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

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

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

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

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

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

4 I f 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.

If 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.

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

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

6 t hen 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.

Then 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.

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

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

8 I f 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.

If 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.

9 I f he takes her for his son, he will act toward her as with a daughter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13 B ut 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.

And 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.

14 B ut 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.

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

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

And he that smites his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

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

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

17 W hoever curses his father or his mother will be put to death.

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

18 “ 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,

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

19 t hen 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.

if 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.

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

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

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

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

22 “ 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.

¶ 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.

23 B ut if there is other hurt also, then it is life for life,

And if there is death, then thou shalt pay 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 urn for burn, cut for cut, sore for sore.

burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 “ 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.

And 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.

27 I f 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

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

28 “ 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.

If 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.

29 B ut 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.

But 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.

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

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

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

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

32 I f 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.

If 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.

33 “ 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,

And 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,

34 t he 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.

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

35 “ 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.

And 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.

36 O r 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.

Or 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.