< Exodus 21 >

1 These are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2 If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
If thou buy a Hebrew bondman, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3 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.
If he came in alone, he shall go out alone: if he had a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 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.
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.
5 And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out free:
But if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free;
6 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.
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.
7 If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to go out.
And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.
8 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.
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.
9 But if he have betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.
10 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.
If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish.
11 If he do not these three things, she shall 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 with a will to kill him, shall be put to death.
He that striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death.
13 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.
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.
14 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.
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.
15 He that striketh his father or mother, shall be put to death.
And he that striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
16 He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall certainly be put to death.
17 He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the death.
And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death.
18 If men quarrel, and the one strike his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
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,
19 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.
— 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.
20 He that striketh his bondman or bondwoman with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.
And if a man strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged.
21 But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it is his money.
Only, if he continue [to live] a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; for he is his money.
22 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.
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.
23 But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render life for life.
But if mischief happen, then thou shalt 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, stripe for stripe.
branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 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.
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.
27 Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.
And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.
28 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.
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.
29 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.
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.
30 And if they set a price upon him, he shall give for his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
If there be imposed on him a satisfaction, then he shall give the ransom of his life, according to what is imposed on him.
31 If he have gored a son, or a daughter, he shall fall under the like sentence.
Whether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him.
32 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.
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.
33 If a man open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, 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 into it,
34 The owner of the pit shall pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.
the owner of the pit shall make it good, shall give money to the owner of them; and the dead [ox] shall be his.
35 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:
— 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.
36 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.
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.

< Exodus 21 >