Deuteronomy 22
The full text of Deuteronomy 22 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 If you see your fellow Israelite's ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner.
2 If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back.
3 Do the same with their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost and you have found. Do not ignore it.
4 If you see your fellow Israelite's donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help it to its feet.
5 A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.
6 If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.
7 You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
8 When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.
9 Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.
10 Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
11 Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
12 Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
13 If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her
14 and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I slept with her I did not find proof of her virginity,"
15 then the young woman's father and mother shall bring proof that she was a virgin to the town elders at the gate.
16 Her father will say to the elders, "I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her.
17 Now he has slandered her and said, 'I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.' But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." Then her parents shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town,
18 and the elders shall take the man and punish him.
19 They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman's father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman's virginity can be found,
21 she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father's house. You must purge the evil from among you.
22 If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her,
24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not cry for help, and the man because he violated another man's wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die.
26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor,
27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her.
28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered,
29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30 A man is not to marry his father's wife; he must not dishonor his father's marriage bed.
Translation notes (15)
- Deuteronomy 22:5a The Hebrew term keli gever is broader than just "clothing"; it can refer to a man's gear or implements, including weapons. The precise meaning and original context of this prohibition are debated; the wording in this translation remains close to the Hebrew, and the question is not resolved here.
- Deuteronomy 22:8a In ancient times, the flat roof was used as a living and working space; a low railing, or parapet, was necessary to prevent fatal falls. Failing to build this railing makes the householder responsible for any resulting bloodguilt (Hebrew: damim), which is an early principle of accountability for harm that could have been foreseen.
- Deuteronomy 22:11a The rare Hebrew word sha'atnez refers to cloth that mixes wool and linen. This same forbidden mixture was used for priests' specific holy garments, so this prohibition helps maintain the distinction between what is common and what is sacred (compare Leviticus 19:19).
- Deuteronomy 22:12a These corner tassels (Hebrew: gedilim, also known as tzitzit from Numbers 15:38-39) served as visible reminders to obey the LORD's commands. This is the type of garment-fringe that Jesus' contemporaries wore (compare Matthew 9:20; 23:5).
- Deuteronomy 22:14a The husband publicly accuses his bride of not having been a virgin at the time of marriage. The entire law (verses 13-21) depends on this accusation; its assumptions about evidence and the severity of verse 21 are significant, and the moral implications are reserved for broader discussion and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:17a The Hebrew word hasimlah, translated as "the cloth," refers to the bridal garment or bedsheet offered as physical evidence. The basis for evidence in this law is widely discussed and is not decided here.
- Deuteronomy 22:19a The man who slanders his wife is fined and permanently forbidden from divorcing her. This provision protects the wrongly-accused woman within its original context, though a modern reader should note that she remains bound to her accuser. The moral implications are reserved for broader discussion and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:21a The phrase "an outrageous thing" translates the Hebrew word nevalah, which signifies a grave moral disgrace. This verse prescribes death by stoning; it is one of the severe penalties for sexual offenses in the Torah and belongs to the same category as the widely debated laws concerning marriage and sexuality. The faithful text is presented without softening, and its ethics and theology are not decided in this draft but are reserved for broader discussion and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:22a The law for adultery applies the death penalty to both parties. This is among the capital sexual-offense laws that are debated; the faithful text is given without softening, and its ethics and theology are reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:24a The law for an in-town case presumes the woman could have called for help; the next case (verses 25-27) treats an open country setting differently and explicitly clears her of guilt. The presumption against the in-town woman and the capital penalty are heavily debated; the faithful text is given, and its ethics are reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:25a The phrase 'rapes her' translates the Hebrew vehecheziq bah... veshakhav 'imah, which literally means 'seizes her and lies with her,' indicating a forcible assault, in contrast to the in-town case in verse 23. Only the man is held responsible here; verse 26 explicitly clears the woman. This serious subject is reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:26a The law explicitly clears the assaulted woman of any guilt and compares the assault to murder, meaning the victim bears no fault. This exoneration is notable given its ancient setting; the wider ethics are reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:28a This is a debated verse. The Hebrew verb utfasah, meaning 'and he seizes her,' is debated: it may refer to forcible rape or, in a milder interpretation by some, the seduction of an unbetrothed woman. The parallel in Exodus 22:16 uses a different verb that clearly means seduction. The translation honestly renders the seizure while highlighting the genuine dispute over its meaning and ethics; the meaning and ethics of verses 28-29 are not decided in this draft and are reserved for group and scholarly review.
- Deuteronomy 22:29a This is a debated verse. This provision requires the man to pay the bride-price and marry the woman he has violated, with no right to divorce her. In its ancient context, this is sometimes understood as economic protection for a woman whose marriage prospects were ruined; modern readers, however, note that it binds a victim to her assailant. The Hebrew verb 'innah, meaning 'violated' or 'humiliated,' is a serious term. The meaning and ethics of verses 28-29 are not decided in this draft and are reserved for group and scholarly review (see note at verse 28).
- Deuteronomy 22:30a This is a versification seam: this verse is numbered 22:30 in standard English editions (which follow the Masoretic numbering) but 23:1 in the Hebrew chapter division (the standard Hebrew text), meaning Hebrew chapter 23 begins one verse earlier than in English. The standard English numbering is followed here. The phrase 'uncover his father's skirt' (yegalleh kenaf 'aviv) is an idiom for sexual access to the father's wife; the same prohibition against incest appears at 27:20 and Leviticus 18:8.
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