Exodus 21

Ordinances for the People

21NOW THESE are the ordinances you [Moses] shall set before [the Israelites].H4941H7760H64402If 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.H7069H5680H5650H8337H8141H5647H7637H3318H2670H26003If he came [to you] by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he came married, then his wife shall go out with him.H935H1610H3318H1610H1167H802H802H33184If 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.H113H5414H802H3205H1121H1323H802H3206H113H3318H16105But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go free,H5650H559H559H157H113H802H1121H3318H26706Then 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.H113H5066H430H5066H1817H4201H113H7527H241H4836H5647H57697If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant {or} bondwoman, she shall not go out [in six years] as menservants do.H376H4376H1323H519H3318H5650H33188If 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.H7451H5869H113H3259H6299H4376H5237H5971H4910H8989And if he espouses her to his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.H3259H1121H6213H4941H132310If he marries again, her food, clothing, and privilege as a wife shall he not diminish.H3947H312H7607H3682H5772H163911And if he does not do these three things for her, then shall she go out free, without payment of money.H6213H7969H3318H2600H3701

Personal Injuries

12Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.H5221H376H4191H4191H419113But 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].H6658H430H579H3027H7760H4725H512714But 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.H376H2102H7453H2026H6195H3947H4196H419115Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.H5221H1H517H4191H419116Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or is found with him in his possession, shall surely be put to death.H1589H376H4376H4672H3027H4191H419117Whoever curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.H7043H1H517H4191H419118If men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but keeps his bed,H582H7378H376H5221H7453H68H176H106H4191H5307H490419If 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.H6965H1980H2351H4938H5221H5352H5414H7674H7495H749520And 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.H376H5221H5650H519H7626H4191H3027H5358H535821But if the servant lives on for a day or two, the offender shall not be punished, for he [has injured] his own property.H389H5975H3117H8147H5358H370122If 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.H582H5327H5062H802H2030H3206H3318H611H6064H6064H802H1167H7896H5414H641423But if any damage follows, then you shall give life for life,H611H5414H5315H531524Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,H5869H5869H8127H8127H3027H3027H7272H727225Burn for burn, wound for wound, and lash for lash.H3555H3555H6482H6482H2250H225026And 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.H376H5221H5869H5650H5869H519H7843H7971H2670H8478H586927And if he knocks out his manservant's tooth or his maidservant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.H5307H5650H8127H519H8127H7971H2670H812728If 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.H7794H5055H376H802H4191H7794H5619H5619H1320H398H1167H7794H535529But 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.H7794H5056H8543H8032H5749H1167H8104H4191H376H802H7794H5619H1167H419130If a ransom is put on [the man's] life, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is laid upon him.H7896H3724H5414H6306H5315H789631If the [man's ox] has gored another's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.H5055H1121H176H5055H1323H4941H621332If 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.H7794H5055H5650H519H5414H113H7970H8255H3701H7794H561933If a man leaves a pit open or digs a pit and does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it,H376H6605H953H376H3738H953H3680H7794H2543H530734The owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to the animal's owner, but the dead beast shall be his.H1167H953H7999H7725H3701H1167H419135If 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.H376H7794H5062H7453H4191H4376H2416H7794H2673H3701H4191H267336Or 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.H3045H7794H5056H8543H8032H1167H8104H7999H7999H7794H7794H4191