1If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. 2If they do not live near you or if you do not know who owns it, take it home with you and keep it until they come looking for it. Then give it back. 3Do the same if you find their donkey or cloak or anything else they have lost. Do not ignore it.
4If you see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road, do not ignore it. Help the owner to get it to its feet.
5A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this.
6If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young. 7You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.
8When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.
9Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.22:9 Or be forfeited to the sanctuary
10Do not plough with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
11Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
12Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
Marriage violations
13If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her 14and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,’ 15then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin. 16Her father will say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. 17Now he has slandered her and said, “I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.” But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, 18and the elders shall take the man and punish him. 19They shall fine him a hundred shekels22:19 That is, about 1.2 kilograms of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife; he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
20If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, 21she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
22If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
23If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death – the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.
25But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbour, 27for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no-one to rescue her.
28If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29he shall pay her father fifty shekels22:29 That is, about 575 grams of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
30A man is not to marry his father’s wife; he must not dishonour his father’s bed.22:30 In Hebrew texts this verse (22:30) is numbered 23:1.
1Sɛ wuhu sɛ wo yɔnko Israelni bi nantwi anaa ne guan nam basabasa a, mmu wʼani ngu so; mmom kyere no kɔma ne wura. 2Sɛ ne wura nte mmɛn wo, anaasɛ wunnim no a, fa no kɔ wo fi kosi sɛ ne wura no bɛba abɛhwehwɛ no na wode nʼaboa ma no. 3Sɛ wuhu wo nua bi afurum anaa ne ntama anaa ne biribi a ayera a, yɛ no saa ara. Mmu wʼani ngu so.
4Sɛ wuhu sɛ wo yɔnko Israelni bi afurum anaa ne nantwi bi atew ahwe wɔ ɔkwan mu a, mmu wʼani ngu so. Kɔboa ne wura no na ɔmma aboa no so nnyina hɔ.
5Ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔbea hyɛ mmarima atade, saa ara nso na ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔbarima hyɛ mmea atade, efisɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, kyi obiara a ɔyɛ eyi.
6Sɛ wokɔto anomaa berebuw wɔ ɔkwankyɛn, sɛ ɛhyɛ dua mu anaa ɛda fam, na sɛ anomaa no na butuw ne ba no so anaa obutuw nkesua so a, mfa anomaa no na ne ne ba no nkɔ. 7Wutumi fa ne ba no nanso hwɛ sɛ wobɛma ne na no akɔ, sɛnea ebesi wo yiye na wo nkwanna aware.
8Sɛ wusi ɔdan foforo a, yɛ ban fa wo dan no nkuruso no ho na obi amfi hɔ antew anhwe amma woamfa mogyahwiegu ho afɔdi amma wo ne wo dan no so.
9Nnua nnɔbae foforo biara wɔ bobe ntam wɔ wo bobeturo mu. Sɛ woyɛ saa a, na wo nnɔbae no ne bobeturo no so aba nyinaa ho agu fi.
10Nsa nantwi ne afurum mmɔ mu mfuntum afuw.
11Mfura ntama a wɔde kuntu ne sirikyi afra anwen.
12Yɛ ntama a wufura no ano anan no nyinaa mpɛsɛ.
Nneyɛe A Ɛmfata Wɔ Aware Mu
13Sɛ ɔbarima ware ɔbea na ɔne no da na akyiri no ɔmpɛ no bio, 14na enti ɔka ne ho asɛmmɔne, bɔ no din bɔne se, “Mewaree no no, manhu biribiara a ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabun,” 15a, ɔbea no agya ne ne na wɔ ho kwan sɛ wɔde adansede a ɛkyerɛ sɛ wɔn babea no yɛ ɔbabun bɛkyerɛ kurow no mpanyimfo wɔ kurow no pon. 16Ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbea no agya ka kyerɛ wɔn se, “Mede me babea maa ɔbarima yi aware nanso ose ɔmpɛ no bio. 17Wagu nʼanim ase aka se, ‘Manhu sɛ wo babea no yɛ ɔbabun.’ Nanso adansede a ɛkyerɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbabun no ni.” Afei, wɔbɛtrɛw ntama no mu wɔ kurow no mpanyimfo anim, 18na mpanyimfo no bɛfrɛ ɔbarima no atwe nʼaso. 19Wɔbɛbɔ no ka kilogram baako sɛ wagu Israel ɔbabun no anim ase. Wobetua sika no ama ɔbea no agya. Afei, ɔbabea no bɛyɛ ɔbarima no yere a ɔrennyaa no bio.
20Sɛ ɛkɔba sɛ kwaadu a wɔde bɔɔ no no yɛ nokware na wɔannya adansede a ɛfa ne babunyɛ no ho ankyerɛ a, 21wɔde ɔbea no bɛba nʼagya fi abɔntenpon ano na kurom hɔ mmarima asiw no abo akum no. Ɔnam aguamammɔ so ayɛ animguase ade wɔ Israel, bere a ɔne nʼawofo te. Ɛsɛ sɛ mutu saa bɔne no ase fi mo mu.
22Sɛ wohu sɛ ɔbarima bi ne ɔbarima foforo bi yere da a, ɛsɛ sɛ wokum ɔbarima a ɔne ɔbea no dae no ne ɔbea no nyinaa. Ɛsɛ sɛ mutu saa bɔne no ase wɔ Israel.
23Sɛ ɔbarima bi hyia ababaa a ɔyɛ ɔbabun a ɔne obi ahyehyɛ aware na ɔbarima no ne ababaa no da na sɛ saa asɛm no sii wɔ kurow no mu a, 24ɛsɛ sɛ mode wɔn baanu no kɔ kurow no apon ano kosiw wɔn abo kum wɔn. Ababaa no di fɔ, efisɛ na ɔwɔ kurom nanso wanteɛteɛ mu ampɛ mmoa. Ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbarima no nso wu, efisɛ wafa obi yere. Ɛsɛ sɛ mutu saa bɔne no ase fi mo mu.
25Sɛ ɔbarima bi hyia ɔbea a obi ne no ahyehyɛ aware wɔ wuram, na ɔbarima no hyɛ no ne no da a, ɛsɛ sɛ wokum ɔbarima a ɔyɛɛ saa no nkutoo. 26Monnyɛ ababaa no hwee, efisɛ ɔnyɛɛ bɔne biara a ɛma ɔfata owu. Saa asɛm yi te sɛ obi a watow ahyɛ ne yɔnko so akum no, 27efisɛ ɔbarima no hyiaa ɔbea no wɔ wuram, na asiwa no teɛteɛɛ mu de, nanso wannya ogyefo biara.
28Sɛ wɔkyere ɔbarima bi sɛ wahyɛ ababaa bi a obi ne no nhyehyɛe aware, ne no ada a, 29ɛsɛ sɛ otua dwetɛ kilogram abien ne fa ma ababaa no agya. Na ɛno akyi no, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbarima no ware ababaa no, efisɛ wagu nʼanim ase na ɔrentumi nnyae no aware da.
30Ɔbarima biara nni ho kwan sɛ ɔne nʼagya yere da; ɛnsɛ sɛ ogu nʼagya mpa ho fi.
