1Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.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', 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 wife ; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.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 him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.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 his fist, and he die not, but keepeth 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 be surely punished.21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her , and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman' husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine .23And if any mischief 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, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye' sake.27And if he smite out his manservant' tooth, or his maidservant' tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth' 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 shall be quit.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 it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.35And if one man' ox hurt another', that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.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.
Exodus 21
English Standard Version
Laws About Slaves
1“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. (Ex 24:3; De 4:14; De 6:1)2When you buy a Hebrew slave,[1] he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. (Le 25:39; De 15:12; Jer 34:14)3If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in 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 alone.5But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ (De 15:16)6then 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. (Ps 82:6; Joh 10:34)7“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. (Ne 5:5)8If she does not please her master, who has designated her[2] 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.9If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.10If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. (1Co 7:5)11And 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. (Ge 9:6; Le 24:17; Nu 35:30; Mt 26:52)13But 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. (Nu 35:11; Nu 35:22; De 4:41; De 19:2; De 19:4; Jos 20:2)14But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. (1Ki 2:28)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. (Ex 22:4; De 24:7; 1Ti 1:10)17“Whoever curses[3] his father or his mother shall be put to death. (Le 20:9; De 27:16; Pr 20:20; Pr 30:11; Mt 15:4; Mr 7:10)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,19then 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.21But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money. (Le 25:45)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. (De 22:18; Job 31:11)23But if there is harm,[4] then you shall pay life for life, (De 19:21)24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (Le 24:20; De 19:21; Mt 5:38)25burn 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.27If 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. (Ge 9:5)29But 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.30If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. (Ex 21:22; Ex 30:12; Nu 35:31)31If it gores a man’s son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.32If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels[5] of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. (Ex 21:28; Zec 11:12; Mt 26:15)
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,34the 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.36Or 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.