2 Mose 21

1 “Mmara a ɛsɛ sɛ woka kyerɛ wɔn no ni:

“Here are some [other] instructions to give to [the Israeli people]:

2 “Sɛ wotɔ akoa a ɔyɛ Hebrini a, ma no nsom wo mfe asia, na afe a ɛto so ason no, ɔmfa ne ho nni a ontua hwee.

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 Sɛ ɔbɛyɛɛ wʼakoa no na ɔyɛ osigyani na sɛ akyiri no ɔware a, ɔno nko ara na sɛ mfe ason no du a ɔbɛkɔ. Na sɛ nso na waware ansa na ɔrebɛyɛ akoa de a, ɔne ne yere no na wɔbɛkɔ.

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 Sɛ nso ne wura no na ɔmaa no ɔbea waree wɔ ne nkoasom no mu, na sɛ wɔwo mmabarima ne mmabea a, ɔyere ne mma no bɛyɛ owura no de, na okunu no akɔ ne baabi.

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 “Na sɛ ɔbarima no pae mu ka se, ‘Mepɛ me wura ne me yere ne me mma asɛm nti merenkɔ’ a,

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 ne wura no de no bɛba atemmufo anim na wɔde fitii afiti nʼasom bagua mu na watena ne wura no nkyɛn sɛ akoa afebɔɔ.

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 “Sɛ ɔbarima bi tɔn ne babea sɛ afenaa a, mfe asia no du a, wɔrennyaa no sɛnea wogyaa mmarima nkoa no.

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 Sɛ ne som no nsɔ onipa a ɔtɔɔ no no ani a, onipa ko a ɔtɔn no no wɔ ho kwan sɛ ɔsan tɔ no bio. Nanso afenaa no wura no nni ho kwan sɛ ɔtɔn no ma ɔnanani biara, efisɛ sɛ ɔyɛ saa a, na wabu ɔtɔn no ho nhyehyɛe so.

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 Na sɛ afenaa wura no de afenaa no ma ne babarima aware a, afenaa no bɛyɛ owura no babea.

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 Sɛ ɔno ara ankasa ware no na ɔsan ware foforo a, ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔtew nʼaduan ne ntama a ɔde ma no no so; na ɛnsɛ sɛ ɔkame no nna sɛ ɔyere.

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 Na sɛ wantumi anni saa ahyɛde abiɛsa yi so a, afenaa a ɔyɛ ɔyere no tumi kɔ kwa a ontua sika biara.”

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 “Obiara a ɔbɛbɔ obi akum no no, wobekum no bi.

You must execute anyone who strikes another person with the result that the person who is struck dies.

13 Sɛ ɛyɛ asiane a ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn nhyehyɛe a wanhyɛ da a, mɛkyerɛ onii no baabi a onguan nkohintaw.

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 Sɛ obi hyɛ da taataa ɔfoforo so pɛ sɛ okum no a, onii no gyina afɔremuka anim koraa a, montwe no nkokum no.

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 “Nea ɔbɔ nʼagya anaa ne na no, kum na ɛsɛ sɛ wokum no.

Anyone who strikes his father or mother must surely be executed.

16 “Obi a owia onipa no, sɛ wɔkyere no sɛ saa onipa no wɔ ne nsam anaasɛ watɔn no a, wonkum no.

Anyone who kidnaps another person, either in order to sell that person or to keep him as a slave, must be executed.

17 “Nea ɔdome nʼagya anaa ne na no, kum na ɛsɛ sɛ wokum no.

Anyone who reviles/curses his father or his mother must be executed.

18 “Sɛ mmarima baanu reko na wɔn mu baako de ɔbo anaa kuturuku bɔ ɔbaako no pira no, na wanwu, nanso ɛka no to mpa so,

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 na akyiri no, otumi sɔre nantew na mpo sɛ ɔtɔ ne nan so a, ɔbarima a ɔbɔɔ ne yɔnko no di bem, nanso ɔbaako no bere a wasɛe no no, obetua ho sika ama no, asan atua nʼayaresa ka nyinaa kosi sɛ ne ho bɛtɔ no.

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 “Sɛ obi hwe nʼakoa anaa nʼafenaa ma no wu a, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwe nʼaso.

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 Nanso sɛ nna bi akyi no akoa no anwu a, ɛno de, owura no renkɔ asotwe biara mu, efisɛ akoa no yɛ nʼagyapade.

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 “Sɛ mmarima baanu reko na ɔko no mu wopira ɔpemfo ma ɔpɔn, nanso wanwu a, wɔbɛbɔ ɔbarima a opiraa no no ka biara a ɔpemfo no kunu de bɛto atemmufo anim ama wɔapene so no.

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 Na sɛ opira no ma ɔbea no wu a, wonkum saa ɔbarima no.

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 Sɛ ɔpemfo no pira nʼani a, pira ɔbarima no nso ani; sɛ ne se tu a, tu ne de bi. Nsa nsi nsa anan, nan nsi nan anan,

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 ɔhyew nsi ɔhyew anan, apirakuru nsi apirakuru anan na atape nsi atape anan.

26 “Sɛ owura bi bɔ nʼakoa anaa nʼafenaa ani so ma nʼani bɔ a, esiane nʼani no nti, ɛsɛ sɛ akoa anaa afenaa no de ne ho hyɛ anan.

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 Sɛ owura tu nʼakoa se a, ne se no nti, ɔmma ɔnne ne ho mfa nhyɛ anan.

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 “Sɛ nantwi si ɔbea anaa ɔbarima ma no wu a, wonsiw nantwi no abo. Wɔnnwe ne nam no. Ne wura no nso, obiara mmfa ne nsa nka no,

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 gye sɛ wɔate sɛ mmere bi a atwa mu no, nantwi no sisii nnipa ma wɔbɔɔ ne wura no amanneɛ a wanka ho hwee; sɛ ɛba saa na sɛ okum obi a, wonsiw nantwi no abo na ne wura no nso, wonkum no.

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 Sɛ nso owufo no abusuafo pɛ a, wɔbɛbɔ nantwi wura no ka. Atemmufo na wɔbɛkyerɛ nea ontua.

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 Mmara koro no ara kyere nantwi a obesi abarimaa anaa ɔbea.

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 Na sɛ nantwi no si akoa anaa afenaa a, wɔbɛma akoa anaa afenaa no wura dwetɛ gram ahaasa ne aduanan abien, na wɔasiw nantwi no abo.

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 “Sɛ ɔbarima bi tu abura, na wankata so, na nantwi anaa afurum kɔtɔ mu a,

Suppose someone has a pit/cistern and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it [and dies].

34 ka biara a aboa no wura bɛbɔ abura no wura no, ɛsɛ sɛ abura wura no tua na ɔfa aboa a wawu no.

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 “Sɛ ɔbarima bi nantwi pira nantwi foforo na sɛ owu a, mmoa wuranom baanu no bɛtɔn aboa a onwui no na wɔakyɛ sika no mu. Wɔn mu biara nso bɛfa aboa a wawu no fa.

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 Na sɛ aboa no taa sisi na ne wura no abu nʼani agu so de a, ɛno de, sikakyɛ biara remma; na mmom, ɔbarima a ne nantwi wɔ hɔ no betua nantwi a wawu no ho ka nyinaa na wafa no.

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].”