משנה: אִם מָֽצְאוּ לוֹ זְכוּת פְּטָרוּהוּ וְאִם לָאו יוֹצֵא לִיסָּקֵל. וְהַכָּרוֹז יוֹצֵא לְפָנָיו אִישׁ פְּלוֹנִי בֶּן פְּלוֹנִי יוֹצֵא לִסָּקֵל עַל שֶׁעָבַר עֲבֵירָה פְלוֹנִית וּפְלוֹנִי וּפְלוֹנִי עֵדָיו וְכָל־מִי שֶׁהוּא יוֹדֵעַ לוֹ זְכוּת יָבוֹא וִילַמֵּד׃ MISHNAH: If they found him innocent20Upon reconsideration., they free him, otherwise he is led to be stoned. The herald21Greek κῆρυξ. goes before him: “X ben Y is led to be stoned because he committed crime Z; U and V testified against him22The call is for witnesses who can prove the original witnesses to be perjured.. Anybody who knows of his innocence shall come and argue.”
הלכה: אִם מָֽצְאוּ לוֹ זְכוּת כול׳. תַּנֵּי. שׁוֹר הַיּוֹצֵא לִיסָּקֵל וְנִמְצְאוּ עֵידָיו זוֹמְמִין. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. כָּל־הַקּוֹדֵם בּוֹ זָכָה. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר. הֶפְקֵר טָעוּת הוּא. וְכֵן עֶבֶד הַיּוֹצֵא לִיסָּקֵל וְהִקְדִּישׁוֹ בְעָלָיו. רִבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר. זָכָה לְעַצְמוֹ. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר. יֵיאוּשׁ שֶׁלְּטָעוּת הָיָה. HALAKHAH: “If they found him innocent,” etc. 23Better versions of this paragraph are in Sanhedrin 10:5:3" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sanhedrin.10.5.3">10:8 Note 337, Bava qamma 4:9 Notes 122–125. It was stated: If a bull was led out to be stoned when its witnesses were found to be perjured, Rebbi Joḥanan said, the first to come acquires it; Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, it was a false declaration of ownerlessness24This is Babylonian spelling. The Yerushalmi form is הבקר.. Similarly, if a slave was led out to be stoned when his owner dedicated him to the Temple25One has to read with the parallel sources: When his witnesses were found perjured. At the moment the slave is condemned to death, he loses all value for his owner; valueless objects cannot be dedicated. Therefore the dedication is the equivalent of declaring the slave ownerless., Rebbi Joḥanan said, he acquired himself; Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, it was false despair.