1. If someone is found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him;
2. then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain.
3. It shall be that the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn’t been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke.
4. The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.
5. The priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Yahweh’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.
6. All the elders of that city, who are nearest to the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.
7. They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8. Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.
9. So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.
10. When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands, and you carry them away captive,
11. and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and desire to take her as your wife;
12. then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails.
13. She shall take the clothing of her captivity off of herself, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.