Lexham English Bible

Deuteronomy 21:5-15 Lexham English Bible (LEB)

5. Then the priests, the descendants of Levi, shall come near, for Yahweh your God has chosen them to bless in the name of Yahweh, and every legal dispute and every case of assault will be subject to their ruling.

6. And all of the elders of that city nearest to the slain person shall wash their hands over the heifer with the broken neck in the wadi.

7. And they shall declare, and they shall say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, and our eyes did not see what was done.

8. Forgive your people, Israel, whom you redeemed, Yahweh, and do not allow the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, and let them be forgiven with regard to blood.’

9. And so you shall purge the innocent blood from your midst, because you must do the right thing in the eyes of Yahweh.

10. “When you go out for battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God gives them into your hand, and you lead the captives away,

11. and you see among the captives a woman beautiful in appearance, and you become attached to her and you want to take her as a wife,

12. then you shall bring her into your household, and she shall shave her head, and she shall trim her nails.

13. And she shall remove the clothing of her captivity from her, and she shall remain in your house, and she shall mourn her father and her mother a full month, and after this you may have sex with her, and you may marry her, and she may become your wife.

14. And then if you do not take delight in her, then you shall let her go to do whatever she wants, but you shall not treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.

15. “If a man has two wives, and the one is loved and the other one is disliked and the one loved and the one that is disliked have borne for him sons, if it happens that the firstborn son belongs to the one that is disliked,