Exodus 21

1 “Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:

And these are the laws of justice which thou shalt set before them.

2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.

If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he was the husband of a woman, then shall his wife go out with him.

4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.

If his master should give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters: the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out by himself.

5 But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’

And if the servant should plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.

Then shall his master bring him unto the judges, and he shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him till the jubilee.

7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.

And if a man sell his daughter for a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants go out.

8 If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.

If she please not her master, to whom he hath assigned her, then shall he aid her to be redeemed: unto a strange nation he shall have no power to sell her, seeing he hath dealt faithlessly with her.

9 If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.

And if he should assign her unto his son, then shall he do unto her after the right of the daughters.

10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.

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

11 If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.

And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free, without money.

12 “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,

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

13 but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.

And if he did not lie in wait, but God let it come into his hand, then will I appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

14 If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

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

15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

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

16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

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

17 “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

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

18 “If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed;

And if men strive together, and one smite the other with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:

19 if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.

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

20 “If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.

And if a man smite his servant or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand, it shall be surely avenged.

21 Notwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his property.

Nevertheless, if he continue alive a day or two, it shall not be avenged; for he is his money.

22 “If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.

If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her children depart from her, and yet no farther mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, [with a fine, ] according as the husband of the woman will lay upon him; and he shall pay this by the decision of the judges.

23 But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,

And if any mischief follow, then shalt thou 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, and bruise for bruise.

Burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26 “If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.

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

27 If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.

And if he strike out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

28 “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.

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

29 But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.

But if the ox were wont to gore in time past, and warning have been given to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, and he killeth a man or a woman: the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also should of right be put to death;

30 If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.

But there shall be laid on him a sum of money in atonement, and he shall give the ransom of his life whatsoever may be laid upon him.

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

If he gore a son, or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall be done unto him.

32 If the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.

If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-servant, thirty shekels of silver shall he give to his master, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 “If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls 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 therein:

34 the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.

The owner of the pit shall make it good, he shall make restitution in money unto the owner thereof; and the dead beast shall be his.

35 “If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.

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

36 Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.

But if it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in: he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall belong to him.