Deuteronomy 22:17-27

17 he putteth to her the worst name, that he saith, I found not thy daughter a virgin (he hath put on her the worst name, for he saith, I did not find thy daughter to be a virgin); and lo! these be the tokens of the virginity of my daughter; (and) they shall spread forth a cloth before the elder men of the city.

18 And the elder men of that city shall take the man, and shall beat him,

19 and furthermore they shall condemn him in an hundred shekels of silver, which he shall give to the father of the damsel, for he defamed her by the worst name that may be upon a virgin of Israel; and he shall have her to wife, and he shall not be able to forsake her, in all his lifetime. (and furthermore they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, which he shall give to the young woman's father, for he defamed her with the worst name that can be put on a virgin of Israel; and he shall have her for his wife, and he shall not be able to divorce her, all the days of his life.)

20 That if it is found sooth, that (that) he putteth against her, and virginity is not found in the damsel, (But if what he hath put against her is found to be true, and no proof of the young woman's virginity is found,)

21 they shall cast her out of her father's gates; and men of that city shall oppress her with stones, and she shall die, for she did [an] unleaveful thing in Israel, that she did lechery in her father's house; and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee. (then they shall bring her to the door of her father's house; and men of that city shall kill her with stones, and she shall die, for she did an unlawful thing in Israel, she did lechery in her father's house; and so thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee.)

22 If a man sleepeth with the wife of another man, ever either shall die, that is, the adulterer, and the adulteress; and thus thou shalt do away evil from Israel.

23 If a man espouseth a damsel (who is a) virgin, and another man findeth her in the city, and doeth lechery with her,

24 thou shalt lead ever either to the gate of that city, and they shall be killed with stones (and both of them shall be killed with stones); the damsel shall be stoned, for she cried not, when she was in the city; the man shall be stoned, for he defouled his neighbour's wife; and thus thou shalt do away evil from the midst of thee.

25 But if a man findeth in the field a damsel, which is espoused (who is espoused), and he taketh (hold of) her, and doeth lechery with her, he alone shall die;

26 the damsel shall suffer nothing of evil, neither is guilty of death; for as a thief riseth against his brother, and slayeth him, so and the damsel suffered; (the young woman shall not suffer any punishment, nor is she guilty of anything deserving of death; for like a thief riseth against his brother, or his kinsman, and killeth him, so this young woman also hath suffered;)

27 she was alone in the field, she cried, and none was present, that should deliver her. (for she was alone in the field, and she cried, but no one was present, who could save her.)

Deuteronomy 22:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 22

In this chapter are various laws, concerning care of a neighbour's cattle gone astray or in distress, and of anything lost by him, De 22:1-4, forbidding one sex to wear the apparel, of another, De 22:5 and the taking away of the dam with the young found in a bird's nest, De 22:6,7, ordering battlements to be made in a new house, De 22:8, prohibiting mixtures in sowing, ploughing, and in garments, De 22:9-11, requiring fringes on the four quarters of a garment, De 22:12, fining a man that slanders his wife, upon producing the tokens of her virginity, De 22:13-19 but if these cannot be produced, then orders are given that she be put to death, De 22:20-21, then follow other laws, punishing with death the adulterer and adulteress, and one that hath ravished a betrothed damsel, De 22:22-27, amercing a person that lies with a virgin not betrothed and she consenting, and obliging him to marry her, and not suffering him to divorce her, De 22:28-29 and another against a man's lying with his father's wife, De 22:30.