Deuteronomy 22:23

THE MESSAGE

If a man comes upon a virgin in town, a girl who is engaged to another man, and sleeps with her, take both of them to the town gate and stone them until they die—the girl because she didn't yell out for help in the town and the man because he raped her, violating the fiancée of his neighbor. You must purge the evil from among you.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If there is a young woman who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her,

Hebrew Names Version
If there be a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

King James Version
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

Lexham English Bible
"If it happens that a young woman, a virgin, is engaged to a man, and a man finds her in the town and lies with her,

English Standard Version
"If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her,

New Century Version
If a man meets a virgin in a city and has sexual relations with her, but she is engaged to another man,

New English Translation
If a virgin is engaged to a man and another man meets her in the city and has sexual relations with her,

Amplified Bible
"If a young woman who is a virgin is engaged (legally betrothed) to a man, and another man finds her in the city and is intimate with her,

New American Standard Bible
"If there is a girl who is a virgin betrothed to a man, and another man finds her in the city and sleeps with her,

Geneva Bible (1587)
If a maid be betrothed vnto an husband, & a man finde her in the towne & lye with her,

Legacy Standard Bible
"If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her,

Contemporary English Version
If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn't screaming for help, they both must be put to death. The man is guilty of having sex with a married woman. And the woman is guilty because she didn't call for help, even though she was inside a town and people were nearby. Take them both to the town gate and stone them to death. You must get rid of the evil they brought into your community.

Complete Jewish Bible
"If a girl who is a virgin is engaged to a man, and another man comes upon her in the town and has sexual relations with her;

Darby Translation
If a damsel, a virgin, be betrothed to some one, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her,

Easy-to-Read Version
"A man might meet a virgin girl engaged to another man. He might have sexual relations with her. If this happens in the city,

George Lamsa Translation
If there is a damsel who is a virgin and who is betrothed to a man, and another man find her in the city and lie with her;

Good News Translation
"Suppose a man is caught in a town having intercourse with a young woman who is engaged to someone else.

Literal Translation
If there is a girl that is a virgin, betrothed to a man, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf a mayde be handfested to eny man, & another man getteth her in the cite, & lyeth with her,

American Standard Version
If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

Bible in Basic English
If a young virgin has given her word to be married to a man, and another man meeting her in the town, has connection with her;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a mayde be betrouthed vnto an husbande, and then a man finde her in the towne, and lye with her:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a man, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

King James Version (1611)
If a damosell that is a virgin be betrothed vnto an husband, and a man find her in the citie, and lie with her:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if there be a young damsel espoused to a man, and a man should have found her in the city and have lain with her;

English Revised Version
If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

Berean Standard Bible
If there is a virgin pledged in marriage to a man, and another man encounters her in the city and sleeps with her,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If a man spousith a damysel virgyn, and a man fyndith hir in the citee, and doith letcherie with hir,

Young's Literal Translation
`When there is a damsel, a virgin, betrothed to a man, and a man hath found her in a city, and lain with her;

Update Bible Version
If there is a damsel that is a virgin betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her;

Webster's Bible Translation
If a damsel [that is] a virgin shall be betrothed to a husband, and a man shall find her in the city, and lie with her;

World English Bible
If there be a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

New King James Version
"If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her,

New Living Translation
"Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town,

New Life Bible
"If a girl who has never had a man is promised in marriage to a man, another man might find her in the city and lie with her.

New Revised Standard
If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When a damsel that is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, - and a man findeth her in the city, and lieth with her,

Douay-Rheims Bible
If a man have espoused a damsel that is a virgin, and some one find her in the city, and lie with her,

Revised Standard Version
"If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man finds her in the city and lies with her,

Contextual Overview

¹³If a man marries a woman, sleeps with her, and then turns on her, calling her a slut, giving her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I slept with her I discovered she wasn't a virgin," then the father and mother of the girl are to take her with the proof of her virginity to the town leaders at the gate. The father is to tell the leaders, "I gave my daughter to this man as wife and he turned on her, rejecting her. And now he has slanderously accused her, claiming that she wasn't a virgin. But look at this, here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." And then he is to spread out her bloodstained wedding garment before the leaders for their examination. The town leaders then are to take the husband, whip him, fine him a hundred pieces of silver, and give it to the father of the girl. The man gave a virgin girl of Israel a bad name. He has to keep her as his wife and can never divorce her. ²⁰But if it turns out that the accusation is true and there is no evidence of the girl's virginity, the men of the town are to take her to the door of her father's house and stone her to death. She acted disgracefully in Israel. She lived like a whore while still in her parents' home. Purge the evil from among you. ²² If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both must die. Purge that evil from Israel. ²³If a man comes upon a virgin in town, a girl who is engaged to another man, and sleeps with her, take both of them to the town gate and stone them until they die—the girl because she didn't yell out for help in the town and the man because he raped her, violating the fiancée of his neighbor. You must purge the evil from among you. ²⁵But if it was out in the country that the man found the engaged girl and grabbed and raped her, only the man is to die, the man who raped her. Don't do anything to the girl; she did nothing wrong. This is similar to the case of a man who comes across his neighbor out in the country and murders him; when the engaged girl yelled out for help, there was no one around to hear or help her. ²⁸When a man comes upon a virgin who has never been engaged and grabs and rapes her and they are found out, the man who raped her has to give her father fifty pieces of silver. He has to marry her because he took advantage of her. And he can never divorce her. ³⁰ A man may not marry his father's ex-wife—that would violate his father's rights.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 20:7, Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:19

Reciprocal: Leviticus 19:20 - she shall be scourged

Cross-References

Genesis 24:15
It so happened that the words were barely out of his mouth when Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel whose mother was Milcah the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with a water jug on her shoulder. The girl was stunningly beautiful, a pure virgin. She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. The servant ran to meet her and said, "Please, can I have a sip of water from your jug?"

Genesis 24:24
She said, "I'm the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah and Nahor. And there's plenty of room in our house for you to stay—and lots of straw and feed besides."

Genesis 28:5
So Isaac sent Jacob off. He went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Romans 9:10
And that's not the only time. To Rebecca, also, a promise was made that took priority over genetics. When she became pregnant by our one-of-a-kind ancestor, Isaac, and her babies were still innocent in the womb—incapable of good or bad—she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don't do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. God told Rebecca, "The firstborn of your twins will take second place." Later that was turned into a stark epigram: "I loved Jacob; I hated Esau."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband,.... But not married, not as yet brought home to her husband's house, and the marriage consummated; for the Jews distinguish between being betrothed or espoused, and married; and generally there was some time between the one and the other. And a wife was obtained in this way by three things; by money, which was the most usual; and by writing, which was to be done before witnesses, and with her consent; and by copulation, which, though valid, was not so much approved of a. There is a whole treatise in the Misnah, called Kiddushin, or Espousals, which largely treats of this matter:

and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; with her consent, as might be presumed by her not crying out, when, had she, she might have been heard, being in a city; and her being there also makes against her, since, being betrothed to a man, she ought to have abode in her father's house till her husband fetched her home, and not to have gadded abroad in the city, where she was exposed to temptation.

a Misn. Kiddushin, c. 1. sect. 1.