Éxodo 21
La Biblia de las Américas
Leyes sobre la esclavitud
21 Estas son las ordenanzas que pondrás delante de ellos(A). 2 Si compras un siervo hebreo(B), te servirá seis años, pero al séptimo saldrá libre sin pagar nada. 3 Si entró solo[a], saldrá solo[b]; si tenía mujer, entonces su mujer saldrá con él. 4 Si su amo le da mujer, y ella le da a luz hijos o hijas, la mujer y sus hijos serán de su amo, y él saldrá solo[c]. 5 Pero si el siervo insiste, diciendo: «Amo a mi señor(C), a mi mujer y a mis hijos; no saldré libre», 6 entonces su amo lo traerá a Dios[d], y lo traerá a la puerta o al quicial. Y su amo le horadará la oreja con una lezna, y él le servirá para siempre(D). 7 Y si alguno vende a su hija por sierva(E), ella no saldrá libre como salen los siervos(F). 8 Si ella no agrada a[e] su amo que la había destinado para sí[f], permitirá que sea redimida. Pero no podrá venderla a un pueblo extranjero, por haberla tratado con engaño. 9 Y si la destina para su hijo, la tratará conforme a la costumbre de las hijas. 10 Si toma para sí otra mujer, no disminuirá a la primera su alimento[g], ni su ropa, ni sus derechos conyugales(G). 11 Y si no hace por ella estas tres cosas, entonces ella saldrá libre sin pagar dinero.
Leyes sobre el homicidio y la violencia
12 El que hiera de muerte a otro, ciertamente morirá(H). 13 Pero si[h] no estaba al acecho, sino que Dios permitió que cayera en sus manos(I), entonces yo te señalaré un lugar donde pueda refugiarse(J). 14 Sin embargo, si alguno se ensoberbece contra su prójimo para matarlo con alevosía, lo tomarás aun de mi altar para que muera(K).
15 El que hiera a su padre o a su madre, ciertamente morirá.
16 El que secuestre[i] a una persona(L), ya sea que la venda o sea hallada en su poder[j], ciertamente morirá. 17 El que maldiga a su padre o a su madre, ciertamente morirá(M).
18 Si dos hombres riñen y uno hiere al otro con una piedra o con el puño, y no muere, pero guarda cama, 19 y[k] se levanta y anda afuera con su bastón, el que lo hirió será absuelto; solo pagará por su tiempo perdido[l], y lo cuidará hasta que esté completamente curado[m].
20 Si alguno hiere a su siervo o a su sierva con una vara, y muere bajo su mano, será castigado[n]. 21 Sin embargo, si sobrevive[o] uno o dos días, no se tomará venganza, porque es propiedad suya[p](N).
22 Y si algunos hombres luchan entre sí y golpean a una mujer encinta, y ella aborta[q], sin haber otro daño, ciertamente el culpable será multado según lo que el esposo de la mujer demande de él[r]; y pagará según lo que los jueces decidan[s](O). 23 Pero si hubiera algún otro daño, entonces pondrás como castigo, vida por vida(P), 24 ojo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano, pie por pie(Q), 25 quemadura por quemadura, herida por herida, golpe[t] por golpe[u].
Leyes para los amos y propietarios
26 Si alguno hiere el ojo de su siervo o de su sierva y se lo inutiliza, lo dejará ir libre a causa del ojo. 27 Y si hace saltar[v] un diente a su siervo o a su sierva, lo dejará ir libre a causa del diente.
28 Y si un buey acornea a un hombre o a una mujer, y le causa la muerte, ciertamente el buey será apedreado y su carne no se comerá(R); pero el dueño del buey no será castigado. 29 Sin embargo, si el buey tenía desde antes el hábito de acornear, y su dueño había sido advertido[w], pero no lo había encerrado, y mata a un hombre o a una mujer, el buey será apedreado, y su dueño también morirá. 30 Si se le impone precio de rescate, entonces dará por la redención de su vida lo que se demande de él[x]. 31 Si acornea a un hijo o a una hija[y], será enjuiciado según la misma ley[z]. 32 Si el buey acornea a un siervo o a una sierva, el dueño dará a su amo treinta siclos[aa] de plata(S), y el buey será apedreado.
33 Si alguno destapa un pozo, o cava[ab] un pozo y no lo cubre, y cae en él un buey o un asno, 34 el dueño del pozo hará restitución; dará[ac] dinero a su dueño, y el animal muerto será suyo.
35 Y si el buey de alguno hiere al buey de otro y le causa la muerte, entonces venderán el buey vivo y se dividirán el dinero[ad], y se dividirán también el buey muerto. 36 Pero si sabía que el buey tenía desde antes el hábito de acornear y su dueño no lo había encerrado, ciertamente pagará buey por buey, y el buey muerto será suyo.
Footnotes
- Éxodo 21:3 Lit., por sí mismo
- Éxodo 21:3 Lit., por sí mismo
- Éxodo 21:4 Lit., por sí mismo
- Éxodo 21:6 O, los jueces; i.e., los jueces que juzgaban en nombre de Dios
- Éxodo 21:8 Lit., Si es mala a los ojos de
- Éxodo 21:8 Así en algunas versiones antiguas; en heb., que no la designó
- Éxodo 21:10 Lit., carne
- Éxodo 21:13 Lit., el que
- Éxodo 21:16 Lit., robe
- Éxodo 21:16 Lit., mano
- Éxodo 21:19 Lit., si
- Éxodo 21:19 Lit., su sentarse
- Éxodo 21:19 Lit., y curando hará que cure
- Éxodo 21:20 Lit., sufrirá venganza
- Éxodo 21:21 Lit., permanece
- Éxodo 21:21 Lit., dinero suyo
- Éxodo 21:22 Lit., sus hijos salen
- Éxodo 21:22 Lit., ponga sobre él
- Éxodo 21:22 Lit., mediante arbitrio
- Éxodo 21:25 Lit., verdugón
- Éxodo 21:25 Lit., verdugón
- Éxodo 21:27 Lit., caer
- Éxodo 21:29 Lit., testificado
- Éxodo 21:30 Lit., se le imponga
- Éxodo 21:31 Lit., o acornea a una hija
- Éxodo 21:31 Lit., este juicio
- Éxodo 21:32 Un siclo equivale aprox. a 11.4 gramos
- Éxodo 21:33 Lit., o si alguno cava
- Éxodo 21:34 Lit., devolverá
- Éxodo 21:35 O, su precio
Exodus 21
New King James Version
The Law Concerning Servants(A)
21 “Now these are the [a]judgments which you shall (B)set before them: 2 (C)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 (D)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the (E)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
7 “And if a man (F)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she [b]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, (G)and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.
The Law Concerning Violence
12 (H)“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, (I)if he did not lie in wait, but God (J)delivered him into his hand, then (K)I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 “But if a man acts with (L)premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, (M)you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.
15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 (N)“He who kidnaps a man and (O)sells him, or if he is (P)found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17 “And (Q)he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if he rises again and walks about outside (R)with his staff, then he who struck him shall be [c]acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.
20 “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his (S)property.
22 “If men [d]fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that [e]she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall (T)pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 (U)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
Animal Control Laws
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then (V)the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be [f]acquitted. 29 But if the ox [g]tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay (W)to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. 31 Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master (X)thirty shekels of silver, and the (Y)ox shall be stoned.
33 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.
35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. 36 Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:1 ordinances
- Exodus 21:8 Lit. is evil in the eyes of
- Exodus 21:19 exempt from punishment
- Exodus 21:22 struggle
- Exodus 21:22 Lit. her children come out
- Exodus 21:28 exempt from punishment
- Exodus 21:29 was inclined
Exodus 21
English Standard Version
Laws About Slaves
21 “Now these are the (A)rules that you shall set before them. 2 (B)When you buy a Hebrew slave,[a] he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, 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 be her master's, and he shall go out alone. 5 But (C)if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to (D)God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.
7 “When a man (E)sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her[b] for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. 9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or (F)her marital rights. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
12 (G)“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 (H)But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then (I)I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, (J)you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15 “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
16 (K)“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found (L)in possession of him, shall be put to death.
17 (M)“Whoever curses[c] his father or his mother shall be put to death.
18 “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, 19 then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.
20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the (N)slave is his money.
22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and (O)he shall pay as the (P)judges determine. 23 But if there is harm,[d] then you shall pay (Q)life for life, 24 (R)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.
28 “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the (S)ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. 29 But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If (T)a ransom is imposed on him, then (U)he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. 31 If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master (V)thirty shekels[e] of silver, and (W)the ox shall be stoned.
Laws About Restitution
33 “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.
35 “When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. 36 Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:2 Or servant; the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles; also verses 5, 6, 7, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32 (see Preface)
- Exodus 21:8 Or so that he has not designated her
- Exodus 21:17 Or dishonors; Septuagint reviles
- Exodus 21:23 Or so that her children come out and it is clear who was to blame, he shall be fined as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he alone shall pay. 23 If it is unclear who was to blame
- Exodus 21:32 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
