Deuteronomy 24

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.

1A man may marry a woman. Later he may stop being pleased with her, because he finds something shameful in her. Then he may write her a paper that ends the marriage. He hands the paper to her and sends her away from his house.

Note"Some uncleanness" does not mean the woman was dirty. The old words point to something the husband found shameful. The exact meaning is not spelled out in the Hebrew.

2And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife.

2After she has left his house, she may go and marry another man.

3And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife;

3The second husband may turn against her. He may write her a paper ending the marriage, hand it to her, and send her away. Or the second husband may die.

4Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.

4Then her first husband may not marry her again. She has been made unclean for him. That would be a hateful thing to the LORD. Do not bring sin on the land. The LORD your God is giving you that land to keep.

5When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

5A man who has just married must not be sent out to war. No one may load him with other work either. For one year he stays free at home. He makes his new wife glad.

6No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man’s life to pledge.

6When someone borrows from you, do not take his millstones to hold until he pays. Do not even take the top stone. Those stones grind his grain into flour. Taking them takes away how he stays alive.

NoteA millstone is a heavy round stone. Two of them are used together to crush grain into flour. A family needs them to make bread.

7If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

7A man might steal one of his fellow Israelites. He might keep him as a slave or sell him. That thief must be put to death. In this way you clear the evil out from among you.

8Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.

8Be very careful when someone has a bad skin disease. Do exactly what the priests, the Levites, teach you. They are the men who care for worship and teach God's rules. Do just as I have commanded them.

NoteThe old word here is "leprosy." It stood for many serious skin diseases, not just the one called leprosy today.

9Remember what the LORD thy God did unto Miriam by the way, after that ye were come forth out of Egypt.

9Remember what the LORD your God did to Miriam. She was Moses' sister. It happened on the road, after you came out of Egypt.

10When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge.

10You may lend something to a neighbor. He may promise you an object until he pays you back. Do not walk into his house to grab it.

11Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee.

11Wait outside instead. The man you are lending to will bring the object out to you.

12And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

12If the man is poor, do not keep the object overnight.

13In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.

13Give it back to him before the sun goes down. Then he can sleep in his own coat. He will thank you and ask God to bless you. The LORD your God will count this as the right thing to do.

NoteThe word the KJV uses is "raiment," meaning clothing. A poor man's outer coat was also his blanket at night, so he needed it back by dark.

14Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

14Do not treat a hired worker badly when he is poor and needy. This is true whether he is an Israelite or a foreigner living in your town.

15At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

15Pay him his wages the same day, before the sun goes down. He is poor, and he is counting on that money. If you do not pay him, he may cry out to the LORD about you. Then you would be guilty of sin.

16The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

16Fathers must not be put to death for what their children did. Children must not be put to death for what their fathers did. Each person is put to death only for his own sin.

17Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment to pledge:

17Be fair in court to a foreigner and to a child with no father. Do not take a widow's coat and hold it until she pays you back.

18But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

18Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The LORD your God set you free from that place. That is why I am telling you to do this.

19When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

19You will cut your grain and gather it in your field. You may forget a bundle out there. Do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, for the child with no father, and for the widow. Then the LORD your God will bless all the work you do.

20When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

20You will knock the olives off your trees with a stick. Do not go over the branches a second time. What is left is for the foreigner, the child with no father, and the widow.

21When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21You will pick the grapes in your vineyard. Do not go back over the vines again. What is left is for the foreigner, the child with no father, and the widow.

22And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

22Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am telling you to do this.