Deuteronomy 22

1 If you see [perceive, notice] your brother’s [male sibling, close relative] ox [cattle, livestock] or sheep [flock, young animal] straying [to banish, driven away], you must not [absence, negation] ignore [conceal, hide from] it; be sure [certainly, surely] to return [to turn back, restore] it to your brother [male sibling, close relative]. word study 2 If your brother [a male sibling, close relative, or friend] does not live near [in close proximity to] you, or if you do not know [are unaware of, cannot ascertain] who he is, you are to take the animal home [to your house, dwelling place] to remain with you [in your care, together] until your brother comes seeking [searching, inquiring] it; then you can return [give back, restore] it to him [the owner, the one it belongs to]. word study 3 And you shall do the same [in a similar manner, thus] for his donkey [ass, male donkey], his cloak [mantle, garment], or anything [all things, everything] your brother [male sibling, close relative] has lost [perished, been destroyed] and you have found [discovered, attained]. You must not [it is not possible for you to] ignore [hide, conceal] it [the thing found]. word study 4 If you see [behold, perceive] your brother’s [close relative, fellow Israelite] donkey [ass, male donkey] or ox [cattle, work animal] fallen [to fall, be defeated] on the road [way, path], you must not [absolutely not, under no circumstances] ignore [conceal, hide from] it; you must help [assist, lift up] him lift [rise, stand up] it up [again, to its former state]. word study 5 A woman [female person, wife] must not wear men’s [belonging to a great man] clothing [article, utensil, garment], and a man [great man] must not wear women’s [female, wife] clothing [apparel, mantle], for whoever does these things [all that do so, anyone who offends] is detestable [abomination, disgusting] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God]. word study 6 If you come across [happen to find, encounter by chance] a bird’s nest [a place where birds lay their eggs or give birth to their young] with chicks [young ones, baby birds] or eggs [reproductive bodies, seeds of new life], either in a tree [a strong and firm object] or on the ground [the earth, the land] along the road [a path, a way of life], and the mother [the female parent, a maternal figure] is sitting [lying down, resting] on the chicks [young ones, baby birds] or eggs [reproductive bodies, seeds of new life], you must not take [capture, seize] the mother [the female parent, a maternal figure] along with the young [the offspring, the children]. word study 7 You may take the young [to keep for yourself], but be sure to let the mother [the female parent bird] go, so that it may be well [prosper, joyful] with you and that you may prolong [extend, make long] your days [periods of life, time on earth]. word study 8 If you build [construct, establish] a new [recently created, fresh] house, you are to construct [make, do] a railing [parapet, low wall] around your roof [the top of your house], so that you do not bring [cause, shed] bloodguilt [responsibility for bloodshed, guilt of death] on your house [dwelling place, family] if someone [any man, a person] falls [from a high place, to a lower position] from it [the roof, the house]. word study 9 Do not [refrain from, abstain] plant your vineyard [a garden for vines] with two types of seed [divers seeds, a mixture]; if you do [sow with two kinds of seed], the entire harvest [the whole fruit, the produce] will be defiled [forfeited, consecrated] —both the crop [seed, offspring] you plant [sow, spread] and the fruit [the fruitful harvest, abundance] of your vineyard [the land for vines]. word study 10 Do not [refuse to, never] plow [to cultivate, to break up the soil] with an ox [cattle, a domesticated bovine] and a donkey [a male ass, a beast of burden] yoked [hitched, joined] together [in unity, as a team]. word study 11 Do not [refrain from, abstain] wear clothes [garments, apparel] of wool [flax and wool mixed, a forbidden blend] and linen [flax, a plant-based material] woven [mingled, intertwined] together [in unity, as one fabric]. word study 12 You are to make [create, bring into existence] tassels [fringes, twisted threads] on the four corners [edges, extremities] of the cloak [garment, covering] you wear [which you use to cover yourself]. word study 13 Suppose a man [male person, individual] marries [takes as a wife, to take] a woman [female person, wife], has relations [goes in unto her, sleeps with her] with her, and comes to hate [feel intense dislike, to detest] her [the wife he once loved], word study 14 and he then accuses her of [wantonness, or evil deeds] shameful conduct and gives her a bad [evil, or immoral] name, saying, “I married [took to wife] this woman and had [intimate] relations with her, but I discovered [found, or did not find] she was not a [pure, or chaste] virgin [with the tokens of virginity].” word study 15 Then the young woman’s [maiden, unmarried] father [parent, paternal figure] and mother [female parent, nurturer] shall bring [take and produce, present as evidence] the proof [tokens, signs] of her virginity [purity, chastity] to the city [town, community] elders [respected leaders, wise men] at the gate [entrance, gathering place] word study 16 and say [speak, declare] to the elders [old, wise men], “I gave [presented, bestowed] my daughter [female child, young woman] in marriage [to be his wife, as a spouse] to this [specific, particular] man, but he has come [developed, grown] to hate [feel intense dislike, despise] her [the woman, his wife]. word study 17 And now he has accused her of [shameful conduct, wantonness] shameful conduct, saying, ‘I discovered that your daughter was not a virgin [a maiden].’ But here is the proof [tokens] of her virginity [purity, chastity].” And they shall spread [unfold] out the cloth [garment, mantle] before the [city elders, leaders of the town, elderly men] city elders. word study 18 Then the [responsible, elderly] elders [old, aged men] of that city [town, settlement] shall take [get, seize] the man [male person, individual] and punish [discipline, chastise, whip] him. word study 19 They are also to fine [punish, impose a penalty on] him a hundred [a specific number, a multitude] shekels of silver [money, a form of wealth] and give them to the young woman’s [maiden, virgin] father, because this man has given [brought upon, spoken against] a virgin [pure, untouched] of Israel [God’s chosen people] a bad [evil, dishonorable] name [reputation, character]. And she shall remain [be, exist as] his wife [woman, partner]; he must not [is not able to] divorce [send away, separate from] her as long as he lives [all his days, throughout his life]. word study 20 If [in the event that, whether or not], however, this accusation [charge, allegation] is true [faithful, reliable], and no proof [evidence, tokens] of the young woman’s [maiden, virgin] virginity [purity, chastity] can be found [discovered, attained], word study 21 she shall be brought [to the entrance, at the doorway] to the door [the opening] of her father’s [paternal] house, and there the men [males] of her city [ir, the town] will stone [with stones, to death] her to death [by execution, as a punishment]. For she has committed [done, acted out] an outrage [folly, wickedness, nabal] in Israel [the community, the people of God] by being promiscuous [to fornicate, unfaithful] in her father’s [paternal] house. So you must purge [burn away, remove] the evil [bad, morally wrong] from among you [from your midst, your community]. word study 22 If a man [is caught in the act] is found lying [having sexual relations] with another man’s wife [a woman married to a husband], both the man who slept [lay together] with her and the woman must die [be put to death]. You must purge [remove, eliminate] the evil [bad, wicked, immoral] from Israel [the people of God, Jacob’s descendants]. word study 23 If there is a [young, unmarried] virgin [a maiden, untouched and pure] pledged [promised, betrothed] in marriage to a man [a male person, a husband], and another man [an individual, a stranger] encounters [finds, meets] her in the city [a town, a populated area] and sleeps [lies down, has sexual relations] with her [together, in an intimate act], word study 24 you must take both of them out [to the central meeting place] to the gate [entrance] of that city and stone them to death [with stones, by throwing rocks]—the young woman [maiden, unmarried girl] because she did not cry out [for help, in distress] in the city, and the man because he has violated [humbled, oppressed] his neighbor’s [fellow, companion] wife [woman, female partner]. So you must purge [remove, burn away] the evil [bad, morally wrong] from among you. word study 25 But if the man encounters [finds] a betrothed [engaged, promised to be married] woman in the open [desolate, uninhabited] country, and he overpowers [forces, seizes] her and lies [has sexual relations, sleeps] with her, only the man who has done this [committed this act, is guilty] must die [be put to death, suffer the penalty]. word study 26 Do nothing [no punishment, nor harm] to the young woman [maiden, virgin], because she has committed no sin [crime, offense] worthy of death [physical or spiritual]. This case [matter, situation] is just like one in which a man [individual, person] attacks [rises against] his neighbor [fellow, companion] and murders [kills, slays] him. word study 27 When he found [came across, met] her in the [open, cultivated] field, the betrothed [engaged, promised in marriage] woman cried out [shouted for help, called for rescue], but there was [existed] no one [none, nothing] to save [rescue, deliver] her. word study 28 If a man encounters [finds] a virgin [young, unmarried woman, maiden] who is not [lacking, without] pledged [betrothed, engaged] in marriage [a promise of union], and he seizes [captures, takes hold of] her and lies [has sexual relations, sleeps] with her, and they are discovered [found, seen], word study 29 then the man [who had intimate relations with her] who lay with her must pay the young woman’s father fifty [shekels of silver, a significant payment] shekels of silver, and she must become his wife because [because he has humbled her, brought shame upon her] he has violated her [and taken away her purity]. He must not [be able to, have the power to] divorce her as long as he lives [all his days, for the rest of his life]. word study 30 A man is not to marry [take, have] his father’s wife [woman, spouse], so that he will not dishonor [bring shame on, uncover] his father’s marriage bed [skirt, relationship]. word study