Deuteronomy 21 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

21 `When one is found slain on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it -- fallen in a field -- it is not known who hath smitten him,

2 then have thine elders and thy judges gone out and measured unto the cities which [are] round about the slain one,

3 and it hath been, the city which [is] near unto the slain one, even the elders of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in the yoke,

4 and the elders of that city have brought down the heifer unto a hard valley, which is not tilled nor sown, and have beheaded there the heifer in the valley.

5 `And the priests, sons of Levi, have come nigh -- for on them hath Jehovah thy God fixed to serve Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah, and by their mouth is every strife, and every stroke --

6 and all the elders of that city, who are near unto the slain one, do wash their hands over the heifer which is beheaded in the valley,

7 and they have answered and said, Our hands have not shed this blood, and our eyes have not seen --

8 receive atonement for Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast ransomed, O Jehovah, and suffer not innocent blood in the midst of Thy people Israel; and the blood hath been pardoned to them,

9 and thou dost put away the innocent blood out of thy midst, for thou dost that which [is] right in the eyes of Jehovah.

10 `When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and Jehovah thy God hath given them into thy hand, and thou hast taken captive its captivity,

11 and hast seen in the captivity a woman of fair form, and hast delighted in her, and hast taken to thee for a wife,

12 then thou hast brought her in unto the midst of thy household, and she hath shaved her head, and prepared her nails,

13 and turned aside the raiment of her captivity from off her, and hath dwelt in thy house, and bewailed her father and her mother a month of days, and afterwards thou dost go in unto her and hast married her, and she hath been to thee for a wife:

14 `And it hath been -- if thou hast not delighted in her, that thou hast sent her away at her desire, and thou dost not at all sell her for money; thou dost not tyrannize over her, because that thou hast humbled her.

15 `When a man hath two wives, the one loved and the other hated, and they have borne to him sons (the loved one and the hated one), and the first-born son hath been to the hated one;

16 then it hath been, in the day of his causing his sons to inherit that which he hath, he is not able to declare first-born the son of the loved one, in the face of the son of the hated one -- the first-born.

17 But the first-born, son of the hated one, he doth acknowledge, to give to him a double portion of all that is found with him, for he [is] the beginning of his strength; to him [is] the right of the first-born.

18 `When a man hath a son apostatizing and rebellious -- he is not hearkening to the voice of his father, and to the voice of his mother, and they have chastised him, and he doth not hearken unto them --

19 then laid hold on him have his father and his mother, and they have brought him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place,

20 and have said unto the elders of his city, Our son -- this one -- is apostatizing and rebellious; he is not hearkening to our voice -- a glutton and drunkard;

21 and all the men of his city have stoned him with stones, and he hath died, and thou hast put away the evil out of thy midst, and all Israel do hear and fear.

22 `And when there is in a man a sin -- a cause of death, and he hath been put to death, and thou hast hanged him on a tree,

23 his corpse doth not remain on the tree, for thou dost certainly bury him in that day -- for a thing lightly esteemed of God [is] the hanged one -- and thou dost not defile thy ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance.

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Deuteronomy 21 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

21 `When one is found slain on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to possess it -- fallen in a field -- it is not known who hath smitten him, 2 then have thine elders and thy judges gone out and measured unto the cities which [are] round about the slain one, 3 and it hath been, the c...
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Deuteronomy 21 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

21 When the carrion of a man slain is found in the land which thy Lord God shall give to thee, and he that is guilty of his death is unknown, (When the corpse of a slain man is found in the land which the Lord thy God shall give to thee, and he who is guilty of his death is unknown,) 2 the greater m...
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Deuteronomy 21 - World English Bible (WEB)

21 If someone is found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain. 3 It shall be that the elders o...
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Deuteronomy 21 - The Voice (VOICE)

Israelite teachers and scribes are fond of organizing material using mnemonic devices. If two writings share a key word, phrase, or idea, it is considered clever and attractive to put them next to one another. This principle is applied often as the first law in Deuteronomy 21:1 begins by using some ...
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Deuteronomy 21 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Purging Innocent Blood21 “Suppose a slain person is found fallen in a field, on the land Adonai your God is giving you to possess—who struck him is unknown. 2 Then your elders and judges must come out and measure the distance to the towns that are around the slain one. 3 Now the town nearest to th...
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Deuteronomy 21 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Law concerning Murder by Persons Unknown21 “If in the land which the Lord your God gives you to possess, any one is found slain, lying in the open country, and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure the distance to the cities whic...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Law concerning Murder by Persons Unknown21 If, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess, a body is found lying in open country, and it is not known who struck the person down, 2 then your elders and your judges shall come out to measure the distances to the towns that are near th...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Law concerning Murder by Persons Unknown21 “If, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess, a body is found lying in open country, and it is not known who struck the person down,(A)2 then your elders and your judges shall come out to measure the distances to the towns that are near ...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Cleansing for Unsolved Murder21 “When you are in the land the Lord your God is giving you, someone may be found murdered in a field, and you don’t know who committed the murder. 2 In such a case, your elders and judges must measure the distance from the site of the crime to the nearby towns. 3 When ...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New Life Version (NLV)

About Killing Someone21 “If a person has been killed and is found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your leaders and judges will go out and see how far it is to the cities that are around the dead man. 3 The leaders...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Law Concerning Unsolved Murder21 “If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities....
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Deuteronomy 21 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Atonement for an unsolved murder21 If 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, 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighbouring towns. 3 Then the elders o...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New International Version (NIV)

Atonement for an Unsolved Murder21 If 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,(A) 2 your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. 3 Then the elders o...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

What to Do When You Don’t Know Who Killed Someone21 Suppose 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. 2 Then your elders and judges will go out to the field. They will measure the ...
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Deuteronomy 21 - New English Translation (NET)

Laws Concerning Unsolved Murder21 If a homicide victim[a] should be found lying in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you,[b] and no one knows who killed[c] him, 2 your elders and judges must go out and measure how far it is to the cities in the vicinity of the corpse.[d] 3 Then the e...
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