Exodus 21

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

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 servant, six years shall he serve thee: 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.

With what raiment he came in, with the like let him go out: if having a wife, his wife also 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.

But if his master gave him a wife, and she hath borne sons and daughters: the woman and her children shall be her master’s: but he himself shall go out with his raiment.

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:

And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out 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.

His master shall bring him to the gods, and he shall be set to the door and the posts, and he shall bore his ear through with an awl: and he shall be his servant 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.

If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to 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 displease the eyes of her master to whom she was delivered, he shall let her go: but he shall have no power to sell her to a foreign nation, if he despise her.

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

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

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

And if he take another wife for him, he shall provide her a marriage, and raiment, neither shall he refuse the price of her chastity.

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

If he do not these three things, she shall 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 with a will to kill him, shall 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 he that did not lie in wait for him, but God delivered him into his hands: I will appoint thee a place to which he must 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.

If a man kill his neighbour on set purpose and by lying in wait for him: thou shalt take him away from my 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.

He that striketh his father or mother, shall 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.

He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.

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

He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the 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;

If men quarrel, and the one strike his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth 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 again and walk abroad upon his staff, he that struck him shall be quit, yet so that he make restitution for his work, and for his expenses upon the physicians.

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

He that striketh his bondman or bondwoman with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.

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.

But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it 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.

If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child, and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman’s husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award.

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

But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render 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.

Burning for burning, 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.

If any man strike the eye of his manservant or maidservant, and leave them but one eye, he shall let them go free for the eye which he put out.

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

Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.

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.

If an ox gore a man or a woman, and they die, he shall be stoned: and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be quit.

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 was wont to push with his horn yesterday and the day before, and they warned his master, and he did not shut him up, and he shall kill a man or a woman: then the ox shall be stoned, an his 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.

And if they set a price upon him, he shall give for his life whatsoever is laid upon 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.

If he have gored a son, or a daughter, he shall fall under the like sentence.

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 he assault a bondman or a bond woman, he shall give thirty sicles of silver to their master, 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;

If a man open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, 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 pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.

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.

If one man’s ox gore another man’s ox, and he die: they shall sell the live ox, and shall divide the price, and the carcass of that which died they shall part between them:

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.

But if he knew that his ox was wont to push yesterday and the day before, and his master did not keep him in: he shall pay ox for ox, and shall take the whole carcass.