Exodus 21
1 haec sunt iudicia quae propones eis
“Here are some [other] instructions to give to [the Israeli people]:
2 si emeris servum hebraeum sex annis serviet tibi in septimo egredietur liber gratis
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].
3 cum quali veste intraverit cum tali exeat si habens uxorem et uxor egredietur simul
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.
4 sin autem dominus dederit illi uxorem et peperit filios et filias mulier et liberi eius erunt domini sui ipse vero exibit cum vestitu suo
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.
5 quod si dixerit servus diligo dominum meum et uxorem ac liberos non egrediar liber
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,’
6 offeret eum dominus diis et adplicabitur ad ostium et postes perforabitque aurem eius subula et erit ei servus in saeculum
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).
7 si quis vendiderit filiam suam in famulam non egredietur sicut ancillae exire consuerunt
If a man sells his daughter to become a slave, she should not be set free [after six years], as the male slaves are.
8 si displicuerit oculis domini sui cui tradita fuerit dimittet eam populo autem alieno vendendi non habet potestatem si spreverit eam
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].
9 sin autem filio suo desponderit eam iuxta morem filiarum faciet illi
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.
10 quod si alteram ei acceperit providebit puellae nuptias et vestimenta et pretium pudicitiae non negabit
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.
11 si tria ista non fecerit egredietur gratis absque pecunia
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].
12 qui percusserit hominem volens occidere morte moriatur
You must execute anyone who strikes another person with the result that the person who is struck dies.
13 qui autem non est insidiatus sed Deus illum tradidit in manu eius constituam tibi locum quo fugere debeat
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].
14 si quis de industria occiderit proximum suum et per insidias ab altari meo evelles eum ut moriatur
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.
15 qui percusserit patrem suum et matrem morte moriatur
Anyone who strikes his father or mother must surely be executed.
16 qui furatus fuerit hominem et vendiderit eum convictus noxae morte moriatur
Anyone who kidnaps another person, either in order to sell that person or to keep him as a slave, must be executed.
17 qui maledixerit patri suo et matri morte moriatur
Anyone who reviles/curses his father or his mother must be executed.
18 si rixati fuerint viri et percusserit alter proximum suum lapide vel pugno et ille mortuus non fuerit sed iacuerit in lectulo
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],
19 si surrexerit et ambulaverit foris super baculum suum innocens erit qui percussit ita tamen ut operas eius et inpensas in medicos restituat
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.
20 qui percusserit servum suum vel ancillam virga et mortui fuerint in manibus eius criminis reus erit
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.
21 sin autem uno die supervixerit vel duobus non subiacebit poenae quia pecunia illius est
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.
22 si rixati fuerint viri et percusserit quis mulierem praegnantem et abortivum quidem fecerit sed ipsa vixerit subiacebit damno quantum expetierit maritus mulieris et arbitri iudicarint
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.
23 sin autem mors eius fuerit subsecuta reddet animam pro anima
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.
24 oculum pro oculo dentem pro dente manum pro manu pedem pro pede
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.
25 adustionem pro adustione vulnus pro vulnere livorem pro livore
26 si percusserit quispiam oculum servi sui aut ancillae et luscos eos fecerit dimittet liberos pro oculo quem eruit
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.
27 dentem quoque si excusserit servo vel ancillae suae similiter dimittet eos liberos
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.
28 si bos cornu petierit virum aut mulierem et mortui fuerint lapidibus obruetur et non comedentur carnes eius dominusque bovis innocens erit
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.
29 quod si bos cornipeta fuerit ab heri et nudius tertius et contestati sunt dominum eius nec reclusit eum occideritque virum aut mulierem et bos lapidibus obruetur et dominum illius occident
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.
30 quod si pretium ei fuerit inpositum dabit pro anima sua quicquid fuerit postulatus
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.
31 filium quoque et filiam si cornu percusserit simili sententiae subiacebit
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.
32 si servum ancillamque invaserit triginta siclos argenti dabit domino bos vero lapidibus opprimetur
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.
33 si quis aperuerit cisternam et foderit et non operuerit eam cecideritque bos vel asinus in eam
Suppose someone has a pit/cistern and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it [and dies].
34 dominus cisternae reddet pretium iumentorum quod autem mortuum est ipsius erit
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].
35 si bos alienus bovem alterius vulnerarit et ille mortuus fuerit vendent bovem vivum et divident pretium cadaver autem mortui inter se dispertient
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.
36 sin autem sciebat quod bos cornipeta esset ab heri et nudius tertius et non custodivit eum dominus suus reddet bovem pro bove et cadaver integrum accipiet
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].”
