rd

Deuteronomy 21

1 Inquiſicion for murther 11 Of the woman taken in warre 15 The birthright can not be changed for affection 18 The diſobedient childe. 23 The bodie may not hang all night.
1.IF one be founde a ſlayne in the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee to poſſeſſe it, lying in the field, and it is not knowen who hathe ſlayne him,
2.Then thine Elders and thy Iudges ſhal come forthe, and meaſure vnto the cities that are round about him that is ſlayne:
3.And let the Elders of that citie, which is next vnto the ſlayne man, take out of the droue an heifer that hathe not bene put to labour, nor hathe drawen in the yoke.
4.And let the Elders of that citie bring the heifer vnto a " ſtonie b valley, which is nether eared nor ſowen, and ſtrike of the heifers necke there in the valley.
5.Alſo the Prieſts the ſonnes of Leui (whome the Lord thy God hathe choſen to miniſter, and to bleſſe in the Name of the Lord) ſhal come forthe, and by their worde ſhal all ſtrife and plague be tryed.
6.And all the Elders of that citie that came nere to the ſlayne man, ſhal waſh their hands ouer the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7.And ſhal teſtifie, and ſay, Our hands haue not ſhed this blood, nether haue our eies ſene it.
8.O Lord, be merciful vnto thy people c Iſraél, whome thou haſt redemed, and lay no innocent blood to ye charge of thy people Iſraél, & ye blood ſhalbe forgiuẽ them.
9.So ſhalt yt take away the crye of innocent blood
10.¶ When thou ſhalt go to warre againſt thine enemies, and the Lord thy God ſhal deliuer them into thine hands, and thou ſhalt take them captiues,
11.And ſhalt ſe among the captiues a beau-tiful woman, and haſt a deſire vnto her, & woldeſt take her to thy wife,
12.Then thou ſhalt bring her home to thi-ne houſe, d and ſhe ſhal ſhaue her head, and pare her nailes,
13.And ſhe ſhal put of the garment that ſhe was taken in, and ſhe ſhal remaine in thi-ne houſe, e and bewaile her father & her mother a moneth lōg: and after that ſhalt thou go in vnto her, and mary her, and ſhe ſhal be thy f wife.
14.And if thou haue no fauour vnto her, then y maieſt let her go whether ſhe wil, but thou ſhalt not ſel her for money, nor make marchandiſe of her, becauſe thou haſt humbled her.
15.¶ If a man haue two wiues, one loued and an other g hated, and they haue bor-ne him children, bothe the loued and al-ſo the hated: if the firſt borne be the ſonne of the hated,
16.Then when the time cōmeth, that he ap-pointeth his ſonnes to be heyres of that which he hathe, he may not make the ſon-ne of the beloued firſt borne before the ſonne of the hated, which is ye firſt borne:
17.But he ſhal acknowledge the ſonne of ye hated for ye firſt borne, & giue him h dou-ble porcion of all that he hathe: for he is the firſt of his ſtrength, and to i him be-longeth the right of the firſt borne.
18.If anie man haue a ſonne that is ſtubbur-ne and diſobedient, which wil not hearken vnto the voyce of his father, nor the voy-ce of his k mother, and they haue chaſte-ned him, and he wolde not obey them,
19.Then ſhal his father and his mother take him, and bring him out vnto the El-ders of his citie, and vnto the gate of the place where he dwelleth,
20.And ſhal ſay vnto the Elders of his ci-tie, This our ſonne is ſtubburne and diſo-bedient, and he wil not obey our admoni-cion. he is a ryotour, and a dronkard.
21.Then all the men of his citie ſhal l ſto-ne him with ſtones vnto death: ſo thou ſhalt take away euil from among you, that all Iſraél may heare it and feare.
22.¶ If a man alſo haue cōmitted a treſpas worthy of death, and is put to death, & thou hangeſt him on a tre,
23.His body ſhal not remaine m all night vpō ye tre, but thou ſhalt bury him ye ſame day: for the * curſe of God is on him that is hāged Defile not therefore thy land, wc ye Lord thy God giueth thee to inherit.

Notes

1:a.
This Lawe declareth how horrible a thĩg murther is, ſeing yt for one man a whole countrey ſhal be puniſhed, except a remedy be founde.
4:".
Or, rough.
4:b.
That the blood ſhed of the innocent beaſt in a ſolitarie place, might make them abhorre the fact.
8:c.
This was the prayer, which ye Prieſts made in the audiẽce of the people.
12:d.
Signifying that her former life muſt be chāged before thei colde be ioyned to the people of God
13:e.
As hauing renounced parents and countrey
13:f.
This onely was permitted in the warres: otherwiſe the Iſraelites colde not mary ſtrangers.
15:g.
This declareth that the pluralitie of wiues came of a corrupt affection.
17:h.
As muche as to two of the others
17:i.
Except he be vnworthy, as was Reubén Iaákobs ſonne.
18:k.
For it is the mothers duetie alſo to inſtruct her children.
21:l.
Which death was alſo appointed for blaſphemers and idolaters: ſo that to diſobey the parents is moſte horrible.
23:m.
For Gods Lawe by his death is ſatiſfied, and nature abhorreth crueltie Gal 3.13.
23:*.
Gal 3.13.