1 E stas son las leyes que les propondrás.

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

2 S i comprares siervo hebreo, seis años servirá; mas al séptimo saldrá libre, de balde.

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

3 S i entró solo, solo saldrá; si tenía mujer, saldrá él y su mujer con él.

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

4 S i su amo le hubiere dado mujer, y ella le diere hijos o hijas, la mujer y sus hijos serán de su amo, y él saldrá solo.

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 Y si el siervo dijere: Yo amo a mi señor, a mi mujer y a mis hijos, no saldré libre;

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

6 e ntonces su amo lo llevará ante los jueces, y le hará estar junto a la puerta o al poste; y su amo le horadará la oreja con lesna, y será su siervo para siempre.

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 Y cuando alguno vendiere su hija por sierva, no saldrá ella como suelen salir los siervos.

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

8 S i no agradare a su señor, por lo cual no la tomó por esposa, se le permitirá que se rescate, y no la podrá vender a pueblo extraño cuando la desechare.

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 M as si la hubiere desposado con su hijo, hará con ella según la costumbre de las hijas.

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

10 S i tomare para él otra mujer, no disminuirá su alimento, ni su vestido, ni el deber conyugal.

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

11 Y si ninguna de estas tres cosas hiciere, ella saldrá de gracia, sin dinero. Leyes sobre actos de violencia

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 E l que hiriere a alguno, haciéndole así morir, él morirá.

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

13 M as el que no pretendía herirlo, sino que Dios lo puso en sus manos, entonces yo te señalaré lugar al cual ha de huir.

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 P ero si alguno se ensoberbeciere contra su prójimo y lo matare con alevosía, de mi altar lo quitarás para que muera.

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 E l que hiriere a su padre o a su madre, morirá.

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

16 A simismo el que robare una persona y la vendiere, o si fuere hallada en sus manos, morirá.

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

17 I gualmente el que maldijere a su padre o a su madre, morirá.

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

18 A demás, si algunos riñeren, y uno hiriere a su prójimo con piedra o con el puño, y éste no muriere, pero cayere en cama;

“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 s i se levantare y anduviere fuera sobre su báculo, entonces será absuelto el que lo hirió; solamente le satisfará por lo que estuvo sin trabajar, y hará que le curen.

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 Y si alguno hiriere a su siervo o a su sierva con palo, y muriere bajo su mano, será castigado;

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

21 m as si sobreviviere por un día o dos, no será castigado, porque es de su propiedad.

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

22 S i algunos riñeren, e hirieren a mujer embarazada, y ésta abortare, pero sin haber muerte, serán penados conforme a lo que les impusiere el marido de la mujer y juzgaren los jueces.

“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 M as si hubiere muerte, entonces pagarás vida por vida,

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

24 o jo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano, pie por pie,

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

25 q uemadura por quemadura, herida por herida, golpe por golpe. Leyes sobre responsabilidades de amos y dueños

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

26 S i alguno hiriere el ojo de su siervo, o el ojo de su sierva, y lo dañare, le dará libertad por razón de su ojo.

“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 Y si hiciere saltar un diente de su siervo, o un diente de su sierva, por su diente le dejará ir libre.

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 S i un buey acorneare a hombre o a mujer, y a causa de ello muriere, el buey será apedreado, y no será comida su carne; mas el dueño del buey será absuelto.

“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 P ero si el buey fuere acorneador desde tiempo atrás, y a su dueño se le hubiere notificado, y no lo hubiere guardado, y matare a hombre o mujer, el buey será apedreado, y también morirá su dueño.

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 S i le fuere impuesto precio de rescate, entonces dará por el rescate de su persona cuanto le fuere impuesto.

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

31 H aya acorneado a hijo, o haya acorneado a hija, conforme a este juicio se hará con él.

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

32 S i el buey acorneare a un siervo o a una sierva, pagará su dueño treinta siclos de plata, y el buey será apedreado.

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 Y si alguno abriere un pozo, o cavare cisterna, y no la cubriere, y cayere allí buey o asno,

“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 e l dueño de la cisterna pagará el daño, resarciendo a su dueño, y lo que fue muerto será suyo.

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 Y si el buey de alguno hiriere al buey de su prójimo de modo que muriere, entonces venderán el buey vivo y partirán el dinero de él, y también partirán el buey muerto.

“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 M as si era notorio que el buey era acorneador desde tiempo atrás, y su dueño no lo hubiere guardado, pagará buey por buey, y el buey muerto será suyo.

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.