Exodus 21

Laws About Slaves

1 "Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in 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 wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.5 But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,'6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

7 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.8 If she does not please her master, who has designated hert for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

12 "Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death.13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

15 "Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

16 "Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

17 "Whoever cursest his father or his mother shall be put to death.

18 "When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed,19 then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

20 "When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

22 "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.23 But if there is harm,t then you shall pay life for life,24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 "When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye.27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

28 "When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.29 But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.30 If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him.31 If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekelst of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Laws About Restitution

33 "When a man opens a pit, or when a man 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 restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

35 "When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share.36 Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

Exodus 21

The Decisions

1 s “These are the decisions that you will set before them:

Hebrew Servants

2 s “If you buyt a Hebrew servant,s he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out frees without paying anything.t3 If he camet in by himselft he will go out by himself; if he hadt a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him.4 If his master gaves him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself.5 But if the servant should declare,t ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go outt free,’

6 then his master must bring him to the judges,t and he will bring him to the door or the doorposts, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.t
7 “If a man sells his daughters as a female servant,t she will not go out as the male servants do.8 If she does not pleaset her master, who has designated hert for himself, then he must let her be redeemed.t He has no rightt to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfullys with her.9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rightst of daughters.10 If he takes another wife,t he must not diminish the first one’s food,t her clothing, or her marital rights.s

11 If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money.s

Personal Injuries

12 s “Whoever strikes someonet so that he diest must surely be put to death.s13 But if he does not do it with premeditation,t but it happens by accident,t then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly,t you will take him even from my altar that he may die.

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

16 “Whoever kidnaps someonet and sells him,s or is caught still holding him,t must surely be put to death.

17 “Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefullyt must surely be put to death.
18 “If men fight, and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist and he does not die, but must remain in bed,t

19 and thent if he gets up and walks aboutt outside on his staff, then the one who struck him is innocent, except he must payt for the injured person’st loss of timet and see to it that he is fully healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or shet dies as a result of the blow,t he will surely be punished.t

21 However, if the injured servantt survives one or two days, the ownert will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss.t
22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely,t but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides.t23 But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life,24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.s
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it,t he will let the servantt go frees as compensation for the eye.

27 If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servantt go free as compensation for the tooth.

Laws about Animals

28 s “If an oxt gores a man or a woman so that either dies,t then the ox must surelyt be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted.29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned,t and he did not take the necessary precautions,t and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.30 If a ransom is set for him,s then he must pay the redemption for his life according to whatever amount was set for him.31 If the oxt gores a son or a daughter, the ownert will be dealt with according to this rule.t

32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the ownert must pay thirty shekels of silver,s and the ox must be stoned.s
33 “If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,34 the owner of the pit must repayt the loss. He must give moneyt to its owner, and the dead animalt will become his.35 If the ox of one man injures the ox of his neighbor so that it dies, then they will sell the live ox and divide its proceeds,t and they will also divide the dead ox.t

36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not take the necessary precautions, he must surely payt ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his.s