1 A nd these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

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

2 I f thou buy a Hebrew bondman, six years shall he 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 came in alone, he shall go out alone: if he had a wife, 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 have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.

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 bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go 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 before the judges, and shall bring him to the door, or to the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall be his bondman 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 shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.

“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 is unacceptable in the eyes of her master, who had taken her for himself, then shall he let her be ransomed: to sell her unto a foreign people he hath no power, after having dealt unfaithfully 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 have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.

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

10 I f he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall 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 free 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 striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death.

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

13 B ut if he have not lain in wait, and God have delivered into his hand, I will appoint thee a place to which 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 B ut if a man act wantonly toward his neighbour, and 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 striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be 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 certainly 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 certainly be put to death.

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

18 A nd if men dispute, and one strike the other with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but take to 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 — if he rise, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that struck be guiltless; only he shall pay the loss of his time, and shall cause 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 strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged.

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

21 O nly, if he continue a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; 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 strike a woman with child, so that she be delivered, and no mischief happen, he shall in any case be fined, according as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and shall give it as the judges estimate.

“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 mischief happen, 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 randing for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

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

26 A nd if a man strike the eye of his bondman or the eye of his handmaid, and it be marred, he shall let him go for his eye.

“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 knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.

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, so that they die, then the ox shall certainly be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be guiltless.

“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 have gored heretofore, and it have been testified to its owner, and he have not kept it in, and it kill 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 imposed on him a satisfaction, then he shall give the ransom of his life, according to what is imposed on him.

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

31 W hether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to 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 bondman or a handmaid, he shall give to 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 — And if a man open a pit, or if a man dig a pit, and do not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it,

“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, shall give money to the owner of them; and the dead 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 — And if one man's ox gore his neighbour's ox, and it die, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money thereof, and divide the dead also.

“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 have gored heretofore, and its owner have not kept him in, he shall in any case restore ox for ox; and the dead shall be his.

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.