Exodus 22-24

New King James Version

Responsibility for Property

22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall ^(A)restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. ²If the thief is found ^(B)breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be ^(C)no guilt for his bloodshed. ³If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be ^(D)sold^[a] for his theft. ⁴If the theft is certainly ^(E)found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall ^(F)restore double.

⁵“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷“If a man ^(G)delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, ^(H)if the thief is found, he shall pay double. ⁸If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the ^(I)judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

⁹“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the ^(J)cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. ¹⁰If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, ¹¹then an ^(K)oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. ¹²But ^(L)if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. ¹³If it is ^(M)torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.

¹⁴“And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. ¹⁵If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

¹⁶^(N)“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁷If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the ^(O)bride-price of virgins.

¹⁸^(P)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

¹⁹^(Q)“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

²⁰^(R)“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

²¹^(S)“You shall neither mistreat a ^[b]stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

²²^(T)“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. ²³If you afflict them in any way, and they ^(U)cry at all to Me, I will surely ^(V)hear their cry; ²⁴and My ^(W)wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; ^(X)your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

²⁵^(Y)“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him ^(Z)interest. ²⁶^(AA)If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am ^(AB)gracious.

²⁸^(AC)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ^(AD)ruler of your people.

²⁹“You shall not delay to offer ^(AE)the first of your ripe produce and your juices. ^(AF)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ³⁰^(AG)Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother ^(AH)seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹“And you shall be ^(AI)holy men to Me: ^(AJ)you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Justice for All

23 “You ^(AK)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an ^(AL)unrighteous witness. ²^(AM)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; ^(AN)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. ³You shall not show partiality to a ^(AO)poor man in his dispute.

⁴^(AP)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. ⁵^(AQ)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

⁶^(AR)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. ⁷^(AS)Keep yourself far from a false matter; ^(AT)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For ^(AU)I will not justify the wicked. ⁸And ^(AV)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

⁹“Also ^(AW)you shall not oppress a ^[c]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Law of Sabbaths

¹⁰^(AX)“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, ¹¹but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your ^[d]olive grove. ¹²^(AY)Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

¹³“And in all that I have said to you, ^(AZ)be circumspect and ^(BA)make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

Three Annual Feasts^(BB)

¹⁴^(BC)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: ¹⁵^(BD)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; ^(BE)none shall appear before Me empty); ¹⁶^(BF)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and ^(BG)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

¹⁷^(BH)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord ^[e]God.

¹⁸^(BI)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened ^(BJ)bread; nor shall the fat of My ^[f]sacrifice remain until morning. ¹⁹^(BK)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. ^(BL)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Angel and the Promises

²⁰^(BM)“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹Beware of Him and obey His voice; ^(BN)do not provoke Him, for He will ^(BO)not pardon your transgressions; for ^(BP)My name is in Him. ²²But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then ^(BQ)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³^(BR)For My Angel will go before you and ^(BS)bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will ^[g]cut them off. ²⁴You shall not ^(BT)bow down to their gods, nor serve them, ^(BU)nor do according to their works; ^(BV)but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

²⁵“So you shall ^(BW)serve the Lord your God, and ^(BX)He will bless your bread and your water. And ^(BY)I will take sickness away from the midst of you. ²⁶^(BZ)No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will ^(CA)fulfill the number of your days.

²⁷“I will send ^(CB)My fear before you, I will ^(CC)cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸And ^(CD)I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. ²⁹^(CE)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. ³¹And ^(CF)I will set your ^[h]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the ^[i]River. For I will ^(CG)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. ³²^(CH)You shall make no ^[j]covenant with them, nor with their gods. ³³They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, ^(CI)it will surely be a snare to you.”

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, ^(CJ)Nadab and Abihu, ^(CK)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. ²And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

³So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ^[k]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ^(CL)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴And Moses ^(CM)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve ^(CN)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered ^(CO)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶And Moses ^(CP)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷Then he ^(CQ)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” ⁸And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is ^(CR)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

On the Mountain with God

⁹Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰and they ^(CS)saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of ^(CT)sapphire stone, and it was like the ^(CU)very^[l] heavens in its clarity. ¹¹But on the nobles of the children of Israel He ^(CV)did not ^[m]lay His hand. So ^(CW)they saw God, and they ^(CX)ate and drank.

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(CY)“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you ^(CZ)tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

¹³So Moses arose with ^(DA)his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and ^(DB)Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” ¹⁵Then Moses went up into the mountain, and ^(DC)a cloud covered the mountain.

¹⁶Now ^(DD)the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷The sight of the glory of the Lord was like ^(DE)a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. ¹⁸So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And ^(DF)Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Footnotes

Exodus 22:3 Sold as a slave
Exodus 22:21 sojourner
Exodus 23:9 sojourner
Exodus 23:11 olive yards
Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
Exodus 23:18 feast
Exodus 23:23 annihilate them
Exodus 23:31 boundaries
Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
Exodus 23:32 treaty
Exodus 24:3 ordinances
Exodus 24:10 Lit. substance of heaven
Exodus 24:11 stretch out His

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

New King James Version (NKJV)

New International Version (NIV)

Exodus 22-24

New King James Version

Responsibility for Property

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

Justice for All

The Law of Sabbaths

Three Annual Feasts^(BB)

The Angel and the Promises

Israel Affirms the Covenant

On the Mountain with God

Footnotes

Cross references

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 New King James Version

Responsibility for Property

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

Justice for All

The Law of Sabbaths

Three Annual Feasts(BB)

The Angel and the Promises

Israel Affirms the Covenant

On the Mountain with God

Footnotes

Cross references

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

New King James Version

Three Annual Feasts^(BB)

Exodus 22-24

New International Version