Exodus 21:12-27

Evangelical Heritage Version

Laws About Injuries

¹² Anyone who strikes a man so that he dies must certainly be put to death. ¹³ However, if this was not done intentionally but rather was an act of God, for that kind of case I will appoint a place among you to which that man can flee. ¹⁴ But if a man plots and kills his neighbor deliberately, you shall take him from my altar, so that he may be put to death.

¹⁵ Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.

¹⁶ If anyone kidnaps someone and sells him, or if the kidnapped person is found in his possession, the kidnapper must certainly be put to death.

¹⁷ Anyone who curses his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.

¹⁸ If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the victim does not die but is confined to bed— ¹⁹ if the victim gets up and can walk around outside with his staff, then the one who struck him shall not be punished, but he must pay for the victim’s lost work time while he is recuperating, until he is completely healed.

²⁰ If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a club,^[a] and the servant dies at his hand, he must certainly be punished. ²¹ However, if the servant gets up after a day or two,^[b] the man shall not be punished, for the servant was his property.

²² If men are fighting and they injure a pregnant woman so that the child comes out, yet no harm follows, they must certainly be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you are to take life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

²⁶ If a man strikes his male or female servant’s eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free as payment for the eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out his male or female servant’s tooth, he must let the servant go free as payment for the tooth.