Deuteronomy 24

CHAPTER 24

Statutes About Divorce

¹“If a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens ¹that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some ^aindecency in her, and ^bhe writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house,

²and she goes out of his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife,

³and if the latter husband ¹turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,

⁴then her ^aformer husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before Yahweh, and you shall not bring sin on the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance.

⁵“^aWhen a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be free at home one year and shall ^bgive gladness to his wife whom he has taken.

Remember You Were Slaves in Egypt

⁶“No one shall take a handmill or an upper millstone in pledge, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

⁷“^aIf a man is ¹caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he mistreats him or sells him, then that thief shall die; so you shall purge the evil from among you.

⁸“^aTake care against ¹an infection of leprosy, to be very careful and to do according to all that the Levitical priests instruct you; as I have commanded them, so you shall be careful to do.

⁹“Remember what Yahweh your God did ^ato Miriam on the way as you came out of Egypt.

¹⁰“^aWhen you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his deposit.

¹¹“You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the deposit out to you.

¹²“Now if he is an afflicted man, you shall not sleep with his deposit.

¹³“^aWhen the sun goes down you shall surely return the deposit to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and ^bit will be righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.

¹⁴“^aYou shall not oppress a hired person who is afflicted and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of your sojourners who is in your land within your gates.

¹⁵“^aYou shall give him his wages on his day ¹before the sun goes down, for he is afflicted and sets his soul on it, so that ^bhe will not cry against you to Yahweh and it become sin in you.

¹⁶“^aFathers shall not be put to death ¹for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death ²for their fathers; each shall be put to death for his own sin.

¹⁷“^aYou shall not pervert the justice ¹due a sojourner or ²an orphan, nor ^btake a widow’s garment in pledge.

¹⁸“But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that Yahweh your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.

¹⁹“^aWhen you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be ^bfor the sojourner, for the ¹orphan, and for the widow, in order that Yahweh your God ^cmay bless you in all the work of your hands.

²⁰“^aWhen you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs after you finish; it shall be ^bfor the sojourner, for the ¹orphan, and for the widow.

²¹“When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it after you finish; it shall be for the sojourner, for the ¹orphan, and for the widow.

²²“And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.