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

“Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

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

“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.

3 I f he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he was married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.

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

If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone.

5 A nd if the slave shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free.

But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

6 T hen 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 forever.

then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

7 A nd if a man should sell his daughter to be a maidslave, she shall not go out as the menslaves do.

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

8 I f she pleases not her master, who therefore took her not unto himself to wife, then it is permitted that she be ransomed; and he may not sell her unto a strange nation when he rejects her.

If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her.

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

If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

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

If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.

11 A nd if he does not do these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. Personal Injuries

12 ¶ He that smites a man so that he dies shall be surely put to death.

“ He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

13 A nd if a man did not lie in wait but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a place where he shall flee.

But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.

14 B ut if a man comes presumptuously upon his neighbour to slay him with prudence, thou shalt take him from my altar that he may die.

If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

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

“He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16 L ikewise he that steals a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

“ He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.

17 I n the same manner he that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

“ He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 A nd if men strive together and one smites another with a stone or with his fist and he dies not, but keeps his bed,

“If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but remains in bed,

19 i f he rises again and walks abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be absolved, only he shall pay for the loss of his time and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

20 A nd if a man smites his slave or his maid with a rod and he dies under his hand, he shall be surely punished.

“If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.

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

If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.

22 ¶ If men strive and hurt a woman with child so that she aborts but without death, he shall be surely punished according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him, and he shall pay by the judges.

“If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.

23 A nd if there is death, then thou shalt pay life for life,

But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty 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, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26 A nd if someone smites the eye of their slave or the eye of their maid that it perishes, he shall let them go free for their eye’s sake.

“If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.

27 A nd if he smites out his manslave’s tooth or his maidslave’s tooth, he shall let them go free for their tooth’s sake.

And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

28 I f an ox gores a man or a woman that they die, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be absolved.

“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.

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

If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

30 I f there is laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatever is laid upon him.

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

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

Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

32 I f the ox shall gore a manslave or a maidslave, he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 A nd if someone shall open a pit or if someone shall dig a pit and not cover it and an ox or an ass falls in it,

“If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

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

the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

35 A nd if one man’s ox hurts another’s that he dies; then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money of it, and the dead ox they shall also divide.

“If one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox.

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

Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.