Exodus, 21

1. Now these [are] the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

1. These are the laws you are to set before them:

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

2. When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years and in the seventh year he shall go free, with nothing to pay.

3. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

3. If he came alone, he will leave alone. If he was married, his wife will leave with him.

4. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

4. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to his master; he will leave alone.

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

5. But if the slave says: 'I love my wife, my master and my children, I will not go free,'

6. 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 for ever.

6. his master shall bring him to God; he will take him to the door or the doorpost, then his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for life.

7. And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

7. When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to go free as men slaves do.

8. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

8. If she does not please the master who intended her for himself, he shall let another redeem her; he is not to sell her to foreigners because he has broken faith with her.

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

9. If he intends her for his son, he will deal with her according to the rights of daughters.

10. If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.

10. If he takes another for himself he will not diminish her food, her clothing or her marital rights.

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

11. If he fails her in respect of these three rights she is to go free without any payment of money.

12. He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

12. The man who strikes another and so causes his death shall die.

13. And 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.

13. If he did not want to kill him, but as it were, let it happen, then I will give you a place where he may find refuge.

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

14. Instead, if a man willfully attacks another to kill him treacherously, you will take him away even from my altar and put him to death.

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

15. Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death.

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

16. Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or is found holding him captive, shall be put to death.

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

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

18. And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with [his] fist, and he die not, but keepeth [his] bed:

18. When men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist so that the man is confined to bed,

19. If 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.

19. but after that he gets up and walks about with the help of a stick, the man who struck the blow will not be held as a criminal. He will, however, pay the injured man for loss of time and see that he is completely healed.

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

20. When a man strikes his slave or his servant with a rod and the man dies at his hands, he shall be punished.

21. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he [is] his money.

21. But if the slave survives for a day or two, he will not be penalized since the slave is his property.

22. If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges [determine].

22. If men are fighting and a pregnant woman is hit, so that the child is born prematurely but she is not injured, the one who hurt her will pay the fine demanded by her husband and allowed by the court.

23. And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

23. But if there is serious injury you are to take life for life,

24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

24. eye for eye, tooth for tooth, foot for foot,

25. Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

25. burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26. And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

26. When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and the eye is lost, he will let the slave go free in compensation for the eye

27. And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

27. or if he knocks out a tooth he will likewise give the slave his freedom.

28. If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox [shall be] quit.

28. When an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox will be stoned and its flesh will not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be punished.

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

29. If the ox had gored someone in the past and its owner had been warned but had not kept it fenced in, and if later it kills a man or woman, the ox will be stoned and its owner put to death.

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

30. If the owner, however, is allowed to pay a fine to save his life, he must pay all that is demanded.

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

31. If the ox gores a boy or a girl the same law applies.

32. If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

32. If the ox gores a man or woman slave, the owner of the slave shall be paid thirty pieces of silver and the ox will be stoned.

33. And 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;

33. When a man leaves a pit uncovered or when he digs a pit and leaves it open and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34. The owner of the pit shall make [it] good, [and] give money unto the owner of them; and the dead [beast] shall be his.

34. the owner of the pit will make compensation to the owner of the animal by paying him money, but he may keep the dead animal.

35. And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead [ox] also they shall divide.

35. When a man's ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the live ox and share both the money and the meat of the dead animal.

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

36. Or if it is known that the ox has been in the habit of goring and its owner has not kept it in, he must make good the loss by giving his neighbor a live ox but the dead ox will be his.

37.

37. If a man steals an ox or a sheep and either slaughters or sells it, he must pay five oxen for the ox, four sheep for the sheep.