Exodus 21

1 Now these are the lawes, which thou shalt set before them:

“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

2 If thou bye an Ebrewe seruant, he shall serue sixe yeres, and in the seuenth he shall go out free, for nothing.

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.

3 If he came himselfe alone, he shall goe out himselfe alone: if hee were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.

4 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.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

5 But if the seruant saye thus, I loue my master, my wife and my children, I will not goe out free,

But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

6 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.

then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.

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

And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.

8 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.

If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.

9 But if he hath betrothed her vnto his sonne, he shall deale with her according to the custome of the daughters.

And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

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

If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.

11 And if he do not these three vnto her, the shall she go out free, paying no money.

If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

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

Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

13 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.

If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 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.

But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.

15 Also hee that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.

16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if it be founde with him, shall die the death.

Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.

17 And hee that curseth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.

18 When men also striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but lieth in bed,

If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

19 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.

then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.

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

If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.

21 But if he continue a day, or two dayes, hee shall not be punished: for he is his money.

However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.

22 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.

If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.

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

But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—

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

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 Burning for burning, wound for wounde, stripe for stripe.

burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.

26 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.

If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.

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

And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

28 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.

If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.

29 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.

But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death.

30 If there be set to him a summe of mony, then he shall pay the raunsome of his life, whatsoeuer shalbe laied vpon him.

If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.

31 Whether he hath gored a sonne or gored a daughter, he shalbe iudged after the same maner.

If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

32 If the oxe gore a seruant or a mayde, hee shall giue vnto their master thirtie shekels of siluer, and the oxe shalbe stoned.

If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.

33 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,

If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34 The owner of the pit shall make it good, and giue money to the owners thereof, but the dead beast shalbe his.

the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

35 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.

If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.

36 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.

But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.