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Exodus 22-24
English Standard Version

22 [a] “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and (A)four sheep for a sheep. 2 [b] If a thief is found (B)breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He[c] shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then (C)he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen beast (D)is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, (E)he shall pay double.

5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

7 “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, (F)he shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. 9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

10 “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 11 (G)an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. 12 But if (H)it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

14 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.[d]

Laws About Social Justice

16 (I)“If a man seduces a virgin[e] who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price[f] for her and make her his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, (J)he shall pay money equal to the (K)bride-price for virgins.

18 (L)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

19 (M)“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

20 (N)“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.[g]

21 (O)“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 (P)You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they (Q)cry out to me, I will surely (R)hear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and (S)your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

25 (T)“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 (U)If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he (V)cries to me, I will hear, for I am (W)compassionate.

28 (X)“You shall not revile God, nor (Y)curse a ruler of your people.

29 “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. (Z)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 (AA)You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: (AB)seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

31 (AC)“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore (AD)you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; (AE)you shall throw it to the dogs.

23 (AF)“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a (AG)malicious witness. 2 You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, 3 (AH)nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 (AI)“If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. 5 If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

6 (AJ)“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. 7 (AK)Keep far from a false charge, and (AL)do not kill the innocent and righteous, for (AM)I will not acquit the wicked. 8 (AN)And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

9 (AO)“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Laws About the Sabbath and Festivals

10 (AP)“For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.

12 (AQ)“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

13 (AR)“Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.

14 (AS)“Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 (AT)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of (AU)Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. (AV)None shall appear before me empty-handed. 16 You shall keep (AW)the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the (AX)Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. 17 (AY)Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.

18 (AZ)“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning.

19 “The best of the (BA)firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

(BB)“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Conquest of Canaan Promised

20 (BC)“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; (BD)do not rebel against him, (BE)for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

22 “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then (BF)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 (BG)“When my angel goes before you and brings you (BH)to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall (BI)not bow down to their gods nor serve them, (BJ)nor do as they do, but (BK)you shall utterly overthrow them and break their (BL)pillars in pieces. 25 You (BM)shall serve the Lord your God, and (BN)he[h] will bless your bread and your water, and (BO)I will take sickness away from among you. 26 (BP)None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the (BQ)number of your days. 27 I will send (BR)my terror before you and will throw into (BS)confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And (BT)I will send hornets[i] before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 (BU)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. 31 (BV)And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates,[j] for (BW)I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (BX)You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, (BY)it will surely be a snare to you.”

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (BZ)Nadab, and Abihu, and (CA)seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses (CB)alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and (CC)all the rules.[k] And all the people answered with one voice and said, (CD)“All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And (CE)Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve (CF)pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And (CG)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, (CH)“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 (CI)And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and (CJ)seventy of the elders of Israel (CK)went up, 10 and they (CL)saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of (CM)sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and (CN)ate and drank.

12 The Lord said to Moses, (CO)“Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the (CP)tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant (CQ)Joshua, and Moses went up (CR)into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and (CS)Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and (CT)the cloud covered the mountain. 16 (CU)The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a (CV)devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses (CW)was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 22:1 Ch 21:37 in Hebrew
  2. Exodus 22:2 Ch 22:1 in Hebrew
  3. Exodus 22:3 That is, the thief
  4. Exodus 22:15 Or it is reckoned in (Hebrew comes into) its hiring fee
  5. Exodus 22:16 Or a girl of marriageable age; also verse 17
  6. Exodus 22:16 Or engagement present; also verse 17
  7. Exodus 22:20 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
  8. Exodus 23:25 Septuagint, Vulgate I
  9. Exodus 23:28 Or the hornet
  10. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew the River
  11. Exodus 24:3 Or all the just decrees
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Exodus 22-24
New International Version

Protection of Property

22 [a]“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back(A) five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

2 “If a thief is caught breaking in(B) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;(C) 3 but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,(D) but if they have nothing, they must be sold(E) to pay for their theft. 4 If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession(F)—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.(G)

5 “If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution(H) from the best of their own field or vineyard.

6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks(I) of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.(J)

7 “If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping(K) and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.(L) 8 But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,(M) and they must[b] determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. 9 In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.[c](N) The one whom the judges declare[d] guilty must pay back double to the other.

10 “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping(O) and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, 11 the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath(P) before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution(Q) must be made to the owner. 13 If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.(R)

14 “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution.(S) 15 But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.(T)

Social Responsibility

16 “If a man seduces a virgin(U) who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,(V) and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

18 “Do not allow a sorceress(W) to live.

19 “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal(X) is to be put to death.

20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god(Y) other than the Lord must be destroyed.[e](Z)

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner,(AA) for you were foreigners(AB) in Egypt.

22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.(AC) 23 If you do and they cry out(AD) to me, I will certainly hear their cry.(AE) 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.(AF)

25 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.(AG) 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,(AH) return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in?(AI) When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.(AJ)

28 “Do not blaspheme God[f](AK) or curse(AL) the ruler of your people.(AM)

29 “Do not hold back offerings(AN) from your granaries or your vats.[g]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons.(AO) 30 Do the same with your cattle and your sheep.(AP) Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.(AQ)

31 “You are to be my holy people.(AR) So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts;(AS) throw it to the dogs.

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.(AT) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.(AU)

2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice(AV) by siding with the crowd,(AW) 3 and do not show favoritism(AX) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

4 “If you come across your enemy’s(AY) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.(AZ) 5 If you see the donkey(BA) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

6 “Do not deny justice(BB) to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge(BC) and do not put an innocent(BD) or honest person to death,(BE) for I will not acquit the guilty.(BF)

8 “Do not accept a bribe,(BG) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

9 “Do not oppress a foreigner;(BH) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.(BI) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 “Six days do your work,(BJ) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.(BK)

13 “Be careful(BL) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;(BM) do not let them be heard on your lips.(BN)

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(BO) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(BP) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(BQ) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(BR)

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(BS) with the firstfruits(BT) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(BU) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(BV)

17 “Three times(BW) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(BX)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(BY)

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(BZ) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(CA)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

20 “See, I am sending an angel(CB) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.(CC) 21 Pay attention to him and listen(CD) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive(CE) your rebellion,(CF) since my Name(CG) is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(CH) all that I say, I will be an enemy(CI) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(CJ) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(CK) them or follow their practices.(CL) You must demolish(CM) them and break their sacred stones(CN) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(CO) and his blessing(CP) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(CQ) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(CR) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(CS)

27 “I will send my terror(CT) ahead of you and throw into confusion(CU) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(CV) 28 I will send the hornet(CW) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(CX) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(CY) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(CZ) of the land.

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[h] to the Mediterranean Sea,[i] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(DA) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(DB) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(DC) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(DD) to you.”

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,(DE) Nadab and Abihu,(DF) and seventy of the elders(DG) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach(DH) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

3 When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,(DI) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”(DJ) 4 Moses then wrote(DK) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar(DL) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars(DM) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings(DN) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings(DO) to the Lord. 6 Moses(DP) took half of the blood(DQ) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed(DR) against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant(DS) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”(DT)

8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people(DU) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant(DV) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders(DW) of Israel went up 10 and saw(DX) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,(DY) as bright blue as the sky.(DZ) 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw(EA) God, and they ate and drank.(EB)

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone(EC) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua(ED) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain(EE) of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur(EF) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute(EG) can go to them.”

15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud(EH) covered it, 16 and the glory(EI) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.(EJ) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.(EK) 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire(EL) on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty(EM) days and forty nights.(EN)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1 is numbered 21:37, and 22:2-31 is numbered 22:1-30.
  2. Exodus 22:8 Or before God, and he will
  3. Exodus 22:9 Or before God
  4. Exodus 22:9 Or whom God declares
  5. Exodus 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  6. Exodus 22:28 Or Do not revile the judges
  7. Exodus 22:29 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  8. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  9. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines
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