Law of Divorce

24 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens [a]that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some (A)indecency in her, and (B)he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, and if the latter husband [b]turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her (C)former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the Lord, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance.

(D)When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall (E)give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.

Sundry Laws

“No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

(F)If a man is [c]caught kidnapping any of his [d]countrymen of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

(G)Be careful against [e]an infection of leprosy, that you diligently observe and do according to all that the Levitical priests teach you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do. Remember what the Lord your God did (H)to Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

10 (I)When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13 (J)When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and (K)it will be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.

14 (L)You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your [f]countrymen or one of your aliens who is in your land in your [g]towns. 15 (M)You shall give him his wages on his day [h]before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his [i]heart on it; so that (N)he will not cry against you to the Lord and it become sin in you.

16 (O)Fathers shall not be put to death [j]for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death [k]for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

17 (P)You shall not pervert the justice [l]due an alien or [m]an orphan, nor (Q)take a widow’s garment in pledge. 18 But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

19 (R)When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be (S)for the alien, for the [n]orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God (T)may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 (U)When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs [o]again; it shall be (V)for the alien, for the [p]orphan, and for the widow.

21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not [q]go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the [r]orphan, and for the widow. 22 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:1 Lit if
  2. Deuteronomy 24:3 Lit hates her
  3. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit found stealing
  4. Deuteronomy 24:7 Lit brothers
  5. Deuteronomy 24:8 Lit a mark or stroke
  6. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit brothers
  7. Deuteronomy 24:14 Lit gates
  8. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit that the sun shall not go down on it
  9. Deuteronomy 24:15 Lit soul
  10. Deuteronomy 24:16 Or with
  11. Deuteronomy 24:16 Or with
  12. Deuteronomy 24:17 Lit of
  13. Deuteronomy 24:17 Or the fatherless
  14. Deuteronomy 24:19 Or fatherless
  15. Deuteronomy 24:20 Lit after yourself
  16. Deuteronomy 24:20 Or fatherless
  17. Deuteronomy 24:21 Lit glean it after yourself
  18. Deuteronomy 24:21 Or fatherless

24 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him(A) because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce,(B) gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord(C) your God is giving you as an inheritance.

If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.(D)

Do not take a pair of millstones—not even the upper one—as security for a debt, because that would be taking a person’s livelihood as security.(E)

If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die.(F) You must purge the evil from among you.(G)

In cases of defiling skin diseases,[a] be very careful to do exactly as the Levitical(H) priests instruct you. You must follow carefully what I have commanded them.(I) Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam along the way after you came out of Egypt.(J)

10 When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge.(K) 11 Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. 12 If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge(L) in your possession. 13 Return their cloak by sunset(M) so that your neighbor may sleep in it.(N) Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.(O)

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.(P) 15 Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor(Q) and are counting on it.(R) Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.(S)

16 Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(T)

17 Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless(U) of justice,(V) or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. 18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt(W) and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it.(X) Leave it for the foreigner,(Y) the fatherless and the widow,(Z) so that the Lord your God may bless(AA) you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.(AB) Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. 22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.(AC)

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 24:8 The Hebrew word for defiling skin diseases, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.