Unsolved Murder
Moses said to Israel:
1 Suppose the body of a murder victim is found in a field in the land the Lord your God is giving you, and no one knows who the murderer is. 2 The judges and other leaders from the towns around there must find out what town is the closest to where the body was found. 3 The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work. 4-5 They and some of the priests will take this cow to a nearby valley where there is a stream, but no crops. Once they reach the valley, the leaders will break the cow's neck.
The priests must be there, because the Lord your God has chosen them to be his special servants at the place of worship. The Lord has chosen them to bless the people in his name and to be judges in all legal cases, whether property or injury is involved.
6 The town leaders will wash their hands over the body of the dead cow 7 and say, “We had no part in this murder, and we don't know who did it. 8-9 But since an innocent person was murdered, we beg you, our Lord, to accept this sacrifice and forgive Israel. We are your people, and you rescued us. Please don't hold this crime against us.”
If you obey the Lord and do these things, he will forgive Israel.
Marrying a Woman Taken Prisoner in War
Moses said to Israel:
10 From time to time, you men will serve as soldiers and go off to war. The Lord your God will help you defeat your enemies, and you will take many prisoners. 11-13 One of these prisoners may be a beautiful woman, and you may want to marry her. But first you must bring her into your home, and have her shave her head, cut her nails, get rid of her foreign clothes, and start wearing Israelite clothes. She will mourn a month for her father and mother, then you can marry her.
14 Later on, if you are not happy with the woman, you can divorce her, and she can go free. But you have slept with her as your wife, so you cannot sell her as a slave or make her into your own slave.
Rights of a First-Born Son
Moses said to Israel:
15-17 Suppose a man has two wives and loves one more than the other. The first son of either wife is the man's first-born son, even if the boy's mother is the wife the man doesn't love. Later, when the man is near death and is dividing up his property, he must give a double share to his first-born son, simply because he was the first to be born.
A Son Who Rebels
Moses said to Israel:
18 A father and a mother may have a stubborn and rebellious son who refuses to obey them even after he has been punished. 19 If a son is like that, his parents must drag him to the town gate, where the leaders of the town hold their meetings. 20 The parents will tell the leaders, “This son of ours is stubborn and never obeys. He spends all his time drinking and partying.”
21 The men of the town will stone that son to death, because they must get rid of the evil he brought into the community. Everyone in Israel will be afraid when they hear how he was punished.
The Body of a Criminal
Moses said to Israel:
22 If a criminal is put to death, and you hang the dead body on a tree, 23 you must not leave it there overnight. Bury it the same day, because the dead body of a criminal hanging on a tree will bring God's curse on the land. The Lord your God is giving this land to you, so don't make it unclean by leaving the bodies of executed criminals on display.
Izlīgums gadījumā, ja slepkava nav zināms
1 Ja zemē, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, dod tev iemantot, tu atrodi kādu nokauto, kas kritis uz lauka, un nav zināms, kurš viņu nokāvis, 2 tad lai nāk vecajie un tiesneši un nomēra attālumu līdz pilsētām, kas apkārt nokautajam. 3 Tad tuvākās pilsētas vecajie lai ņem teli, kas nav bijusi iejūgta un nav likta pie darba. 4 Lai tās pilsētas vecajie aizved teli, kas nav likta pie darba, pie neizsīkstoša strauta, kur nav arts un sēts, un pie tā strauta pārlauž telei sprandu. 5 Tad lai nāk priesteri, Levī dēli, jo viņus Kungs, tavs Dievs, ir izvēlējies, lai tie kalpo viņam un dod viņa vārdā svētību un lai pēc viņu sprieduma tiktu izšķirts ik strīds un ik nodarījums. 6 Visi tās pilsētas vecajie, kurai nokautais bijis vistuvāk, lai mazgā savas rokas pār teli, kurai pie strauta pārlauzts sprands. 7 Lai tie liecina un saka: mūsu rokas nav izlējušas šīs asinis, un mūsu acis to nav redzējušas! 8 Dod izlīgumu savai tautai, Israēlam, ko tu esi izpircis, Kungs! Nepieskaiti nevainīgas asinis savai tautai, Israēlam, – tad par asins grēku tiks izlīgts. 9 Izsvel grēku par nevainīgām asinīm – tā tu darīsi, kas tīk Kungam!
Par gūsteknēm
10 Ja tu ej karā pret saviem ienaidniekiem un Kungs, tavs Dievs, tev tos nodod un tu tos sagūsti, 11 un tu ieraugi starp gūstekņiem skaistu sievieti, iekāro viņu un ņem sev par sievu, 12 tad ved viņu uz savu namu – lai tā noskuj galvu un apgriež nagus, 13 lai novelk gūsta drānas, mīt tavā namā un mēnesi apraud savu tēvu un māti. Pēc tam tu vari iet pie viņas un būt tās vīrs, un viņa var būt tev par sievu. 14 Ja tu vairs nekāro viņu, tad laid, lai viņa iet, kur grib, bet par naudu viņu nepārdod, neapejies ar to kā ar verdzeni pēc tam, kad tu esi to ņēmis.
Pirmdzimtā tiesības
15 Ja kādam ir divas sievas – viena mīlama un otra nīstama – un gan mīlamā, gan nīstamā dzemdē viņam dēlus, un pirmdzimtais dēls ir no nīstamās, 16 tad tajā dienā, kad viņš saviem dēliem dos mantojumu, kas viņam ir, viņš nedrīkst attiekties pret mīlamās dēlu kā pret pirmdzimto iepretī nīstamās dēlam, kas ir pirmdzimtais. 17 Par pirmdzimto viņam jāatzīst nīstamās dēls, kas ir pirmdzimtais, un jādod viņam divkārt no visa, kas viņam ir, jo tas ir viņa spēka pirmais – tam ir pirmdzimtā tiesības.
Nepaklausīgs dēls
18 Ja kādam ir spītīgs un dumpīgs dēls, kas neklausa tēvu un māti un neklausa arī, kad tie viņu pārmāca, 19 tad lai tēvs un māte grābj viņu ciet un ved pie pilsētas vecajiem pilsētas vārtos, 20 un lai saka pilsētas vecajiem: mūsu dēls ir spītīgs un dumpīgs, viņš neklausa mūs, rīma un žūpa! 21 Tad lai pilsētas vīri nomētā to akmeņiem, lai tas mirst; izsvel ļaunumu no sava vidus! – viss Israēls lai dzird un bīstas! 22 Ja kāds būs grēkojis tā, ka ir sodāms ar nāvi, un ir ticis nonāvēts un tu būsi pakāris viņu kokā, 23 tad lai viņa līķis nepaliek kokā pa nakti, apbedī viņu tajā pašā dienā, jo pakārtais ir Dieva lāsts, – nepadari nešķīstu savu zemi, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, tev dod par mantojumu.
