Exodus 21

1 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

1 “Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:

2 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.

2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.

3 If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.

3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.

4 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.

4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.

5 But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

5 But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’

6 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.

6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.

7 And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.

7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.

8 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.

8 If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.

9 And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

9 If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.

10 If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.

10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.

11 If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

11 If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.

12 Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.

12 “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,

13 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.

13 but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.

14 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.

14 If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

15 Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.

15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

16 Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.

16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17 Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.

17 “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 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,

18 “If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed;

19 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.

19 if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.

20 If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.

20 “If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.

21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.

21 Notwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his property.

22 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.

22 “If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.

23 But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life—

23 But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.

25 burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

26 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.

26 “If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.

27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

27 If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.

28 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.

28 “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.

29 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.

29 But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.

30 If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.

30 If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.

31 If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

31 Whether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.

32 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.

32 If the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

33 “If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,

34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

34 the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.

35 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.

35 “If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.

36 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.

36 Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.