Exodus 21

1 “These are the judgments which you shall place before them:

“These are the regulations you are to present to them:

2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve you; in the seventh, he shall depart freely, without charge.

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to work for you for six years. But in the seventh year, he is to be freed without having to pay anything.

3 With whatever clothing he arrived, with the like let him depart. If he has a wife, his wife also shall depart, at the same time.

If he was single when he came, he is to leave single. If he had a wife when he came, she is to leave with him.

4 But if his lord gave him a wife, and she has borne sons and daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her lord. Yet still, he himself will go out with his clothing.

If his master provides him a wife and she has children with him, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall be freed.

5 And if the servant will say, ‘I love my lord, and my wife and children, I will not depart freely,’

However, if the slave formally states, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to be freed,’

6 then his lord shall make an offering for him to the heavens, and it shall be applied to the door and the posts, and he will pierce his ear with an awl. And he shall be his servant in perpetuity.

then his master is to take him before the judges. Then he shall have him stand against the door or doorpost and use a metal tool to make a hole in his ear. Then he shall work for his master for life.

7 If anyone sells his daughter to be a servant, she shall not depart as a female servant is accustomed to go out.

If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to be freed in the same way as male slaves.

8 If she displeases the eyes of her lord, to whom she had been delivered, he shall dismiss her. But he shall have no authority to sell her to a foreign people, even if he despises her.

If the man who chose her for himself is not pleased with her, he must let her be bought back. He is not permitted to sell her to foreigners, since he has been unfair to her.

9 But if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall treat her according to the custom with daughters.

If he chooses to give her to his son, he must treat her as a daughter.

10 And if he takes another for him, he shall provide to the maiden a marriage, and clothing, and he shall not refuse the price of her chastity.

If he takes another woman, he must not reduce the food and clothing allowances and marital rights of the first.

11 If he does not do these three things, she shall depart freely, without money.

If he doesn't give her these three things, she is free to leave without paying anything.

12 Whoever strikes a man, intending to murder, shall be put to death.

Anyone who hits and kills someone else must be executed.

13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God delivered him into his hands, then I will appoint for you a place to which he must flee.

However, if it wasn't intentional and God let it happen, then I will arrange a place for you where they can run to and be safe.

14 If someone murders his neighbor with deliberation, by lying in wait, you shall tear him away from my altar, so that he may die.

But if someone deliberately plans and purposely kills another, you must take them away from my altar and execute them.

15 Whoever strikes his father or mother shall die a death.

Anyone who hits their father or mother must be executed.

16 Whoever will have stolen a man and sold him, having been convicted of the crime, shall be put to death.

Anyone who kidnaps someone else must be executed, whether the victim is sold or is still in their possessions.

17 Whoever speaks evil of his father or mother shall die a death.

Anyone who despises their father or mother must be executed.

18 If men will have quarreled, and one of them has struck his neighbor with a stone or a fist, and he does not die, but lies in bed,

If men are fighting and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and the injured man doesn't die but has to stay in bed,

19 if he gets up again and can walk outside on his staff, he who struck him will be innocent, but only if he makes sufficient restitution for his deeds and for the cost of the physicians.

and then gets up and walks around outside with his walking stick, then the one who hit him won't be punished, Even so, he must still compensate the man for the time lost from his work and make sure that he's completely healed.

20 Whoever strikes his male or female servant with a staff, and if they have died by his hands, he shall be guilty of a crime.

Anyone who hits their male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies as a result, must be punished.

21 But if he survives for one day or two, he shall not be subject to punishment, because it is his money.

However, if after a day or two the slave gets better, the owner won't be punished because the slave is their property.

22 If men will have quarreled, and one of them has struck a pregnant woman, and as a result she miscarries, but she herself survives, he shall be subject to as much damage as the husband of the woman shall petition from him, or as arbitrators shall judge.

If men who are fighting happen to hit a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely, but no serious injury occurs, he must be fined whatever amount the woman's husband demands and as permitted by the judges.

23 But if her death will have followed, he will repay a life for a life,

But if a serious injury does occur, then you must pay a life for a life,

24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot,

an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot,

25 a scrape for a scrape, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.

a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a bruise for a bruise.

26 If anyone will have struck the eye of his male or female servant, having left them with one eye, he shall release them freely, because of the eye that he has put out.

Anyone who hits their male or female slave in the eye and blinds them must free the slave as compensation for the eye.

27 Likewise, if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female servant, he shall similarly release them freely.

Anyone who knocks out the tooth of their male or female slave must free the slave as compensation for the tooth.

28 If an ox has struck a man or a woman with his horn, and if they die, it shall be stoned. And its flesh shall not be eaten; also, the owner of the ox will be innocent.

If an ox uses its horns to kill a man or woman, the ox must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox won't be punished.

29 But if the ox had been pushing with his horn, from yesterday and the day before, and they warned his owner, but he did not confine it, and it will have killed a man or a woman, then the ox shall be stoned, and his owner shall be killed.

But if the ox has repeatedly hurt people with its horns, and its owner has been warned but still doesn't keep it under control, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned to death and its owner must also be executed.

30 But if they have imposed a price on him, he shall give, in exchange for his life, whatever is asked.

But if instead the payment of compensation is required, the owner may buy back his or her life by paying the full amount of compensation demanded.

31 Likewise, if it has struck a son or a daughter with its horns, it shall be subject to a similar verdict.

If the ox uses its horns and kills a son or a daughter the same rule is applicable.

32 If it attacks a male or female servant, he shall give thirty shekels of silver to their lord, yet truly the ox shall be stoned.

If the ox uses its horns and kills a male or female slave, the owner of the ox must pay thirty shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned to death.

33 If a man digs or opens a cistern, and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

If someone removes the cover of a cistern or digs one and doesn't cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34 then the owner of the cistern shall repay the price of the beasts, and what is dead will belong to him.

the owner of the pit must pay compensation to the animal's owner and keep the dead animal.

35 If the ox of a stranger wounds the ox of another, and it has died, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price, but the carcass of the dead one they shall distribute between them.

If someone's ox injures another's ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and share money received; they must also share the dead animal.

36 But if he knew that his ox had pushed with its horns, yesterday and the day before, and its owner did not confine it, then he shall repay an ox for an ox, and he will receive the whole carcass.”

But if it was known that the ox had repeatedly hurt people with its horns, and its owner had been warned but still didn't keep it under control, full compensation must be paid, ox for ox, but the owner can keep the dead animal.”