Deuteronomy 21
Big idea: Four cases where power is unchecked and the law steps in. A body found in a field with no killer: the elders of the nearest town must break a heifer's neck and wash their hands, saying our hands have not shed this blood — an unsolved murder is nobody's fault and still somebody's responsibility. A woman taken captive: she shaves her head, mourns her parents a full month, and if he has no delight in her she goes free, and is never sold. A man with two wives, one loved and one not: he may not give the beloved's son the firstborn's double portion if the birthright belongs to the other. And a stubborn son brought to the elders — a case requiring both parents and a public court, so no father is judge in his own house.
Chapter 21 ends with a body taken down from a tree before nightfall. Chapter 22 continues in the same register: what you owe your neighbour, down to his lost donkey.
21:1–9 — Our hands have not shed this blood
If someone is found slain in the land, lying in the field, and it isn't known who struck him, then your elders and judges shall come out and measure to the cities around him. The elders of the nearest city shall take a heifer of the herd which hasn't been worked and has not drawn in the yoke, bring it down to a valley with running water which is neither plowed nor sown, and break its neck there. The priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh has chosen them to minister and to bless in his name, and by their word every controversy shall be decided. All the elders of that nearest city shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken and say: our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel whom you have redeemed, and don't allow innocent blood among your people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them. So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you do what is right in Yahweh's eyes.
1 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 of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn’t been worked with and which has not drawn in the yoke. 4 The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5 The priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Yahweh’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided. 6 All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7 They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.
21:10–17 — A month to mourn, and a birthright that isn't a preference
When you go out to battle and take captives, and see among them a beautiful woman and desire to take her as your wife, then bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails, take off the clothing of her captivity, remain in your house and bewail her father and mother a full month. After that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. And if you have no delight in her, then let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money, nor deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her. If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other hated, and both have borne him children, and the firstborn son is hers who was hated, then in the day he causes his sons to inherit, he may not give the beloved's son the rights of the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn. He shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all he has, for he is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
10 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands and you carry them away captive, 11 and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her, and desire to take her as your wife, 12 then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails. 13 She shall take off the clothing of her captivity, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14 It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money. You shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her. 15 If a man has two wives, the one beloved and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated, and if the firstborn son is hers who was hated, 16 then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not give the son of the beloved the rights of the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn; 17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
21:18–23 — Brought to the elders at the gate
If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or his mother, and though they chasten him will not listen, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his place. They shall tell the elders: this our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. All the men of his city shall stone him to death. So you shall remove the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death and is put to death and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree; you shall surely bury him the same day, for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Don't defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not listen to them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place. 20 They shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.” 21 All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel shall hear, and fear. 22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).