Some modern Bible versions, by misrendering a passage in Deuteronomy chapter 22, have given a great occasion for critics of the Bible to attack it. The NIV, for instance, renders Deuteronomy 22:28-29:
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 NIV
28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered,
29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
That clearly teaches that a woman must marry her rapist, period. The verse is rendered the same way in the CSB, HCS, CEV, GNT, ISV, and NET.
The King James Version renders the passage as follows:
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 KJV
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.
How do we know that this is speaking of a consensual action, and that "lay hold on" means "lay hold on" and not "rape"?
We know this because Deutero- means "second", and Deuteronomy is the second giving of the law. This law is originally given in Exodus, governing the exact same situation - fornication with an unbetrothed woman:
Exodus 22:16-17 KJV
16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.
17 If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
This is clearly talking about a consensual action, and this same law is what is being reiterated in Deuteronomy 22:28-29.
As can be seen above, the father does not have to give his daughter to the fornicating male that seduced her, but the man must pay the dowry regardless. This is so the father is not saddled with undue financial burdens resulting from her delay of marriage if he refused him, as the father took care of his daughter until she was married.
The Law concerning what is indisputably referring to rape is covered in the section before the passage in question:
Deuteronomy 22:23-27
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.
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:
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:
27 For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
This section teaches that if a woman claims that she is "forced" in the city, but did not cry out during the alleged attack, she is not to be believed, and both of them are treated as if they had committed adultery. However, if the event happened outside the city in the countryside, and the woman claims that it was forced, then by default, the woman's testimony is favored, since she has no recourse to defend herself. In that situation, only the man is killed. If the rapist is killed for the countryside assault, then logically, he would also be killed if caught in the city. So, the Bible teaches the death penalty for rape.
Some Christians may wince at the above law, but I don't. It makes sense. In the first place, God is going to make sure the victim is heard within the city, if she cries out. Secondly, husbands, brothers, neighbors, and fathers have a responsibility to make sure that a woman is never in a situation where something like this could even potentially happen. If it does, the ruling above is logical.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 in some modern versions of the Bible is used ad-nauseam by Atheists to criticize the Bible and give Christianity a bad name, which absolutely affects people's willingness to hear the Gospel or believe the Bible. This is proof that accuracy and perspicuity in Bible translation is tremendously important.
When comparing this passage with the original giving of the Law, it's easy to show that the Bible does not teach that a woman must marry her rapist. Instead, it teaches the death penalty for rape.