The Letter of the Law: Ordinances

Cp. Deuteronomy 23.25-26

If any man thereof construct a threshing floor or a wine press, anyone belonging to the community of Israel who comes upon it and himself has nothing may feed himself from it and gather for himself and [his] hou[sehold]. Within the field he may eat to his satisfaction, but he may not bring anything to deposit it (there).

Cp. Exodus 30:11-16

Regarding the assessment of half a shekel which everyone is to furnish to coverage for his own person, (for this) there is to be a single [scale of value] throughout his life: the shekel is to be estimated as twenty gerahs, in accordance with the standard used for sacred purposes. (Thus) the 600,000 men (with Moses in the Wilderness) would have had to pay (a total of) one hundred talents each of the three (customary divisions of the armed forces), half a talent; and a contingent of fifty men, half a mina, i.e. 25 shekels …

(There follows a specification of equivalencies, but the text is too fragmentary for translation.)

Ephah and bath are equivalent.

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Cp. Leviticus. 25.42

They may not serve as slaves to Gentiles, (living) among foreigners, [for when the LORD brought them out of the land of] He enjoined upon them the commandment that they should not be sold as a slave is sold

[For the settlement of legal disputes there shall be a council of te[en] laymen and two priests, and it is to these twelve that recourse must be had …

If within (the community of) Israel, a capital charge be preferred, these men’s opinion must be sought.

Cp. Joshua 1.18

Anyone who offers defiance and takes the law into his own hands, is to be put to death.

Cp. Deuteronomy 22.5

A woman is not to put on the accoutrements of a man; and a man is not to clothe himself in the cloak of a woman, nor wear a woman’s shift; for that is an abomination.

Cp. Deuteronomy 22.14-21

If a man impugn the virtue of an Israelite virgin, alleging that he married her [under false pretenses], she shall be reliably examined, and if he has not lied about her, she shall be put to death. But if (it be shown that) he has borne [false] witness against her, he shall be fined two minas, and he may not divorce her for the rest of his life …

(The rest is fragmentary)