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.
الجرائم المجهولة
1 إذا وُجِد قتيلٌ على الأرضِ الّتي يُعطيكُمُ الرّبُّ إلهُكُم لِتمتَلِكوها مَطروحا في الحُقولِ ولا يَعرِفُ أحدٌ مَنْ قَتَلَهُ 2 يخرُجُ شُيوخُكُم وقُضاتُكُم ويقيسوا مِنْ موضِعِ القتيلِ إلى المُدُنِ الّتي حَولَهُ. 3 ثُمَّ يأخُذُ شيوخُ المدينةِ الأقرَبِ إليه عِجلَةً مِنَ البقَرِ، لم يُفْلَحْ علَيها ولا جُرَّتْ بِالنِّيرِ 4 وينزِلونَ بِها واديا وَعرا لم يُفلَحْ ولم يُزرَعْ ويَكسِرونَ عُنُقَها في الوادي. 5 ويتَقَدَّمُ الكهَنةُ بَنو لاوي، لأنَّ الرّبَّ إلهَكُمُ اختارَهُم لِـيَخدِموهُ ويُبارِكوا بِاسمِهِ، وبِكلامِهِم تُفصَلُ كُلُّ تُهمةٍ وكُلُّ اعتِداءٍ. 6 ويَغسِلُ جميعُ شيوخِ تِلكَ المدينةِ القريـبةِ مِنَ القتيلِ أيديَهُم على العِجْلَةِ المَكسورَةِ العُنُقِ في الوادي 7 ويقولونَ: «ما سَفكت أيدينا ولا رَأت عيونُنا هذا الدَّمَ. 8 فكفِّرهُ يا ربُّ عَنْ شعبِكَ إِسرائيلَ الّذي فدَيتَهُ، ولا تُحَمِّلْهُم تَبِــعَةَ الدَّمِ البَريءِ فيما بَينَهُم». فيُكَفِّرُ عَنكُمُ الرّبُّ 9 فتُزيلونَ سَفْكَ الدَّمِ البريءِ مِنْ بَينِكُم، إذا فعَلتُم ما هوَ قويمٌ في نظَرِ الرّبِّ.
الزواج من النساء السبايا
10 إذا خَرَجتُم لِمُحاربةِ أعدائِكُم، فأسلَمَهُمُ الرّبُّ إلهُكُم إلى أيديكُم فسَبَيتُم مِنهُم سَبْيا، 11 ورأى أحدُكُم في السَّبْـي امرَأةً جميلَةَ المَنظَرِ فتَعَلَّقَ بِها قلبُهُ وتزَوَّجَها 12 فحينَ يُدخِلُها بَيتَهُ يَحلِقُ رَأسَها ويُقَلِّمُ أظفارَها 13 وينزِعُ ثيابَ سَبْيِها عَنها، وتُقيمُ في بَيتِه تبكي أباها وأمَّها شهرا، وبَعدَ ذلِكَ يدخُلُ علَيها ويكونُ لها زَوجا، وهي تكونُ لَه زوجَةً. 14 وإنْ أرادَ مِنْ بَعدُ أنْ لا يحتَفِظَ بِها، فعلَيهِ أنْ يُطْلِقَها حُرَّةً ولا يَبـيعَها بِمالٍ ولا يستَعبِدَها، لأنَّهُ أجبَرَها على مُضاجَعَتِهِ.
حق البكورية
15 إذا كانَت لِرَجُلٍ زوجتانِ، إحداهُما محبوبَةٌ والأُخرى مكروهَةٌ، فوَلَدتا لهُ كِلْتاهُما بَنينَ وكانَ الإبنُ البِكْرُ لِلمرأةِ المكروهَةِ. 16 فيومَ يُورِثُ بَنيهِ ما يَملِكُهُ، لا يَحِلُّ لَه أنْ يُعطيَ حَقَّ البكوريَّةِ لابنِ المحبوبَةِ دونَ ابْنِ المكروهَةِ البِكْرِ. 17 بل يُقِرُّ بابْنِ المكروهَةِ بِكْرا فيُعطيهِ سَهمَينِ مِنْ جميعِ ما يَملِكُهُ، لأنَّهُ هوَ أوَّلُ بَنيهِ ولهُ حَقُّ البكوريَّةِ.
الإبن العقوق
18 وإذا كانَ لِرَجُلٍ ابْنٌ عَقوقٌ مُتَمَرِّدٌ لا يسمَعُ لِكلامِ أبـيهِ ولا لِكلامِ أمِّهِ، ويُؤدِّبانِهِ فلا يُصغي إليهِما، 19 يُمسكُهُ أبوهُ وأمُّهُ ويُخرِجانِهِ إلى شُيوخِ المدينةِ الّتي يُقيمُ بِها 20 ويقولُ لهُم: «إبنُنا هذا عَقوقٌ مُتمَرِّدٌ لا يسمَعُ لِكلامِنا، وهوَ أكولٌ شِرِّيـبٌ». 21 فيرجُمُهُ جميعُ رِجالِ مدينتِه بِالحجارةِ حتّى يموتَ. هكذا تُزيلونَ الشَّرَّ مِنْ بَينِكُم، فيسمَعُ كُلُّ بَني إِسرائيلَ ويخافونَ.
أحكام متفرقة
22 وإذا وجَدتُم على أحدٍ جريمةً تستوجِبُ القَتْلَ، فَقُتِلَ وعُلِّقَ على خشبةٍ 23 فلا تَترُكوا جُثَّتَهُ على الخشَبةِ إلى اليومِ الثَّاني، بل في ذلِكَ اليومِ تَدفِنونَه لأنَّ المُعَلَّقَ ملعونٌ مِنَ اللهِ. فلا تُنَجِّسوا أرضَكُمُ الّتي أعطاكُمُ الرّبُّ إلهُكُم مُلْكا لكُم.