Exodus 21
Authorized (King James) Version
21 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. 3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: 6 then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. 8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. 10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. 11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. 13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
18 And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: 19 if he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. 27 And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.
28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. 31 Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. 32 If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein; 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35 And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide. 36 Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
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
Modern English Version
The Law About Servants(A)
21 Now these are the judgments which you will set before them.
2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will serve for six years, but in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything. 3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife will 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 belong to her master, and he will go out by himself.
5 However, if the servant plainly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free,” 6 then his master will bring him to the judges, then he shall also bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
7 If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He has no authority to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 If he has designated her for his son, then he shall deal with her according to the customary rights of daughters. 10 If he marries another wife, then he must not diminish the first one’s food, her clothing, or her marital rights. 11 If he does not provide these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.
The Law About Violence
12 He that strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, if it was not premeditated, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place where he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully comes upon his neighbor in order to kill him cunningly, then you must take him from My altar, that he may die.
15 He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.
17 He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 If men fight and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die, but must remain in bed, 19 and then if he gets up and walks around on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished. Only he must pay for his loss of time and shall see to it that he is thoroughly healed.
20 If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a rod so that he or she dies at his hand, then he shall surely be punished. 21 Nevertheless, if he survives for a day or two, then he shall not be punished, for it is his money.
22 If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that her child is born prematurely,[a] yet there is no serious injury, then he shall be surely punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is any serious injury, then you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26 If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or the eye of his female servant so that it is destroyed, then he must let him go free on account of his eye. 27 If he knocks out his male servant’s tooth or his female servant’s tooth, then he shall let him or her go free on account of the tooth.
Laws About Property
28 If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox must surely be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted. 29 But if the ox has had the habit of goring, and the owner has been made aware of it, and he has not kept it in, and it has killed a man or a woman, then the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If a ransom is set for him, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatever is demanded of him. 31 Whether it gored a son or gored a daughter, it will be done to him according to this rule. 32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, then its owner shall give thirty shekels[b] of silver to their master, and the ox must be stoned.
33 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 into it, 34 the owner of the pit must make restitution. He must give money to their owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 If one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its proceeds and divide the dead ox also. 36 Or if it be known that the ox has had the habit of goring and its owner has not kept it in, then he shall surely pay ox for ox and the dead animal will become his own.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:22 Or she has a miscarriage.
- Exodus 21:32 About 12 ounces, or 345 grams.
Éxodo 21
Reina-Valera Antigua
21 Y ESTOS son los derechos que les propondrás.
2 Si comprares siervo hebreo, seis años servirá; mas al séptimo saldrá horro de balde.
3 Si entró solo, solo saldrá: si tenía mujer, saldrá él y su mujer con él.
4 Si su amo le hubiere dado mujer, y ella le hubiere parido hijos ó hijas, la mujer y sus hijos serán de su amo, y él saldrá solo.
5 Y si el siervo dijere: Yo amo á mi señor, á mi mujer y á mis hijos, no saldré libre:
6 Entonces su amo lo hará llegar á los jueces, y harále llegar á la puerta ó al poste; y su amo le horadará la oreja con lesna, y será su siervo para siempre.
7 Y cuando alguno vendiere su hija por sierva, no saldrá como suelen salir los siervos.
8 Si no agradare á su señor, por lo cual no la tomó por esposa, permitirle ha que se rescate, y no la podrá vender á pueblo extraño cuando la desechare.
9 Mas si la hubiere desposado con su hijo, hará con ella según la costumbre de las hijas.
10 Si le tomare otra, no disminuirá su alimento, ni su vestido, ni el débito conyugal.
11 Y si ninguna de estas tres cosas hiciere, ella saldrá de gracia sin dinero.
12 El que hiriere á alguno, haciéndole así morir, él morirá.
13 Mas el que no armó asechanzas, sino que Dios lo puso en sus manos, entonces yo te señalaré lugar al cual ha de huir.
14 Además, si alguno se ensoberbeciere contra su prójimo, y lo matare con alevosía, de mi altar lo quitarás para que muera.
15 Y el que hiriere á su padre ó á su madre, morirá.
16 Asimismo el que robare una persona, y la vendiere, ó se hallare en sus manos, morirá.
17 Igualmente el que maldijere á su padre ó á su madre, morirá.
18 Además, si algunos riñeren, y alguno hiriere á su prójimo con piedra ó con el puño, y no muriere, pero cayere en cama;
19 Si se levantare y anduviere fuera sobre su báculo, entonces será el que le hirió absuelto: solamente le satisfará lo que estuvo parado, y hará que le curen.
20 Y si alguno hiriere á su siervo ó á su sierva con palo, y muriere bajo de su mano, será castigado:
21 Mas si durare por un día ó dos, no será castigado, porque su dinero es.
22 Si algunos riñeren, é hiriesen á mujer preñada, y ésta abortare, pero sin haber muerte, será penado conforme á lo que le impusiere el marido de la mujer y juzgaren los árbitros.
23 Mas si hubiere muerte, entonces pagarás vida por vida,
24 Ojo por ojo, diente por diente, mano por mano, pie por pie,
25 Quemadura por quemadura, herida por herida, golpe por golpe.
26 Y cuando alguno hiriere el ojo de su siervo, ó el ojo de su sierva, y lo entortare, darále libertad por razón de su ojo.
27 Y si sacare el diente de su siervo, ó el diente de su sierva, por su diente le dejará ir libre.
28 Si un buey acorneare hombre ó mujer, y de resultas muriere, el buey será apedreado, y no se comerá su carne; mas el dueño del buey será absuelto.
29 Pero si el buey era acorneador desde ayer y antes de ayer, y á su dueño le fué hecho requerimiento, y no lo hubiere guardado, y matare hombre ó mujer, el buey será apedreado, y también morirá su dueño.
30 Si le fuere impuesto rescate, entonces dará por el rescate de su persona cuanto le fuere impuesto.
31 Haya acorneado hijo, ó haya acorneado hija, conforme á este juicio se hará con él.
32 Si el buey acorneare siervo ó sierva, pagará treinta siclos de plata su señor, y el buey será apedreado.
33 Y si alguno abriere hoyo, ó cavare cisterna, y no la cubriere, y cayere allí buey ó asno,
34 El dueño de la cisterna pagará el dinero, resarciendo á su dueño, y lo que fue muerto será suyo.
35 Y si el buey de alguno hiriere al buey de su prójimo, y éste muriere, entonces venderán el buey vivo, y partirán el dinero de él, y también partirán el muerto.
36 Mas si era notorio que el buey era acorneador de ayer y antes de ayer, y su dueño no lo hubiere guardado, pagará buey por buey, y el muerto será suyo.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.