Deuteronomy 22:6

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

When a bird's-nest chanceth to be before thee, - in the way, in any tree or upon the ground, whether with nestlings or eggs, and, the mother, be sitting upon the nestlings or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the mother upon the young;

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
If thou finde a birdes nest in the way, in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be yong or egges, and the damme sitting vpon the yong, or vpon the egges, thou shalt not take ye damme with the yong,

Hebrew Names Version
If a bird's nest chance to be before you in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the hen sitting on the young, or on the eggs, you shall not take the hen with the young:

Easy-to-Read Version
"You might be walking along a path and find a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is sitting with her baby birds or on the eggs, you must not take the mother bird with the babies.

English Standard Version
"If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.

American Standard Version
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

Bible in Basic English
If by chance you see a place which a bird has made for itself in a tree or on the earth, with young ones or eggs, and the mother bird seated on the young ones or on the eggs, do not take the mother bird with the young:

Contemporary English Version
Moses said to Israel: As you walk along the road, you might see a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is in the nest with either her eggs or her baby birds, you are allowed to take the baby birds or the eggs, but not the mother bird. Let her go free, and the Lord will bless you with a long and successful life.

Complete Jewish Bible
"If, as you are walking along, you happen to see a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground with chicks or eggs, and the mother bird is sitting on the chicks or the eggs, you are not to take the mother with the chicks.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young;

King James Version (1611)
If a birds nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be yong ones, or egges, and the damme sitting vpon the yong, or vpon the egges, thou shalt not take the damme with the yong.

Amplified Bible
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the road, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother [bird] is sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if thou shouldest come upon a brood of birds before thy face in the way or upon any tree, or upon the earth, young or eggs, and the mother be brooding on the young or the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young ones.

English Revised Version
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

Berean Standard Bible
If you come across a bird's nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, you must not take the mother along with the young.

Lexham English Bible
"If a bird's nest is found before you on the road in any tree or on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs, and the mother is lying down on the chicks or the eggs, you shall not take the mother along with the young;

Literal Translation
If a bird's nest happens to be before you in the way in any tree, or on the ground, with young ones, or eggs; and the mother is sitting on the young, or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.

New Century Version
If you find a bird's nest by the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother bird is sitting on the young birds or eggs, do not take the mother bird with the young birds.

New English Translation
If you happen to notice a bird's nest along the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and there are chicks or eggs with the mother bird sitting on them, you must not take the mother from the young.

New King James Version
"If a bird's nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

New Living Translation
"If you happen to find a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground, and there are young ones or eggs in it with the mother sitting in the nest, do not take the mother with the young.

New Life Bible
"You might find a bird's nest by the road, in a tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs. If you find the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If thou find as thou walkest by the way, a bird’s nest in a tree, or on the ground, and the dam sitting upon the young or upon the eggs: thou shalt not take her with her young:

George Lamsa Translation
When you chance to find a birds nest before you in the way in any tree, or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs, you shall not take the mother with her young;

Good News Translation
"If you happen to find a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground with the mother bird sitting either on the eggs or with her young, you are not to take the mother bird.

New American Standard Bible
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

King James Version
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

Darby Translation
If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree, or upon the ground, with young or with eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and fyndist a `nest of a brid in a tree, ethir in the erthe, and fyndist the modir sittynge on the briddis ethir eyrun, thou schalt not holde the modir with `the children, but thou schalt suffre `the modir go,

Young's Literal Translation
`When a bird's nest cometh before thee in the way, in any tree, or on the earth, brood or eggs, and the mother sitting on the brood or on the eggs, thou dost not take the mother with the young ones;

World English Bible
If a bird's nest chance to be before you in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the hen sitting on the young, or on the eggs, you shall not take the hen with the young:

Revised Standard Version
"If you chance to come upon a bird's nest, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting upon the young or upon the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

Update Bible Version
If a bird's nest chance to be before you in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting on the young, or on the eggs, you shall not take the dam with the young:

Webster's Bible Translation
If a bird's nest shall chance to be before thee in the way on any tree, or on the ground, [whether with] young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If thou chaunce vpon a birdes nest by the way, in whatsoeuer tree it be, or on the grounde, whether they be young or egges, and the damme sittyng vpon the young, or on the egges: thou shalt not take the damme with the young:

Christian Standard Bible®
“If you come across a bird’s nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, do not take the mother along with the young.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf thou chaunce vpon a byrdes nest by ye waye in a tre, or on the grounde, with yonge or with egges, and the dame syttinge vpon the yonge or vpon the egges, thou shalt not take the dame with the yonge,

THE MESSAGE
When you come across a bird's nest alongside the road, whether in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, don't take the mother with the young. You may take the babies, but let the mother go so that you will live a good and long life.

New Revised Standard
If you come on a bird's nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs, with the mother sitting on the fledglings or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

Legacy Standard Bible
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;

Contextual Overview

⁵ A woman shall not have on the wearing apparel of a man, nor shall a man put on the mantle of a woman; for an abomination to Yahweh thy God, is any one who doeth these things. ⁶ When a bird's-nest chanceth to be before thee, - in the way, in any tree or upon the ground, whether with nestlings or eggs, and, the mother, be sitting upon the nestlings or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the mother upon the young; ⁷ thou shalt let toll the mother, and then, her young, mayest thou take for thyself, - that it may go well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. ⁸ When thou buildest a new house, then shalt thou make a parapet to thy roof, so shalt thou not treasure up blood-guiltiness against thy house, for he that is in danger of falling might fall therefrom. ⁹ Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two sorts of seed, - lest the fulness of the seed which thou sowest, and the increase of thy vineyard be profaned. ¹⁰ Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass together, ¹¹ Thou shalt not put on linsey-woolsey, of wool and flax together. ¹² Tassels, shalt thou make thee, - on the four corners of thy vesture, wherewith thou dost cover thyself.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

young ones: Luke 12:6

thou shalt not: Genesis 8:17, Genesis 32:11, Leviticus 22:28, Proverbs 12:10, Hosea 10:14

Cross-References

Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, had gone astray, Every man - to his way, had we burned, - And Yahweh! caused to light upon him The guilt of, us all!

Matthew 8:17
that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, - Himself, our weaknesses, took, and, diseases, bare.

John 19:17
And, bearing for himself the cross, he went forth unto the so-called Skull-place, which is named, in Hebrew, Golgotha;

1 Peter 2:24
Who, our sins, himself, bare up, in his body, unto the tree, in order that we, from our sins getting away, in righteousness, might live, - by whose stripes, ye have been healed;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in any tree, or on the ground,.... Which are the usual places in which birds build their nests; and this, as Jarchi observes, excepts such nests that are prepared, that is, that are purposely made for fowls kept at home; and with which agrees the Jewish canon, which says t

"the letting go (the dam out of) the nest is not used but of a fowl, and it is not used but of what is not prepared; what is that which is not prepared? such as geese and hens, whose nest is in an orchard; but if their nest is in the house, and so doves kept at home, a man is free from letting (the dam) go;''

that is, he is not obliged to let it go; and this is to be understood of clean birds only; so the Targum of Jonathan,

"the nests of clean birds;''

agreeably to the same canons and the explanation of them u,

"an unclean bird is free from letting go; so an unclean bird, that sits upon the eggs of a clean bird, also a clean bird that sits upon the eggs of an unclean bird, are free from letting go,''

or persons are not obliged to let such go:

whether they be young ones or eggs; that are in the nest; and the Jewish canon is w,

"if there is but one young one, or one egg, a man is obliged to let go the dam, as it is said a nest: a nest is a word of a large sense:''

and the dam sitting upon the young or upon eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young; according to the above canon,

"if she is flying at the time her wings reach the nest, a man is bound to let her go; but if her wings touch not the nest, he is free from letting her go--if the young ones are capable of flying, or the eggs rotten, he is free from letting her go, as it is said, and the dam sitting, c. as the young are alive, so the eggs must be firm and sound, rotten ones are excepted and as eggs have need of their dam, so the young have need of their dam; those (therefore) that can fly are excepted:''

the dam is not to be taken with her young upon any account; yea, it is said x, not even to cleanse a leper; and whoever does take her is to be beaten: this law was made partly to preserve the species of birds, and prevent the decrease of them; for a dam let go might breed again, and to this purpose are the verses ascribed to Phocylides y, which contain the substance of this law, and this reason of it: and partly, as Maimonides observes z, that the dam might not be afflicted at the sight of the spoil of her young; for this law does not prohibit the taking of her in any other place but in her nest, nor after her young are taken, but not together; and, as the same writer remarks, if the law would have such care taken of beasts and birds, that they might be freed from sorrow and distress, how much more of man? Wherefore the intention of this law is to teach humanity, compassion, and pity in men to one another, and to forbid cruelty, covetousness, and such like vices; as also to instruct in the doctrine of Providence, which has a respect to birds; and our Lord may be thought to have this law in view, Luke 12:6.

t Misn. Cholin, c. 12. sect. 1. u Ib. sect. 2. w Ib. sect. 3. x Misn. Cholin, c. 12. sect. 5. y μηδε τις ορνιθας, &c. Poem. admon. l. 80, 81. z Moreh Nevochim, par. 3. c. 48.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

These precepts are designed to cultivate a spirit of humanity. Compare Deuteronomy 25:4; Leviticus 22:28; and 1 Corinthians 9:9-10.

Deuteronomy 22:8

The roofs of houses in Palestine were flat and used for various purposes. Compare Jos 2:6; 2 Samuel 11:2; Acts 10:9, etc. A battlement was almost a necessary protection. It was to be, according to the rabbis, at least two cubits high (about 3 ft.).