Deuteronomy 24

1 When a man taketh a woman, and marrieth her, then shall it be, if she find not favour in his eyes, because he hath found in her some matter of shame, that he shall write her a scroll of divorcement, and put it into her hand, and shall send her forth, out of his house.

“If a man takes a wife, and he has her, and she does not find favor before his eyes because of some vileness, then he shall write a bill of divorce, and he shall give it to her hand, and he shall dismiss her from his house.

2 And, when she cometh forth out of his house, then may she go her way, and become another man’s.

And when, having departed, she has married another,

3 But if the latter husband hate her, and write her a scroll of divorcement and put it into her hand, and send her away out of his house, —or, if the latter husband die, who had taken her to him to wife,

and if he likewise hates her, and has given her a bill of divorce, and has dismissed her from his house, or if indeed he has died,

4 then may her first husband who sent her away not again take her to become his wife after that she hath been defiled, for that were an abomination, before Yahweh, —lest thou bring sin upon the land which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee for an inheritance.

then the former husband cannot take her back as a wife. For she has been polluted and has become abominable in the sight of the Lord. Otherwise, you may cause your land, which the Lord your God will deliver to you as a possession, to sin.

5 When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go forth to war, neither shall he be charged with any business, —free, shall he be for his own house one year, and shall rejoice with his wife whom he hath taken.

When a man has recently taken a wife, he shall not go out to war, nor shall any public office be enjoined upon him. Instead, he shall be free at home without guilt, so that for one year he may rejoice with his wife.

6 No man shall take in pledge a handmill, or an upper millstone, —for he would be taking life, in pledge.

You shall not accept an upper or lower millstone as collateral. For then he will have placed his life with you.

7 When a man is found stealing any person from among his brethren of the sons of Israel, and making merchandise of him, or selling him, then shall that thief die, so shalt thou consume the wicked thing out of thy midst.

If a man has been caught soliciting his brother among the sons of Israel, and selling him in order to receive a price, then he shall be put to death. And so shall you take away the evil from your midst.

8 Take heed, in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do, —according to all that the priests the Levites shall direct you, as I have commanded them, so shall ye observe to do.

Observe diligently, lest you incur the wound of leprosy. But you shall do whatever the priests of the Levitical stock shall teach you to do, according to what I have instructed them. And you shall fulfill it carefully.

9 Remember that which Yahweh thy God did to Miriam, —by the way, as ye came forth out of Egypt.

Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam, along the way, as you were departing from Egypt.

10 When thou lendest thy neighbour a loan of anything, thou shalt not enter into his house to secure his pledge:

When you require from your neighbor anything that he owes to you, you shall not enter into his house in order to take away the collateral.

11 outside, shalt thou stand, and the man to whom thou art lending, shall bring forth unto thee his pledge outside,

Instead, you shall stand outside, and he will carry out to you what he has.

12 And, if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep in his pledge:

But if he is poor, then the collateral shall not remain with you through the night.

13 thou shalt, restore, to him the pledge at the going in of the sun, so shall he sleep in his own mantle, and bless thee, —and, unto thee, shall it be righteousness before Yahweh thy God.

Instead, you shall return it to him promptly, before the setting of the sun, so that, sleeping in his own garment, he may bless you, and you may have justice in the presence of the Lord your God.

14 Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, —of thy brethren or of thy sojourners that are in thy land, within thy gates;

You shall not refuse the pay of the indigent and the poor, whether he is your brother, or he is a new arrival who dwells with you in the land and is within your gates.

15 for his day, shalt thou give his hire neither shall the sun, go in upon it, for, poor, he is, and, unto it, is he lifting up his soul, —lest he cry out against thee, unto Yahweh, and it be, in thee a sin.

Instead, you shall pay him the price of his labor on the same day, before the setting of the sun. For he is poor, and with it he sustains his life. Otherwise, he may cry out against you to the Lord, and it would be charged to you as a sin.

16 Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor shall sons, be put to death for fathers, —every man, for his own sin, shall he put to death.

The fathers shall not be put to death on behalf of the sons, nor the sons on behalf of the fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.

17 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the sojourner [or] the fatherless, —neither shalt thou take in pledge the garment of a widow;

You shall not pervert the judgment of the new arrival or the orphan, nor shall you take away the widow’s garment as collateral.

18 so shalt thou remember that, a servant, becamest thou in Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God, redeemed thee, from thence, —therefore, am I commanding thee to do this thing.

Remember that you served in Egypt, and that the Lord your God rescued you from there. Therefore, I am instructing you to act in this way.

19 When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field and forgettest a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not turn back to fetch it, to the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, shall it belong, —that Yahweh thy God, may bless thee, in all the Work of thy hands.

When you have reaped the grain in your field, and, having forgotten, you leave behind a sheaf, you shall not return to take it away. Instead, you shall permit the new arrival, and the orphan, and the widow to take it away, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands.

20 When thou beatest thine olive-tree, thou shalt not glean after thee, —to the sojourner to the fatherless and to the widow, shall it belong,

If you have gathered the fruit of your olive trees, you shall not return in order to gather whatever may remain on the trees. Instead, you shall leave it behind for the new arrival, the orphan, and the widow.

21 When thou cuttest off the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not go about picking after thee, —to the sojourner to the fatherless and to the widow, shall it belong:

If you harvest the vintage of your vineyard, you shall not gather the remaining clusters. Instead, they shall fall to the use of the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.

22 so shalt thou remember that a servant, becamest thou in the land of Egypt, —therefore, am I commending thee to do this thing.

Remember that you also served in Egypt, and so, for this reason, I am instructing you to act in this way.”