< Exodus 21 >

1 Now these are the lawes, which thou shalt set before them:
These ben the domes, whiche thou schalt sette forth to hem.
2 If thou bye an Ebrewe seruant, he shall serue sixe yeres, and in the seuenth he shall go out free, for nothing.
If thou biest an Ebrew seruaunt, he schal serue thee sixe yeer; in the seuenthe yeer he schal go out fre,
3 If he came himselfe alone, he shall goe out himselfe alone: if hee were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
with out prijs; with what maner clooth he entride, with siche clooth go he out; if he entride hauynge a wijf, and the wijf schal go out to gidere.
4 If his master haue giuen him a wife, and she hath borne him sonnes or daughters, he wife and her children shalbe her masters, but he shall goe out himselfe alone.
But if the lord of the servaunt yaf a wijf to hym, and sche childide sones and douytris, the womman and hir children schulen be hir lordis; sotheli the seruaunt schal go out with his owne clooth.
5 But if the seruant saye thus, I loue my master, my wife and my children, I will not goe out free,
That if the seruaunt seith, Y loue my lord, and wijf, and children, Y schal not go out fre;
6 Then his master shall bring him vnto the Iudges, and set him to the dore, or to the poste, and his master shall bore his eare through with a nawle, and he shall serue him for euer.
the lord brynge hym to goddis, that is, iugis; and he schal be set to the dore, and postis; and the lord schal perse his eere with a nal, and he schal be seruaunt to hym til in to the world.
7 Likewise if a man sell his daughter to be a seruant, she shall not goe out as the men seruantes doe.
If ony man sillith his douyter in to seruauntesse, sche schal not go out as handmaidis weren wont to go out;
8 If shee please not her master, who hath betrothed her to him selfe, then shall hee cause to buy her: hee shall haue no power to sell her to a strange people, seeing he despised her.
if sche displesith in the iyen of hir lord, to whom sche was bitakun, he schal delyuere hir; sotheli he schal not haue power to sille hir to an alien puple, if he forsakith hir.
9 But if he hath betrothed her vnto his sonne, he shall deale with her according to the custome of the daughters.
Forsothe if he weddith hir to his sonne, he schal do to hir `bi the custom of douytris;
10 If he take him another wife, he shall not diminish her foode, her rayment, and recompence of her virginitie.
that if he takith another womman to hym, he schal puruey to the damysele weddingis, and clothis, and he schal not denye the prijs of chastite.
11 And if he do not these three vnto her, the shall she go out free, paying no money.
If he doith not these thre, sche schal go out freli without money.
12 He that smiteth a man, and he die, shall dye the death.
He that smytith a man, and wole sle, die bi deeth;
13 And if a man hath not layed wayte, but God hath offered him into his hande, then I wil appoynt thee a place whither he shall flee.
forsothe if a man settide not aspies, but God `bitook hym in to hise hondis, Y schal ordeyne a place to thee, whidur he owith to fle.
14 But if a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
If ony man sleeth his neiybore bi biforecastyng, and bi aspies, drawe thou hym awey fro myn auter, that he die.
15 Also hee that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the death.
He that smytith his fadir, ether modir, die by deeth.
16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if it be founde with him, shall die the death.
He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth.
17 And hee that curseth his father or his mother, shall die the death.
He that stelith a man, and sillith hym, if he is conuyt of the gilt, die bi deeth.
18 When men also striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but lieth in bed,
If men chiden, and the tother smyte his neiybore with a stoon, ether with the fist, and he is not deed, but liggith in the bed,
19 If hee rise againe and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote him go quite, saue onely hee shall beare his charges for his resting, and shall pay for his healing.
if he risith, and goith forth on his staf, he that smoot schal be innocent; so netheles that he restore hise trauelis, and costis in lechis.
20 And if a man smite his seruant, or his maide with a rod, and he die vnder his hande, he shalbe surely punished.
He that smytith his seruaunt, ether handmayde, with a yerde, and thei ben deed in hise hondis, schal be gilti of cryme.
21 But if he continue a day, or two dayes, hee shall not be punished: for he is his money.
Sotheli if the seruaunt ouerlyueth o dai, ether tweyne, he schal not be suget to peyne, `that is of deeth, for the seruaunt is his catel.
22 Also if men striue and hurt a woman with childe, so that her childe depart from her, and death follow not, hee shall bee surely punished according as the womans husband shall appoynt him, or he shall pay as the Iudges determine.
If men chiden, and a man smytith a womman with childe, and sotheli makith the child deed borun, but the womman ouerlyueth, he schal be suget to the harm, as myche as the `hosebonde of the womman axith, and the iugis demen.
23 But if death follow, then thou shalt paye life for life,
But if the deeth of hir sueth,
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hande for hand, foote for foote,
he schal yelde lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wounde, stripe for stripe.
brennyng for brennyng, wounde `with schedyng of blood for wounde `with schedyng of blood, `a wan wounde for a wan wounde.
26 And if a man smite his seruant in the eie, or his maide in the eye, and hath perished it, hee shall let him goe free for his eye.
If a man smytith the iye of his seruaunt, ethir of handmaide, and makith hem oon iyed, he schal delyuere hem fre for `the iye which he puttide out.
27 Also if he smite out his seruants tooth, or his maides tooth, he shall let him goe out free for his tooth.
Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.
28 If an oxe gore a man or a woman, that he die, the oxe shalbe stoned to death, and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the oxe shall goe quite.
If an oxe smytith with horn a man, ether a womman, and thei ben deed, the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and hise fleischis schulen not be etun, and the lord of the oxe schal be innocent.
29 If the oxe were wont to push in times past, and it hath bene tolde his master, and hee hath not kept him, and after he killeth a man or a woman, the oxe shall be stoned, and his owner shall die also.
That if the oxe was `a pultere with horn fro yisterdai and the thridde dai ago, and men warneden `the lord of hym, nether the lord closide hym, and he sleeth a man, ethir womman, bothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and thei schulen sle `the lord of hym;
30 If there be set to him a summe of mony, then he shall pay the raunsome of his life, whatsoeuer shalbe laied vpon him.
that if prijs is put to the lord, he schal yyue for his lijf what euer he is axide.
31 Whether he hath gored a sonne or gored a daughter, he shalbe iudged after the same maner.
And if he smytith with horn a son, and a douytir, he schal be suget to lijk sentence.
32 If the oxe gore a seruant or a mayde, hee shall giue vnto their master thirtie shekels of siluer, and the oxe shalbe stoned.
If the oxe asailith a seruaunt, and handmaide, the lord of the oxe schal yyue thretti siclis of siluer to `his lord; forsothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus.
33 And when a man shall open a well, or when he shall dig a pit and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein,
If ony man openeth a cisterne, and diggith, and hilith it not, and an oxe ether asse fallith in to it,
34 The owner of the pit shall make it good, and giue money to the owners thereof, but the dead beast shalbe his.
the lord of the cisterne schal yelde the prijs of the werk beestis; forsothe that that is deed schal be his.
35 And if a mans oxe hurt his neighbours oxe that he die, then they shall sel the liue oxe, and deuide the money thereof, and the dead oxe also they shall deuide.
If another mannus oxe woundith the oxe of another man, and he is deed, thei schulen sille the quyke oxe, and thei schulen departe the prijs; forsothe thei schulen departe bitwixe hem the karkeis of the deed oxe.
36 Or if it bee knowen that the oxe hath vsed to push in times past, and his master hath not kept him, he shall pay oxe for oxe, but the dead shall be his owne.
Forsothe if his lord wiste, that the oxe was a puttere fro yistirdai and the thridde dai ago, and kepte not him, he schal yelde oxe for oxe, and he schal take the hool carkeys.

< Exodus 21 >