1   VVhen there shal be found in the Land, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee, the corps of a man slaine, and he that is guiltie of the murder is not knowne

2   thy ancientes, and iudges shal goe forth, and measure from the place of the corps the distance of euerie citie round about:

3   and which they shal perceiue to be neerer then the rest, the ancientes of that citie shal take an heifer out of the heard, that hath not drawen yoke, nor ploughed the ground,

4   and shal bring her to a rough and stonie valley, that neuer was ploughed, nor receiued seede: and in it they shal strike of the necke of the heifer:

5   and the priestes the sonnes of Leui shal come, whom our Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to blesse in his name, and at their word euerie matter dependeth, and whatsoeuer is cleane or vncleane must be iudged.

6   And the ancientes of that citie shal come to the slaine person, and shal wash their handes ouer the heifer, that was strooken in the valley,

7   and shal say: Our handes did not sheede this bloud, ^note nor our eies seee it.

8   be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redemed o Lord, and impute not innocent bloud in the middes of thy people Israel. And the guilte of bloud shal be taken from them:

9   and thou shalt be free from the innocents bloud, that was shed, when thou shalt haue done that which our Lord hath commanded thee.

10   If thou goe forth to fight against thyne enemies, and our Lord thy God deliuer them in thy hande and thou leade them away captiue,

11   and seest in

Precepts and Iudgementes. the number of the captiues a beautiful woman, and louest her, and wilt haue her to wife,

12   thou shalt bring her into thy house: who shal shaue of her hare, and payre her nailes,

13   and put of the rayment, wherein she was taken: and sitting in thy house, shal mourne her father and mother one moneth: and afterward thou shalt enter vnto her, and shalt sleepe with her, and she shal be thy wife.

14   But if afterward she content not thy mynde, thou shalt let her goe free, neither canst thou sel her for money, nor oppresse her by might: because thou hast humbled her.

15   If a man haue two wiues, one beloued, and the other hated, and they haue begotten children by him, and the sonne of the hated be the firstborne,

16   and he meaneth to diuide his substance among his sonnes: he can not make the sonne of the beloued the first borne, and preferre him before the sonne of the hated,

17   but the sonne of the hated he shal acknowledge for the first borne, and shal geue to him of those thinges, which he hath, al duble: for this is the beginning of his children, & to this are dew the first brith rightes.

18   If a man begette a stubbourne and froward sonne, that wil not heare the commandementes of his father and mother, and being chastened, contemneth to be obedient:

19   they shal take him, and bring him to the ancientes of his citie, and to the gate of iudgement,

20   and shal say to them: This our sonne is froward and stubborne, he contemneth to heare our admonitions, he geueth himself to comessation, and to ryote and banketinges:

21   the people of the citie shal stone him: and he shal die, that you may take away the euil out of the middes of you, and al Israel hearing it may be afrayde.

22   When a man hath offended so that he is to be punished by death, and being condemned to die is hanged on a gybbet:

23   his bodie shal not remaine vpon the tree, but the same day shal be buried: because he is ^note accursed of God that hangeth on a tree: and thou shalt not contaminate thy Land, which our Lord thy God geueth thee in possession.

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