Exodus 21

1 And these [are] the judgments which you set before them:

Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

2 When you buy a Hebrew servant, he serves [for] six years, and in the seventh he goes out as a freeman for nothing;

If thou shalt buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall depart free for nothing.

3 if he comes in by himself, he goes out by himself; if he [is] owner of a wife, then his wife has gone out with him;

If he came in by himself, he shall depart by himself: if he was married, then his wife shall depart with him.

4 if his lord gives a wife to him, and she has borne sons or daughters to him—the wife and her children are her lord’s, and he goes out by himself.

If his master hath given him a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall depart by himself.

5 And if the servant really says: I have loved my lord, my wife, and my sons—I do not go out free,

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not depart free:

6 then his lord has brought him near to God, and has brought him near to the door, or to the doorpost, and his lord has bored his ear with an awl, and he has served him for all time.

Then his master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or to the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

7 And when a man sells his daughter for a handmaid, she does not go out according to the going out of the menservants;

And if a man shall sell his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not depart as the male slaves do.

8 if [it is] evil in the eyes of her lord, so that he has not betrothed her, then he has let her be ransomed; he has no power to sell her to a strange people, in his dealing treacherously with her.

If she shall not please her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

9 And if he betroths her to his son, he does to her according to the right of daughters.

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

10 If he takes another [woman] for him, he does not withdraw her food, her covering, and her habitation;

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

11 and if he does not do these three for her, then she has gone out for nothing, without money.

And if he shall not perform these three things for her, then shall she depart free without money.

12 He who strikes a man so that he has died is certainly put to death;

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

13 as for him who has not laid wait, but God has brought [him] to his hand, I have even set a place for you to where he flees.

And if a man shall not lie in wait, but God shall deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place where he shall flee.

14 And when a man presumes against his neighbor to slay him with subtlety, you take him from My altar to die.

But if a man shall come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from my altar, that he may die.

15 And he who strikes his father or his mother is certainly put to death.

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

16 And he who steals a man, and has sold him, and he has been found in his hand, is certainly put to death.

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

17 And he who is reviling his father or his mother is certainly put to death.

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

18 And when men contend, and a man has struck his neighbor with a stone, or with the fist, and he does not die, but has fallen on the bed;

And if men contend together, and one shall smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he shall not die, but keepeth to his bed:

19 if he rises, and has gone up and down outside on his staff, then the striker has been acquitted; he only gives [for] his cessation, and he is thoroughly healed.

If he shall rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be clear: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

20 And when a man strikes his manservant or his handmaid with a rod, and he has died under his hand—he is certainly avenged;

And if a man shall smite his male or female servant, with a rod, and he shall die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

21 only if he remains a day, or two days, he is not avenged, for he [is] his money.

However, if he shall continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

22 And when men strive, and have struck a pregnant woman, and her children have come out, and there is no harm [to them], he is certainly fined as the husband of the woman lays on him, and he has given through the judges;

If men shall contend, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit shall depart from her, and yet no harm follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

23 and if there is harm [to them], then you have given life for life,

And if any harm shall follow, 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.

Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 And when a man strikes the eye of his manservant, or the eye of his handmaid, and has destroyed it, he sends him away as a freeman for his eye;

And if a man shall smite the eye of his male servant, or the eye of his female servant, that it shall perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.

27 and if he knocks out a tooth of his manservant or a tooth of his handmaid, he sends him away as a freeman for his tooth.

And if he shall smite out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

28 And when an ox gores man or woman, and they have died, the ox is certainly stoned, and his flesh is not eaten, and the owner of the ox [is] acquitted;

If an ox shall gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be clear.

29 and if the ox is [one] accustomed to gore before, and it has been testified to its owner, and he does not watch it, and it has put to death a man or woman, the ox is stoned, and its owner is also put to death.

But if the ox was accustomed to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not restrained him, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.

30 If atonement is laid on him, then he has given the ransom of his life, according to all that is laid on him;

If there shall be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatever is laid upon him.

31 whether it gores a son or gores a daughter, according to this judgment it is done to him.

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

32 If the ox gores a manservant or a handmaid, he gives thirty silver shekels to their lord, and the ox is stoned.

If the ox shall push a male or female servant; he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 And when a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or donkey has fallen [in] there—

And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or a donkey shall fall into it;

34 the owner of the pit repays, he gives back money to its owner, and the dead is his.

The owner of the pit shall make payment, and give money to the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.

35 And when a man’s ox strikes the ox of his neighbor and it has died, then they have sold the living ox, and halved its money, and they also halve the dead one;

And if one man’s ox shall hurt another’s, that he shall die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.

36 or, [if] it has been known that the ox is [one] accustomed to gore before, and its owner does not watch it, he certainly repays ox for ox, and the dead is his.

Or if it shall be known that the ox was accustomed to push in time past, and his owner hath not restrained him; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.