Exodus 21
1 These ben the domes, whiche thou schalt sette forth to hem.
“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:
2 If thou biest an Ebrew seruaunt, he schal serue thee sixe yeer; in the seuenthe yeer he schal go out fre,
If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.
3 with out prijs; with what maner clooth he entride, with siche clooth go he out; if he entride hauynge a wijf, and the wijf schal go out to gidere.
If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.
4 But if the lord of the servaunt yaf a wijf to hym, and sche childide sones and douytris, the womman and hir children schulen be hir lordis; sotheli the seruaunt schal go out with his owne clooth.
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
5 That if the seruaunt seith, Y loue my lord, and wijf, and children, Y schal not go out fre;
But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’
6 the lord brynge hym to goddis, that is, iugis; and he schal be set to the dore, and postis; and the lord schal perse his eere with a nal, and he schal be seruaunt to hym til in to the world.
then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.
7 If ony man sillith his douyter in to seruauntesse, sche schal not go out as handmaidis weren wont to go out;
And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.
8 if sche displesith in the iyen of hir lord, to whom sche was bitakun, he schal delyuere hir; sotheli he schal not haue power to sille hir to an alien puple, if he forsakith hir.
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.
9 Forsothe if he weddith hir to his sonne, he schal do to hir `bi the custom of douytris;
And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.
10 that if he takith another womman to hym, he schal puruey to the damysele weddingis, and clothis, and he schal not denye the prijs of chastite.
If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.
11 If he doith not these thre, sche schal go out freli without money.
If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.
12 He that smytith a man, and wole sle, die bi deeth;
Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.
13 forsothe if a man settide not aspies, but God `bitook hym in to hise hondis, Y schal ordeyne a place to thee, whidur he owith to fle.
If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 If ony man sleeth his neiybore bi biforecastyng, and bi aspies, drawe thou hym awey fro myn auter, that he die.
But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.
15 He that smytith his fadir, ether modir, die by deeth.
Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
16 He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth.
Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
17 He that stelith a man, and sillith hym, if he is conuyt of the gilt, die bi deeth.
Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
18 If men chiden, and the tother smyte his neiybore with a stoon, ether with the fist, and he is not deed, but liggith in the bed,
If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,
19 if he risith, and goith forth on his staf, he that smoot schal be innocent; so netheles that he restore hise trauelis, and costis in lechis.
then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.
20 He that smytith his seruaunt, ether handmayde, with a yerde, and thei ben deed in hise hondis, schal be gilti of cryme.
If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21 Sotheli if the seruaunt ouerlyueth o dai, ether tweyne, he schal not be suget to peyne, `that is of deeth, for the seruaunt is his catel.
However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
22 If men chiden, and a man smytith a womman with childe, and sotheli makith the child deed borun, but the womman ouerlyueth, he schal be suget to the harm, as myche as the `hosebonde of the womman axith, and the iugis demen.
If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.
23 But if the deeth of hir sueth,
But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—
24 he schal yelde lijf for lijf, iye for iye, tooth for tooth, hond for hond, foot for foot,
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 brennyng for brennyng, wounde `with schedyng of blood for wounde `with schedyng of blood, `a wan wounde for a wan wounde.
burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.
26 If a man smytith the iye of his seruaunt, ethir of handmaide, and makith hem oon iyed, he schal delyuere hem fre for `the iye which he puttide out.
If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
27 Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.
And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
28 If an oxe smytith with horn a man, ether a womman, and thei ben deed, the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and hise fleischis schulen not be etun, and the lord of the oxe schal be innocent.
If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.
29 That if the oxe was `a pultere with horn fro yisterdai and the thridde dai ago, and men warneden `the lord of hym, nether the lord closide hym, and he sleeth a man, ethir womman, bothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus, and thei schulen sle `the lord of hym;
But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death.
30 that if prijs is put to the lord, he schal yyue for his lijf what euer he is axide.
If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.
31 And if he smytith with horn a son, and a douytir, he schal be suget to lijk sentence.
If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
32 If the oxe asailith a seruaunt, and handmaide, the lord of the oxe schal yyue thretti siclis of siluer to `his lord; forsothe the oxe schal be oppressid with stoonus.
If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
33 If ony man openeth a cisterne, and diggith, and hilith it not, and an oxe ether asse fallith in to it,
If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 the lord of the cisterne schal yelde the prijs of the werk beestis; forsothe that that is deed schal be his.
the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 If another mannus oxe woundith the oxe of another man, and he is deed, thei schulen sille the quyke oxe, and thei schulen departe the prijs; forsothe thei schulen departe bitwixe hem the karkeis of the deed oxe.
If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.
36 Forsothe if his lord wiste, that the oxe was a puttere fro yistirdai and the thridde dai ago, and kepte not him, he schal yelde oxe for oxe, and he schal take the hool carkeys.
But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
