Deuteronomy 21:1-9

1This is what you must do if you find a murder victim lying in a field in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. If no one knows who committed the murder,

2your leaders and judges must go and measure the distance from the body to each of the neighboring cities.

3When it has been determined which city is nearest the body, the leaders from that city must choose a heifer that has never been put to work and never worn a yoke.

4The leaders of that city will bring the heifer down to a river, to a location where the land hasn’t been plowed or planted. At the river they must break the heifer’s neck.

5The priests, the descendants of Levi, must come forward. The Lord your God has chosen them to serve him as priests and to bless people in the Lord’s name. Their decision is final in all cases involving a disagreement or an assault.

6All the leaders from the city which was nearest the murder victim must wash their hands over the dead heifer.

7Then they must make this formal statement: “We didn’t commit this murder, and we didn’t witness it.

8Lord, make peace with your people Israel, whom you freed. Don’t let the guilt of this unsolved murder remain among your people Israel.” Then there will be peace with the Lord despite the murder.

9This is how you will get rid of the guilt of an unsolved murder by doing what the Lord considers right.