Study Desk

For example, suppose you and a friend go into the forest to cut wood. You are chopping down a tree with an ax, when the ax head slips off the handle, hits your friend, and kills him. You can run to one of the Safe Towns and save your life.

Israel, for the good of the whole country, you must kill anyone who murders an innocent person. Never show mercy to a murderer!

Then the tribal officials will say to the troops: If any of you have built a new house, but haven't yet moved in, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to live in your new house.

If any of you have planted a vineyard but haven't had your first grape harvest, you may go home. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to enjoy your grapes.

If any of you are engaged to be married, you may go back home and get married. It isn't right for you to die in battle and for somebody else to marry the woman you are engaged to.

When you are attacking a town, don't chop down its fruit trees, not even if you have had the town surrounded for a long time. Fruit trees aren't your enemies, and they produce food that you can eat, so don't cut them down.

One of these prisoners may be a beautiful woman, and you may want to marry her. But first you must bring her into your home, and have her shave her head, cut her nails, get rid of her foreign clothes, and start wearing Israelite clothes. She will mourn a month for her father and mother, then you can marry her.

If the owner lives too far away, or if you don't know who the owner is, take the animal home with you and take care of it. The owner will come looking for the animal, and then you can give it back.

When you weave cloth for clothing, you can use thread made of flax or wool, but not both together.

If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn't screaming for help, they both must be put to death. The man is guilty of having sex with a married woman. And the woman is guilty because she didn't call for help, even though she was inside a town and people were nearby. Take them both to the town gate and stone them to death. You must get rid of the evil they brought into your community.

No one born outside of a legal marriage, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can fully belong to the Lord 's people.

No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations, can become part of Israel, the Lord 's people.

For example, if something happens at night that makes a man unclean and unfit for worship, he must go outside the camp and stay there

Moses said: When runaway slaves from other countries come to Israel and ask for protection, you must not hand them back to their owners.

Moses said: People of Israel, if you make a sacred promise to give a gift to the Lord , then do it as soon as you can. If the Lord has to come looking for the gift you promised, you will be guilty of breaking that promise.

Moses said to Israel: If a man and a woman have been married less than one year, he must not be sent off to war or sent away to do forced labor. He must be allowed to stay home for a year and be happy with his wife.

Moses said to Israel: When you lend money to people, you are allowed to keep something of theirs as a guarantee that they will pay back the loan. But don't take one or both of their millstones, or else they may starve. They need these stones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.

Moses said: If you hire poor people to work for you, don't hold back their pay, whether they are Israelites or foreigners who live in your town.

Moses said to Israel: Parents must not be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children must not be put to death for crimes committed by their parents. Don't put anyone to death for someone else's crime.

Moses said to Israel: If you forget to bring in a stack of harvested grain, don't go back in the field to get it. Leave it for the poor, including foreigners, orphans, and widows, and the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.