Exodus 21
1 “Here are some [other] instructions to give to [the Israeli people]:
Now, these are the regulations which thou shalt put before them.
2 When/If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve you for [only] six years. In the seventh year you must free him [from being your slave], and he is not required to pay you anything [for setting him free].
When thou shalt acquire a servant who is a Hebrew, six years, shall he serve, —but in the seventh shall he go out freely—for nought.
3 If he was not married before he became your slave, and if he marries [someone while he is your slave], his wife is not to be set free [with him]. But if he was married before he became your slave, you must free both him and his wife.
If, by himself, he came in, by himself, shall he go out, —if he was married, then shall his wife go out with him.
4 If a slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters [while her husband is a slave], only the man is to be freed. His wife and children will continue to be slaves of their master.
If his lord gave him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her lords, and, he shall go out by himself.
5 But when it is time for the slave to be set free, if the slave says, ‘I love my master and my wife and my children, and I do not want to be set free,’
But, if the servant shall plainly say, I love my lord, and my wife and my sons, —I will not go out free,
6 then his master must take him to [the place where they worship] God (OR, to [the owner’s] house). There he must make the slave stand against the door or the doorpost. Then the master will use an (awl/pointed metal rod) to make a hole in the slave’s ear. Then [he will fasten a tag to the slave’s ear to indicate that] (he will own that slave for the rest of his life/he will own the slave as long as the slave lives).
then shall his lord bring him near unto God, and shall bring him near unto the door, or unto the door-post, —and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl, so shall he serve him all his life.
7 If a man sells his daughter to become a slave, she should not be set free [after six years], as the male slaves are.
And when a man shall sell his daughter to be a handmaid, she shall not go out according to the out-going of the men-servants,
8 If the man who bought her wanted her to be his wife, but if [later] he is not pleased with her, he must sell her back to her father. He must not sell her to a foreigner, because that would be breaking the contract/agreement [he made with the girl’s father].
If she is uncomely in the eyes of her lord, who hath not assigned her in marriage, then shall he suffer her to be redeemed: to a strange people, shall he not have power to sell her in that he hath dealt treacherously with her.
9 If the man who buys her wants her to be a wife for his son, he must then treat her as though she were his own daughter.
And if, to his son, he assign her, according to the custom for daughters, shall he do for her.
10 If the master takes another slave girl to be another wife for himself, he must continue to give the first slave wife the same amount of food and clothing that he gave to her before, and he must continue to have sex [EUP] with her as before.
If he take to himself another, her food her clothing, and her marriage-right, shall he not withdraw.
11 If he does not do all these three things for her, he must free her [from being a slave], and she is not required to pay anything [for being set free].
But if these three, he will not do for her, then shall she go out for nought, without silver.
12 You must execute anyone who strikes another person with the result that the person who is struck dies.
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall surely be put to death.
13 But if the one who struck the other did not intend to kill that person, the one who struck him can escape to a place that I will choose for you, [and he will be safe there].
But he who hath not lain in wait, but, God, hath occasioned him to come to his hand, then will I appoint for thee a place, whither he may flee.
14 But if someone gets angry with another person and kills him, even if the murderer runs to the altar, [a place that God designated as a place to be safe], you must execute him.
But, when a man shall act presumptuously against his neighbour to slay him with guile, from mine altar, shalt thou take him to die.
15 Anyone who strikes his father or mother must surely be executed.
And, he that smiteth his father or his mother, shall, surely be put to death.
16 Anyone who kidnaps another person, either in order to sell that person or to keep him as a slave, must be executed.
And, he that stealeth a man of the sons of Israel, and selleth him, or he be found in his hand, shall, surely be put to death.
17 Anyone who reviles/curses his father or his mother must be executed.
And he who revileth his father or his mother, shall, surely be put to death.
18 Suppose two people fight, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist. And suppose the person he strikes does not die but is injured and has to stay in bed [for a while],
And when men strive together, and one shall smite the other, with a stone or with his fist, —and he die not, but shall fall to his bed; —
19 and later he is able to walk outside using a cane. Then the person who struck him does not have to be punished. However, he must pay the injured person the money he could not earn [while he was recovering], and he must also pay the injured person’s medical expenses until that person is well.
if he rise and shall walk abroad on his staff, then shall he that smote him be acquitted, —only, for his loss of time, he shall pay, and, shall surely heal, him.
20 If someone strikes his male or female slave with a stick, if the slave dies (immediately/as a result) [IDM], the one who struck him must be punished.
And when a man shall smite his servant or his handmaid with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall, surely be avenged;
21 But if the slave lives for a day or two after he is struck [and then dies], you must not punish the one who struck him. Not having that slave to be able to work for him any longer is enough punishment.
nevertheless if, for a day or for two days, he continue, he shall not be avenged, for, his silver, he is.
22 Suppose two people are fighting and they hurt a pregnant woman with the result that (she has a miscarriage/her baby is born prematurely and dies). If the woman is not harmed in any other way, the one who injured her must pay a fine. He must pay whatever the woman’s husband demands, after a judge approves of the fine.
And when men strive together and push against a woman with child, and she miscarry, but there is no other mischief, he shall, surely be fined, according as the woman’s husband shall lay upon him, but he shall give it through judges.
23 But if the woman is injured in some additional way, the one who injured her must be caused to suffer in exactly the same way [that he caused her to suffer]. If she dies, he must be executed.
But, if mischief follow, then shalt thou give life for life;
24 If her eye is injured or destroyed, or if he knocks out one of her teeth, or her hand or foot is injured, or if she is burned or bruised, the one who injured her must be injured in the same way.
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, —hand for hand, foot for foot,
brand for brand, wound for wound, —stripe for stripe.
26 If the owner of a slave strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he must free that slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s eye.
And, when a man smiteth the eye of his servant, or the eye of his handmaid, and destroyeth it, he shall send him forth, free, for his eye;
27 If someone knocks out one of his slave’s teeth, he must free the slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s tooth.
or, if, the tooth of his servant or the tooth of his handmaid, he knock out, he shall send him forth, free, for his tooth.
28 If a bull gores a man or woman with the result that the person dies, you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must not punish the owner of the bull.
And when an ox goreth a man or a woman, and death ensueth, the ox shall, surely be stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten, and the owner of the ox, shall be quit.
29 But suppose the bull had attacked people several times before, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep the bull inside a fence. Then you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must also execute its owner.
But, if, the ox, was wont to gore before that time and it hath been attested to his owner, and he hath not proceeded to put him under guard, and he causeth the death of man or woman, the ox, shall be stoned, and, his owner also, shall be put to death.
30 However, if the owner of the bull is allowed to pay a fine (to save his own life/in order not to be executed), he must pay the full amount that the judges say that he must pay.
If, a sin-covering, be laid on him, then shall he give a ransom for his life, according to whatsoever may be laid on him:
31 If someone’s bull attacks and gores another person’s son or daughter, you must treat the bull’s owner according to that same rule.
if, a son, he gore or, a daughter, he gore, according to this regulation, shall it be done to him;
32 If a bull attacks and gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay to the slave’s owner 30 pieces of silver. Then you must [kill the bull by] throwing stones at it.
if, a servant the ox gore, or a handmaid, thirty shekels of silver, shall he give to his lord, and, the ox, shall be stoned.
33 Suppose someone has a pit/cistern and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it [and dies].
And when a man openeth a pit, or when a man diggeth a pit, and doth not cover it, —and there falleth thereinto an ox or an ass,
34 Then the owner of the pit/cistern must pay for the animal that died. He must give the money to the animal’s owner, but then he can take away the animal that died and [do whatever he wants to with it].
the owner of the pit, shall make it good, silver, shall he pay back to the owner thereof, —and the dead beast, shall be his.
35 If someone’s bull hurts another person’s bull with the result that it dies, the owners of both bulls must sell the bull that is living, and they must divide [between them] the money [that they receive] for it. They must also divide [between them the meat of] the animal that died.
And when the ox of one man thrusteth the ox of his neighbour so that it dieth, then shall they sell the live ox and divide the silver thereof, and the dead ox also, shall they divide,
36 However, if people know that the bull often attacked other animals previously, and its owner did not keep it inside a fence, then the owner of that bull must give the owner of the bull that died one of his own bulls, but he can take away the animal that died [and do with it whatever he wants to do].”
Or if it was known that, an ox, was, wont to gore, before that time, and his owner proceeded not to put him under guard, he shall surely make good, —an ox for the ox, and, the dead one, shall be his.
