Exodus 21

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

Now these are the lawes, 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 bye an Ebrewe seruant, he shall serue sixe yeres, and in the seuenth 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 himselfe alone, he shall goe out himselfe alone: if hee were married, 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 haue giuen him a wife, and she hath borne him sonnes or daughters, he wife and her children shalbe her masters, but he shall goe out himselfe 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 seruant saye thus, I loue my master, my wife and my children, I will not goe 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.

Then his master shall bring him vnto the Iudges, and set him to the dore, or to the poste, and his master shall bore his eare through with a nawle, and he shall serue him for euer.

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.

Likewise if a man sell his daughter to be a seruant, she shall not goe out as the men seruantes doe.

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 shee please not her master, who hath betrothed her to him selfe, then shall hee cause to buy her: hee shall haue no power to sell her to a strange people, seeing he despised 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 hath betrothed her vnto his sonne, he shall deale with her according to the custome of the daughters.

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

If he take him another wife, he shall not diminish her foode, her rayment, and recompence of her virginitie.

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 vnto her, the shall she go out free, paying no money.

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

He that smiteth a man, and he die, shall dye the 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.

And if a man hath not layed wayte, but God hath offered him into his hande, then I wil appoynt thee a place whither 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 come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to 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.

Also hee that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the 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, if it be founde with him, shall die the death.

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

And hee that curseth his father or his 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;

When men also striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but lieth in 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 hee rise againe and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote him go quite, saue onely hee shall beare his charges for his resting, and shall pay for his healing.

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 smite his seruant, or his maide with a rod, and he die vnder his hande, he shalbe surely punished.

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 he continue a day, or two dayes, hee shall not be punished: 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.

Also if men striue and hurt a woman with childe, so that her childe depart from her, and death follow not, hee shall bee surely punished according as the womans husband shall appoynt him, or he shall pay as the Iudges determine.

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

But if death follow, then thou shalt paye life for life,

24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hande for hand, foote for foote,

25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.

Burning for burning, wound for wounde, 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 smite his seruant in the eie, or his maide in the eye, and hath perished it, hee shall let him goe free 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.

Also if he smite out his seruants tooth, or his maides tooth, he shall let him goe out 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.

If an oxe gore a man or a woman, that he die, the oxe shalbe stoned to death, and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the oxe shall goe quite.

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.

If the oxe were wont to push in times past, and it hath bene tolde his master, and hee hath not kept him, and after he killeth a man or a woman, the oxe shall be stoned, and his owner shall die also.

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

If there be set to him a summe of mony, then he shall pay the raunsome of his life, whatsoeuer shalbe laied vpon 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 he hath gored a sonne or gored a daughter, he shalbe iudged after the same maner.

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 oxe gore a seruant or a mayde, hee shall giue vnto their master thirtie shekels of siluer, and the oxe shalbe 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 when a man shall open a well, or when he shall dig a pit and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein,

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, and giue money to the owners thereof, but the dead beast shalbe 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 a mans oxe hurt his neighbours oxe that he die, then they shall sel the liue oxe, and deuide the money thereof, and the dead oxe also they shall deuide.

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 bee knowen that the oxe hath vsed to push in times past, and his master hath not kept him, he shall pay oxe for oxe, but the dead shall be his owne.