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Deuteronomy 21
Authorized (King James) Version
Deuteronomy 21
Authorized (King James) Version
21 If one be found slain in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him: 2 then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain: 3 and it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke; 4 and the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley: 5 and the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the Lord; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried: 6 and all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley: 7 and they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Be merciful, O Lord, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.
10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.
15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16 then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 17 but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Deuteronomy 21
New King James Version
Deuteronomy 21
New King James Version
The Law Concerning Unsolved Murder
21 “If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities. 3 And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a (A)yoke. 4 The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with flowing water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for (B)the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; (C)by their word every controversy and every [a]assault shall be settled. 6 And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man (D)shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7 Then they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. 8 Provide atonement, O Lord, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, (E)and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. 9 So (F)you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.
Female Captives
10 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your (G)wife, 12 then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall (H)shave her head and trim her nails. 13 She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and (I)mourn her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14 And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her free, but you certainly shall not sell her for money; you shall not treat her brutally, because you have (J)humbled her.
Firstborn Inheritance Rights
15 “If a man has two wives, one loved (K)and the other unloved, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the firstborn son is of her who is unloved, 16 then it shall be, (L)on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, that he must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to the son of the unloved, the true firstborn. 17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn (M)by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he (N)is the beginning of his strength; (O)the right of the firstborn is his.
The Rebellious Son
18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. 20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; (P)so you shall put away the evil from among you, (Q)and all Israel shall hear and fear.
Miscellaneous Laws
22 “If a man has committed a sin (R)deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 (S)his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that (T)you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for (U)he who is hanged is accursed of God.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 21:5 Lit. stroke
Deuteronomio 21
Reina-Valera 1960
Deuteronomio 21
Reina-Valera 1960
Expiación de un asesinato cuyo autor se desconoce
21 Si en la tierra que Jehová tu Dios te da para que la poseas, fuere hallado alguien muerto, tendido en el campo, y no se supiere quién lo mató, 2 entonces tus ancianos y tus jueces saldrán y medirán la distancia hasta las ciudades que están alrededor del muerto. 3 Y los ancianos de la ciudad más cercana al lugar donde fuere hallado el muerto, tomarán de las vacas una becerra que no haya trabajado, que no haya llevado yugo; 4 y los ancianos de aquella ciudad traerán la becerra a un valle escabroso, que nunca haya sido arado ni sembrado, y quebrarán la cerviz de la becerra allí en el valle. 5 Entonces vendrán los sacerdotes hijos de Leví, porque a ellos escogió Jehová tu Dios para que le sirvan, y para bendecir en el nombre de Jehová; y por la palabra de ellos se decidirá toda disputa y toda ofensa. 6 Y todos los ancianos de la ciudad más cercana al lugar donde fuere hallado el muerto lavarán sus manos sobre la becerra cuya cerviz fue quebrada en el valle; 7 y protestarán y dirán: Nuestras manos no han derramado esta sangre, ni nuestros ojos lo han visto. 8 Perdona a tu pueblo Israel, al cual redimiste, oh Jehová; y no culpes de sangre inocente a tu pueblo Israel. Y la sangre les será perdonada. 9 Y tú quitarás la culpa de la sangre inocente de en medio de ti, cuando hicieres lo que es recto ante los ojos de Jehová.
Diversas leyes
10 Cuando salieres a la guerra contra tus enemigos, y Jehová tu Dios los entregare en tu mano, y tomares de ellos cautivos, 11 y vieres entre los cautivos a alguna mujer hermosa, y la codiciares, y la tomares para ti por mujer, 12 la meterás en tu casa; y ella rapará su cabeza, y cortará sus uñas, 13 y se quitará el vestido de su cautiverio, y se quedará en tu casa; y llorará a su padre y a su madre un mes entero; y después podrás llegarte a ella, y tú serás su marido, y ella será tu mujer. 14 Y si no te agradare, la dejarás en libertad; no la venderás por dinero, ni la tratarás como esclava, por cuanto la humillaste.
15 Si un hombre tuviere dos mujeres, la una amada y la otra aborrecida, y la amada y la aborrecida le hubieren dado hijos, y el hijo primogénito fuere de la aborrecida; 16 en el día que hiciere heredar a sus hijos lo que tuviere, no podrá dar el derecho de primogenitura al hijo de la amada con preferencia al hijo de la aborrecida, que es el primogénito; 17 mas al hijo de la aborrecida reconocerá como primogénito, para darle el doble de lo que correspondiere a cada uno de los demás; porque él es el principio de su vigor, y suyo es el derecho de la primogenitura.
18 Si alguno tuviere un hijo contumaz y rebelde, que no obedeciere a la voz de su padre ni a la voz de su madre, y habiéndole castigado, no les obedeciere; 19 entonces lo tomarán su padre y su madre, y lo sacarán ante los ancianos de su ciudad, y a la puerta del lugar donde viva; 20 y dirán a los ancianos de la ciudad: Este nuestro hijo es contumaz y rebelde, no obedece a nuestra voz; es glotón y borracho. 21 Entonces todos los hombres de su ciudad lo apedrearán, y morirá; así quitarás el mal de en medio de ti, y todo Israel oirá, y temerá.
22 Si alguno hubiere cometido algún crimen digno de muerte, y lo hiciereis morir, y lo colgareis en un madero, 23 no dejaréis que su cuerpo pase la noche sobre el madero; sin falta lo enterrarás el mismo día, porque maldito por Dios es el colgado;(A) y no contaminarás tu tierra que Jehová tu Dios te da por heredad.
Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960) 
Reina-Valera 1960 ® © Sociedades Bíblicas en América Latina, 1960. Renovado © Sociedades Bíblicas Unidas, 1988. Utilizado con permiso. Si desea más información visite americanbible.org, unitedbiblesocieties.org, vivelabiblia.com, unitedbiblesocieties.org/es/casa/, www.rvr60.bible