Exodus 21
1 Now these are the
judgments which thou shalt
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. 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.
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. 5 And if the
servant shall
plainly say, I
love my
master, my
wife, and my
children; I will not go
out 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. 7 And if a
man sell his
daughter to be a
maidservant, she shall not go
out as the
menservants 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.
9 And if he have
betrothed her unto his
son, he shall
deal with her after the
manner of
daughters. 10 If he
take him
another wife; her
food, her
raiment, and her duty of
marriage, shall he not
diminish.
11 And if he
do not these
three unto her, then shall she go
out free without
money. 12 He that
smiteth a
man, so that he
die, shall be
surely put to
death.
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.
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.
15 And he that
smiteth his
father, or his
mother, shall be
surely 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.
17 And he that
curseth his
father, or his
mother, shall
surely 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: 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.
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.
21 Notwithstanding, if he
continue a
day or
two, he shall not be
punished: for he is his
money. 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.
23 And if any mischief
follow, then thou shalt
give life for
life, 24 Eye for
eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for
hand, foot for
foot, 25 Burning for
burning, wound for
wound, stripe for
stripe. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
31 Whether he have
gored a
son, or have
gored a
daughter, according to this
judgment shall it be
done unto him.
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.