Exodus 21
21
1 NOW THESE are the ordinances you [Moses] shall set before [the Israelites].
2 If you buy a Hebrew servant [as the result of debt or theft], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, paying nothing. [Lev. 25:39.]
3 If he came [to you] by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he came married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 If his master has given him a wife and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out [of your service] alone.
5 But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go free,
6 Then his master shall bring him to God [the judges as His agents]; he shall bring him to the door or doorpost and shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him for life.
7 If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant or bondwoman, she shall not go out [in six years] as menservants do.
8 If she does not please her master who has not espoused her to himself, he shall let her be redeemed. To sell her to a foreign people he shall have no power, for he has dealt faithlessly with her.
9 And if he espouses her to his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.
10 If he marries again, her food, clothing, and privilege as a wife shall he not diminish.
11 And if he does not do these three things for her, then shall she go out free, without payment of money.
12 Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.
13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God allowed him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee [for protection until duly tried]. [Num. 35:22-28.]
14 But if a man comes willfully upon another to slay him craftily, you shall take him from My altar [to which he may have fled for protection], that he may die.
15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or is found with him in his possession, shall surely be put to death.
17 Whoever curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 If men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but keeps his bed,
19 If he rises again and walks about leaning upon his staff, then he that struck him shall be clear, except he must pay for the loss of his time and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20 And if a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod and he [or she] dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21 But if the servant lives on for a day or two, the offender shall not be punished, for he [has injured] his own property.
22 If men contend with each other, and a pregnant woman [interfering] is hurt so that she has a miscarriage, yet no further damage follows, [the one who hurt her] shall surely be punished with a fine [paid] to the woman's husband, as much as the judges determine.
23 But if any damage follows, then you shall give life for life,
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burn for burn, wound for wound, and lash for lash.
26 And if a man hits the eye of his servant or the eye of his maid so that it is destroyed, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
27 And if he knocks out his manservant's tooth or his maidservant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
28 If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be clear.
29 But if the ox has tried to gore before, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it closed in and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also put to death.
30 If a ransom is put on [the man's] life, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is laid upon him.
31 If the [man's ox] has gored another's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.
32 If the ox gores a manservant or a maidservant, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 If a man leaves a pit open or digs a pit and does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 The owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to the animal's owner, but the dead beast shall be his.
35 If one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide the price of it; the dead ox also they shall divide between them.
36 Or if it is known that the ox has gored in the past, and its owner has not kept it closed in, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Exodus 21
21
Hebrew Servants
1“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:
2If 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. 3If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. 4If 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.
5But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ 6then his master is to bring him before the judges.#21:6 Or before God 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.
7And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. 8If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself,#21:8 Or so that he does not designate 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. 9And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter. 10If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife. 11If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.
Personal Injury Laws
12Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. 13If, 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.
14But 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.
15Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
16Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
17Anyone who curses#21:17 Or dishonors or reviles his father or mother must surely be put to death.#21:17 Cited in Matthew 15:4 and Mark 7:10
18If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed, 19then 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.
20If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely,#21:22 Literally and her children come out but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows. 23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life — 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth,#21:24 Cited in Matthew 5:38 hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.
26If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. 27And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
28If an ox#21:28 Or a bull; also in verses 29–36 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.
29But 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. 30If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.
31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
32If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver#21:32 30 shekels is approximately 12 ounces or 342 grams of silver. to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
33If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35If 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. 36But 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.[’’]
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