Deuteronomy 22 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version
Deuteronomy 22
1Thou schalt not se `thi brotheris oxe, ethir scheep, errynge, and schalt passe, but thou schalt brynge ayen to thi brother.
2And if thi brother is not nyy, nether thou knowist hym, thou schalt lede tho beestis in to thin hows, and tho schulen be at thee, as long as thi brother sekith tho, and til he resseyue hem.
3In lijk maner thou schalt do of `the asse, and clooth, and of ech thing of thi brother, that was lost; if thou fyndist it, be thou not necgligent as of an alien thing.
4If thou seest that the asse, ethir oxe of thi brothir felde in the weye, thou schalt not dispise, but thou schalt `reise with hym.
5A womman schal not be clothid in a mannys clooth , nether a man schal vse a wommannys cloth; for he that doith thes thingis is abhomynable bifor God. If thou goist in the weie,
6and fyndist a `nest of a brid in a tree, ethir in the erthe, and fyndist the modir sittynge on the briddis ethir eyrun, thou schalt not holde the modir with `the children, but thou schalt suffre `the modir go,
7and schalt holde the sones takun, that it be wel to thee, and thou lyue in long tyme. Whanne thou bildist a newe hows,
8thou schalt make a wal of the roof bi cumpas, lest blood be sched out in thin hows, and thou be gilti, if another man slidith, and falle in to a dich.
9Thou schalt not sowe thi vyner `of another seed, lest bothe the seed which thou hast sowe, and tho thingis that `comen forth of the vyner, ben halewid togidere.
10Thou schalt not ere with an oxe and asse togidere.
11Thou schalt not be clothid in a cloth, which is wouun togidir of wolle and `of flex.
12Thou schalt make litle cordis bi foure corneris in the hemmys of thi mentil, `with which thou art hilid.
13If a man weddith a wijf, and aftirward hatith hir,
14and sekith occasiouns bi which he `schal forsake hir, and puttith ayens hir `the werste name, and seith, Y haue take this wijf, and Y entride to hir, and Y foond not hir virgyn; the fadir and modir of hir schulen take
15hir, and thei schulen bere with hem the signes of her virgynyte to the eldre men of the citee, that ben in the yate;
16and the fadir schal seie, Y yaf my douytir wijf to this man, and for he hatith hir, he puttith to hir `the werste name,
17that he seye, Y foond not thi douytir virgyn; and lo! these ben the signes of virgynyte of my douytir; thei schulen sprede forth a cloth bifor the eldre men of the citee. And the eldere men of that citee schulen
18take the man, and schulen bete hym,
19and ferthermore thei schulen condempne hym in an hundrid siclis of siluer, whiche he schal yyue to the `fadir of the damysel, for he diffamide the werste name on a virgyn of Israel; and he schal haue hir wijf, and he schal not mowe forsake hir, in al `the tyme of his lijf.
20That if it is soth, that he puttith ayens hir, and virgynyte is not foundun in the damysel, thei schulen caste hir `out of `the yatis of
21the hous of hir fadir; and men of that citee schulen oppresse hir with stoonys, and sche schal die, for sche dide vnleueful thing in Israel, that sche dide fornycacioun in `the hows of hir fadir; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro the myddis of thee.
22If a man slepith with `the wijf of another man, euer eithir schal die, that is, auowter and auowtresse; and thou schalt do awey yuel fro Israel.
23If a man spousith a damysel virgyn, and a man fyndith hir in the citee, and doith letcherie with hir,
24thou schalt lede euer eithir to the yate of that citee, and thei schulen be oppressid with stoonus; the damysel schal be stonyd, for sche criede not, whanne sche was in the citee; the man schal `be stonyd, for he `made low the wijf of his neiybore; and thou schalt do awei yuel fro the myddis of thee.
25Forsothe if a man fyndith in the feeld a `damysel, which is spousid, and he takith, and doith letcherie with hir, he aloone schal die;
26the damysel schal suffre no thing of yuel, nethir is gilti of deeth; for as a theef risith ayens his brothir, and sleeth `his lijf, so and the damysel suffride; sche was aloone in the feeld,
27sche criede, and noon was present, that schulde delyuer hir.
28If a man fyndith a damysel virgyn that hath no spowse, and takith, and doith letcherie with hir, and the thing cometh to the doom,
29he that slepte with hir schal yyue to `the fadir of the damysel fifti siclis of siluer, and he schal haue hir wijf, for he `made hir low; he schal not mow forsake hir, in alle the daies of his lijf.
30A man schal not take `the wijf of his fadir, nethir he schal schewe `the hilyng of hir.
Deuteronomy 22
1Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother.
2And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.
3In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother’s, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself.
4Thou shalt not see thy brother’s ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
5The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
6If a bird’s nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young:
7But thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
8When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence.
9Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
10Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
11Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together.
12Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself.
13If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her,
14And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
15Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate:
16And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;
17And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
18And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him;
19And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
20But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel:
21Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father’s house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.
22If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
23If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
24Then 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.
25But 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:
26But 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:
27For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
28If 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;
29Then 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.
30A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor discover his father’s skirt.
Understanding Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version in Deuteronomy 22
Wycliffe Bible (1395) (Wycliffe)
The first complete English translation of the Bible (1395) by John Wycliffe and his followers. Translated from the Latin Vulgate. A landmark in English history and the Reformation.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Deuteronomy 22 in the Wycliffe Bible (1395) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Deuteronomy 22:16
"and the fadir schal seie, Y yaf my douytir wijf to this man, and for he hatith hir, he puttith to hir `the werste name,"
"And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her;"





