Deuteronomy 21-23; Psalms 60 - Prayer Tents

Cleansing for Unsolved Murder

21"When you are in the land the LORD your God is giving you, someone may be found murdered in a field, and you don't know who committed the murder.H4672H2491H127H3068H430H5414H3423H5307H7704H3045H5221 2In such a case, your elders and judges must measure the distance from the site of the crime to the nearby towns.H2205H8199H3318H4058H5892H5439H2491 3When the nearest town has been determined, that town's elders must select from the herd a young cow that has never been trained or yoked to a plow.H5892H7138H2491H2205H5892H3947H1241H5697H5647H4900H5923 4They must lead it down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and that has a stream running through it. There in the valley they must break the young cow's neck.H2205H5892H3381H5697H386H5158H5647H2232H6202H5697H6202H5158 5Then the Levitical priests must step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in the LORD's name. They are to decide all legal and criminal cases.H3548H1121H3878H5066H3068H430H977H8334H1288H8034H3068H6310H7379H5061 6"The elders of the town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken.H2205H5892H7138H2491H7364H3027H5697H6202H5158 7Then they must say, 'Our hands did not shed this person's blood, nor did we see it happen.H6030H559H3027H8210H1818H5869H7200 8O LORD, forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed. Do not charge your people with the guilt of murdering an innocent person.' Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person's blood.H3722H3068H5971H3478H6299H5414H5355H1818H5971H3478H7130H1818H3722 9By following these instructions, you will do what is right in the LORD's sight and will cleanse the guilt of murder from your community.H1197H5355H1818H7130H6213H3477H5869H3068

Marriage to a Captive Woman

10"Suppose you go out to war against your enemies and the LORD your God hands them over to you, and you take some of them as captives.H3318H4421H341H3068H430H5414H3027H7617H7628 11And suppose you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her and want to marry her.H7200H7633H8389H3303H802H2836H3947H802 12If this happens, you may take her to your home, where she must shave her head, cut her nails,H935H8432H1004H1548H7218H6213H6856 13and change the clothes she was wearing when she was captured. She will stay in your home, but let her mourn for her father and mother for a full month. Then you may marry her, and you will be her husband and she will be your wife.H5493H8071H7628H3427H1004H1058H1H517H3117H3391H310H935H1166H802 14But if you marry her and she does not please you, you must let her go free. You may not sell her or treat her as a slave, for you have humiliated her.H2654H7971H5315H4376H4376H3701H6014H834H6031

Rights of the Firstborn

15"Suppose a man has two wives, but he loves one and not the other, and both have given him sons. And suppose the firstborn son is the son of the wife he does not love.H376H8147H802H259H157H259H8130H3205H1121H157H8130H1060H1121H8146 16When the man divides his inheritance, he may not give the larger inheritance to his younger son, the son of the wife he loves, as if he were the firstborn son.H3117H1121H5157H3201H1121H157H1069H6440H1121H8130H1060 17He must recognize the rights of his oldest son, the son of the wife he does not love, by giving him a double portion. He is the first son of his father's virility, and the rights of the firstborn belong to him.H5234H1121H8130H1060H5414H8147H6310H4672H7225H202H4941H1062

Dealing with a Rebellious Son

18"Suppose a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him.H376H5637H4784H1121H8085H6963H1H6963H517H3256H8085 19In such a case, the father and mother must take the son to the elders as they hold court at the town gate.H1H517H8610H3318H2205H5892H8179H4725 20The parents must say to the elders, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a glutton and a drunkard.'H559H2205H5892H1121H5637H4784H8085H6963H2151H5433 21Then all the men of his town must stone him to death. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.H582H5892H7275H68H4191H1197H7451H1197H7130H3478H8085H3372

Various Regulations

22"If someone has committed a crime worthy of death and is executed and hung on a tree,H376H2399H4941H4194H4191H8518H6086 23the body must not remain hanging from the tree overnight. You must bury the body that same day, for anyone who is hung is cursed in the sight of God. In this way, you will prevent the defilement of the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.H5038H3885H6086H6912H6912H3117H8518H7045H430H127H2930H3068H430H5414H5159

22"If you see your neighbor's ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don't ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner.H7200H251H7794H7716H5080H5956H7725H7725H251 2If its owner does not live nearby or you don't know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it.H251H7138H3045H622H8432H1004H251H1875H7725 3Do the same if you find your neighbor's donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don't ignore your responsibility.H3651H6213H2543H6213H8071H9H251H6H4672H6213H3201H5956 4"If you see that your neighbor's donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet!H7200H251H2543H7794H5307H1870H5956H6965H6965 5"A woman must not put on men's clothing, and a man must not wear women's clothing. Anyone who does this is detestable in the sight of the LORD your God.H802H3627H1397H1397H3847H802H8071H6213H428H8441H3068H430 6"If you happen to find a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, do not take the mother with the young.H6833H7064H7122H6440H1870H6086H776H667H1000H517H7257H667H1000H3947H517H1121 7You may take the young, but let the mother go, so that you may prosper and enjoy a long life.H7971H517H7971H3947H1121H3190H748H3117 8"When you build a new house, you must build a railing around the edge of its flat roof. That way you will not be considered guilty of murder if someone falls from the roof.H1129H2319H1004H6213H4624H1406H7760H1818H1004H5307H5307 9"You must not plant any other crop between the rows of your vineyard. If you do, you are forbidden to use either the grapes from the vineyard or the other crop.H2232H3754H3610H4395H2233H2232H8393H3754H6942 10"You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.H2790H7794H2543H3162 11"You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.H3847H8162H6785H6593H3162 12"You must put four tassels on the hem of the cloak with which you cover yourself—on the front, back, and sides.H6213H1434H702H3671H3682H3680

Regulations for Sexual Purity

13"Suppose a man marries a woman, but after sleeping with her, he turns against herH376H3947H802H935H8130 14and publicly accuses her of shameful conduct, saying, 'When I married this woman, I discovered she was not a virgin.'H7760H5949H1697H3318H7451H8034H559H3947H802H7126H4672H1331 15Then the woman's father and mother must bring the proof of her virginity to the elders as they hold court at the town gate.H1H5291H517H3947H3318H5291H1331H2205H5892H8179 16Her father must say to them, 'I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife, and now he has turned against her.H5291H1H559H2205H5414H1323H376H802H8130 17He has accused her of shameful conduct, saying, "I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin." But here is the proof of my daughter's virginity.' Then they must spread her bed sheet before the elders.H7760H5949H1697H559H4672H1323H1331H1323H1331H6566H8071H6440H2205H5892 18The elders must then take the man and punish him.H2205H5892H3947H376H3256 19They must also fine him 100 pieces of silver, which he must pay to the woman's father because he publicly accused a virgin of Israel of shameful conduct. The woman will then remain the man's wife, and he may never divorce her.H6064H3967H3701H5414H1H5291H3318H7451H8034H1330H3478H802H3201H7971H3117 20"But suppose the man's accusations are true, and he can show that she was not a virgin.H1697H571H1331H4672H5291 21The woman must be taken to the door of her father's home, and there the men of the town must stone her to death, for she has committed a disgraceful crime in Israel by being promiscuous while living in her parents' home. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.H3318H5291H6607H1H1004H582H5892H5619H68H4191H6213H5039H3478H2181H1H1004H1197H7451H1197H7130 22"If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.H376H4672H7901H802H1166H1167H8147H4191H376H7901H802H802H1197H7451H3478 23"Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town,H5291H1330H781H376H376H4672H5892H7901 24you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man's wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.H3318H8147H8179H5892H5619H68H4191H5291H834H1697H6817H5892H376H834H1697H6031H7453H802H1197H7451H7130 25"But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die.H376H4672H781H5291H7704H376H2388H7901H376H7901H4191 26Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim.H5291H6213H1697H5291H2399H4194H376H6965H7453H7523H5315H1697 27Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.H4672H7704H781H5291H6817H3467 28"Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered,H376H4672H5291H1330H781H8610H7901H4672 29he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.H376H7901H5414H5291H1H2572H3701H802H6031H3201H7971H3117 30"A man must not marry his father's former wife, for this would violate his father.H376H3947H1H802H1540H1H3671

Regulations concerning Worship

23"If a man's testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.H6481H1795H8212H3772H935H6951H3068 2"If a person is illegitimate by birth, neither he nor his descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.H4464H935H6951H3068H6224H1755H935H6951H3068 3"No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants for ten generations may be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.H5984H4125H935H6951H3068H6224H1755H935H6951H3068H5704H5769 4These nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim to curse you.H1697H6923H3899H4325H1870H3318H4714H7936H1109H1121H1160H6604H763H7043 5But the LORD your God refused to listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing because the LORD your God loves you.H3068H430H14H8085H1109H3068H430H2015H7045H1293H3068H430H157 6As long as you live, you must never promote the welfare and prosperity of the Ammonites or Moabites.H1875H7965H2896H3117H5769 7"Do not detest the Edomites or the Egyptians, because the Edomites are your relatives and you lived as foreigners among the Egyptians.H8581H130H251H8581H4713H1616H776 8The third generation of Edomites and Egyptians may enter the assembly of the LORD.H1121H3205H935H6951H3068H7992H1755

Miscellaneous Regulations

9"When you go to war against your enemies, be sure to stay away from anything that is impure.H4264H3318H341H8104H7451H1697 10"Any man who becomes ceremonially defiled because of a nocturnal emission must leave the camp and stay away all day.H376H2889H7137H3915H3318H2351H4264H935H8432H4264 11Toward evening he must bathe himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp.H6153H6437H7364H4325H8121H935H935H8432H4264 12"You must have a designated area outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself.H3027H2351H4264H3318H2351 13Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.H3489H240H3427H2351H2658H7725H3680H6627 14The camp must be holy, for the LORD your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he will turn away from you.H3068H430H1980H7130H4264H5337H5414H341H6440H4264H6918H7200H6172H1697H7725H310 15"If slaves should escape from their masters and take refuge with you, you must not hand them over to their masters.H5462H113H5650H5337H113 16Let them live among you in any town they choose, and do not oppress them.H3427H7130H4725H977H259H8179H2896H3238 17"No Israelite, whether man or woman, may become a temple prostitute.H6948H1323H3478H6945H1121H3478 18When you are bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring to the house of the LORD your God any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, whether a man or a woman, for both are detestable to the LORD your God.H935H868H2181H4242H3611H1004H3068H430H5088H8147H8441H3068H430 19"Do not charge interest on the loans you make to a fellow Israelite, whether you loan money, or food, or anything else.H5391H251H5392H3701H5392H400H5392H1697H5391 20You may charge interest to foreigners, but you may not charge interest to Israelites, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are about to enter and occupy.H5237H5391H251H5391H3068H430H1288H4916H3027H776H935H3423 21"When you make a vow to the LORD your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised him. For the LORD your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin.H5087H5088H3068H430H309H7999H3068H430H1875H1875H2399 22However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow.H2308H5087H2399 23But once you have voluntarily made a vow, be careful to fulfill your promise to the LORD your God.H4161H8193H8104H6213H5071H5087H3068H430H1696H6310 24"When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not carry any away in a basket.H935H7453H3754H398H6025H7648H5315H5414H3627 25And when you enter your neighbor's field of grain, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not harvest it with a sickle.H935H7054H7453H6998H4425H3027H5130H2770H7453H7054

60[For the choir director: A psalm of David useful for teaching, regarding the time David fought Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, and Joab returned and killed 12,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. To be sung to the tune “Lily of the Testimony.”] You have rejected us, O God, and broken our defenses. You have been angry with us; now restore us to your favor.H5329H7802H4387H1732H3925H5327H763H5104H760H3097H7725H5221H123H1516H4417H8147H6240H505H430H2186H6555H599H7725 2You have shaken our land and split it open. Seal the cracks, for the land trembles.H776H7493H6480H7495H7667H4131 3You have been very hard on us, making us drink wine that sent us reeling.H7200H5971H7186H8248H3196H8653 4But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—a rallying point in the face of attack. InterludeH5414H5251H3373H5127H6440H7189H5542 5Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.H3039H2502H3467H3225H6030 6God has promised this by his holiness. “I will divide up Shechem with joy. I will measure out the valley of Succoth.H430H1696H6944H5937H2505H7927H4058H6010H5523 7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh, too. Ephraim, my helmet, will produce my warriors, and Judah, my scepter, will produce my kings.H1568H4519H669H4581H7218H3063H2710 8But Moab, my washbasin, will become my servant, and I will wipe my feet on Edom and shout in triumph over Philistia.”H4124H5518H7366H123H7993H5275H6429H7321 9Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me victory over Edom?H2986H4692H5892H5148H123 10Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies?H430H2186H430H3318H6635 11Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless.H3051H5833H6862H7723H8668H120 12With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.H430H6213H2428H947H6862