^22:13Suppose a man marries a woman, has sexual relations with her,²⁵ and then rejects²⁶ her, ^22:14accusing her of impropriety²⁷ and defaming her reputation²⁸ by saying, “I married this woman but when I had sexual relations²⁹ with her I discovered she was not a virgin!” ^22:15Then the father and mother of the young woman must produce the evidence of virginity³⁰ for the elders of the city at the gate. ^22:16The young woman’s father must say to the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man and he has rejected³¹ her. ^22:17Moreover, he has raised accusations of impropriety by saying, ‘I discovered your daughter was not a virgin,’ but this is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity!” The cloth must then be spread out³² before the city’s elders. ^22:18The elders of that city must then seize the man and punish³³ him. ^22:19They will fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, for the man who made the accusation³⁴ ruined the reputation³⁵ of an Israelite virgin. She will then become his wife and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

^22:20But if the accusation is true and the young woman was not a virgin, ^22:21the men of her city must bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house and stone her to death, for she has done a disgraceful thing³⁶ in Israel by behaving like a prostitute while living in her father’s house. In this way you will purge³⁷ evil from among you.

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Footnotes

25 Heb “goes to her,” a Hebrew euphemistic idiom for sexual relations.
26 Heb “hate.” See note on the word “other” in . Cf. “comes to dislike”; “turns against”; “decides he doesn’t want.”
27 Heb “deeds of things”; “makes up charges against her”; “slanders her.”
28 Heb “brings against her a bad name”; “gives her a bad name.”
29 Heb “drew near to her.” This is another Hebrew euphemism for having sexual relations.
30 In light of v. 17 this would evidently be blood-stained sheets indicative of the first instance of intercourse. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (), .
31 Heb “hated.” See note on the word “other” in .
32 Heb “they will spread the garment.”
33 Heb “discipline.”
34 Heb “for he”; the referent (the man who made the accusation) has been specified in the translation to avoid confusion with the young woman’s father, the last-mentioned male.
35 Heb “brought forth a bad name.”
36 The Hebrew term נְבָלָה (névalah) means more than just something stupid. It refers to a moral lapse so serious as to jeopardize the whole covenant community (cf. Gen 34:7; Judg 19:23; 20:6, 10; Jer 29:23). See C. Pan, 3:. Cf. “she committed a crime against Israel.”
37 Heb “burn.” See note on .