Exodus 21

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

And these are the laws of justice which thou shalt set before them.

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

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

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 bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go 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 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.

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

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 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.

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

And if he should assign her unto his son, then shall he do unto her after the right of the daughters.

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

If he take himself another wife, her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

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

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

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

He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death.

13 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.

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 act wantonly toward his neighbour, and slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

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

And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

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

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

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

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

18 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,

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 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.

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

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

Nevertheless, if he continue alive a day or two, it shall not be avenged; for he is his money.

22 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.

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 mischief happen, then thou shalt give life 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 branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

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

26 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.

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

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 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.

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

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

If he gore a son, or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall be done unto him.

32 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.

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 — 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,

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

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 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.

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.