Exodus 21
1 Hæc sunt iudicia quæ propones eis.
Now these are the laws which you are to put before them.
2 Si emeris servum Hebræum, sex annis serviet tibi: in septimo egredietur liber gratis.
If you get a Hebrew servant for money, he is to be your servant for six years, and in the seventh year you are to let him go free without payment.
3 Cum quali veste intraverit, cum tali exeat: si habens uxorem, et uxor egredietur simul.
If he comes to you by himself, let him go away by himself: if he is married, let his wife go away with him.
4 Sin autem dominus dederit illi uxorem, et pepererit filios et filias: mulier et liberi eius erunt domini sui, ipse vero exibit cum vestitu suo.
If his master gives him a wife, and he gets sons or daughters by her, the wife and her children will be the property of the master, and the servant is to go away by himself.
5 Quod si dixerit servus: Diligo dominum meum et uxorem ac liberos, non egrediar liber:
But if the servant says clearly, My master and my wife and children are dear to me; I have no desire to be free:
6 offeret eum dominus diis, et applicabitur ad ostium et postes, perforabitque aurem eius subula: et erit ei servus in sæculum.
Then his master is to take him to the gods of the house, and at the door, or at its framework, he is to make a hole in his ear with a sharp-pointed instrument; and he will be his servant for ever.
7 Si quis vendiderit filiam suam in famulam, non egredietur sicut ancillæ exire consueverunt.
And if a man gives his daughter for a price to be a servant, she is not to go away free as the men-servants do.
8 Si displicuerit oculis domini sui cui tradita fuerat, dimittet eam: populo autem alieno vendendi non habebit potestatem, si spreverit eam.
If she is not pleasing to her master who has taken her for himself, let a payment be made for her so that she may go free; her master has no power to get a price for her and send her to a strange land, because he has been false to her.
9 Sin autem filio suo desponderit eam, iuxta morem filiarum faciet illi.
And if he gives her to his son, he is to do everything for her as if she was his daughter.
10 Quod si alteram ei acceperit, providebit puellæ nuptias, et vestimenta, et pretium pudicitiæ non negabit.
And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less.
11 Si tria ista non fecerit, egredietur gratis absque pecunia.
And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.
12 Qui percusserit hominem volens occidere, morte moriatur.
He who gives a man a death-blow is himself to be put to death.
13 Qui autem non est insidiatus, sed Deus illum tradidit in manus eius: constituam tibi locum in quem fugere debeat.
But if he had no evil purpose against him, and God gave him into his hand, I will give you a place to which he may go in flight.
14 Si quis per industriam occiderit proximum suum, et per insidias: ab altari meo evelles eum, ut moriatur.
But if a man makes an attack on his neighbour on purpose, to put him to death by deceit, you are to take him from my altar and put him to death.
15 Qui percusserit patrem suum aut matrem, morte moriatur.
Any man who gives a blow to his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.
16 Qui furatus fuerit hominem, et vendiderit eum, convictus noxæ, morte moriatur.
Any man who gets another into his power in order to get a price for him is to be put to death, if you take him in the act.
17 Qui maledixerit patri suo, vel matri, morte moriatur.
Any man cursing his father or his mother is to be put to death.
18 Si rixati fuerint viri, et percusserit alter proximum suum lapide vel pugno, et ille mortuus non fuerit, sed iacuerit in lectulo:
If, in a fight, one man gives another a blow with a stone, or with the shut hand, not causing his death, but making him keep in bed;
19 si surrexerit, et ambulaverit foris super baculum suum, innocens erit qui percusserit, ita tamen ut operas eius, et impensas in medicos restituat.
If he is able to get up again and go about with a stick, the other will be let off; only he will have to give him payment for the loss of his time, and see that he is cared for till he is well.
20 Qui percusserit servum suum, vel ancillam virga, et mortui fuerint in manibus eius, criminis reus erit.
If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment.
21 Sin autem uno die vel duobus supervixerit, non subiacebit pœnæ, quia pecunia illius est.
But, at the same time, if the servant goes on living for a day or two, the master is not to get punishment, for the servant is his property.
22 Si rixati fuerint viri, et percusserit quis mulierem prægnantem, et abortivum quidem fecerit, sed ipsa vixerit: subiacebit damno quantum maritus mulieris expetierit, et arbitri iudicaverint.
If men, while fighting, do damage to a woman with child, causing the loss of the child, but no other evil comes to her, the man will have to make payment up to the amount fixed by her husband, in agreement with the decision of the judges.
23 Sin autem mors eius fuerit subsecuta, reddet animam pro anima,
But if damage comes to her, let life be given in payment for life,
24 oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, manum pro manu, pedem pro pede,
Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 adustionem pro adustione, vulnus pro vulnere, livorem pro livore.
Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.
26 Si percusserit quispiam oculum servi sui aut ancillæ, et luscos eos fecerit, dimittet eos liberos pro oculo quem eruit.
If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant a blow in the eye, causing its destruction, he is to let him go free on account of the damage to his eye.
27 Dentem quoque si excusserit servo vel ancillæ suæ, similiter dimittet eos liberos.
Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.
28 Si bos cornu percusserit virum aut mulierem, et mortui fuerint, lapidibus obruetur: et non comedentur carnes eius, dominus quoque bovis innocens erit.
If an ox comes to be the cause of death to a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned, and its flesh may not be used for food; but the owner will not be judged responsible.
29 Quod si bos cornupeta fuerit ab heri et nudiustertius, et contestati sunt dominum eius, nec recluserit eum, occideritque virum aut mulierem: et bos lapidibus obruetur, et dominum eius occident.
But if the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and the owner has had word of it and has not kept it under control, so that it has been the cause of the death of a man or woman, not only is the ox to be stoned, but its owner is to be put to death.
30 Quod si pretium fuerit ei impositum, dabit pro anima sua quidquid fuerit postulatus.
If a price is put on his life, let him make payment of whatever price is fixed.
31 Filium quoque et filiam si cornu percusserit, simili sententiæ subiacebit.
If the death of a son or of a daughter has been caused, the punishment is to be in agreement with this rule.
32 Si servum, ancillamque invaserit, triginta siclos argenti domino dabit, bos vero lapidibus opprimetur.
If the death of a man-servant or of a woman-servant is caused by the ox, the owner is to give their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.
33 Si quis aperuerit cisternam, et foderit, et non operuerit eam, cecideritque bos aut asinus in eam,
If a man makes a hole in the earth without covering it up, and an ox or an ass dropping into it comes to its death;
34 reddet dominus cisternæ pretium iumentorum: quod autem mortuum est, ipsius erit.
The owner of the hole is responsible; he will have to make payment to their owner, but the dead beast will be his.
35 Si bos alienus bovem alterius vulneraverit, et ille mortuus fuerit: vendent bovem vivum, et divident pretium, cadaver autem mortui inter se dispertient.
And if one man's ox does damage to another man's ox, causing its death, then the living ox is to be exchanged for money, and division made of the price of it, and of the price of the dead one.
36 Sin autem sciebat quod bos cornupeta esset ab heri et nudiustertius, et non custodivit eum dominus suus: reddet bovem pro bove, et cadaver integrum accipiet.
But if it is common knowledge that the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and its owner has not kept it under control, he will have to give ox for ox; and the dead beast will be his.
