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. 2 Do 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. 3 On 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. 5 If 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. 7 Keep away from fraud, and do not cause the death of the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked. 8 You 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. 11 But 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. 15 Keep 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. 16 Next, 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. 17 Three 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. 21 Pay 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. 22 But 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. 23 When 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. 24 You 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) 26 In your land your women will not miscarry or be barren, and you will live out the full span of your lives. 27 I 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. 28 I will send hornets ahead of you to drive out the Hivi, Kena‘ani and Hitti from before you. 29 I 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. 30 I will drive them out from before you gradually, until you have grown in number and can take possession of the land. 31 I 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. 32 You are not to make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 They 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, 2 while Moshe alone approaches Adonai — the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.” 3 Moshe 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.”
4 Moshe 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. 5 He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen to Adonai. 6 Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar. 7 Then 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.” 8 Moshe 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.”
9 Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up; 10 and they saw the God of Isra’el. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. 11 He 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.
12 Adonai 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.” 13 Moshe got up, also Y’hoshua his assistant; and Moshe went up onto the mountain of God. 14 To 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) 15 Moshe went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. (A: Maftir) 16 The 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. 17 To the people of Isra’el the glory of Adonai looked like a raging fire on the top of the mountain. 18 Moshe 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).
2 Thou 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;
3 Neither shalt thou favor a poor man in his riv (cause, lawsuit).
4 If thou meet thine enemy’s shor (ox) or his chamor (donkey) going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
5 If 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.
6 Thou shalt not pervert the mishpat of thy poor in his riv (cause, lawsuit).
7 Keep thee far from a devar sheker (false matter); and the naki (innocent) and tzaddik slay thou not; for I will not acquit the rashah.
8 And thou shalt take no shochad (bribe, gift); for the shochad blindeth the seeing, and perverteth the words of the tzaddikim.
9 Also thou shalt not oppress a ger; for ye know the nefesh of a ger, seeing ye were gerim in Eretz Mitzrayim.
10 And shesh shanim thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the crops thereof;
11 But 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.
12 Sheshet 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.
13 And 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.
14 Three times thou shalt keep a Chag unto Me in the shanah.
15 Thou 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;
16 And 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.
17 Shalosh pa’amim in the shanah all thy zachar shall appear before HaAdon Hashem.
18 Thou shalt not offer the dahm of My zevach with chametz; neither shall the chelev of My sacrifice remain until the boker.
19 The 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.
20 Hinei, I send Malach before thee, to be shomer over thee in the derech, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Pay heed to him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your peysha’im; for My Shem is in him.
22 But 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.
23 For 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.
24 Thou 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).
25 And 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.
26 There shall nothing miscarry their young, nor be barren, in thy land; the mispar (number) of thy yamim I will fulfill.
27 I 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.
28 And I will send the tzirah (hornet) ahead of thee, which shall drive out the Chivi, the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, from before thee.
29 I 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.
30 Me’at me’at (little by little) I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit ha’aretz.
31 And 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.
32 Thou shalt make no brit (covenant) with them, nor with their elohim.
33 They 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.
2 And Moshe alone shall come near Hashem; but they shall not come near; neither shall HaAm go up with him.
3 And 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.
4 And 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.
5 And he sent out na’arei Bnei Yisroel, which offered olot (burnt offerings), and sacrificed shelamim (peace offerings) of bulls unto Hashem.
6 And Moshe took half of the dahm, and put it in bowls; and the other half of the dahm he sprinkled upon the Mizbe’ach.
7 Then 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.
8 And 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.
9 Then went up Moshe, and Aharon, Nadav, and Avihu, and shiv’im Ziknei Yisroel;
10 And 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.
11 And against the leaders of the Bnei Yisroel He laid not His yad; also they saw HaElohim, and did eat and drink.
12 And 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.
13 And Moshe rose up, and Yehoshua meshareto (the one aiding him, the one ministering to him); and Moshe went up into the Har HaElohim.
14 And 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.
15 And Moshe went up into HaHar, and an anan concealed HaHar.
16 And 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.
17 And the sight of the Kevod Hashem was like eish ochelet (devouring fire) on the top of HaHar in the eyes of the Bnei Yisroel.
18 And Moshe went into the midst of the anan, going up into HaHar; and Moshe was in HaHar arba’im yom v’arba’im lailah.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
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