Concerning Unsolved Murders
1 “Suppose someone is found murdered in a field in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you, and you do not know who killed him. 2 Your leaders and judges are to go out and measure the distance from the place where the body was found to each of the nearby towns. 3 Then the leaders of the town nearest to where the body was found are to select a young cow that has never been used for work. 4 They are to take it down to a spot near a stream that never runs dry and where the ground has never been plowed or planted, and there they are to break its neck. 5 The levitical priests are to go there also, because they are to decide every legal case involving violence. The Lord your God has chosen them to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name. 6 Then all the leaders from the town nearest the place where the murdered person was found are to wash their hands over the cow 7 and say, ‘We did not murder this one, and we do not know who did it. 8 Lord, forgive your people Israel, whom you rescued from Egypt. Forgive us and do not hold us responsible for the murder of an innocent person.’ 9 And so, by doing what the Lord requires, you will not be held responsible for the murder.
Concerning Women Prisoners of War
10 “When the Lord your God gives you victory in battle and you take prisoners, 11 you may see among them a beautiful woman that you like and want to marry. 12 Take her to your home, where she will shave her head, cut her fingernails, 13 and change her clothes. She is to stay in your home and mourn for her parents for a month; after that, you may marry her. 14 Later, if you no longer want her, you are to let her go free. Since you forced her to have intercourse with you, you cannot treat her as a slave and sell her.
Concerning the First Son's Inheritance
15 “Suppose a man has two wives and they both bear him sons, but the first son is not the child of his favorite wife. 16 When the man decides how he is going to divide his property among his children, he is not to show partiality to the son of his favorite wife by giving him the share that belongs to the first-born son. 17 He is to give a double share of his possessions to his first son, even though he is not the son of his favorite wife. A man must acknowledge his first son and give him the share he is legally entitled to.
Concerning a Disobedient Son
18 “Suppose someone has a son who is stubborn and rebellious, a son who will not obey his parents, even though they punish him. 19 His parents are to take him before the leaders of the town where he lives and make him stand trial. 20 They are to say to them, ‘Our son is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey us; he wastes money and is a drunkard.’ 21 Then the men of the city are to stone him to death, and so you will get rid of this evil. Everyone in Israel will hear what has happened and be afraid.
Various Laws
22 “If someone has been put to death for a crime and the body is hung on a post, 23 it is not to remain there overnight. It must be buried the same day, because a dead body hanging on a post brings God's curse on the land. Bury the body, so that you will not defile the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
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.
