Deuteronomy 21:1–9

When there shall be found in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee, the corpse of a man slain, and it is not known who is guilty of the murder,

²Thy ancients and judges shall go out, and shall measure from the place where the body lieth the distance of every city round about:

³And the ancients of that city which they shall perceive to be nearer than the rest, shall take a heifer of the herd, that hath not drawn in the yoke, nor ploughed the ground,

⁴And they shall bring her into a rough and stony valley, that never was ploughed, nor sown: and there they shall strike off the head of the heifer:

⁵And the priests the sons of Levi shall come, whom the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister to him, and to bless in his name, and that by their word every matter should be decided, and whatsoever is clean or unclean should be judged.

⁶And the ancients of that city shall come to the person slain, and shall wash their hands over the heifer that was killed in the valley,

⁷And shall say: Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.

⁸Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, and lay not innocent blood to their charge, in the midst of thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be taken from them:

⁹And thou shalt be free from the innocent’s blood, that was shed, when thou shalt have done what the Lord hath commanded thee.