Deuteronomy 21:3

Myles Coverdale Bible

Loke which cite is the nexte, ye Elders of the same shal take a yoge cowe, which hath not bene laboured, ner hath drawe in the yocke,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The elders of the city nearest to the victim are to get a young cow that has not been yoked or used for work.

Hebrew Names Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the Zakenim of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn't been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

King James Version
And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Lexham English Bible
And then the nearest city to the slain one, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked with in the field, that has not pulled a yoke,

English Standard Version
And the elders of the city that is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer that has never been worked and that has not pulled in a yoke.

New Century Version
The elders of the city nearest the body must take a young cow that has never worked or worn a yoke,

New English Translation
Then the elders of the city nearest to the corpse must take from the herd a heifer that has not been worked—that has never pulled with the yoke—

Amplified Bible
"It shall be that the elders of the city which is nearest to the dead man shall take a heifer of the herd, one which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

New American Standard Bible
"And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked and has not pulled in a yoke;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Aud let ye Elders of that citie, which is next vnto the slaine man, take out of the droue an heifer that hath not bene put to labour, nor hath drawen in the yoke.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

Contemporary English Version
The leaders from that town will go to their cattle herds and choose a young cow that has never been put to work.

Complete Jewish Bible
After it has been determined which town is the closest, the leaders of that town are to take a young female cow that has never been put to work or yoked for use as a draft animal.

Darby Translation
and the city that is nearest unto him that is slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer that hath not been wrought with, that hath not drawn in the yoke;

Easy-to-Read Version
When you learn which town is nearest to the dead body, the leaders of that town must take a cow from their herds. It must be a cow that never had a calf and that has never been used for work.

George Lamsa Translation
And the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has never been used for work nor has pulled in the yoke,

Good News Translation
Then the leaders of the town nearest to where the body was found are to select a young cow that has never been used for work.

Literal Translation
And it shall be, that the city nearest to the one slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke.

American Standard Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Bible in Basic English
And whichever town is nearest to the body, the responsible men of that town are to take from the herd a young cow which has never been used for work or put under the yoke;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And let the elders of that citie which is next vnto the slayne man, take out of the droue an heyffer that hath not ben put to labour, nor hath drawen in the yoke:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke.

King James Version (1611)
And it shall be that the citie which is next vnto the slaine man, euen the Elders of that citie shall take an heifer which hath not bene wrought with, and which hath not drawen in the yoke.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and it shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not laboured, and which has not borne a yoke.

English Revised Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;

Berean Standard Bible
Then the elders of the city nearest the victim shall take a heifer that has never been yoked or used for work,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the eldre men of that citee, `which thei seen to be neer than othere, schulen take of the droue a cow calf, that `drow not yok, nether kittide the erthe with a schar;

Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, the city which [is] near unto the slain one, even the elders of that city have taken a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in the yoke,

Update Bible Version
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been wrought with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be [that] the city [which is] next to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer which hath not been wrought with, [and] which hath not drawn in the yoke;

World English Bible
and it shall be, that the city which is nearest to the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn't been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke;

New King James Version
And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke.

New Living Translation
When the nearest town has been determined, that town's elders must select from the herd a heifer that has never been trained or yoked to a plow.

New Life Bible
The leaders of the city that is nearest to the dead man will take a young cow from the cattle. The cow must never have been worked or pulled a plow.

New Revised Standard
The elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked, one that has not pulled in the yoke;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and it shall be that the city that is nearest unto the slain, the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd which hath not been wrought with, which hath not drawn in a yoke;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the ancients of that city which they shall perceive to be nearer than the rest, shall take a heifer of the herd, that hath not drawn in the yoke, nor ploughed the ground,

Revised Standard Version
and the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has never been worked and which has not pulled in the yoke.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It shall be that the city which is nearest to the slain man, that is, the elders of that city, shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked and which has not pulled in a yoke;

Contextual Overview

¹ Whan there is one slayne founde in ye londe which ye LORDE yi God shall geue ye to possesse it, & lyeth in ye felde, & it is not knowne who hath slaine him, ² then shal thy Elders & iudges go forth, and meet from the slayne vnto the cities that lye rounde aboute. ³ Loke which cite is the nexte, ye Elders of the same shal take a yoge cowe, which hath not bene laboured, ner hath drawe in the yocke, ⁴ & they shal brynge her in to a valley, where as is nether earinge nor sowinge, and strike of hir heade there in the valley. ⁵ Then shal the prestes ye children of Leui come forth. ( For the LORDE thy God hath chosen them, to serue him, and to prayse his name: and at their mouth shal all plees and strypes be tryed.) ⁶ And all the Elders of the same cite shall come forth vnto the slayne, & wash their handes ouer ye yonge cowe, whose heade is stricken of in the valley, ⁷ and shal answere and saie: Oure hades haue not shed this bloude, nether haue oure eyes sene it. ⁸ Be mercifull (O LORDE) vnto thy people of Israel, who thou hast delyuered, laye no innocent bloude vnto thy people of Israels charge: then shall they be reconcyled from the bloude. ⁹ Thus shalt thou put awaye the innocent bloude from the, in that thou doest the thinge whis is righte in the sighte of ye LORDE.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an: Numbers 19:2, Jeremiah 31:18, Matthew 11:28-30, Philippians 2:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 4:15 - the elders

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
Then sayde God: Yee euen Sara thy wyfe shall beare the a sonne, and thou shalt call his name Isaac: for with him wil I make my euerlastinge couenaunt, and with his sede after him.

Genesis 21:6
And Sara sayde: God hath prepared a ioye for me, for who so euer heareth of it, wyll reioyse with me.

Genesis 21:12
Neuertheles God sayde vnto him: let it not displease the because of the childe and the hand mayde: What so euer Sara hath sayde vnto the, folowe it, for in Isaac shall the sede be called vnto the.

Genesis 22:2
And he sayde: Take ye sonne, this onely sonne of thine, eue Isaac whom thou louest, and go thy waye in to the londe of Moria, & offre him there for a burntofferynge, vpon a mountayne that I shal shew the.

Joshua 24:3
Then toke I yor father Abraham beyonde the water, & caused him to walke in the londe of Canaan, & multiplied his sede, and gaue him Isaac,

Matthew 1:2
Abraha begat Isaac: Isaac begat Iacob: Iacob begat Iudas & his brethre:

Acts 7:8
And he gaue him the couenaut of circucision. And he begat Isaac, and circucised him the eight daye. And Isaac begat Iacob and Iacob begat the twolue Patriarkes.

Romans 9:7
nether are they all children, because they are the sede of Abraham: but in Isaac shal the sede be called

Hebrews 11:18
of whom it was sayde: In Isaac shal thy sede be called:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man,.... And so suspected, as the Targum of Jonathan, of the murder; or the murderer is in it, or however belonged to it:

even the elders of the city shall take an heifer; of a year old, as the same Targum, and so Jarchi; and in this the Jewish writers agree, that it must be a year old, but not two; though heifers of three years old were sometimes used in sacrifice, Genesis 15:9 a type of Christ, in his strength, laboriousness, and patience; see Numbers 19:2

which hath not been wrought with; in ploughing land, or treading out corn:

and which hath not drawn in the yoke, which never had any yoke put upon it; or however, if attempted to be put upon it, it would not come under it, and draw with it: no mention is made, as usual, that it should be without blemish: because though in some sense expiatory, yet was not properly a sacrifice, it not being slain and offered where sacrifices were; hence it is said in the Misnah q, that a blemish in it did not make it rejected, or unlawful for use: nevertheless, this heifer may be a type of Christ, whose sufferings, bloodshed, and death, atone for secret and unknown sins, as well as for open and manifest ones, even for all sin; and its being free from labour, and without a yoke, may signify the freedom of Christ from the yoke of sin, and the service of it, and from human traditions; that he was not obliged to any toil and labour he had been concerned in, or to bear the yoke of the law, had he not voluntarily undertaken it of himself; and that he expiated the sins of such who were sons of Belial, children without a yoke; and for the same reason, this heifer not being required to be without blemish, might be because Christ, though he had no sin of his own, was made sin for his people, and reckoned as if he had been a sinner; though indeed, had this been the design of the type, all the sacrifices which typified Christ would not have required such a qualification, to be without blemish, as they did.

q Ut supra, (Sotah, c. 9.) sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The requirements as regards place and victim are symbolic. The heifer represented the murderer, so far at least as to die in his stead, since he himself could not be found. As hearing his guilt the heifer must therefore be one which was of full growth and strength, and had not yet been ceremonially profaned by human use. The Christian commentators find here a type of Christ and of His sacrifice for man: but the heifer was not strictly a sacrifice or sin-offering. The transaction was rather figurative, and was so ordered as to impress the lesson of Genesis 9:5.