Exodus 21
Lexham English Bible
Regulations Regarding Hebrew Slaves
21 “And these are the regulations that you will set before them.
2 ‘If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years, and in the seventh he will go out as free for nothing.[a] 3 If he comes in single, he will go out single. If he is the husband of a wife, his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears for him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the slave will go out single. 5 But if the slave explicitly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” 6 his master will present him to God[b] and bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve him forever.
7 “‘And if a man sells his daughter as a slave woman, she will not go out as male slaves go out. 8 If she does not please her master[c] who selected her, he will allow her to be redeemed; he has no authority to sell her to foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her. 9 And if he selects her for his son, he shall do for her according to the regulations for daughters. 10 If he takes for himself another, he will not reduce her food, her clothing, or her right of cohabitation. 11 And if he does not do for her these three, she shall go out for nothing; there will not be silver[d] paid for her.
Regulations Regarding Murder, Manslaughter, and Various Injuries
12 “‘Whoever strikes someone[e] and he dies will surely be put to death. 13 But if he did not lie in wait and it was an accident,[f] I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man schemes against his neighbor to kill him by treachery,[g] you will take him from my altar to die. 15 And whoever strikes[h] his father or his mother will surely be put to death.
16 “‘And whoever kidnaps someone[i] and sells him, or he is found in his possession,[j] he will surely be put to death.
17 “‘And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.
18 “‘And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but he is confined to bed,[k] 19 if he stands and walks about in the outside on his staff, the striker will be unpunished; he will only pay for his inactivity[l] toward his full recovery.”[m] 20 And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged. 21 Yet if he survives a day or two days, he will not be avenged, because he is his money.[n]
22 “‘And if men fight and they injure a pregnant woman, and her children go out and there is not serious injury, he will surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands concerning him and as the judges determine.[o] 23 And if there is serious injury, you will give life in place of life, 24 eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, 25 burn in place of burn, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.
26 “‘And if a man strikes the eye of his male slave or the eye of his female slave and destroys it, he shall release him as free in place of his eye. 27 And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.
28 “‘And if an ox gores a man or a woman and he dies, the ox will surely be stoned, and its meat will not be eaten, and the owner of the ox is innocent. 29 But if it was a goring ox before[p] and its owner was warned and did not restrain it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox will be stoned, and the owner also will be put to death. 30 If a ransom is set on him, he will pay the redemption money for his life according to all that is set on him. 31 If it gores a son or it gores a daughter, according to this regulation it shall be done to him. 32 If the ox gores a male slave or a female slave, he will give thirty shekels of silver to his master, and the ox will be stoned.
33 “‘If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead animal will be for him.[q] 35 And if a man’s ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the living ox and divide the money,[r] and they will also divide the dead one. 36 Or if it was known that it was a goring ox before[s] and its owner did not restrain it, he will surely make restitution, an ox in place of the ox, and the dead one will be for him.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:2 Or “for no payment”
- Exodus 21:6 Or “present him to the judges”
- Exodus 21:8 Literally “bad in the eyes of her master”
- Exodus 21:11 Or “money”
- Exodus 21:12 Literally “A striker of a man”
- Exodus 21:13 Literally “and God let him happen to his hand”
- Exodus 21:14 Or “with cunning” or “craftily”
- Exodus 21:15 Literally “a striker of”
- Exodus 21:16 Literally “a stealer of a man”
- Exodus 21:16 Literally “in his hand”
- Exodus 21:18 Literally “he falls to bed”
- Exodus 21:19 Literally “his sitting”
- Exodus 21:19 Literally “and he indeed will recover”
- Exodus 21:21 Or “property”; literally “his silver”
- Exodus 21:22 Literally “and he will give according to judgments” or “judges” or “arbitrators”
- Exodus 21:29 Literally “yesterday three days ago”
- Exodus 21:34 Or “will belong to him”
- Exodus 21:35 Literally “its silver”
- Exodus 21:36 Literally “yesterday three days ago”
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
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
