Deuteronomy 21 :: New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20)

Expiation of a Crime

“If^H3588 a person who has been killed^H2491 by someone is found^H4672 lying^H5307 in the open country^H7704 in the land^H127 which^H834 the LORD^H3068 your God^H430 is giving^H5414 you to [fn]possess^H3423, and it is not known^H3045 who^H4310 struck^H5221 him,

Deu 21:2

Deu 21:2then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the one who was killed.

Deu 21:3

Deu 21:3“And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked [fn]and has not pulled in a yoke;

Deu 21:4

Deu 21:4and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

Deu 21:5

Deu 21:5“Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, because the LORD your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; and every dispute and [fn]violent crime shall be [fn]settled by them.

Deu 21:6

Deu 21:6“And all the elders of that city [fn]which is nearest to the person killed shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley;

Deu 21:7

Deu 21:7and they shall respond and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did.

Deu 21:8

Deu 21:8‘[fn]Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, LORD, and do not place the guilt for innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the guilt for bloodshed shall be [fn]forgiven them.

Deu 21:9

Deu 21:9“So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

Domestic Relations

Deu 21:10

“When^H3588 you go^H3318 out^H3318 to battle^H4421 against^H5921 your enemies^H340, and the LORD^H3068 your God^H430 hands^H3027^H5414 them over^H5414 to you and you take^H7617 them away captive^H7628,

Deu 21:11

Deu 21:11and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and are strongly attracted to her and would take her as a wife for yourself,

Deu 21:12

Deu 21:12then you shall bring her into your home, and she shall shave her head and [fn]trim her nails.

Deu 21:13

Deu 21:13“She shall also [fn]remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and weep for her father and mother a full month; and after that you may have relations with her and become her husband and she shall be your wife.

Deu 21:14

Deu 21:14“But it shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go [fn]wherever she wishes; and you certainly shall not sell her for money, you shall not treat her as merchandise, since you have [fn]humiliated her.

Deu 21:15

“If^H3588 a man^H376 has^H1961 two^H8147 wives^H802, the one^H259 loved^H157 and the other^H259 [fn]unloved^H8130, and both the loved^H157 and the [fn]unloved^H8130 have borne^H3205 him sons^H1121, and the firstborn^H1060 son^H1121 belongs to the [fn]unloved^H8146,

Deu 21:16

Deu 21:16then it shall be on the day that he wills what he owns as an inheritance to his sons, he is not allowed to treat the son of the loved wife as the firstborn, [fn]at the expense of the son of the [fn]unloved, who actually is the firstborn son.

Deu 21:17

Deu 21:17“On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the [fn]unloved wife, by giving him a double [fn]portion of everything that [fn]he owns, for he was the beginning of his [fn]strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

Deu 21:18

“If^H3588 any^H376 person^H376 has^H1961 a stubborn^H5637 and rebellious^H4784 son^H1121 who does not obey^H8085^H6963 his father^H1 or his mother^H517, and when they discipline^H3256 him, he does not listen^H8085 to them,

Deu 21:19

Deu 21:19then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city [fn]at the gateway of his hometown.

Deu 21:20

Deu 21:20“And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us, he is thoughtless and given to drinking.’

Deu 21:21

Deu 21:21“Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall eliminate the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear about it and fear.

Deu 21:22

“Now if^H3588 [fn]a person^H376 has committed^H1961 a sin^H2399 carrying a sentence^H4941 of death^H4194 and he is put^H4191 to^H4191 death^H4191, and you hang^H8518 him on [fn]a tree^H6086,

Deu 21:23

Deu 21:23his body is not to be left overnight on the [fn]tree, but you shall certainly bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is cursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

See the NASB20 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NASB20 Footnotes

Lit possess it

Lit which has not

Lit blow

Lit according to their mouth

(21:6)

Lit who are

(21:8)

Lit Cover over, atone for

(21:8)

Lit covered over, atoned for

(21:12)

Lit do

(21:13)

Lit remove from her

(21:14)

Lit according to her soul

(21:14)

I.e., by a forced marriage

(21:15)

Or scorned; lit hated

(21:15)

Or scorned; lit hated

(21:15)

Or scorned; lit hated

(21:16)

Lit against the face of

See note v 15

See note v 15

Lit mouthful

Lit is found with him

(21:17)

I.e., power of procreation

(21:19)

Lit and to the gate of his place

(21:22)

Lit a sin is in a person carrying

(21:22)

Lit wood

(21:23)

Lit wood

New American Standard Bible 2020
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB20 Preface.