Exodus 21

1 Now these are the laws which you are to put before them.

And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

2 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.

If thou buy a Hebrew bondman, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3 If he comes to you by himself, let him go away by himself: if he is married, let his wife go away with him.

If he came in alone, he shall go out alone: if he had a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.

4 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.

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.

5 But if the servant says clearly, My master and my wife and children are dear to me; I have no desire to be free:

But if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free;

6 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.

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.

7 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.

And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.

8 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.

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.

9 And if he gives her to his son, he is to do everything for her as if she was his daughter.

And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.

10 And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less.

If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish.

11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.

And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

12 He who gives a man a death-blow is himself to be put to death.

He that striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death.

13 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.

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.

14 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.

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.

15 Any man who gives a blow to his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

And he that striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.

16 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.

And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall certainly be put to death.

17 Any man cursing his father or his mother is to be put to death.

And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.

18 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;

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,

19 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.

— 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.

20 If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment.

And if a man strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged.

21 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.

Only, if he continue [to live] a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; for he is his money.

22 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.

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.

23 But if damage comes to her, let life be given in payment for life,

But if mischief happen, 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 Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.

branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 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.

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.

27 Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.

And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.

28 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.

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.

29 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.

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.

30 If a price is put on his life, let him make payment of whatever price is fixed.

If there be imposed on him a satisfaction, then he shall give the ransom of his life, according to what is imposed on him.

31 If the death of a son or of a daughter has been caused, the punishment is to be in agreement with this rule.

Whether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him.

32 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.

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.

33 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;

— 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,

34 The owner of the hole is responsible; he will have to make payment to their owner, but the dead beast will be his.

the owner of the pit shall make it good, shall give money to the owner of them; and the dead [ox] shall be his.

35 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.

— 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.

36 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.

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.