1When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. 2If the guilty person deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, 3but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes. If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes.
4Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
5If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. 6The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
7However, if a man does not want to marry his brother’s wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to carry on his brother’s name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.” 8Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, “I do not want to marry her,” 9his brother’s widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, “This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother’s family line.” 10That man’s line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.
11If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from his assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, 12you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity.
13Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. 14Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. 15You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals dishonestly.
17Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. 18When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. 19When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
1-2Hvis en mand kendes skyldig for retten og idømmes pryglestraf, skal dommeren befale manden at lægge sig ned på maven og modtage sin tilmålte straf, mens alle ser på det, 3dog højst 40 slag, for at manden ikke skal blive totalt ydmyget.
4I må ikke binde munden til på en okse, mens den tærsker korn.25,4 Oksen gik rundt oven på kornet i en trædemølle og skulle have lov til at spise lidt af kornet fra tid til anden.
5Hvis to brødre bor i nærheden af hinanden, og den ene dør, uden at hans kone har født ham en søn, må hans enke ikke gifte sig uden for slægten. Broderen skal tage hende til kone. 6Hvis kvinden da bliver gravid og føder en søn, skal denne søn regnes for søn af den afdøde bror, for at dennes slægt kan fortsætte. 7Men hvis den afdødes bror nægter at gifte sig med enken, skal hun gå til byens ledere og sige: ‚Min svoger vil ikke gifte sig med mig. Derved nægter han at føre sin afdøde brors slægt videre.’ 8Da skal byens ledere sende bud efter manden og drøfte sagen med ham, og hvis han stadig nægter at gifte sig med hende, 9skal hans svigerinde for øjnene af byrådet gå hen til ham, trække hans sandal af og spytte ham i ansigtet med ordene: ‚Sådan går det den, der nægter at skaffe sin bror efterkommere!’ 10Fra da af skal mandens slægt kaldes ‚dem med de bare fødder’.
11Hvis to mænd er i slagsmål, og den enes kone kommer sin mand til hjælp ved at gribe fat i den anden mands kønsdele, 12må I ikke vise barmhjertighed, men hugge hendes hånd af.
13-15Når I køber og sælger, skal I bruge korrekt mål og vægt, hvis I vil gøre jer håb om et langt og godt liv i det land, Herren vil give jer, 16for Herren afskyr enhver, der snyder.
Amalekitterne
17Glem ikke, hvad amalekitterne gjorde imod jer, da I kom fra Egypten. 18Husk på, hvordan de overfaldt jer undervejs og brutalt og uden gudsfrygt huggede alle dem ned, der var kommet bagud af udmattelse. 19Når I har bosat jer i det land, Herren har givet jer til arvelod, og når de omliggende lande ikke længere udgør en trussel, skal I huske at udrydde amalekitterne fuldstændigt.
