Deuteronomy 22

International Children’s Bible

22 You might see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep wandering away. Don’t ignore it. Take it back to its owner. ² The owner might not live close to you. Or you might not know who he is. Then take the animal home with you. Keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then give it back to him. ³ Do the same thing if you find his donkey or coat or anything he lost. Don’t just ignore it.

⁴ You might see your fellow Israelite’s donkey or ox fallen on the road. Don’t ignore it. Help him get it up.

⁵ A woman must not wear men’s clothes. And a man must not wear women’s clothes. The Lord your God hates anyone who does that.

⁶ You might find a bird’s nest by the road. It might be in a tree or on the ground. And the mother bird might be sitting on the young birds or eggs. Do not take the mother bird with the young birds. ⁷ You may take the young birds. But you must let the mother bird go free. Then things will go well for you. And you will live a long time.

⁸ When you build a new house, build a wall around the roof.^[a] Then you will not be guilty of murder if someone falls off the roof.

⁹ Don’t plant two different kinds of seeds in your vineyard. Otherwise, both crops will be ruined.

¹⁰ Don’t plow with an ox and a donkey tied together.

¹¹ Don’t wear clothes made of wool and linen woven together.

¹² Tie several pieces of thread together. Then put these tassels on the four corners of your coat.

Marriage Laws

¹³ A man might marry a girl and have intimate relations with her. But he might decide that he does not like her. ¹⁴ So he might lie about her and give her a bad name. He might say, “I married this woman. But when I had intimate relations with her, I did not find that she was a virgin.” ¹⁵ Then the girl’s parents must bring proof that she was a virgin. They must bring it to the elders at the city gate. ¹⁶ The girl’s father will say to the leaders, “I gave my daughter to this man to be his wife. But now he does not want her. ¹⁷ This man has told lies about my daughter. He has said, ‘I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.’ But here is the proof that my daughter was a virgin.” Then her parents are to show the sheet to the city leaders. ¹⁸ Then the leaders must take the man and punish him. ¹⁹ They must make him pay about two and a half pounds of silver. The silver will go to the girl’s father. This is because the man has given an Israelite girl a bad name. The girl must continue to be the man’s wife. And he may not divorce her as long as he lives.

²⁰ But the things the husband said about his wife might be true. And there might be no proof that she was a virgin. ²¹ If so, the girl must be brought to the door of her father’s house. Then the men of the town must put her to death by throwing stones at her. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel. She had physical relations before she was married. You must get rid of the evil among you.

²² A man might be found committing adultery with another man’s wife. Both the woman and the man who committed adultery with her must die. Get rid of this evil from Israel.

²³ A man might meet a virgin in a city and have physical relations with her. But she might be engaged to another man. ²⁴ You must take both of them to the city gate. Put them both to death by throwing stones at them. Kill the girl because she was in a city and did not scream for help. And kill the man for having physical relations with another man’s wife. You must get rid of the evil among you.

²⁵ But a man might meet a girl out in the country. He might force her to have physical relations with him. But she might be engaged to another man. Only the man who forced her to have physical relations with her must be put to death. ²⁶ Don’t do anything to the girl. She has not done a sin worthy of death. This is like the person who attacks and murders his neighbor. ²⁷ The man found the engaged girl in the country. And she screamed. But no one was there to save her.

²⁸ A man might meet a virgin who is not engaged to be married. He might force her to have physical relations with him. And people might find out about it. ²⁹ The man must pay the girl’s father about one and one-fourth pounds of silver. He must also marry the girl because he has dishonored her. And he may never divorce her for as long as he lives.

³⁰ A man must not marry his father’s wife. He must not dishonor his father in this way.