Deuteronomy

Moses gives speeches about laws and the importance of following God before the Israelites enter the Promised Land.

Chapter 22

1 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.

*Don't ignore your brother's lost ox or sheep; instead, return them to him.

2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.

*If your brother is far away or you don't know him, take the item to your home. Keep it there until he wants it back, then give it back to him.

3 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.

*Just like that, you should also help your brother with his donkey and clothes if he loses them and you find them. You mustn't keep it a secret.

4 Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

*Don't ignore seeing your brother's donkey or ox falling on the road and hide; instead, you must help him lift them back up.

5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

*Women should not wear men's clothing, and men should not wear women's clothing. Doing this is displeasing to God.

6 If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

*If you see a bird's nest on a tree or on the ground while you are walking, don't take the mother bird along with the eggs or chicks.

7 But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

*But you must definitely let the mother go and take the babies with you. This will ensure your success and help you live a long life.

8 When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.

*When you build a new house, put safety measures on your roof to prevent accidents, so you don't cause harm or death to others if they fall from it.

9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.

*Do not plant different seeds in your vineyard. This is so that the fruit from the seeds you planted and the fruit from your vineyard don't get mixed up and cause problems.

10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.

*Do not use an ox and a donkey to plow together.

11 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.

*Do not mix different materials, like wool and linen, in one piece of clothing.

12 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.

*You shall create tassels on the four corners of your clothing, which you wear to cover yourself.

13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,

*If a man marries a woman and has intimate relations with her but hates her,

14 And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:

*Create chances to talk badly about her, spread rumors about her, and say, I slept with this woman, and when I met her, she wasn't a virgin.

15 Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:

*Then, the girl's dad and mom will show the proof of her purity to the city leaders at the entrance.

16 And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;

*The girl's dad will tell the older people, "I gave my daughter to this man as a wife, but he doesn't like her."

17 And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

*And look, he has provided reasons to talk against her. He says, "I didn't find your daughter to be a virgin." Yet, here are the proofs of her virginity. Then, they will lay out the cloth for the city's older people to see.

18 And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;

*The older people of the town will get that person and discipline him.

19 And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

*And they must pay the father of the young woman 100 silver coins because he slandered a young Israeli woman. The man must marry the girl, and can't divorce her for the rest of his life.

20 But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:

*But if it's really true and there are no signs of her being a virgin left:

21 Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.

*Then they will take the girl outside her father's home, and the people of her city will throw stones at her until she dies. This is because she did something wrong in Israel by acting like a prostitute in her father's house. Doing this will help remove evil from among you.

22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.

*If someone is caught having sex with a married woman, both the person involved and the woman will be killed. This will help remove wickedness from the nation of Israel.

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

*If a young unmarried girl is promised to a husband and a man has sexual intercourse with her in the city, Note: I've rephrased the verse in simpler English while maintaining the meaning of the original text.

24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

*Then, you will take both of them to the city's gate and stone them with stones until they die. The girl died because she didn't shout for help in the city, and the man died because he dishonored his neighbor's wife. This will help remove wickedness among you.

25 But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:

*But if a man finds a girl who is promised to someone in a field and forces her to have sex, then only the man who did it will be killed.

26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:

*But don't harm the young girl; she hasn't done anything deserving death. It's like when a person attacks their neighbor and kills them - it's not right to do the same here.

27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

*He found her in the field, and the girl about to be married cried, but no one came to help her.

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

*If a man finds and has sexual relations with a young unmarried girl who isn't engaged, and they get caught,

29 Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.

*Then the man who slept with her must give the girl's dad 50 silver coins, so she becomes his wife. He can't leave her for the rest of his life since he dishonored her.

30 A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.

*A man should not marry his father's wife or see his father's private parts.

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