Exodus 21

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

These are the judgments 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 thee: 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.

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 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.

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 servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go 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 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.

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

If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to 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 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 If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbour to kill him, you shall take him from my 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 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

He that striketh his father or mother, shall 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.

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

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

He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the 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;

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

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

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

But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it 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 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 any harm follows, then you must take life for life,

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

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.

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 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.

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

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, and they die, he shall be 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 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 a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.

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

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

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

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 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 “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,

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. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.

The owner of the pit shall pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.

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.

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 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 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.