Deuteronomy 21:8

Green's Literal Translation

O Jehovah, be merciful to Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Accept atonement, O Lord , for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for.'

Update Bible Version
Forgive, O Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don't allow innocent blood [to remain] in the midst of your people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

English Revised Version
Forgive, O LORD, thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

New Century Version
Lord , remove this sin from your people Israel, whom you have saved. Don't blame your people, the Israelites, for the murder of this innocent person." And so the murder will be paid for.

New English Translation
Do not blame your people Israel whom you redeemed, O Lord , and do not hold them accountable for the bloodshed of an innocent person." Then atonement will be made for the bloodshed.

Webster's Bible Translation
Be merciful, O LORD, to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood to the charge of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

World English Bible
Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don't allow innocent blood [to remain] in the midst of your people Israel. The blood shall be forgiven them.

Amplified Bible
'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and do not put the guilt of innocent blood among Your people Israel.' And the guilt of blood shall be forgiven them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lord, be mercyful to thi puple Israel, whom thou `ayen brouytist, and arette thou not innocent blood in the myddis of thi puple Israel. And the gilt of blood schal be don awey fro hem.

Young's Literal Translation
receive atonement for Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast ransomed, O Jehovah, and suffer not innocent blood in the midst of Thy people Israel; and the blood hath been pardoned to them,

Berean Standard Bible
Accept this atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them." And the bloodshed will be atoned for.

Contemporary English Version
But since an innocent person was murdered, we beg you, our Lord , to accept this sacrifice and forgive Israel. We are your people, and you rescued us. Please don't hold this crime against us." If you obey the Lord and do these things, he will forgive Israel.

American Standard Version
Forgive, O Jehovah, thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of thy people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

Bible in Basic English
Have mercy, O Lord, on your people Israel whom you have made free, and take away from your people the crime of a death without cause. Then they will no longer be responsible for the man's death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be mercifull Lorde vnto thy people Israel which thou hast deliuered, and lay no innocent blood vnto thy people of Israels charge. And the blood shalbe forgeuen them.

Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai , forgive your people Isra'el, whom you redeemed; do not allow innocent blood to be shed among your people Isra'el.' And they will be forgiven this bloodshed.

Darby Translation
Forgive thy people Israel, whom thou, Jehovah, hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood to the charge of thy people Israel; and the blood shall be expiated for them.

Easy-to-Read Version
Lord , you saved your people Israel. Now make us pure. Don't blame us for killing an innocent person.' In this way these men will not be blamed for killing an innocent person.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them.

King James Version (1611)
Be merciful, O Lord, vnto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood vnto thy people of Israels charge, and the blood shall be forgiuen them.

New Life Bible
O Lord, forgive Your people Israel whom You have set free. Do not put the guilt of killing a man who did no wrong on Your people Israel.' And they will be forgiven from the guilt of the man's death.

New Revised Standard
Absolve, O Lord , your people Israel, whom you redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst of your people Israel." Then they will be absolved of bloodguilt.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be propitious unto thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed, O Yahweh, and do not impute innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel. So shall they obtain propitiation for the guilt of shedding blood.

Geneva Bible (1587)
O Lord, be mercifull vnto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay no innocent blood to the charge of thy people Israel, and the blood shalbe forgiuen them.

George Lamsa Translation
Pardon, O LORD, thy people Israel, whom thou hast saved, and lay not innocent blood upon thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be forgiven them.

Good News Translation
Lord , forgive your people Israel, whom you rescued from Egypt. Forgive us and do not hold us responsible for the murder of an innocent person.'

Douay-Rheims Bible
Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, and lay not innocent blood to their charge, in the midst of thy people Israel. And the guilt of blood shall be taken from them:

Revised Standard Version
Forgive, O LORD, thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and set not the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of thy people Israel; but let the guilt of blood be forgiven them.'

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Be merciful to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, O Lord, that innocent blood may not be charged on thy people Israel: and the blood shall be atoned for to them.

Christian Standard Bible®
Lord, wipe away the guilt of your people Israel whom you redeemed, and do not hold the shedding of innocent blood against them.’ Then the responsibility for bloodshed will be wiped away from them.

Hebrew Names Version
Forgive, the LORD, your people Yisra'el, whom you have redeemed, and don't allow innocent blood [to remain] in the midst of your people Yisra'el. The blood shall be forgiven them.

King James Version
Be merciful, O Lord , unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them.

Lexham English Bible
Forgive your people, Israel, whom you redeemed, Yahweh, and do not allow the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, and let them be forgiven with regard to blood.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Be mercifull (O LORDE) vnto thy people of Israel, who thou hast delyuered, laye no innocent bloude vnto thy people of Israels charge: then shall they be reconcyled from the bloude.

New American Standard Bible
'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, LORD, and do not place the guilt for innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the guilt for bloodshed shall be forgiven them.

New King James Version
Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.' And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood.

New Living Translation
O Lord , forgive your people Israel whom you have redeemed. Do not charge your people with the guilt of murdering an innocent person.' Then they will be absolved of the guilt of this person's blood.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O LORD, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the bloodguiltiness shall be forgiven them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Atone for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Yahweh, and do not place the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.' And the bloodguiltiness shall be atoned for them.

Contextual Overview

¹ If one is found slain in the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you, to possess it, lying in the field, and it is not 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 the one slain. ³ And it shall be, that the city nearest to the one slain, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which has not been worked with, and which has not drawn in the yoke. ⁴ And the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to an ever-flowing stream, which is not plowed nor sown. And they shall break the heifer's neck there by the stream. ⁵ And the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near (for Jehovah your God has chosen them to minister to Him, and to bless in the name of Jehovah) and by their mouth shall every controversy and every stroke be tried . ⁶ And all the elders of that city nearest to the one slain shall wash their hands by the stream, over the heifer whose neck was broken. ⁷ And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. ⁸ O Jehovah, be merciful to Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel. And the blood shall be forgiven them. ⁹ And you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, for you shall do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lay not: Numbers 35:33, 2 Samuel 3:28, 2 Kings 24:4, Psalms 19:12, Jeremiah 26:15, Ezekiel 23:3, Ezekiel 23:24, Ezekiel 23:25, Jonah 1:14, Matthew 23:35, 1 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:16

unto thy people: Heb. in the midst

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 9:26 - which thou hast brought forth Deuteronomy 19:10 - General 1 Kings 2:31 - that thou 2 Kings 21:16 - Manasseh Psalms 67:1 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
And he much urged them, and they turned in to him and came into his house. And he made a feast for them. And he baked unleavened cakes , and they ate.

Genesis 26:30
And he made a feast for them, and they ate and drank.

Genesis 29:22
And Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast.

Genesis 40:20
And it happened, on the third day, the day of Pharaoh's birth, he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief of the cupbearers and the head of the chief of the bakers in the midst of his servants.

Judges 14:10
And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so the young men usually did.

Judges 14:12
And Samson said to them, Please let me riddle a riddle to you. If declaring you declare it to me in the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I shall give you thirty linen blouses and thirty changes of garments.

1 Samuel 1:22
And Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, Until the child is weaned, then I will bring him, that he may appear before Jehovah and remain there forever.

1 Samuel 25:36
And Abigail came to Nabal. And, behold, he was at a feast in his house, like the feast of the king. And Nabal's heart felt good within him, and he was drunk to excess. And she did not tell him a word, more or less, until thelight of the morning.

2 Samuel 3:20
And Abner came to David, to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made a feast for Abner and for the men with him.

1 Kings 3:15
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream! And he came into Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings, and made peace offerings. And he made a banquet for all his servants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be merciful, O Lord, to thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed,.... Out of Egyptian bondage, and claimed as his own; and therefore it is requested he would be favourable to them, and show them mercy, and not punish them for a sin they were entirely ignorant of, though done by some one among them, whom as yet they could not discover. The words seem to be the words of the elders continued, who having made a declaration of their innocence, humbly request mercy of God, not only for themselves, but for all the people of Israel; yet, both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan take them to be the words of the priests, and so does Jarchi, and the same is affirmed in the Misnah z:

and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel's charge; impute not the guilt of innocent blood to a people in general, when only a single person, and he unknown, is chargeable with it: or put it not "in the midst" of thy people; let it not be placed to the whole, because it cannot be found out whose it is, though it is certain it is one in the midst of them:

and the blood shall be forgiven them; that is, God will not impute it, and place it to their account, or lay it to their charge; but will graciously consider the beheading of the heifer as an expiation of it: it is said in the Misnah a,

"if the murderer is found before the heifer is beheaded, it goes forth and feeds among the herd; but if after it is beheaded, it is buried in the same place; and again, if the heifer is beheaded, and after that the murderer is found, he shall be slain;''

so the Targums, and Jarchi on the next verse.

z Ut supra. (Sotah. c. 9. sect. 5.) a Hilchot Rotzeach, c. 9. sect. 7.