NASB — Deuteronomy 21 — KJV

Expiation of a Crime

1 “If° a slain° person is found° lying° in the open country° in the land° which° the LORD° your God° gives° you to Ipossess°, [and] it is not known° who° has struck° him, 2 then your elders° and your judges° shall go° out and measure° [the distance] to the cities° which° are around° the slain° one°. 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°; 4 and 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°. 5 Then athe 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° Iassault° IIshall be settled°° by them. 6 All° the elders° of that city° Iwhich is nearest° to the slain° man° shall awash° their hands° over° the heifer° whose neck° was broken° in the valley°; 7 and they shall answer° and say°, ‘Our hands° did not shed° this° blood°, nor° did our eyes° see° [it]. 8 IForgive° Your people° Israel° whom° You have redeemed°, O LORD°, and do not place° the guilt° of ainnocent° blood° in the midst° of Your people° Israel°.’ And the bloodguiltiness° shall be IIforgiven° them. 9 aSo you shall remove° the guilt° of innocent° blood° from your midst°, when° you do° what° is right° in the eyes° of the LORD°.

[1] ILit possess it
[5] ILit stroke IILit shall be according to their mouth aDt 17:9-11; 19:17; 1Ch 23:13
[6] ILit who are aMt 27:24
[8] ILit Cover over, atone for IILit covered over, atoned for aNu 35:33, 34; Jna 1:14
[9] aDt 19:13

Domestic Relations

10 ¶ “When° you go° out to battle° against° your enemies°, and athe LORD° your God° delivers° them into your hands° and you take° them away captive°, 11 and see° among the captives° a beautiful° woman°, and have° a desire° for her and would take° her as a wife° for yourself, 12 then you shall bring° her home° to your house°, and she shall ashave° her head° and Itrim° her nails°. 13 She shall also Iremove° the clothes° of her captivity° and shall remain° in your house°, and amourn° 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°. 14 It shall be, if° you are not pleased° with her, then you shall let° her go° Iwherever she wishes°; but you shall certainly° not sell° her for money°, you shall not IImistreat° her, because°° you have ahumbled° her.

[10] aJsh 21:44
[12] ILit do aLv 14:8, 9; Nu 6:9
[13] ILit remove from her aPs 45:10
[14] ILit according to her soul IIOr enslave aGn 34:2

15 ¶ “If° a man° has° two° wives°, the one° loved° and athe other° Iunloved°, and [both] the loved° and the Iunloved° have borne° him sons°, if the firstborn° son° belongs to the Iunloved°, 16 then it shall be in the day° he Iwills° what° he has° to his sons°, he cannot°° make° the son° of the loved° the firstborn° before°° the son° of the IIunloved°, who is the firstborn°. 17 But he shall acknowledge° the firstborn°, the son° of the Iunloved°, by giving° him a double° portion° of all° that IIhe has°, for he is the abeginning° of his strength°; bto him belongs the right° of the firstborn°.

[15] ILit hated aGn 29:33
[16] ILit makes to inherit IILit hated
[17] ILit hated IILit is found with him aGn 49:3 bGn 25:31

18 ¶ “If° any° man° has° a stubborn° and rebellious° son° who will anot obey°° his father° or his mother°, and when they chastise° him, he will not even listen° to them, 19 then his father° and mother° shall seize° him, and bring° him out to the elders° of his city° Iat the gateway° of his hometown°. 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°.’ 21 aThen all° the men° of his city° shall stone° him to death°; so byou shall remove° the evil° from your midst°, and call° Israel° will hear° [of it] and fear°.

[18] aEx 20:12; Lv 19:3; Pv 1:8; Ep 6:1-3
[19] ILit and to the gate of his place
[21] aLv 20:2, 27; 24:14-23; Nu 15:25, 36 bDt 19:19 cDt 13:11

22 ¶ “If° a man° has committed° a sin° aworthy° of death° and he is put° to death°, and you hang° him on a tree°, 23 ahis corpse° shall not hang° all night° on the tree°, but you shall surely° bury° him on the same° day° (for bhe who is hanged° is Iaccursed° of God°), so that you cdo not defile° your land° which° the LORD° your God° gives° you as an inheritance°.

[22] aDt 22:26; Mt 26:66; Mk 14:64; Ac 23:29
[23] ILit the curse of God aJsh 8:29; 10:26, 27; Jn 19:31 bGa 3:13 cLv 18:25; Nu 35:34


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The expiation of an uncertain murder.

1 ¶ If² [one] be foundºª slainº in the landº which² the LORDº thy Godº givethºª thee to possessºª it, lyingºª in the field,º [and] it be not² knownºª who² hath slainºª him: 2 Then thy eldersº and thy judgesºª shall come forth,ºª and they shall measureºª unto² the citiesº which² [are] round aboutº him that is slain:º 3 And it shall be,² [that] the cityº [which is] nextº unto² the slain man,º even the eldersº of that² cityº shall takeºª an heifer,ºº which² hath not² been wrought² with,¹ª [and] which² hath not² drawnºª in the yoke;º 4 And the eldersº of that² cityº shall bring downºª² the heiferº unto² a roughº valley,º which² is neither² earedºª nor² sown,ºª and shall strike off¹ª²² the heifer'sº neck¹ª² there² in the valley:º 5 And the priestsº the sonsº of Leviº shall come near;ºª for² them the LORDº thy Godº hath chosenºª to ministerºª unto him, and to blessºª in the nameº of the LORD;º and by² their wordº shall every² controversyº and every² strokeº be² [tried]: 6 And all² the eldersº of that² city,º [that are] nextº unto² the slainº [man], shall washºª² their handsº over² the heiferº that is beheadedºª in the valley:º 7 And they shall answerºª and say,ºª Our handsº have not² shedºª² this² blood,º neither² have our eyesº seenºª [it]. 8 Be merciful,ºª O LORD,º unto thy peopleº Israel,º whom² thou hast redeemed,ºª and layºª not² innocentº bloodº unto thy peopleº of Israel'sº charge.º And the bloodº shall be forgivenºª them. 9 So shalt thou² put awayºª the [guilt of] innocentº bloodº from amongº² you, when² thou shalt doºª [that which is] rightº in the sightº of the LORD.º

[1] Ps 5:6; 9:12; Pv 28:17; Is 26:21; Ac 28:4.
[2] Dt 16:18; Ro 13:3.
[3] Nu 19:2; Jr 31:18; Mt 11:28; Php 2:8.
[4] 1P 2:21; 3:18.
[5] Nu 6:22; Dt 10:8; 17:8; 18:5; 1Ch 23:13; Mal 2:7.
[6] Jb 9:30; Ps 19:12; 26:6; 51:2, 7, 14; 73:13; Jr 2:22; Mt 27:24; He 9:10.
[7] Nu 5:19; 2S 16:8; Jb 21:21, 31; Ps 7:3.
[8] Nu 35:33; 2S 3:28; 2K 24:4; Ps 19:12; Jr 26:15; Ezk 23:3, 24; Jna 1:14; Mt 23:35; 1Th 2:15.
[9] Dt 13:18; 19:12; 2K 10:30.

The usage of a captive taken to wife.

10 ¶ When² thou goest forthºª to warº against² thine enemies,ºª and the LORDº thy Godº hath deliveredºª them into thine hands,º and thou hast takenºª them captive,º 11 And seestºª among the captivesº a beautifulº¹² woman,º and hast a desireºª unto her, that thou wouldest have² her¹ª to thy wife;º 12 Then thou shalt bringºª her homeº to thine house;º and she shall shaveºª² her head,º and pareºª² her nails;º 13 And she shall putºª² the raimentº of her captivityº from off²² her, and shall remainºª in thine house,º and bewailºª² her fatherº and her motherº a fullº month:º and afterº that² thou shalt go¹ª in² unto² her, and be her husband,¹ª² and she shall be² thy wife.º 14 And it shall be,² if² thou have no delightºª² in her, then thou shalt let her goºª whither she will;º but thou shalt not² sell¹ª her at allºª for money,º thou shalt not² make merchandiseºª of her, becauseº² thou hast humbledºª her.

[10] Dt 20:10.
[11] Gn 6:2; 12:14; 29:18; 34:3, 8; Nu 31:18; Jg 14:2; Pv 6:25; 31:10, 30.
[12] 1Co 11:6; Ep 4:22.
[13] Ps 45:10; Lk 14:26.
[14] Gn 34:2; Ex 21:7; Dt 22:19, 24, 29; Jg 19:24.

The firstborn is not to be disinherited upon private affection.

15 ¶ If² a manº have² twoº wives,º oneº beloved,ºª and anotherº hated,ºª and they have bornºª him children,º [both] the belovedºª and the hated;ºª and [if] the firstbornº sonº be² hers that was hated:º 16 Then it shall be,² whenº he maketh² his sonsº to inheritºª² [that] which² he hath,² [that] he mayºª not² make²² the sonº of the belovedºª firstbornºª beforeº² the sonº of the hated,ºª [which is indeed] the firstborn:º 17 But² he shall acknowledgeºª the sonº of the hatedºª² [for] the firstborn,º by givingºª him a doubleº portionº of all² that² he hath:ºª for² he² [is] the beginningº of his strength;º the rightº of the firstbornº [is] his.

[15] Gn 29:18, 20, 30, 33; 1S 1:4.
[16] 1Ch 5:2; 26:10; 2Ch 11:19; 21:3; Ro 8:29; Php 4:8; He 12:16.
[17] Gn 25:5, 31, 32, 34; 49:3; 1Ch 5:1; Ps 105:36.

A stubborn son is to be stoned to death.

18 ¶ If² a manº have² a stubbornºª and rebelliousºª son,º which will not² obeyºª the voiceº of his father,º or the voiceº of his mother,º and [that], when they have chastenedºª him, will not² hearkenºª unto² them: 19 Then shall his fatherº and his motherº lay holdºª on him, and bring him outºª² unto² the eldersº of his city,º and unto² the gateº of his place;º 20 And they shall sayºª unto² the eldersº of his city,º This² our sonº [is] stubbornºª and rebellious,ºª he will not² obeyºª our voice;º [he is] a glutton,ºª and a drunkard.ºª 21 And all² the men¹² of his cityº shall stoneºª him with stones,º that he die:ºª so shalt thou put¹ª evil¹ awayºª² from amongº² you; and all² Israelº shall hear,ºª and fear.ºª

[18] Ex 20:12; 21:15, 17; Lv 19:3; 21:9; Dt 8:5; 27:16; 2S 7:14; Pv 13:24; 15:5; 19:18; 20:20; 22:15; 23:13; 28:24; 29:17; 30:11, 17; Is 1:2, 5; Jr 5:3; 31:18; Ezk 22:7; 24:13; Am 4:11; He 12:9.
[19] Dt 16:18; 21:2; 25:7; Zc 13:3.
[20] Pv 19:26; 20:1; 23:19, 29; 29:17.
[21] Lv 24:16; Dt 13:5, 10, 11; 17:5; 19:19; 22:21, 24.

The malefactor must not hang all night of a tree.

22 ¶ And if² a manº have committed² a sinº worthy² of¹ death,º and he be to be put to death,ºª and thou hangºª him on² a tree:º 23 His bodyº shall not² remain all nightºª upon² the tree,º but² thou shalt in any wise¹ª buryºª him that² day;º (for² he that is hangedºª [is] accursedº of God;)º that² thy landº be not² defiled,ºª which² the LORDº thy Godº givethºª thee [for] an inheritance.º

[22] Nu 25:4; Dt 19:6; 22:26; Jsh 8:29; 10:26; 1S 26:16; 2S 4:12; 21:6, 9; Mt 26:66; Lk 23:33; Jn 19:31; Ac 23:29; 25:11, 25; 26:31.
[23] Lv 18:25; Nu 25:4; 35:33; Dt 7:26; Jsh 7:12; 2S 21:6; Jn 19:31; Ro 9:3; 1Co 16:22; 2Co 5:21; Ga 3:13.


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