Exodus — Chapter 21

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. 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, 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.

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 his father or mother must surely be put to death.

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, 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, 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 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 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.

1Now these

2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

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

5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

10If he take him another

11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver

14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

18And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with

19If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote

20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.

21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he

22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart

23And if

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

25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.

27And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

28If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox

29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.

30If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

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

32If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;

34The owner of the pit shall make

35And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead

36Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

1Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before them.

2If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

3If he come in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he be married, then his wife shall go out with him.

4If his master give him a wife and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master`s, and he shall go out by himself.

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

6then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.

7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do.

8If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

9And if he espouse her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

10If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

11And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out for nothing, without money.

12He that smiteth a man, so that he dieth, shall surely be put to death.

13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver [him] into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.

14And if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17And he that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

18And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed;

19if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished.

21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

22And if men strive together, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart, and yet no harm follow; he shall be surely fined, according as the woman`s husband shall lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

23But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

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

25burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, and destroy it; he shall let him go free for his eye`s sake.

27And if he smite out his man-servant`s tooth, or his maid-servant`s tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth`s sake.

28And if an ox gore a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.

29But if the ox was wont to gore in time past, and it hath been testified to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, but it hath killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.

30If there be laid on him a ransom, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.

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

32If the ox gore a man-servant or a maid-servant, there shall be given unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein,

34the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money unto the owner thereof, and the dead [beast] shall be his.

35And if one man`s ox hurt another`s, so that it dieth, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the price of it: and the dead also they shall divide.

36Or if it be known that the ox was wont to gore in time past, and its owner hath not kept it in, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead [beast] shall be his own.

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

2“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out free without paying anything.

3If he came in by himself he will go out by himself; if he had a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him.

4If his master gave 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.

5But if the servant should declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’

6then his master must bring him to the judges, and he will bring him to the door or the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.

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

8If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully with her.

9If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rights of daughters.

10If he takes another wife, he must not diminish the first one’s food, her clothing, or her marital rights.

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

12“Whoever strikes someone so that he dies must surely be put to death.

13But if he does not do it with premeditation, but it happens by accident, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

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

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

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

17“Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully 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,

19and then if he gets up and walks about outside on his staff, then the one who struck him is innocent, except he must pay for the injured person’s loss of time 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 she dies as a result of the blow, he will surely be punished.

21However, if the injured servant survives one or two days, the owner will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss.

22“If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no serious injury, the one who hit her will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides.

23But if there is serious injury, then you will give a life for a life,

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

25burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26“If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.

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

28“If an ox gores a man or a woman so that either dies, then the ox must surely be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted.

29But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned but he did not take the necessary precautions, and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.

30If a ransom is set for him, then he must pay the redemption for his life according to whatever amount was set for him.

31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, the owner will be dealt with according to this rule.

32If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver, and the ox must be stoned.

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,

34the owner of the pit must repay the loss. He must give money to its owner, and the dead animal will become his.

35If 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, and they will also divide the dead ox.

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

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

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

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

4If 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.

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

6then 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 for ever.

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

8If 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 his mother shall surely be put to death.

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;

19if 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 servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

29But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and it 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.

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

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

32If 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 a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,

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

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.

36Or 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.