Exodus 21

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

These are the judgments which thou shalt 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 thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out 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.

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.

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

If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to go out.

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 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.

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

But if he have betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

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

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.

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

If he do not these three things, she shall go out free without money.

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

He that striketh a man with a will to kill him, shall 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

He that striketh his father or mother, shall be put to death.

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

He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.

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

He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the 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 quarrel, and the one strike his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his 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.

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.

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

He that striketh his bondman or bondwoman with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.

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

But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it is his money.

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 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.

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

But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render life for 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.

Burning for burning, wound for wound, 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 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.

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

Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

And if they set a price upon him, he shall give for his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

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

If he have gored a son, or a daughter, he shall fall under the like sentence.

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 he assault a bondman or a bond woman, he shall give thirty sicles of silver to their master, and the ox shall 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 open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall 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 pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.

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 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:

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 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.