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

“Now these are the Laws which you are to give them.

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

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will work for six years. In the seventh year he will go free, paying nothing.

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

If he comes alone, he will leave by himself. If he is married, then his wife will leave with him.

4 I f 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.

If his owner gives him a wife and she gives birth to his sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her owner, and he will leave by himself.

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

But if the servant says, ‘I love my owner, my wife and my children; I do not care to go free,’

6 t hen 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.

then his owner will bring him to the judges. And he will bring him to the door or the side of the door. There his owner will make a hole in his ear with a sharp object. And he will serve him all his life.

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

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

8 I f 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.

If she does not please her owner who has taken her for himself, he will take pay for her to be set free. He does not have the right to sell her to a strange people, because he has not been fair to her.

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

If he takes her for his son, he will act toward her as with a daughter.

10 I f he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

If he marries again, her food, clothing and marriage rights are to stay the same.

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

And if he will not do these three things for her, then she may go free, without paying any money. Laws about Fighting and Killing

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

“Whoever hits a man so that he dies will be put to death.

13 A nd 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.

But if he did not plan to hurt him, but God allowed it to happen, then I will give you a place where he may run to be safe.

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

But if a man wants to hurt his neighbor and he plans to kill him, then you take him away from My altar and put him to death.

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

“Whoever hits his father or his mother will be put to death.

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

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, or keeps him for himself, will be put to death.

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

Whoever curses his father or his mother will be put to death.

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

“When men argue and one hits the other with a stone or with his hand, and he does not die but has to stay in bed because of it,

19 i f 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.

then if he gets up and walks around outside using his walking stick, the one who hit him will not be punished. He will only pay for the loss of his time. And he will take care of him until he is healed.

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

“When a man hits his male or female servant with a stick so that he or she dies, he will be punished.

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

But if he or she lives a day or two, he will not be punished, for his servant belongs to him.

22 A nd 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.

“If men fight with each other and hit a woman who is going to have a child so that she loses her baby but no other hurt comes to her, he must pay whatever the woman’s husband says he must, as agreed upon by the judges.

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

But if there is other hurt also, then it is life for life,

24 e ye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

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

25 b urning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

burn for burn, cut for cut, sore for sore.

26 A nd 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.

“If a man hits the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he will let the person go free because of the eye.

27 A nd 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.

If he knocks out a tooth of his man or woman servant, he will let the person go free because of the tooth. Laws about Owning Animals

28 A nd 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.

“When a bull kills a man or a woman with its horns, the bull will be killed with stones. And its flesh will not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be punished.

29 B ut 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.

But if a bull has tried to kill with its horns before, and the owner has been told but does not keep him shut up, and the bull kills a man or a woman, the bull will be killed with stones and the owner will be put to death.

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

But if he is allowed to pay for his life, then he will pay whatever is asked of him.

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

If the bull kills a son or a daughter, it will be punished by the same law.

32 I f 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.

If the bull kills a male or female servant, the bull’s owner will give the servant’s owner thirty pieces of silver. And the bull will be killed with stones.

33 A nd 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,

“When a man leaves a deep hole open, or digs a deep hole and does not cover it, and a bull or donkey falls into it,

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

the owner of the hole will pay for the loss. He will give money to the animal’s owner. And the dead animal will become his.

35 A nd 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.

“If one man’s bull hurts another’s so that it dies, they will sell the live bull and divide the price so they will each have the same. And they will divide the dead bull.

36 O r 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.

Or if it is known that the bull has tried to kill with its horns in the past, but its owner has not kept it shut up, he will pay bull for bull. And the dead animal will become his.