Deuteronomy 22 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Deu 22:1

Deu 22:1“If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility.[fn] Take it back to its owner.

Deu 22:2

Deu 22:2If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it.

Deu 22:3

Deu 22:3Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility.

Deu 22:4

Deu 22:4“If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet!

Deu 22:5

Deu 22:5“A woman must not put on men’s clothing, and a man must not wear women’s clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the LORD your God.

Deu 22:6

Deu 22:6“If you happen to find a bird’s nest in a tree or on the ground, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, do not take the mother with the young.

Deu 22:7

Deu 22:7You may take the young, but let the mother go, so that you may prosper and enjoy a long life.

Deu 22:8

Deu 22:8“When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof.

Deu 22:9

Deu 22:9“You must not plant any other crop between the rows of your vineyard. If you do, you are forbidden to use either the grapes from the vineyard or the other crop.

Deu 22:10

Deu 22:10“You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.

Deu 22:11

Deu 22:11“You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.

Deu 22:12

Deu 22:12“You must put four tassels on the hem of the cloak with which you cover yourself—on the front, back, and sides.

Regulations for Sexual Purity

Deu 22:13

Deu 22:13“Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against her

Deu 22:14

Deu 22:14and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, ‘When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.’

Deu 22:15

Deu 22:15Then the woman’s father and mother must bring the proof of her virginity to the elders as they hold court at the town gate.

Deu 22:16

Deu 22:16Her father must say to them, ‘I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he has turned against her.

Deu 22:17

Deu 22:17He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, “I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin.” But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they must spread her bed sheet before the elders.

Deu 22:18

Deu 22:18The elders must then take the man and punish him.

Deu 22:19

Deu 22:19They must also fine him 100 pieces of silver,[fn] which he must pay to the woman’s father because he publicly accused a virgin of Israel of shameful conduct. The woman will then remain the man’s wife, and he may never divorce her.

Deu 22:20

Deu 22:20“But suppose the man’s accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin.

Deu 22:21

Deu 22:21The woman must be taken to the door of her father’s home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents’ home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.

Deu 22:22

Deu 22:22“If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.

Deu 22:23

Deu 22:23“Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town,

Deu 22:24

Deu 22:24you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.

Deu 22:25

Deu 22:25“But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die.

Deu 22:26

Deu 22:26Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim.

Deu 22:27

Deu 22:27Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.

Deu 22:28

Deu 22:28“Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered,

Deu 22:29

Deu 22:29he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver.[fn] Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

Deu 22:30

Deu 22:30 [fn]“A man must not marry his father’s former wife, for this would violate his father.