Exodus 21

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

Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set 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.

If thou shalt buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall depart free for nothing.

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

If he came in by himself, he shall depart by himself: if he was married, then his wife shall depart 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 master hath given him a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall depart by himself.

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

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not depart 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 his master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or to the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

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

And if a man shall sell his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not depart as the male slaves do.

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 shall not please her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

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

And if he hath betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

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

If he shall take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

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

And if he shall not perform these three things for her, then shall she depart free without money.

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

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

And if a man shall not lie in wait, but God shall deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place where he shall 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 if a man shall come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from my altar, that he may die.

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

And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely 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, and selleth him, or if he shall be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

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

And he that curseth 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 if men contend together, and one shall smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he shall not die, but keepeth 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 shall rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be clear: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

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 if a man shall smite his male or female servant, with a rod, and he shall die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

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

However, if he shall continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

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.

If men shall contend, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit shall depart from her, and yet no harm follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

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

And if any harm shall follow, then thou shalt 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.

Burning for burning, 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 if a man shall smite the eye of his male servant, or the eye of his female servant, that it shall perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.

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.

And if he shall smite out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

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.

If an ox shall gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be clear.

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 accustomed to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not restrained him, but that he hath killed a man or a 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 there shall be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatever is laid upon him.

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

Whether he hath gored a son, or hath gored a daughter, according to this judgment 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 the ox shall push a male or female servant; he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, 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 if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or a donkey shall fall into it;

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 payment, and give money to the owner of them; 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 if one man’s ox shall hurt another’s, that he shall die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall 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 shall be known that the ox was accustomed to push in time past, and his owner hath not restrained him; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.