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Deuteronomy 24

1If a man takes a woman and marries her, but she finds no favor in his eyes because he finds something indecent in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, 2and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house—or if the latter man who took her as his wife dies— 4then her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her again as his wife after she has been defiled. That is detestable before Yahweh. You must not bring sin upon the land Yahweh your God is giving you as an inheritance.

5When a man takes a new wife, he must not go out with the army or be assigned any other duty. He must be free at home for one year and bring joy to the wife he has taken.

6Do not take a pair of millstones or an upper millstone as a pledge, for that would be taking a life as a pledge.

7If a man is found kidnapping someone from his brothers, from the sons of Israel, and treating him as a slave and selling him, that kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.

8In a case of an affliction of tzaraat, take great care to follow everything the Levitical priests instruct you. Be careful to do just as I commanded them. 9Remember what Yahweh your God did to Miriam on the way when you came out of Egypt.

10When you make any loan to your neighbor, do not enter his house to take his pledge. 11Stand outside, and the man to whom you are making the loan must bring the pledge outside to you. 12If he is a poor man, you must not lie down to sleep with his pledge in your possession. 13You must return the pledge to him at sunset, so that he may sleep in his garment and bless you. This will count as righteousness for you before Yahweh your God.

14Do not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether one of your brothers or one of the resident foreigners in your land, within your towns. 15Give him his wages that same day, before the sun sets, for he is poor and his life depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to Yahweh against you, and you will incur sin.

16Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers. Each must be put to death for his own sin.

17Do not pervert the justice due a resident foreigner or a fatherless child, and do not take a widow’s garment as a pledge. 18Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and Yahweh your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

19When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. It must be for the resident foreigner, the fatherless child, and the widow, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20When you beat your olive tree, do not go over its branches again. What remains must be for the resident foreigner, the fatherless child, and the widow. 21When you gather your vineyard’s grapes, do not glean it afterward. What remains must be for the resident foreigner, the fatherless child, and the widow. 22Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

Translation notes 7

24:1–4 — The prohibited remarriage. The conditions extend through verses 1–3; the prohibition comes in verse 4. The passage assumes divorce and a subsequent marriage, then forbids return to the first husband. “Something indecent” translates an expression literally involving “nakedness”; its precise scope is disputed. The text does not define all permissible grounds for divorce.

24:4 — Defiled. The passive wording is retained as the law describes it. The verse does not say that the second marriage was adultery, nor does it explain exactly how the defilement is understood.

24:6 — A life as a pledge. Millstones grind the grain needed for food. Taking the equipment jeopardizes the debtor’s means of living. The same Hebrew word can mean “person,” “life,” or “self,” depending on context.

24:7 — Kidnapping and slavery. The law explicitly concerns kidnapping a fellow Israelite and exploiting and selling that person as a slave. It does not describe slavery generally as forbidden.

24:8–9 — Tzaraat. This is the ritual affliction category examined in Leviticus 13–14, covering conditions in people and also in clothing and houses. It is broader than the disease now called leprosy. Miriam’s case is narrated in Numbers 12.

24:10–15 — Debt and wages. A creditor must respect the borrower’s home and return a poor person’s garment for the night. A poor hired worker must be paid before sunset. The text includes resident foreigners in the wage protection.

24:16 — Individual liability. The rule addresses judicial execution: neither parents nor children are to be executed for the other’s offense. “Children” represents the family relationship expressed by Hebrew “sons.”