Exodus 21

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

And these are the laws of justice 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; 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 by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he was the husband of a woman, then shall his wife 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 should give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters: the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out by himself.

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 should plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my 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.

Then shall his master bring him unto the judges, and he shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him till the jubilee.

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 sell his daughter for a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants 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 please not her master, to whom he hath assigned her, then shall he aid her to be redeemed: unto a strange nation he shall have no power to sell her, seeing he hath dealt faithlessly 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 should assign her unto his son, then shall he do unto her after the right 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 himself another wife, her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he 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 smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely 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.

And if he did not lie in wait, but God let it come into his hand, then will I appoint 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 upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile, from my altar shalt thou take him, 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 smiteth his father, or his mother, shall surely 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, and he be found in his hand, shall surely 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 surely 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 strive together, and one smite the other with a stone, or with the 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 crutch, then shall he that smote him be quit; 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 smite his servant or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand, it shall be surely 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.

Nevertheless, if he continue alive a day or two, it 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.

If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her children depart from her, and yet no farther mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, [with a fine, ] according as the husband of the woman will lay upon him; and he shall pay this by the decision of the judges.

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

And if any 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 Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.

Burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

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 the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish, he shall let him go free for the sake of 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 strike out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for the sake of 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 ox gore a man or a woman, that he die: then shall the ox be surely 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 were wont to gore in time past, and warning have been given to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, and he killeth a man or a woman: the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also should of right be put to death;

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

But there shall be laid on him a sum of money in atonement, and he shall give the ransom of his life whatsoever may be 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 gore a son, or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall be done unto 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 man-servant or a maid-servant, thirty shekels of silver shall he give to his 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;

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 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, he shall make restitution in money unto the owner thereof; and the dead beast 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 hurt the ox of another, that he die: then shall they sell the live ox, and divide his money; and the dead ox also they shall divide.

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 it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in: he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall belong to him.