Deuteronomy 22:7

Complete Jewish Bible

You must let the mother go, but you may take the chicks for yourself; so that things will go well with you, and you will prolong your life.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You may take the young for yourself, but be sure to let the mother go free, so that you may prosper and live long.

Hebrew Names Version
you shall surely let the hen go, but the young you may take to yourself; that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days.

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
you shall certainly let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourselves; do this so that it may go well for you and you may live long in the land.

English Standard Version
You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.

New Century Version
You may take the young birds, but you must let the mother bird go free. Then things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.

New English Translation
You must be sure to let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourself. Do this so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.

Amplified Bible
"You shall certainly let the mother go, but you may take the young for yourself, so that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

New American Standard Bible
you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may go well for you and that you may prolong your days.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But shalt in any wise let the damme go, & take the yong to thee, that thou mayest prosper and prolong thy dayes.

Legacy Standard Bible
you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

Darby Translation
thou shalt in any case let the dam go, and thou mayest take the young to thee, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Easy-to-Read Version
You may take the babies for yourself, but you must let the mother go. If you obey these laws, things will go well for you, and you will live a long time.

George Lamsa Translation
But you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself; that it may be well with you, and that you may live long.

Good News Translation
You may take the young birds, but you must let the mother bird go, so that you will live a long and prosperous life.

Literal Translation
But in every case you shall let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, so that it may be well with you, and you may prolong your days.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
but shalt let the dame flye, and take the yonge, that thou mayest prospere and lyue longe.

American Standard Version
thou shalt surely let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Bible in Basic English
See that you let the mother bird go, but the young ones you may take; so it will be well for you and your life will be long.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But shalt in any wyse let the damme go, & take the young to thee, that thou mayest prosper, and prolong thy dayes.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

King James Version (1611)
But thou shalt in any wise let the damme goe, and take the yong to thee, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy dayes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt by all means let the mother go, but thou shalt take the young to thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long.

English Revised Version
thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Berean Standard Bible
You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and schalt holde the sones takun, that it be wel to thee, and thou lyue in long tyme. Whanne thou bildist a newe hows,

Young's Literal Translation
thou dost certainly send away the mother, and the young ones dost take to thyself, so that it is well with thee, and thou hast prolonged days.

Update Bible Version
you shall surely let the dam go, but the young you may take to yourself; that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days.

Webster's Bible Translation
[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.

World English Bible
you shall surely let the hen go, but the young you may take to yourself; that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days.

New King James Version
you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

New Living Translation
You may take the young, but let the mother go, so that you may prosper and enjoy a long life.

New Life Bible
Be sure to let the mother go. But you may take the young for yourself. Then it will go well with you, and you will live long.

New Revised Standard
Let the mother go, taking only the young for yourself, in order that it may go well with you and you may live long.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
thou shalt let toll the mother, and then, her young, mayest thou take for thyself, - that it may go well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But shalt let her go, keeping the young which thou hast caught: that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst live a long time.

Revised Standard Version
you shall let the mother go, but the young you may take to yourself; that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.

Contextual Overview

⁵ "A woman is not to wear men's clothing, and a man is not to put on women's clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to Adonai your God. ⁶ "If, as you are walking along, you happen to see a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground with chicks or eggs, and the mother bird is sitting on the chicks or the eggs, you are not to take the mother with the chicks. ⁷ You must let the mother go, but you may take the chicks for yourself; so that things will go well with you, and you will prolong your life. ⁸ (iii) "When you build a new house, you must build a low wall around your roof; otherwise someone may fall from it, and you will be responsible for his death. ⁹ "You are not to sow two kinds of seed between your rows of vines; if you do, both the two harvested crops and the yield from the vines must be forfeited. ¹⁰ You are not to plow with an ox and a donkey together. ¹¹ You are not to wear clothing woven with two kinds of thread, wool and linen together. ¹² "You are to make for yourself twisted cords on the four corners of the garment you wrap around yourself.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But thou shalt: The extirpation of any species of birds, whether edible or birds of prey, is often attended with serious consequences, and is always productive of evil; to prevent which was the object of this law. Palestine is situated in a climate producing poisonous snakes and scorpions, and between deserts and mountains, from which it would be inundated by them, as well as with immense swarms of flies, locusts, and mice, if the birds which feed upon them were extirpated. In a moral point of view, it may have been intended to inculcate a spirit of mercy and kindness, and to prevent the exercise of cruelty even towards a sparrow; for he who is guilty of such cruelty will, if circumstances be favourable, be cruel to his fellow-creatures.

that it may: Deuteronomy 4:40

thou mayest: Proverbs 22:4

Reciprocal: Leviticus 22:28 - ye shall not kill it Deuteronomy 5:29 - that it might Deuteronomy 6:2 - thy days Ephesians 6:3 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 8:20
Noach built an altar to Adonai . Then he took from every clean animal and every clean bird, and he offered burnt offerings on the altar.

Genesis 22:2
He said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Yitz'chak; and go to the land of Moriyah. There you are to offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will point out to you."

Genesis 22:4
On the third day, Avraham raised his eyes and saw the place in the distance.

Exodus 12:3
Speak to all the assembly of Isra'el and say, ‘On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb or kid for his family, one per household —

Matthew 26:39
Going on a little farther, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet — not what I want, but what you want!"

Matthew 26:42
A second time he went off and prayed. "My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink it, let what you want be done."

John 18:11
Yeshua said to Kefa, "Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?"

Romans 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, "Abba!" (that is, "Dear Father!").

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But thou shall in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee,.... Or "in letting go, let go", or "in sending, send away" a; that is, willingly, certainly, entirely, frequently, always; so the Jewish canons b,

"if anyone lets her go, and she returns, even four or five times, he is obliged to let her go, as it is said, "in letting go, let go";''

nay, Maimonides says c, even a thousand times; the canon proceeds,

"if anyone says, lo, I take the dam and let go the young, he is obliged to let her go; if he takes the young, and returns them again to the nest, and after that returns the dam to them, he is free from letting her go;''

that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days; the Targum of Jonathan is,

"that it may be well with thee in this world, and thou mayest prolong thy days in the world to come:''

the same blessing that is promised to observers of the fifth command, which is one of the weightier matters of the law, is made to this; which the Jews say d is but as the value of a farthing, or of little account in comparison of others; wherefore, as Fagius rightly observes e, God, in bestowing such rewards, has regard not to the works of men, but to his own grace and kindness; for what merit can there be in letting go or preserving the life of a little bird?

a שלח תשלח "dimittendo dimittes", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; so Ainsworth. b Misn. Cholin, c. 12. sect. 3. c In Misn. ib. d Misn. ib. sect. 5. e In loc.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These precepts are designed to cultivate a spirit of humanity. Compare Deuteronomy 25:4; Leviticus 22:28; and 1 Corinthians 9:9-10.

Deuteronomy 22:8

The roofs of houses in Palestine were flat and used for various purposes. Compare Jos 2:6; 2 Samuel 11:2; Acts 10:9, etc. A battlement was almost a necessary protection. It was to be, according to the rabbis, at least two cubits high (about 3 ft.).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 22:7. Thou shalt - let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee — This passage may be understood literally. If they destroyed both young and old, must not the breed soon fail, and would it not in the end be ill with them; and by thus cutting off the means of their continual support, must not their days be shortened on the land? But we may look for a humane precept in this law. The young never knew the sweets of liberty; the dam did: they might be taken and used for any lawful purpose, but the dam must not be brought into a state of captivity. They who can act otherwise must be either very inconsiderate or devoid of feeling; and such persons can never be objects of God's peculiar care and attention, and therefore need not expect that it shall be well with them, or that they shall prolong their days on the earth. Every thing contrary to the spirit of mercy and kindness the ever blessed God has in utter abhorrence. And we should remember a fact, that he who can exercise cruelty towards a sparrow or a wren, will, when circumstances are favourable, be cruel to his fellow creatures. The poet Phocylides has a maxim in his admonitory poem very similar to that in the sacred text: -

Μηδε τις ορυιθας καλιης ἁμα παντας ἑλεσθω·

Μητερα δ' εκπρολιπῃς, ἱν' εχῃς παλι τησδε νεοττους.

PHOCYL. Ποιημα Νουθετ., ver. 80.

"Nor from a nest take all the birds away;

The mother spare, she'll breed a future day."