6 All the elders of the city closest to the corpse will wash their hands over the cow whose neck was broken in the river valley.
7 They will then solemnly state: "Our hands did not shed this blood. Our eyes did not see it happen.
8 Lord, please forgive your people Israel, whom you saved. Don’t put the guilt of innocent bloodshed on your people Israel."Then the bloodguilt will be forgiven them.
9 But you must remove innocent bloodshed from your community; do only what is right in the Lord’s eyes.
10 When you wage war against your enemies and the Lord hands them over to you and you take prisoners,
11 if you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you fall in love with her and take her as your wife,
12 bringing her into your home, she must shave her head, cut her nails,