שמות 21

1 ואלה המשפטים אשר תשים לפניהם

Now these are the laws which you are to put before them.

2 כי תקנה עבד עברי שש שנים יעבד ובשבעת--יצא לחפשי חנם

If you get a Hebrew servant for money, he is to be your servant for six years, and in the seventh year you are to let him go free without payment.

3 אם בגפו יבא בגפו יצא אם בעל אשה הוא ויצאה אשתו עמו

If he comes to you by himself, let him go away by himself: if he is married, let his wife go away with him.

4 אם אדניו יתן לו אשה וילדה לו בנים או בנות--האשה וילדיה תהיה לאדניה והוא יצא בגפו

If his master gives him a wife, and he gets sons or daughters by her, the wife and her children will be the property of the master, and the servant is to go away by himself.

5 ואם אמר יאמר העבד אהבתי את אדני את אשתי ואת בני לא אצא חפשי

But if the servant says clearly, My master and my wife and children are dear to me; I have no desire to be free:

6 והגישו אדניו אל האלהים והגישו אל הדלת או אל המזוזה ורצע אדניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעלם

Then his master is to take him to the gods of the house, and at the door, or at its framework, he is to make a hole in his ear with a sharp-pointed instrument; and he will be his servant for ever.

7 וכי ימכר איש את בתו לאמה--לא תצא כצאת העבדים

And if a man gives his daughter for a price to be a servant, she is not to go away free as the men-servants do.

8 אם רעה בעיני אדניה אשר לא (לו) יעדה--והפדה לעם נכרי לא ימשל למכרה בבגדו בה

If she is not pleasing to her master who has taken her for himself, let a payment be made for her so that she may go free; her master has no power to get a price for her and send her to a strange land, because he has been false to her.

9 ואם לבנו ייעדנה--כמשפט הבנות יעשה לה

And if he gives her to his son, he is to do everything for her as if she was his daughter.

10 אם אחרת יקח לו--שארה כסותה וענתה לא יגרע

And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less.

11 ואם שלש אלה--לא יעשה לה ויצאה חנם אין כסף

And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.

12 מכה איש ומת מות יומת

He who gives a man a death-blow is himself to be put to death.

13 ואשר לא צדה והאלהים אנה לידו--ושמתי לך מקום אשר ינוס שמה

But if he had no evil purpose against him, and God gave him into his hand, I will give you a place to which he may go in flight.

14 וכי יזד איש על רעהו להרגו בערמה--מעם מזבחי תקחנו למות

But if a man makes an attack on his neighbour on purpose, to put him to death by deceit, you are to take him from my altar and put him to death.

15 ומכה אביו ואמו מות יומת

Any man who gives a blow to his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

16 וגנב איש ומכרו ונמצא בידו מות יומת

Any man who gets another into his power in order to get a price for him is to be put to death, if you take him in the act.

17 ומקלל אביו ואמו מות יומת

Any man cursing his father or his mother is to be put to death.

18 וכי יריבן אנשים--והכה איש את רעהו באבן או באגרף ולא ימות ונפל למשכב

If, in a fight, one man gives another a blow with a stone, or with the shut hand, not causing his death, but making him keep in bed;

19 אם יקום והתהלך בחוץ על משענתו--ונקה המכה רק שבתו יתן ורפא ירפא

If he is able to get up again and go about with a stick, the other will be let off; only he will have to give him payment for the loss of his time, and see that he is cared for till he is well.

20 וכי יכה איש את עבדו או את אמתו בשבט ומת תחת ידו--נקם ינקם

If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment.

21 אך אם יום או יומים יעמד--לא יקם כי כספו הוא

But, at the same time, if the servant goes on living for a day or two, the master is not to get punishment, for the servant is his property.

22 וכי ינצו אנשים ונגפו אשה הרה ויצאו ילדיה ולא יהיה אסון--ענוש יענש כאשר ישית עליו בעל האשה ונתן בפללים

If men, while fighting, do damage to a woman with child, causing the loss of the child, but no other evil comes to her, the man will have to make payment up to the amount fixed by her husband, in agreement with the decision of the judges.

23 ואם אסון יהיה--ונתתה נפש תחת נפש

But if damage comes to her, let life be given in payment for life,

24 עין תחת עין שן תחת שן יד תחת יד רגל תחת רגל

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 כויה תחת כויה פצע תחת פצע חבורה תחת חבורה

Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.

26 וכי יכה איש את עין עבדו או את עין אמתו--ושחתה לחפשי ישלחנו תחת עינו

If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant a blow in the eye, causing its destruction, he is to let him go free on account of the damage to his eye.

27 ואם שן עבדו או שן אמתו יפיל--לחפשי ישלחנו תחת שנו

Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.

28 וכי יגח שור את איש או את אשה ומת--סקול יסקל השור ולא יאכל את בשרו ובעל השור נקי

If an ox comes to be the cause of death to a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned, and its flesh may not be used for food; but the owner will not be judged responsible.

29 ואם שור נגח הוא מתמל שלשם והועד בבעליו ולא ישמרנו והמית איש או אשה--השור יסקל וגם בעליו יומת

But if the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and the owner has had word of it and has not kept it under control, so that it has been the cause of the death of a man or woman, not only is the ox to be stoned, but its owner is to be put to death.

30 אם כפר יושת עליו--ונתן פדין נפשו ככל אשר יושת עליו

If a price is put on his life, let him make payment of whatever price is fixed.

31 או בן יגח או בת יגח--כמשפט הזה יעשה לו

If the death of a son or of a daughter has been caused, the punishment is to be in agreement with this rule.

32 אם עבד יגח השור או אמה--כסף שלשים שקלים יתן לאדניו והשור יסקל

If the death of a man-servant or of a woman-servant is caused by the ox, the owner is to give their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.

33 וכי יפתח איש בור או כי יכרה איש בר--ולא יכסנו ונפל שמה שור או חמור

If a man makes a hole in the earth without covering it up, and an ox or an ass dropping into it comes to its death;

34 בעל הבור ישלם כסף ישיב לבעליו והמת יהיה לו

The owner of the hole is responsible; he will have to make payment to their owner, but the dead beast will be his.

35 וכי יגף שור איש את שור רעהו ומת--ומכרו את השור החי וחצו את כספו וגם את המת יחצון

And if one man's ox does damage to another man's ox, causing its death, then the living ox is to be exchanged for money, and division made of the price of it, and of the price of the dead one.

36 או נודע כי שור נגח הוא מתמול שלשם ולא ישמרנו בעליו--שלם ישלם שור תחת השור והמת יהיה לו

But if it is common knowledge that the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and its owner has not kept it under control, he will have to give ox for ox; and the dead beast will be his.