Exodus 21

1 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

Now, these are the regulations which thou shalt put before them.

2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.

When thou shalt acquire a servant who is a Hebrew, six years, shall he serve, —but in the seventh shall he go out freely—for nought.

3 If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.

If, by himself, he came in, by himself, shall he go out, —if he was married, then shall his wife go out with him.

4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

If his lord gave him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her lords, and, he shall go out by himself.

5 But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

But, if the servant shall plainly say, I love my lord, and my wife and my sons, —I will not go out free,

6 then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.

then shall his lord bring him near unto God, and shall bring him near unto the door, or unto the door-post, —and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl, so shall he serve him all his life.

7 And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.

And when a man shall sell his daughter to be a handmaid, she shall not go out according to the out-going of the men-servants,

8 If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.

If she is uncomely in the eyes of her lord, who hath not assigned her in marriage, then shall he suffer her to be redeemed: to a strange people, shall he not have power to sell her in that he hath dealt treacherously with her.

9 And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

And if, to his son, he assign her, according to the custom for daughters, shall he do for her.

10 If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.

If he take to himself another, her food her clothing, and her marriage-right, shall he not withdraw.

11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

But if these three, he will not do for her, then shall she go out for nought, without silver.

12 Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death.

13 If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

But he who hath not lain in wait, but, God, hath occasioned him to come to his hand, then will I appoint for thee a place, whither he may flee.

14 But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

But, when a man shall act presumptuously against his neighbour to slay him with guile, from mine altar, shalt thou take him to die.

15 Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.

And, he that smiteth his father or his mother, shall, surely be put to death.

16 Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.

And, he that stealeth a man of the sons of Israel, and selleth him, or he be found in his hand, shall, surely be put to death.

17 Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.

And he who revileth his father or his mother, shall, surely be put to death.

18 If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

And when men strive together, and one shall smite the other, with a stone or with his fist, —and he die not, but shall fall to his bed; —

19 then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.

if he rise and shall walk abroad on his staff, then shall he that smote him be acquitted, —only, for his loss of time, he shall pay, and, shall surely heal, him.

20 If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.

And when a man shall smite his servant or his handmaid with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall, surely be avenged;

21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.

nevertheless if, for a day or for two days, he continue, he shall not be avenged, for, his silver, he is.

22 If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.

And when men strive together and push against a woman with child, and she miscarry, but there is no other mischief, he shall, surely be fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon him, but he shall give it through judges.

23 But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—

But, if mischief follow, then shalt thou give 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 burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.

brand for brand, wound for wound, —stripe for stripe.

26 If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.

And, when a man smiteth the eye of his servant, or the eye of his handmaid, and destroyeth it, he shall send him forth, free, for his eye;

27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

or, if, the tooth of his servant or the tooth of his handmaid, he knock out, he shall send him forth, free, for his tooth.

28 If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.

And when an ox goreth a man or a woman, and death ensueth, the ox shall, surely be stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten, and the owner of the ox, shall be quit.

29 But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death.

But, if, the ox, was wont to gore before that time and it hath been attested to his owner, and he hath not proceeded to put him under guard, and he causeth the death of man or woman, the ox, shall be stoned, and, his owner also, shall be put to death.

30 If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.

If, a sin-covering, be laid on him, then shall he give a ransom for his life, according to whatsoever may be laid on him:

31 If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

if, a son, he gore or, a daughter, he gore, according to this regulation, shall it be done to him;

32 If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.

if, a servant the ox gore, or a handmaid, thirty shekels of silver, shall he give to his lord, and, the ox, shall be stoned.

33 If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

And when a man openeth a pit, or when a man diggeth a pit, and doth not cover it, —and there falleth thereinto an ox or an ass,

34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

the owner of the pit, shall make it good, silver, shall he pay back to the owner thereof, —and the dead beast, shall be his.

35 If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.

And when the ox of one man thrusteth the ox of his neighbour so that it dieth, then shall they sell the live ox and divide the silver thereof, and the dead ox also, shall they divide,

36 But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.

Or if it was known that, an ox, was, wont to gore, before that time, and his owner proceeded not to put him under guard, he shall surely make good, —an ox for the ox, and, the dead one, shall be his.