The Skeptics Annotated Bible (191 page)

(22.23-24)
City Rape
If a woman is raped in the city and doesn’t cry out loud enough, the men of the city must stone her to death.
23 Does God approve of capital punishment?

23
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

(22.23)
“If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;”

24
Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city
; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.

(22.24)
“Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city.”

(22.25-27)
Country Rape
If a woman is raped in the country, then only the man shall die (since there was no one to hear her if she cried out.)

25 But
if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die:

(22.25)
“If a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die.”

26
But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing
; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter:

(22.26)
“But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing.”

27
For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

(22.27)
“For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.”

(22.28-29) If a man rapes an unbetrothed virgin, he must pay her father 50 shekels of silver and then marry her.

28
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

(22.28)
“If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found.”

29
Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife
; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.