unto the voice of his father, nor the voice of his ^[l]mother, and they have chastened him, and he would not obey them,

¹⁹ Then shall his father and his mother take him, and bring him out unto the Elders of his city, and unto the gate of the place where he dwelleth,

²⁰ And shall say unto the Elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and disobedient, and he will not obey our admonition: he is a rioter, and a drunkard.

²¹ Then all the men of his city shall ^[m]stone him with stones unto death: so thou shalt take away evil from among you, that all Israel may hear it, and fear.

²² ¶ If a man also have committed a trespass worthy of death, and is put to death, and thou hangest him on a tree,

²³ His body shall not remain ^[n]all night upon the tree, but thou shalt bury him the same day: for the ^(A)curse of God is on him that is hanged. Defile not therefore thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit.