Deuteronomy 21

This chapter provides laws covering civic responsibilities and community atonement. It addresses the ritual for an unsolved murder, requiring the elders of the nearest town to publicly declare their innocence and offer a special sacrifice to atone for the guilt in the land. It also includes laws concerning marriage to a female captive of war, the inheritance rights of a firstborn son (even if from an unloved wife), and the need to bury a condemned criminal the same day he is executed.