Exodus 21
New Living Translation
Fair Treatment of Slaves
21 “These are the regulations you must present to Israel.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. 3 If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him.
4 “If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. 5 But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ 6 If he does this, his master must present him before God.[a] Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.
7 “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. 8 If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. 9 But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter.
10 “If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. 11 If he fails in any of these three obligations, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.
Cases of Personal Injury
12 “Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death. 13 But if it was simply an accident permitted by God, I will appoint a place of refuge where the slayer can run for safety. 14 However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.
15 “Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.
16 “Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.
17 “Anyone who dishonors[b] father or mother must be put to death.
18 “Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured person does not die but is confined to bed. 19 If he is later able to walk outside again, even with a crutch, the assailant will not be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide for his full recovery.
20 “If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished. 21 But if the slave recovers within a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the slave is his property.
22 “Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely.[c] If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
26 “If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. 27 And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
28 “If an ox[d] gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. 29 But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death. 30 However, the dead person’s relatives may accept payment to compensate for the loss of life. The owner of the ox may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.
31 “The same regulation applies if the ox gores a boy or a girl. 32 But if the ox gores a slave, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s owner thirty silver coins,[e] and the ox must be stoned.
33 “Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. 34 The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal.
35 “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between them. They must also divide the dead animal. 36 But if the ox had a reputation for goring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must pay full compensation—a live ox for the dead one—but he may keep the dead ox.
Footnotes
- 21:6 Or before the judges.
- 21:17 Greek version reads Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of. Compare Matt 15:4; Mark 7:10.
- 21:22 Or so she has a miscarriage; Hebrew reads so her children come out.
- 21:28 Or bull, or cow; also in 21:29-36.
- 21:32 Hebrew 30 shekels of silver, about 12 ounces or 342 grams in weight.
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”
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