¹ Ako se u zemlji koju ti Jahve, Bog tvoj, daje da je zaposjedneš nađe tko ubijen gdje u polju leži - a ne zna se tko ga je ubio -

² onda neka odu tvoje starješine i suci te izmjere udaljenost od ubijenoga do okolnih gradova.

³ Tako će ustanoviti koji je grad najbliže ubijenom. Starješine toga grada neka tada uzmu junicu što još nije radila: što još pod jarmom nije vukla.

⁴ Neka zatim starješine onoga grada stjeraju junicu u kakav nepresušni potok, na mjesto koje se ne obrađuje i ne zasijava, i ondje, na potoku, neka junicu zakolju.

⁵ Zatim neka dođu svećenici, potomci Levijevi. Jer njih je odabrao Jahve, Bog tvoj, da mu služe i da u ime Jahvino blagoslivljaju; na njihovu se riječ rješava svaki spor i svako nasilje.

⁶ Zatim sve starješine iz onoga grada koji bude najbliži ubijenome neka operu ruke u potoku nad zaklanom junicom.

⁷ Potom neka izjave: 'Naše ruke nisu prolile ove krvi niti smo svojim očima išta vidjeli.

⁸ Zakrili, Jahve, svoj narod Izrael koji si oslobodio; ne dopusti da se prolijeva nedužna krv u tvome izraelskom narodu!' Tako će biti zaštićeni od krvi.

⁹ A ti ćeš ukloniti prolijevanje nedužne krvi iz svoje sredine ako učiniš što je pravo u Jahvinim očima.

¹⁰ Kad odeš u rat na svoje neprijatelje pa ih Jahve, Bog tvoj, preda u ruke tvoje te ih zarobiš,

¹¹ ako među zarobljenicima opaziš lijepu ženu i u nju se zagledaš, možeš je uzeti za ženu.

¹² Dovedi je svojoj kući pa neka obrije glavu, obreže nokte

¹³ i odbaci haljine u kojima je zarobljena. Neka provede mjesec dana u tvome domu oplakujući svoga oca i svoju majku. Poslije toga možeš joj pristupiti kao muž i neka ti postane ženom.

¹⁴ Ako ti poslije ne bi bila po volji, pusti je kuda joj drago. Za novac je ne smiješ prodati niti s njom postupiti kao s ropkinjom jer ti je bila žena.

¹⁵ Ako koji čovjek imadne dvije žene: jednu koja mu je draga, a drugu koja mu je mrska, te mu i draga i mrska rode sinove, ali prvorođenac bude od one koja mu je mrska,

¹⁶ onda, kad dođe dan da podijeli svoju imovinu među svoje sinove, ne smije postupiti prema prvorođencu od drage na štetu sina od mrske, koji je prvenac,

¹⁷ nego mora za prvorođenca priznati sina od mrske i njemu dati dvostruk dio od svega što ima. Jer on je prvina njegove snage - njemu pripada pravo prvorodstva.

¹⁸ Ako tko imadne opaka i nepokorna sina koji neće da sluša ni oca ni majke - pa ni onda pošto ga kazne -

¹⁹ neka ga njegov otac i njegova mati odvedu starješinama svoga grada, na vrata svoga mjesta,

²⁰ i neka kažu gradskim starješinama: 'Ovaj naš sin opak je i nepokoran; neće da nas sluša; ništarija je i pijanica.'

²¹ Potom neka ga svi ljudi, njegovi sugrađani, kamenjem zasiplju dok ne pogine. Tako ćeš iskorijeniti zlo iz svoje sredine: sav će Izrael to čuti i bojat će se.

²² Ako tko učini grijeh koji zaslužuje smrt te bude pogubljen vješanjem o stablo,

²³ njegovo mrtvo tijelo neka ne ostane na stablu preko noći nego ga pokopaj istoga dana, jer je obješeni prokletstvo Božje. Tako nećeš okaljati svoje zemlje, koju ti Jahve, Bog tvoj, daje u baštinu.

¹ Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

² Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

³ May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

⁴ and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

⁵ Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

⁶ Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,"

⁷ and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

⁸ Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father.

⁹ Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

¹⁰ Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

¹¹ He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

¹² He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

¹³ Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed.

¹⁴ Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

¹⁵ Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

¹⁶ Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it."

¹⁷ He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

¹⁸ Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

²⁰ Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,

²¹ so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

²² then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."