Exodus 21
1 And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
“These are the regulations you are to present to them:
2 If thou buy a Hebrew bondman, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to work for you for six years. But in the seventh year, he is to be freed without having to pay anything.
3 If he came in alone, he shall go out alone: if he had a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.
If he was single when he came, he is to leave single. If he had a wife when he came, she is to leave with him.
4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.
If his master provides him a wife and she has children with him, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall be freed.
5 But if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free;
However, if the slave formally states, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to be freed,’
6 then his master shall bring him before the judges, and shall bring him to the door, or to the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall be his bondman for ever.
then his master is to take him before the judges. Then he shall have him stand against the door or doorpost and use a metal tool to make a hole in his ear. Then he shall work for his master for life.
7 And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.
If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to be freed in the same way as male slaves.
8 If she is unacceptable in the eyes of her master, who had taken her for himself, then shall he let her be ransomed: to sell her unto a foreign people he hath no power, after having dealt unfaithfully with her.
If the man who chose her for himself is not pleased with her, he must let her be bought back. He is not permitted to sell her to foreigners, since he has been unfair to her.
9 And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.
If he chooses to give her to his son, he must treat her as a daughter.
10 If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish.
If he takes another woman, he must not reduce the food and clothing allowances and marital rights of the first.
11 And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
If he doesn't give her these three things, she is free to leave without paying anything.
12 He that striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death.
Anyone who hits and kills someone else must be executed.
13 But if he have not lain in wait, and God have delivered [him] into his hand, I will appoint thee a place to which he shall flee.
However, if it wasn't intentional and God let it happen, then I will arrange a place for you where they can run to and be safe.
14 But if a man act wantonly toward his neighbour, and slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
But if someone deliberately plans and purposely kills another, you must take them away from my altar and execute them.
15 And he that striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
Anyone who hits their father or mother must be executed.
16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall certainly be put to death.
Anyone who kidnaps someone else must be executed, whether the victim is sold or is still in their possessions.
17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
Anyone who despises their father or mother must be executed.
18 And if men dispute, and one strike the other with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but take to [his] bed,
If men are fighting and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and the injured man doesn't die but has to stay in bed,
19 — if he rise, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that struck [him] be guiltless; only he shall pay [for] the loss of his time, and shall cause [him] to be thoroughly healed.
and then gets up and walks around outside with his walking stick, then the one who hit him won't be punished, Even so, he must still compensate the man for the time lost from his work and make sure that he's completely healed.
20 And if a man strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged.
Anyone who hits their male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies as a result, must be punished.
21 Only, if he continue [to live] a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; for he is his money.
However, if after a day or two the slave gets better, the owner won't be punished because the slave is their property.
22 And if men strive together, and strike a woman with child, so that she be delivered, and no mischief happen, he shall in any case be fined, according as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and shall give it as the judges estimate.
If men who are fighting happen to hit a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely, but no serious injury occurs, he must be fined whatever amount the woman's husband demands and as permitted by the judges.
23 But if mischief happen, then thou shalt give life for life,
But if a serious injury does occur, then you must pay a life for a life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot,
25 branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a bruise for a bruise.
26 And if a man strike the eye of his bondman or the eye of his handmaid, and it be marred, he shall let him go for his eye.
Anyone who hits their male or female slave in the eye and blinds them must free the slave as compensation for the eye.
27 And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.
Anyone who knocks out the tooth of their male or female slave must free the slave as compensation for the tooth.
28 And if an ox gore a man or a woman, so that they die, then the ox shall certainly be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be guiltless.
If an ox uses its horns to kill a man or woman, the ox must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox won't be punished.
29 But if the ox have gored heretofore, and it have been testified to its owner, and he have not kept it in, and it kill a man or a woman, — the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
But if the ox has repeatedly hurt people with its horns, and its owner has been warned but still doesn't keep it under control, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned to death and its owner must also be executed.
30 If there be imposed on him a satisfaction, then he shall give the ransom of his life, according to what is imposed on him.
But if instead the payment of compensation is required, the owner may buy back his or her life by paying the full amount of compensation demanded.
31 Whether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him.
If the ox uses its horns and kills a son or a daughter the same rule is applicable.
32 If the ox gore a bondman or a handmaid, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
If the ox uses its horns and kills a male or female slave, the owner of the ox must pay thirty shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned to death.
33 — And if a man open a pit, or if a man dig a pit, and do not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it,
If someone removes the cover of a cistern or digs one and doesn't cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 the owner of the pit shall make it good, shall give money to the owner of them; and the dead [ox] shall be his.
the owner of the pit must pay compensation to the animal's owner and keep the dead animal.
35 — And if one man's ox gore his neighbour's ox, and it die, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money thereof, and divide the dead also.
If someone's ox injures another's ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and share money received; they must also share the dead animal.
36 Or if it be known that the ox have gored heretofore, and its owner have not kept him in, he shall in any case restore ox for ox; and the dead shall be his.
But if it was known that the ox had repeatedly hurt people with its horns, and its owner had been warned but still didn't keep it under control, full compensation must be paid, ox for ox, but the owner can keep the dead animal.”
