Exodus 21
1 And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
“Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before 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 servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying 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 comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out 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 gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
5 But if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free;
But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’
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 shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
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 to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
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 she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.
9 And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.
If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with 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 wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.
11 And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
12 He that striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death.
“One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
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.
but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
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.
If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbour to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15 And he that striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
“Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
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 and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
“Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
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 quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to 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.
if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly 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.
“If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.
21 Only, if he continue [to live] a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; for he is his money.
Notwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his 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 fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.
23 But if mischief happen, then thou shalt give life for life,
But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for 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.
“If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
27 And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.
If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.
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 a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
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 bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
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.
If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.
31 Whether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him.
Whether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgement it shall be done to him.
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 bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
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 a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull 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 shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
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 one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide 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.
Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.
