1Suppose two people don’t agree about something. Then they must take their case to court. The judges will decide the case. They will let the one who isn’t guilty go free. And they will punish the one who is guilty. 2The guilty one might have done something that’s worthy of a beating. Then the judge will make them lie down and be beaten with a whip right there in court. The number of strokes should fit the crime. 3But the judge must not give the guilty person more than 40 strokes. If more than that are used, you will have disrespected your Israelite neighbor.
4Don’t stop an ox from eating while you use it to separate grain from straw.
5Suppose two brothers are living near each other. And one of them dies without having a son. Then his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Her husband’s brother should marry her. That’s what a brother-in-law is supposed to do. 6Her first baby boy will be named after her first husband. Then the dead man’s name will continue in Israel.
7But suppose the man doesn’t want to marry his brother’s wife. Then she will go to the elders at the gate of the town. She will say, “My husband’s brother refuses to keep his brother’s name alive in Israel. He won’t do for me what a brother-in-law is supposed to do.” 8Then the elders in his town will send for him. They will talk to him. But he still might say, “I don’t want to marry her.” 9Then his brother’s widow will go up to him in front of the elders. She’ll pull one of his sandals off his foot. She’ll spit in his face. And she’ll say, “That’s what we do to a man who won’t build up his brother’s family line.” 10That man’s family line will be known in Israel as The Family of the Man Whose Sandal Was Pulled Off.
11Suppose two men are fighting. And the wife of one of them comes to save her husband from his attacker. So she reaches out and grabs hold of his attacker’s private parts. 12Then you must cut off her hand. Don’t feel sorry for her.
13Don’t have two different scales. Don’t have scales that cause things to seem heavier or lighter than they really are. 14And don’t have two different sets of measures. Don’t have measures that cause things to seem larger or smaller than they really are. 15You must use weights and measures that are honest and exact. Then you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16He hates anyone who cheats.
17Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt. 18You were tired and worn out. They met up with you on your journey. They attacked everyone who was lagging behind. They didn’t have any respect for God. 19The Lord your God will give you peace and rest from all the enemies around you. He’ll do this in the land he’s giving you to take over as your very own. No one on earth will mention the Amalekites ever again because you will destroy them. Do not forget!
1»Cuando dos hombres tengan un pleito, se presentarán ante el tribunal y los jueces decidirán el caso, absolviendo al inocente y condenando al culpable. 2Si el culpable merece que lo azoten, el juez le ordenará tenderse en el suelo y hará que allí mismo le den el número de azotes que su crimen merezca. 3Pero no se le darán más de cuarenta azotes; más de eso sería humillante para tu hermano.
4»No le pongas bozal al buey mientras esté trillando.
5»Si dos hermanos viven en el mismo hogar y uno muere sin dejar hijos, su viuda no se casará fuera de la familia. El hermano del esposo la tomará y se casará con ella para cumplir con su deber de cuñado. 6El primer hijo que ella tenga llevará el nombre del hermano muerto, para que su nombre no desaparezca de Israel.
7»Si tal hombre no quiere casarse con la viuda de su hermano, ella recurrirá a los ancianos, a la entrada de la ciudad, y les dirá: “Mi cuñado no quiere mantener vivo en Israel el nombre de su hermano. Se niega a cumplir conmigo su deber de cuñado”. 8Entonces los ancianos lo llamarán y le hablarán. Si persiste en decir: “No quiero casarme con ella”, 9la cuñada se acercará a él y, en presencia de los ancianos, le quitará una de las sandalias, le escupirá en la cara, y dirá: “Esto es lo que se hace con quien no quiere mantener viva la descendencia de su hermano”. 10Y para siempre se conocerá en Israel a ese hombre y a su familia como “los descalzos”.
11»Si dos hombres se están peleando y la mujer de uno de ellos, para rescatar a su esposo, agarra al atacante por los genitales, 12tú le cortarás a ella la mano. No le tendrás compasión.
13»No tendrás en tu bolsa dos pesas diferentes, una más pesada que la otra. 14Tampoco tendrás en tu casa dos medidas diferentes, una más grande que la otra. 15Más bien, tendrás pesas y medidas precisas y justas, para que vivas mucho tiempo en la tierra que te da el Señor tu Dios, 16porque él aborrece a quien comete tales actos de injusticia.
17»Recuerda lo que te hicieron los amalecitas después de que saliste de Egipto: 18cuando estabas cansado y fatigado, salieron a tu encuentro y atacaron por la espalda a todos los rezagados. ¡No tuvieron temor de Dios! 19Por eso, cuando el Señor tu Dios te dé la victoria sobre todas las naciones enemigas que rodean la tierra que él te da como herencia, borrarás para siempre el recuerdo de los descendientes de Amalec. ¡No lo olvides!
