21
Ordinances for the People
1 “Now these are the AEx 24:3, 4; Deut 4:14; 6:1ordinances which you are to set before them:
2 “If you buy ALev 25:39-43; Deut 15:12-18; Jer 34:14a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 “If he comes 1Lit by himselfalone, he shall go out 1Lit by himselfalone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 “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 1Lit by himselfalone. 5 “But ADeut 15:16, 17if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to 1Or the judges who acted in God’s nameGod, 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 “ANeh 5:5If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to 1Lit go outgo free BEx 21:2, 3as the male slaves 1Lit go outdo. 8 “If she is 1Lit baddispleasing in the eyes of her master 2Another reading is so that he did not designate herwho 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 3Lit dealing treacherouslyunfairness to her. 9 “If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 “If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her 1Lit fleshfood, her clothing, or A1 Cor 7:3, 5her conjugal rights. 11 “If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
Personal Injuries
12 “AGen 9:6; Lev 24:17; Num 35:30; Matt 26:52He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 “ANum 35:10-34; Deut 19:1-13; Josh 20:1-9But 1Lit he whoif he did not lie in wait for him, but B1 Sam 24:4, 10, 18God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 “ADeut 19:11, 12; 1 Kin 2:28-34If, 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 “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 “ADeut 24:7He who 1Lit stealskidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his 2Lit handpossession, shall surely be put to death.
17 “ALev 20:9; Prov 20:20; Matt 15:4; Mark 7:10He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but 1Lit liesremains in bed, 19 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 1Lit his sittingloss of time, and 2Lit healing, he shall cause to be healedshall take care of him until he is completely healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies 1Lit underat his hand, he shall 2Lit suffer vengeancebe punished. 21 “If, however, he 1Lit standssurvives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; ALev 25:44-46for he is his 2Lit moneyproperty.
22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that 1Or an untimely birth occurs; lit her children come outshe gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband 2Lit lays on himmay demand of him, and he shall AEx 21:30; Deut 22:18, 19pay 3Lit by arbitrationas the judges decide. 23 “But if there is any further injury, ALev 24:19; Deut 19:21then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 ALev 24:20; Deut 19:21; Matt 5:38eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, 1Lit weltbruise for bruise.
26 “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 “And if he 1Lit causes to fallknocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman 1Lit so that he diesto death, AGen 9:5; Ex 21:32the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. 29 “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 “If a ransom is 1Lit laid on himdemanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is 1Lit laid on himdemanded of him. 31 “Whether it gores a son or 1Lit gores a daughtera daughter, it shall be done to him according to 2Lit this judgmentthe same rule. 32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave, 1Lit hethe owner shall give his or her master AZech 11:12; Matt 26:15; 27:3, 9thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 “If a man opens a pit, or 1Lit if a man digsdigs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall 1Lit give backgive money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.
35 “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 “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.
A21:1 Ex 24:3, 4; Deut 4:14; 6:1
A21:2 Lev 25:39-43; Deut 15:12-18; Jer 34:14
121:3 Lit by himself
121:3 Lit by himself
121:4 Lit by himself
A21:5 Deut 15:16, 17
121:6 Or the judges who acted in God’s name
121:7 Lit go out
121:7 Lit go out
121:8 Lit bad
221:8 Another reading is so that he did not designate her
321:8 Lit dealing treacherously
121:10 Lit flesh
A21:10 1 Cor 7:3, 5
A21:12 Gen 9:6; Lev 24:17; Num 35:30; Matt 26:52
A21:13 Num 35:10-34; Deut 19:1-13; Josh 20:1-9
121:13 Lit he who
B21:13 1 Sam 24:4, 10, 18
A21:14 Deut 19:11, 12; 1 Kin 2:28-34
121:16 Lit steals
221:16 Lit hand
A21:17 Lev 20:9; Prov 20:20; Matt 15:4; Mark 7:10
121:18 Lit lies
121:19 Lit his sitting
221:19 Lit healing, he shall cause to be healed
121:20 Lit under
221:20 Lit suffer vengeance
121:21 Lit stands
221:21 Lit money
121:22 Or an untimely birth occurs; lit her children come out
221:22 Lit lays on him
A21:22 Ex 21:30; Deut 22:18, 19
321:22 Lit by arbitration
A21:24 Lev 24:20; Deut 19:21; Matt 5:38
121:25 Lit welt
121:27 Lit causes to fall
121:28 Lit so that he dies
121:30 Lit laid on him
121:30 Lit laid on him
121:31 Lit gores a daughter
221:31 Lit this judgment
121:32 Lit he
A21:32 Zech 11:12; Matt 26:15; 27:3, 9
121:33 Lit if a man digs
121:34 Lit give back