Deuteronomy 21:1-8 ▼

1 IF a person is found slain in the land which the LORD your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it is not known who has slain him;

2 Then your elders and your judges shall come forth, and they shall measure the distance to the cities which are round about him that is slain;

3 And the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has never been used for work nor has pulled in the yoke,

4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer to a barren valley which has never been ploughed nor sown, and shall slaughter the heifer there in the valley;

5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them the LORD your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every lawsuit and every attack be tried;

6 And all the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer which is slaughtered in the valley;

7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen the victim.

8 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.