Exodus 22-24

Complete Jewish Bible

22 ⁽²⁾“If a thief caught in the act of breaking in is beaten to death, it is not murder; ²⁽³⁾unless it happens after sunrise, in which case it is murder. A thief must make restitution; so if he has nothing, he himself is to be sold to make good the loss from the theft. ³⁽⁴⁾If what he stole is found alive in his possession, he is to pay double, no matter whether it is an ox, a donkey or a sheep.

(iii) ⁴⁽⁵⁾“If a person causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his animal loose to graze in someone else’s field, he is to make restitution from the best produce of his own field and vineyard.

⁵⁽⁶⁾“If a fire is started and spreads to thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain or a field is destroyed, the person who lit it must make restitution.

⁶⁽⁷⁾“If a person entrusts a neighbor with money or goods, and they are stolen from the trustee’s house, then, if the thief is found, he must pay double. ⁷⁽⁸⁾But if the thief is not found, then the trustee must state before God that he did not take the person’s goods himself. ⁸⁽⁹⁾In every case of dispute over ownership, whether of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or any missing property, where one person says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to come before God; and the one whom God condemns must pay the other one double.

⁹⁽¹⁰⁾“If a person trusts a neighbor to look after a donkey, ox, sheep or any animal, and it dies, is injured or is driven away unseen, ¹⁰⁽¹¹⁾then the neighbor’s oath before Adonai that he has not taken the goods will settle the matter between them — the owner is to accept it without the neighbor’s making restitution. ¹¹⁽¹²⁾But if it was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. ¹²⁽¹³⁾If it was torn to pieces by an animal, the neighbor must bring it as evidence, and then he doesn’t need to make good the loss.

¹³⁽¹⁴⁾“If someone borrows something from his neighbor, and it gets injured or dies with the owner not present, he must make restitution. ¹⁴⁽¹⁵⁾If the owner was present, he need not make good the loss. If the owner hired it out, the loss is covered by the hiring fee.

¹⁵⁽¹⁶⁾“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁶⁽¹⁷⁾But if her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay a sum equivalent to the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁷⁽¹⁸⁾“You are not to permit a sorceress to live.

¹⁸⁽¹⁹⁾“Whoever has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death.

¹⁹⁽²⁰⁾“Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than Adonai alone is to be completely destroyed.

²⁰⁽²¹⁾“You must neither wrong nor oppress a foreigner living among you, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²¹⁽²²⁾“You are not to abuse any widow or orphan. ²²⁽²³⁾If you do abuse them in any way, and they cry to me, I will certainly heed their cry. ²³⁽²⁴⁾My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword — your own wives will be widows and your own children fatherless.

²⁴⁽²⁵⁾“If you loan money to one of my people who is poor, you are not to deal with him as would a creditor; and you are not to charge him interest. ²⁵⁽²⁶⁾If you take your neighbor’s coat as collateral, you are to restore it to him by sundown, ²⁶⁽²⁷⁾because it is his only garment — he needs it to wrap his body; what else does he have in which to sleep? Moreover, if he cries out to me, I will listen; because I am compassionate.

(iv) ²⁷⁽²⁸⁾“You are not to curse God, and you are not to curse a leader of your people.

²⁸⁽²⁹⁾“You are not to delay offering from your harvest of grain, olive oil or wine.

“The firstborn of your sons you are to give to me. ²⁹⁽³⁰⁾You are to do the same with your oxen and your sheep — it is to stay with its mother seven days, and on the eighth day you are to give it to me.

³⁰⁽³¹⁾“You are to be my specially separated people. Therefore you are not to eat any flesh torn by wild animals in the countryside; rather, throw it out for the dogs.

23 “You are not to repeat false rumors; do not join hands with the wicked by offering perjured testimony. ²Do not follow the crowd when it does what is wrong; and don’t allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause if the effect will be to pervert justice. ³On the other hand, don’t favor a person’s lawsuit simply because he is poor.

⁴“If you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him. ⁵If you see the donkey which belongs to someone who hates you lying down helpless under its load, you are not to pass him by but to go and help him free it.

(v) ⁶“Do not deny anyone justice in his lawsuit simply because he is poor. ⁷Keep away from fraud, and do not cause the death of the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked. ⁸You are not to receive a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clearsighted and subverts the cause of the righteous.

⁹“You are not to oppress a foreigner, for you know how a foreigner feels, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰“For six years, you are to sow your land with seed and gather in its harvest. ¹¹But the seventh year, you are to let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people can eat; and what they leave, the wild animals in the countryside can eat. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

¹²“For six days, you are to work. But on the seventh day, you are to rest, so that your ox and donkey can rest, and your slave-girl’s son and the foreigner be renewed.

¹³“Pay attention to everything I have said to you; do not invoke the names of other gods or even let them be heard crossing your lips.

¹⁴“Three times a year, you are to observe a festival for me. ¹⁵Keep the festival of matzah: for seven days, as I ordered you, you are to eat matzah at the time determined in the month of Aviv; for it was in that month that you left Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶Next, the festival of harvest, the firstfruits of your efforts sowing in the field; and last, the festival of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in from the fields the results of your efforts. ¹⁷Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Lord, Adonai.

¹⁸“You are not to offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, nor is the fat of my festival to remain all night until morning.

¹⁹“You are to bring the best firstfruits of your land into the house of Adonai your God.

“You are not to boil a young animal in its mother’s milk.

(vi) ²⁰“I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹Pay attention to him, listen to what he says and do not rebel against him; because he will not forgive any wrongdoing of yours, since my name resides in him. ²²But if you listen to what he says and do everything I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³When my angel goes ahead of you and brings you to the Emori, Hitti, P’rizi, Kena‘ani, Hivi and Y’vusi, I will make an end of them. ²⁴You are not to worship their gods, serve them or follow their practices; rather, you are to demolish them completely and smash their standing-stones to pieces.

²⁵“You are to serve Adonai your God; and he will bless your food and water. I will take sickness away from among you. (vii) ²⁶In your land your women will not miscarry or be barren, and you will live out the full span of your lives. ²⁷I will send terror of me ahead of you, throwing into confusion all the people to whom you come; and I will make all your enemies turn their backs on you. ²⁸I will send hornets ahead of you to drive out the Hivi, Kena‘ani and Hitti from before you. ²⁹I will not drive them out from before you in one year, which would cause the land to become desolate and the wild animals too many for you. ³⁰I will drive them out from before you gradually, until you have grown in number and can take possession of the land. ³¹I will set your boundaries from the Sea of Suf to the sea of the P’lishtim and from the desert to the [Euphrates] River, for I will hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out from before you. ³²You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³They are not to live in your land; otherwise they will make you sin against me by ensnaring you to serve their gods.”

24 To Moshe [Adonai] said, “Come up to Adonai — you, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the leaders of Isra’el. Prostrate yourselves at a distance, ²while Moshe alone approaches Adonai — the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.” ³Moshe came and told the people everything Adonai had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: “We will obey every word Adonai has spoken.”

⁴Moshe wrote down all the words of Adonai. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el. ⁵He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to Adonai. ⁶Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar. ⁷Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, “Everything that Adonai has spoken, we will do and obey.” ⁸Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which Adonai has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up; ¹⁰and they saw the God of Isra’el. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹He did not reach out his hand against these notables of Isra’el; on the contrary, they saw God, even as they were eating and drinking.

¹²Adonai said to Moshe, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with the Torah and the mitzvot I have written on them, so that you can teach them.” ¹³Moshe got up, also Y’hoshua his assistant; and Moshe went up onto the mountain of God. ¹⁴To the leaders he said, “Stay here for us, until we come back to you. See, Aharon and Hur are with you; whoever has a problem should turn to them.” (S: Maftir) ¹⁵Moshe went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. (A: Maftir) ¹⁶The glory of Adonai stayed on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moshe out of the cloud. ¹⁷To the people of Isra’el the glory of Adonai looked like a raging fire on the top of the mountain. ¹⁸Moshe entered the cloud and went up on the mountain; he was on the mountain forty days and nights.

Haftarah Mishpatim: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 34:8–22; 33:25–26

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Mishpatim: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:38–42; 15:1–20; Mark 7:1–23; Acts 23:1–11; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 9:15–22; 10:28–39

Shemot 22-24

Orthodox Jewish Bible

22 ^(21:37)If a ganav takes a shor, or a seh, and slaughter it, or sell it; he shall restore five cattle for an ox, and the seh.

²⁽¹⁾If a ganav be caught breaking in, and be struck down so that he die, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.

³⁽²⁾If the shemesh be risen upon him, there shall be guilt of bloodshed; the ganav should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then the ganav shall be sold to make restitution for his theft.

⁴⁽³⁾If the theft be certainly found in his yad chayyim, whether it be ox, or donkey, or seh; he shall pay back double.

⁵⁽⁴⁾If a man shall allow livestock to graze over a sadeh or kerem (vineyard), or he lets it loose and it graze over the sadeh of another, then from the best of his own sadeh, and of the best of his own kerem (vineyard), shall he make restitution.

⁶⁽⁵⁾If eish break out, and spreads in kotzim (thorns), so that the stacks of grain, or the standing grain, or the sadeh, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the eish shall surely make restitution.

⁷⁽⁶⁾If an ish shall give unto his re’a kesef or vessels to be shomer over, and it be stolen out of the bais haish; if the ganav be found, let him pay back double.

⁸⁽⁷⁾If the ganav be not found, then the ba’al habais shall be brought before HaElohim, to see whether he has put his yad on the property of his neighbor.

⁹⁽⁸⁾For all manner of pesha (trespass, liability), whether it be for ox, for donkey, for seh, for clothing, or for any manner of avedah (lost property, missing thing) which another says, This is it, the case of both shall come before HaElohim; and whom Elohim shall condemn, he shall pay back double unto his re’a.

¹⁰⁽⁹⁾If an ish deliver unto his re’a a donkey, or an ox, or a seh, or any behemah, to be shomer over; and it die, or be injured, or carried away, with no eye witness;

¹¹⁽¹⁰⁾Then shall a shevuat Hashem be between them both, that he hath not laid his yad on the property of his re’a; and the property’s ba’al shall accept thereof, and he shall not make restitution.

¹²⁽¹¹⁾And if it be certainly stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the ba’al thereof.

¹³⁽¹²⁾If it be indeed tarof (torn by a wild animal, predator), then let him bring it for ed (witness), and he shall not make restitution for the terefah (torn animal).

¹⁴⁽¹³⁾And if an ish asks to borrow of his re’a, and the animal borrowed be injured, or die, the ba’al thereof being not with it, he shall surely make restitution.

¹⁵⁽¹⁴⁾But if the ba’al thereof be with it, he shall not make restitution; if it be sakhir (rented, hired), it came for its hire.

¹⁶⁽¹⁵⁾And if an ish entice a betulah that is not orasah (betrothed, pledged), and lie with her, he shall surely endow her with a marriage contract as his isha.

¹⁷⁽¹⁶⁾If her av utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay kesef according to the mohar habetulah (marriage contract, dowry of the virgins).

¹⁸⁽¹⁷⁾Thou shalt not allow a mekhashefah (witch, sorceress) to live.

¹⁹⁽¹⁸⁾Kol shochev (every one having sexual relations) with a behemah shall surely be put to death.

²⁰⁽¹⁹⁾He that sacrificeth unto elohim (the g-ds), other than unto Hashem only, he shall be destroyed.

²¹⁽²⁰⁾Thou shalt neither mistreat a ger, nor oppress him; for ye were gerim in Eretz Mitzrayim.

²²⁽²¹⁾Ye shall not cause pain to any almanah, or yatom.

²³⁽²²⁾If thou cause them pain in any way, and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry;

²⁴⁽²³⁾And My wrath shall be kindled, and I will kill you with the cherev; and your nashim shall be almanot, and your banim shall be yetomim.

²⁵⁽²⁴⁾If thou lend kesef to any of My people that is poor among thee, thou shalt not be to him as a nosheh (a usurer), neither shalt thou lay upon him neshekh (usury, interest).

²⁶⁽²⁵⁾If thou at all take the cloak of thy re’a as security, thou shalt return it unto him by bo hashemesh (sunset);

²⁷⁽²⁶⁾For that is his covering only, it is his cloak for his skin; wherein shall he sleep? And it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto Me, that I will hear; for I am channun (compassionate).

²⁸⁽²⁷⁾Thou shalt not revile Elohim, nor curse the nasi of thy people.

²⁹⁽²⁸⁾Thou shalt not delay to offer thy fullness offering (i.e., bikkurim) or thy kohen’s heave offering (i.e. terumah); the bechor of thy banim shalt thou present unto Me.

³⁰⁽²⁹⁾Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy tzon; shivat yamim it shall be with its em; on the yom hashemi’ni thou shalt give it Me.

³¹⁽³⁰⁾And ye shall be anshei kodesh unto Me; neither shall ye eat any basar that is terefah (torn of beasts) in the sadeh; ye shall cast it to the kelev (dog).

23 Thou shalt not spread a false report; put not thine hand with the rashah to be an ed chamas (malicious witness).

²Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a riv (cause, lawsuit) to turn aside after many to pervert justice;

³Neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his riv (cause, lawsuit).

⁴If thou meet thine enemy’s shor (ox) or his chamor (donkey) going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.

⁵If thou see the chamor of him that hateth thee lying under his massa, and wouldest refrain from helping him, thou shalt surely help with him.

⁶Thou shalt not pervert the mishpat of thy poor in his riv (cause, lawsuit).

⁷Keep thee far from a devar sheker (false matter); and the naki (innocent) and tzaddik slay thou not; for I will not acquit the rashah.

⁸And thou shalt take no shochad (bribe, gift); for the shochad blindeth the seeing, and perverteth the words of the tzaddikim.

⁹Also thou shalt not oppress a ger; for ye know the nefesh of a ger, seeing ye were gerim in Eretz Mitzrayim.

¹⁰And shesh shanim thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the crops thereof;

¹¹But the shevi’it thou shalt leave it shamat (unplowed) and let it lie fallow; that the evyon (poor) of thy people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the sadeh shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy kerem (vineyard), and with thy zayit (olive) grove.

¹²Sheshet yamim thou shalt do thy work, and on the yom hashevi’i thou shalt rest; that thine shor (ox) and thine chamor (donkey) may rest, and the ben of thy amah (handmaid), and the ger, may be refreshed.

¹³And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect; and make no mention of the shem elohim acherim, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.

¹⁴Three times thou shalt keep a Chag unto Me in the shanah.

¹⁵Thou shalt be shomer to keep the Chag HaMatzot; thou shalt eat matzot shivah yamim, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Aviv; for in it thou camest out from Mitzrayim; and none shall appear before Me empty-handed;

¹⁶And the Chag HaKatzir, Bikkurim (Firstfruits [see Ac chp 2]) of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the sadeh; and the Chag HaAsif (Feast of Ingathering [see Yn chp 7]), which is in the end of the shanah, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the sadeh.

¹⁷Shalosh pa’amim in the shanah all thy zachar shall appear before HaAdon Hashem.

¹⁸Thou shalt not offer the dahm of My zevach with chametz; neither shall the chelev of My sacrifice remain until the boker.

¹⁹The reshit bikkurim of thy land thou shalt bring into the Bais Hashem Eloheicha [see Ac chp 2]. Thou shalt not cook a kid in his mother’s cholov.

²⁰Hinei, I send Malach before thee, to be shomer over thee in the derech, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

²¹Pay heed to him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your peysha’im; for My Shem is in him.

²²But if thou shalt indeed obey his [bat] kol, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

²³For My Malach shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Emori, and the Chitti, and the Perizzi, and the Kena’ani, the Chivi, and the Yevusi; I will cut them off.

²⁴Thou shalt not bow down to their elohim, nor serve them, nor follow after their works; but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and completely break down their matztzvot (memorial columns dedicated to idols).

²⁵And ye shall serve Hashem Eloheichem, and He shall bless thy lechem, and thy mayim; and I will take machalah (sickness) away from the midst of thee.

²⁶There shall nothing miscarry their young, nor be barren, in thy land; the mispar (number) of thy yamim I will fulfill.

²⁷I will send My ehmah (terror) ahead of thee, and will throw into confusion all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.

²⁸And I will send the tzirah (hornet) ahead of thee, which shall drive out the Chivi, the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, from before thee.

²⁹I will not drive them out from before thee in shanah echat; lest ha’aretz become desolate, and the beast of the sadeh multiply against thee.

³⁰Me’at me’at (little by little) I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit ha’aretz.

³¹And I will establish thy borders from the Yam Suf even unto the Yam Pelishtim, and from the Midbar unto the [Euphrates] River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of ha’aretz into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.

³²Thou shalt make no brit (covenant) with them, nor with their elohim.

³³They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against Me; for if thou serve their elohim, it will surely be a mokesh (snare) unto thee.

24 And He said unto Moshe, Come up unto Hashem, thou, and Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu, and shive’im (seventy) of the Ziknei Yisroel; and worship ye afar off.

²And Moshe alone shall come near Hashem; but they shall not come near; neither shall HaAm go up with him.

³And Moshe came and told HaAm kol divrei Hashem, and all the mishpatim; and kol HaAm answered with one voice, and said, All the words which Hashem hath said will we do.

⁴And Moshe wrote kol divrei Hashem, and rose up early in the boker, and built a Mizbe’ach at the base of HaHar, and twelve matzevah (stone pillars), according to the twelve Shivtei Yisroel.

⁵And he sent out na’arei Bnei Yisroel, which offered olot (burnt offerings), and sacrificed shelamim (peace offerings) of bulls unto Hashem.

⁶And Moshe took half of the dahm, and put it in bowls; and the other half of the dahm he sprinkled upon the Mizbe’ach.

⁷Then he took the Sefer HaBrit, and read it aloud in the ears of HaAm, and they responded, All that Hashem hath said we will do, and be obedient.

⁸And Moshe took the remaining dahm, and sprinkled it on HaAm, and said, Hinei dahm habrit, which Hashem hath cut with you concerning all these words.

⁹Then went up Moshe, and Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu, and shiv’im Ziknei Yisroel;

¹⁰And they saw the Elohei Yisroel; and there was under His feet the likeness of sapphire stone pavement, and like the very Shomayim in its clearness.

¹¹And against the leaders of the Bnei Yisroel He laid not His yad; also they saw HaElohim, and did eat and drink.

¹²And Hashem said unto Moshe, Come up to Me into HaHar, and remain there; and I will give thee the Luchot HaEven, and the torah, and the mitzvot which I have written to teach them.

¹³And Moshe rose up, and Yehoshua meshareto (the one aiding him, the one ministering to him); and Moshe went up into the Har HaElohim.

¹⁴And he said unto the Zekenim, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you; and, hinei, Aharon and Chur are with you; if any man have a grievance, let him come unto them.

¹⁵And Moshe went up into HaHar, and an anan concealed HaHar.

¹⁶And the Kevod Hashem abode upon Mt. Sinai, and the anan concealed it sheshet yamim; and the yom hashevi’i He called unto Moshe out of the midst of the anan.

¹⁷And the sight of the Kevod Hashem was like eish ochelet (devouring fire) on the top of HaHar in the eyes of the Bnei Yisroel.

¹⁸And Moshe went into the midst of the anan, going up into HaHar; and Moshe was in HaHar arba’im yom v’arba’im lailah.

Exodus 22-24

New International Version

Protection of Property

22 ^[a]“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back^(A) five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

²“If a thief is caught breaking in^(B) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;^(C) ³but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,^(D) but if they have nothing, they must be sold^(E) to pay for their theft. ⁴If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession^(F)—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.^(G)

⁵“If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution^(H) from the best of their own field or vineyard.

⁶“If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks^(I) of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.^(J)

⁷“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping^(K) and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.^(L) ⁸But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,^(M) and they must^[b] determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. ⁹In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.^[c]^(N) The one whom the judges declare^[d] guilty must pay back double to the other.

¹⁰“If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping^(O) and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, ¹¹the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath^(P) before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. ¹²But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution^(Q) must be made to the owner. ¹³If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.^(R)

¹⁴“If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution.^(S) ¹⁵But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.^(T)

Social Responsibility

¹⁶“If a man seduces a virgin^(U) who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,^(V) and she shall be his wife. ¹⁷If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸“Do not allow a sorceress^(W) to live.

¹⁹“Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal^(X) is to be put to death.

²⁰“Whoever sacrifices to any god^(Y) other than the Lord must be destroyed.^[e]^(Z)

²¹“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner,^(AA) for you were foreigners^(AB) in Egypt.

²²“Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.^(AC) ²³If you do and they cry out^(AD) to me, I will certainly hear their cry.^(AE) ²⁴My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.^(AF)

²⁵“If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.^(AG) ²⁶If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,^(AH) return it by sunset, ²⁷because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in?^(AI) When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.^(AJ)

²⁸“Do not blaspheme God^[f]^(AK) or curse^(AL) the ruler of your people.^(AM)

²⁹“Do not hold back offerings^(AN) from your granaries or your vats.^[g]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons.^(AO) ³⁰Do the same with your cattle and your sheep.^(AP) Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.^(AQ)

³¹“You are to be my holy people.^(AR) So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts;^(AS) throw it to the dogs.

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.^(AT) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.^(AU)

²“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice^(AV) by siding with the crowd,^(AW) ³and do not show favoritism^(AX) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

⁴“If you come across your enemy’s^(AY) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.^(AZ) ⁵If you see the donkey^(BA) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

⁶“Do not deny justice^(BB) to your poor people in their lawsuits. ⁷Have nothing to do with a false charge^(BC) and do not put an innocent^(BD) or honest person to death,^(BE) for I will not acquit the guilty.^(BF)

⁸“Do not accept a bribe,^(BG) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

⁹“Do not oppress a foreigner;^(BH) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

¹⁰“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, ¹¹but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.^(BI) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹²“Six days do your work,^(BJ) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.^(BK)

¹³“Be careful^(BL) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;^(BM) do not let them be heard on your lips.^(BN)

The Three Annual Festivals

¹⁴“Three times^(BO) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

¹⁵“Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;^(BP) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,^(BQ) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.^(BR)

¹⁶“Celebrate the Festival of Harvest^(BS) with the firstfruits^(BT) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering^(BU) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.^(BV)

¹⁷“Three times^(BW) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁸“Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.^(BX)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.^(BY)

¹⁹“Bring the best of the firstfruits^(BZ) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.^(CA)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

²⁰“See, I am sending an angel^(CB) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.^(CC) ²¹Pay attention to him and listen^(CD) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive^(CE) your rebellion,^(CF) since my Name^(CG) is in him. ²²If you listen carefully to what he says and do^(CH) all that I say, I will be an enemy^(CI) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. ²³My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,^(CJ) and I will wipe them out. ²⁴Do not bow down before their gods or worship^(CK) them or follow their practices.^(CL) You must demolish^(CM) them and break their sacred stones^(CN) to pieces. ²⁵Worship the Lord your God,^(CO) and his blessing^(CP) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness^(CQ) from among you, ²⁶and none will miscarry or be barren^(CR) in your land. I will give you a full life span.^(CS)

²⁷“I will send my terror^(CT) ahead of you and throw into confusion^(CU) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.^(CV) ²⁸I will send the hornet^(CW) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites^(CX) out of your way. ²⁹But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals^(CY) too numerous for you. ³⁰Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession^(CZ) of the land.

³¹“I will establish your borders from the Red Sea^[h] to the Mediterranean Sea,^[i] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.^(DA) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out^(DB) before you. ³²Do not make a covenant^(DC) with them or with their gods. ³³Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare^(DD) to you.”

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,^(DE) Nadab and Abihu,^(DF) and seventy of the elders^(DG) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, ²but Moses alone is to approach^(DH) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

³When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,^(DI) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”^(DJ) ⁴Moses then wrote^(DK) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar^(DL) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars^(DM) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings^(DN) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings^(DO) to the Lord. ⁶Moses^(DP) took half of the blood^(DQ) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed^(DR) against the altar. ⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant^(DS) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”^(DT)

⁸Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people^(DU) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant^(DV) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders^(DW) of Israel went up ¹⁰and saw^(DX) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,^(DY) as bright blue as the sky.^(DZ) ¹¹But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw^(EA) God, and they ate and drank.^(EB)

¹²The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone^(EC) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

¹³Then Moses set out with Joshua^(ED) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain^(EE) of God. ¹⁴He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur^(EF) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute^(EG) can go to them.”

¹⁵When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud^(EH) covered it, ¹⁶and the glory^(EI) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.^(EJ) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.^(EK) ¹⁷To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire^(EL) on top of the mountain. ¹⁸Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty^(EM) days and forty nights.^(EN)

Footnotes

Exodus 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1 is numbered 21:37, and 22:2-31 is numbered 22:1-30.
Exodus 22:8 Or before God, and he will
Exodus 22:9 Or before God
Exodus 22:9 Or whom God declares
Exodus 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
Exodus 22:28 Or Do not revile the judges
Exodus 22:29 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines

Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

New International Version (NIV)

Exodus 22-24

Complete Jewish Bible

Shemot 22-24

Orthodox Jewish Bible

Exodus 22-24

New International Version

Protection of Property

Social Responsibility

Laws of Justice and Mercy

Sabbath Laws

The Three Annual Festivals

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

The Covenant Confirmed

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Exodus 22-24 Complete Jewish Bible

Shemot 22-24 Orthodox Jewish Bible

Exodus 22-24 New International Version

Protection of Property

Social Responsibility

Laws of Justice and Mercy

Sabbath Laws

The Three Annual Festivals

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

The Covenant Confirmed

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Exodus 22-24

Complete Jewish Bible

Shemot 22-24

Orthodox Jewish Bible

Exodus 22-24

New International Version