Deuteronomy 21:1-9

1 כִּי יִמָּצֵא חָלָל בָּאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ נֹפֵל בַּשָּׂדֶה לֹא נוֹדַע מִי הִכָּהוּ. 

2 וְיָצְאוּ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְשֹׁפְטֶיךָ וּמָדְדוּ אֶל הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹת הֶחָלָל. 

3  וְהָיָה הָעִיר הַקְּרֹבָה אֶל הֶחָלָל וְלָקְחוּ זִקְנֵי הָעִיר הַהִוא עֶגְלַת בָּקָר אֲשֶׁר לֹא עֻבַּד בָּהּ אֲשֶׁר לֹא מָשְׁכָה בְּעֹל. 

4  וְהוֹרִדוּ זִקְנֵי הָעִיר הַהִוא אֶת הָעֶגְלָה אֶל נַחַל אֵיתָן אֲשֶׁר לֹא יֵעָבֵד בּוֹ וְלֹא יִזָּרֵעַ וְעָרְפוּ שָׁם אֶת הָעֶגְלָה בַּנָּחַל. 

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi: embed"><span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">5  <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">וְנִגְּשׁוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי כִּי בָם בָּחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה וְעַל פִּיהֶם יִהְיֶה כָּל רִיב וְכָל נָגַע. <span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language:HE">

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi: embed"><span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">6 <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">וְכֹל זִקְנֵי הָעִיר הַהִוא הַקְּרֹבִים אֶל הֶחָלָל יִרְחֲצוּ אֶת יְדֵיהֶם עַל הָעֶגְלָה הָעֲרוּפָה בַנָּחַל. <span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi: embed"><span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">7 <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא  <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">שפכה  [<span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">שָׁפְכוּ] אֶת הַדָּם הַזֶּה וְעֵינֵינוּ לֹא רָאוּ. <span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi: embed"><span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">8  <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">כַּפֵּר לְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר פָּדִיתָ יְהוָה וְאַל תִּתֵּן דָּם נָקִי בְּקֶרֶב עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִכַּפֵּר לָהֶם הַדָּם.

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi: embed"><span lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;mso-bidi-language:HE">9 <span lang="AR-SA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi">וְאַתָּה תְּבַעֵר הַדָּם הַנָּקִי מִקִּרְבֶּךָ כִּי תַעֲשֶׂה הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה.

<p class="MsoNormal" dir="RTL" style="direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed;text-align:left;">1 If, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess, a body is found lying in open country, and it is not known who struck the person down, 2 then your elders and your judges shall come out to measure the distances to the towns that are near the body. 3 The elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked, one that has not pulled in the yoke; 4 the elders of that town shall bring the heifer down toa wadi with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the wadi. 5 Then the priests, the sonsof Levi, shall come forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to him and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD, and by their decision all cases of dispute and assault shall besettled. 6 All the elders of that town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi, 7 and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor were we witnesses to it. 8 Absolve, O LORD, your people Israel, whom you redeemed; do not let the guilt of innocent blood remain in the midst ofyour people Israel." Then they will be absolved of bloodguilt. 9 So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, because you must do what is right in the sight of the LORD. Jewish Exegetes

Onkelos
<p style="text-align:right;">א אֲרֵי יִשְׁתְּכַח קְטִילָא, בְּאַרְעָא דַּייָ אֱלָהָךְ יָהֵיב לָךְ לְמֵירְתַהּ, רְמִי, בְּחַקְלָא:  לָא יְדִיעַ, מַאן קַטְלֵיהּ. ב וְיִפְּקוּן סָבָךְ, וְדַיָּנָךְ; וְיִמְשְׁחוּן, לְקִרְוַיָּא, דִּבְסַחְרָנוּת, קְטִילָא. ג וּתְהֵי קַרְתָּא, דְּקָרִיבָא לִקְטִילָא--וְיִסְּבוּן סָבֵי קַרְתָּא הַהִיא עֶגְלַת תּוֹרִין, דְּלָא אִתְפְּלַח בַּהּ, דְּלָא נְגַדַת, בְּנִיר. ד וְיַחֲתוּן סָבֵי קַרְתָּא הַהִיא יָת עֶגְלְתָא, לִנְחַל בְּיָר, דְּלָא אִתְפְּלַח בֵּיהּ, וְלָא יִזְדְּרַע; וְיִקְפוֹן תַּמָּן יָת עֶגְלְתָא, בְּנַחְלָא. ה וְיִתְקָרְבוּן כָּהֲנַיָּא, בְּנֵי לֵוִי--אֲרֵי בְּהוֹן אִתְרְעִי יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ לְשַׁמָּשׁוּתֵיהּ, וּלְבָרָכָא בִּשְׁמָא דַּייָ; וְעַל מֵימַרְהוֹן יְהֵי, כָּל דִּין וְכָל מַכְתָּשׁ סְגִירוּ. ו וְכֹל, סָבֵי קַרְתָּא הַהִיא, דְּקָרִיבִין, לִקְטִילָא--יַסְחוֹן, יָת יְדֵיהוֹן, עַל עֶגְלְתָא, דִּנְקִיפָא בְּנַחְלָא. ז וְיָתִיבוּן, וְיֵימְרוּן:  יְדַנָא, לָא אֲשַׁדָא יָת דְּמָא הָדֵין, וְעֵינַנָא, לָא חֲזַאָה. ח כָּהֲנַיָּא יֵימְרוּן כַּפַּר לְעַמָּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּפְרַקְתָּא, יְיָ, וְלָא תִּתֵּין חוֹבַת דַּם זַכַּאי, בְּגוֹ עַמָּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל; וְיִתְכַּפַּר לְהוֹן, עַל דְּמָא. ט וְאַתְּ, תְּפַלֵּי אָשְׁדֵי דַּם זַכַּאי--מִבֵּינָךְ:  אֲרֵי תַּעֲבֵיד דְּכָשַׁר, קֳדָם יְיָ.

Matthew 27:24-25
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE">24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!"

Parallels
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE">Herodotous 1.35;

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE">Virgil, Aeneid 2.719;

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:HE">Sophocles Ajax 654

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