Deuteronomy 22

Sundry laws as concerning love and faithfulness to a mans neighbor when ought of his strayeth it lost or is otherwise in danger to miscarry verse 1&c. concerning changing mens and womens apparel 5 concerning the birds nests 6 concerning stays or battlements upon the roof concerning divers mixture of unequal things 9 concerning strings on garments 12 concerning the punishment of him that standeth his wife 13 concerning the punishment of a damsel that played the whore in her fathers house 20 concerning the punishment of an adulterer 22 and in particular when a betrothed damsel in the city lieth with a man 23 also when she is forced in the field 25 also when a man lieth with a damsel that is a virgin and not betrothed 28 concerning the interest 30.

1. Thou shalt not see thy brother ox [that is great cattle] or small cattle driven aside [to wit from way or from the flock and consequently going astray and abide thyself from them [that is withdraw thyself from them carrying or demeaning thyself so as if thou astray still more and more so below verse 3, 4] thou shalt any case send them back [Heb. Sending back send them back] unto thy brother.

2. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee or if thou knoe him not then thou shalt gather them [Heb. Shalt gather it to wit the ox whereby is meant also the small cattle and so in the following words] within thine house [Heb. In the midst of thine house that is shalt take them into thine house not suffer them to tarry without doors compre Judges 19:15] that they may be with thee until thy brother seek them and thou restore them to him again.

3. So shalt thou do to his ass and so shalt thou garment yea so shalt thou do to all lost things [Heb. The loss] of thy brothers shall be lost by him and which thou shalt have found thou mayst not hide himself [or it may not be hid.]

4. Thou shalt not see thy brothers ass or his ox fall down by the way and hide thyself from them thou shalt in anywise lift them again up [Heb. Lifting up lift them up] with [to wit thy brother whom thou shalt help to lift them up again.]

5. The garment [Heb. Dressing furniture in the Hebrew there is a word used of which see Leviticus 15:4] of a man shall not be on a woman neither shall a man put on woman’s apparel for whosoever doth it is an abomination unto the Lord thy god [Heb. An abomination of the Lord thy God see above chapter 17 on verse1.]

6. When birds nests cometh to be before thy face by the way in any tree or on the ground and young ones or ogs and the dam sitting [Heb. Lying upon young ones [Heb. Children so in the following verse.]

7. Thou shalt in any wise let dam go [Heb. Letting go thou shalt let go] but thou shalt take young one to thee that it may go well with thee and that thou mayst prolongthy days.

8. When thou shalt build a new house then shalt make a stay upon thy roof [because the roofs or house tops in the land of the jewelry were so flat that man could walk upon them see Judges 16:27 1 Samuel 9:25,26 2 Samuel 11:2 Nehemiah 8:16 Jeremiah 19.23 Matthew 10:27 and 25.17 Mark 2:4 Acts 10:9] thou shalt lay no blood guiltness [Heb. Bloods] upon thine house when any man falling fall down thence.

9. Thou shalt not sow any vine yard with two kinds of seed [as in those country they were wont to sow between the vines all manner of seed as rie wheat barley &c.]] lest the fullness of the seed [that is the fruit fully ripe see exodus 22.29] which thou shalt have sown the increase of the vineyard profaned [defiled others hallowed to wit unto the Lord and in all respect fall to the priest share so that thou mayst not enjoy any thing thereof thyself because thou hast acted against the command of the Lord see above chapter 20 on verse 6.]

10. Thou shalt not plough with an ox and with an ass together.

11. Thou shalt not put a garment of mingled stuff woolen and linen together [see Leviticus 19:19.]

12. Thou shalt make thee strings [compare Numbers 15:38,39 and Matthew 23:5 others hem, laces, fringes, fillets, bindings] at the source corners [Heb. Wings] of the upper garment [Heb. Covering] wherewith thou coverest thyself.

13. When a man shall have taken a wife having gone in unto her shall then bare her.

14. And shall lay occasions [or crimes facts inventions fictions] of aspersion upon her and bring up an evil name upon her saying I took this woman and came near unto her but I found not the virginity on her.

15. Then the father of this damsel and the mother take and bring forth the virginity of this damsel [that is a token of her virginity so in the sequel see a further expression hereof verse 27] unto the eldest of the city n the gates.

16. And the damsel of the father shall say unto the eldest I gave my daughter unto this man to wife but he hated her.

17. And lo he gave occasion of aversion against her I have not found the virginity on thy daughter now this is my daughters virginity [to wit the damsel father and mother] shall spread the cloth before the eldest of thy city.

18. Then the eldest of that city take that man and chastise him.

19. And they shall set a fine upon of an hundred silver lings [that is shackles of silver somewhat more then five and twenty dollars or six pounds five shillings starlings see Genesis 20 on verse 16 and 23 on verse 15] and give them unto the father of the damsel because he [to wit the damsel husband] hath brought an evil name upon the damsel of Israel moreover she shall his wife he may not let her go all his days.

20. But if this word [or thing] be true [Heb. Truth] that the virginity be not found on the damsel.

21. Then they shall bring the damsel to her fathers house and the man of her city shall stone her with stones that she die because she hath wrought folly in Israel playing the whore in her fathers house so shalt thou put away the evil out of the midst of thee.

22. When a man shall be found lying with a woman married to an husband[that is when it is found out that any man hath lieth with a married woman] then they shall also both of them die the man lay with the woman and the woman so shalt thou put evil from Israel.

23. When there shall be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed to a husband and a man shall have found her in the city and lyen with her.

24. Then ye shall bring them both in the gate of that city an dshall stone them with stones that they die the damsel because she cried not in the city the and the man because he had humbled his neighbors wife [as above chapter 21.14 and below verse 29] so shalt thou put away the evil that is in the midst of thee.

25. And if a man shall have found a betrothed damsel in the field the man the man shall have found her layen with her then the that layen with her die .

26. But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing [Heb. Nothing no word] the damsel hath no sin of death [that is no guilt that is worthy of death compare above chapter 21 on verse 22.] for as if man should rise up against his neighbor and smite his life dead [Heb. Smite his soul dead that is smite him mortally as the scripture often speaketh that is smite him so that he take away his life] so is this matter [that is even so is it in this case as hetman is innocent that is violently murdered so is the damsel innocent that is violently deflowered.]

27. For he found her in the field and the betrothed damsel cried and there was no man that did deliver her.

28. When a male shall have e found a damsel that is a virgin which is betrothed and shall have laid hold on her and layen with her and they shall be found [that is discovered this offence shall be known and found out.]

29. Then the man that lay with her shall give the damsel father fifty silver lings [see above on verse 19] and she shall be his wife because he hath humbled here may not let her go all his days.

30. A man shall not take his fathers wife neither shall he uncover his fathers skirt [that is the garment of his step mother [see Leviticus 18 on verse 8, 9 and below chapter 27.20 the meaning is thou shalt not lie with thy step mother.]