Exodus 21

New International Version

21 “These are the laws^(A) you are to set before them:

Hebrew Servants^(B)^(C)

²“If you buy a Hebrew servant,^(D) he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,^(E) without paying anything. ³If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. ⁴If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

⁵“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’^(F) ⁶then his master must take him before the judges.^[a]^(G) He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce^(H) his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.^(I)

⁷“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. ⁸If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself,^[b] he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. ⁹If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. ¹⁰If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.^(J) ¹¹If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Personal Injuries

¹²“Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death.^(K) ¹³However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place^(L) I will designate. ¹⁴But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,^(M) that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.^(N)

¹⁵“Anyone who attacks^[c] their father or mother is to be put to death.

¹⁶“Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death,^(O) whether the victim has been sold^(P) or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

¹⁷“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.^(Q)

¹⁸“If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist^[d] and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, ¹⁹the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

²⁰“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, ²¹but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.^(R)

²²“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely^[e] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands^(S) and the court allows. ²³But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,^(T) ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth,^(U) hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

²⁶“An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. ²⁷And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

²⁸“If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death,^(V) and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. ²⁹If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up^(W) and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. ³⁰However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded.^(X) ³¹This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. ³²If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels^[f]^(Y) of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

³³“If anyone uncovers a pit^(Z) or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.

³⁵“If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. ³⁶However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up,^(AA) the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

Footnotes

Exodus 21:6 Or before God
Exodus 21:8 Or master so that he does not choose her
Exodus 21:15 Or kills
Exodus 21:18 Or with a tool
Exodus 21:22 Or she has a miscarriage
Exodus 21:32 That is, about 12 ounces or about 345 grams

Job 39

New International Version

39 “Do you know when the mountain goats^(A) give birth?
    Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?^(B)
²Do you count the months till they bear?
    Do you know the time they give birth?^(C)
³They crouch down and bring forth their young;
    their labor pains are ended.
⁴Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
    they leave and do not return.

⁵“Who let the wild donkey^(D) go free?
    Who untied its ropes?
⁶I gave it the wasteland^(E) as its home,
    the salt flats^(F) as its habitat.^(G)
⁷It laughs^(H) at the commotion in the town;
    it does not hear a driver’s shout.^(I)
⁸It ranges the hills^(J) for its pasture
    and searches for any green thing.

⁹“Will the wild ox^(K) consent to serve you?^(L)
    Will it stay by your manger^(M) at night?
¹⁰Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?^(N)
    Will it till the valleys behind you?
¹¹Will you rely on it for its great strength?^(O)
    Will you leave your heavy work to it?
¹²Can you trust it to haul in your grain
    and bring it to your threshing floor?

¹³“The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
    though they cannot compare
    with the wings and feathers of the stork.^(P)
¹⁴She lays her eggs on the ground
    and lets them warm in the sand,
¹⁵unmindful that a foot may crush them,
    that some wild animal may trample them.^(Q)
¹⁶She treats her young harshly,^(R) as if they were not hers;
    she cares not that her labor was in vain,
¹⁷for God did not endow her with wisdom
    or give her a share of good sense.^(S)
¹⁸Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
    she laughs^(T) at horse and rider.

¹⁹“Do you give the horse its strength^(U)
    or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
²⁰Do you make it leap like a locust,^(V)
    striking terror^(W) with its proud snorting?^(X)
²¹It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,^(Y)
    and charges into the fray.^(Z)
²²It laughs^(AA) at fear, afraid of nothing;
    it does not shy away from the sword.
²³The quiver^(AB) rattles against its side,
    along with the flashing spear^(AC) and lance.
²⁴In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
    it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.^(AD)
²⁵At the blast of the trumpet^(AE) it snorts, ‘Aha!’
    It catches the scent of battle from afar,
    the shout of commanders and the battle cry.^(AF)

²⁶“Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
    and spread its wings toward the south?^(AG)
²⁷Does the eagle soar at your command
    and build its nest on high?^(AH)
²⁸It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
    a rocky crag^(AI) is its stronghold.
²⁹From there it looks for food;^(AJ)
    its eyes detect it from afar.
³⁰Its young ones feast on blood,
    and where the slain are, there it is.”^(AK)

Psalm 69

New International Version

Psalm 69^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹Save me, O God,
    for the waters^(A) have come up to my neck.^(B)
²I sink in the miry depths,^(C)
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
³I am worn out calling for help;^(D)
    my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,^(E)
    looking for my God.
⁴Those who hate me^(F) without reason^(G)
    outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,^(H)
    those who seek to destroy me.^(I)
I am forced to restore
    what I did not steal.

⁵You, God, know my folly;^(J)
my guilt is not hidden from you.^(K)

⁶Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    may those who hope in you
    not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
    may those who seek you
    not be put to shame because of me.
⁷For I endure scorn^(L) for your sake,^(M)
    and shame covers my face.^(N)
⁸I am a foreigner to my own family,
    a stranger to my own mother’s children;^(O)
⁹for zeal for your house consumes me,^(P)
    and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.^(Q)
¹⁰When I weep and fast,^(R)
    I must endure scorn;
¹¹when I put on sackcloth,^(S)
    people make sport of me.
¹²Those who sit at the gate^(T) mock me,
    and I am the song of the drunkards.^(U)

¹³But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;^(V)
in your great love,^(W) O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴Rescue me from the mire,
    do not let me sink;
deliver me from those who hate me,
    from the deep waters.^(X)
¹⁵Do not let the floodwaters^(Y) engulf me
    or the depths swallow me up^(Z)
    or the pit close its mouth over me.^(AA)

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;^(AB)
    in your great mercy turn to me.
¹⁷Do not hide your face^(AC) from your servant;
    answer me quickly,^(AD) for I am in trouble.^(AE)
¹⁸Come near and rescue me;
    deliver^(AF) me because of my foes.

¹⁹You know how I am scorned,^(AG) disgraced and shamed;
    all my enemies are before you.
²⁰Scorn has broken my heart
    and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
    for comforters,^(AH) but I found none.^(AI)
²¹They put gall in my food
    and gave me vinegar^(AJ) for my thirst.^(AK)

²²May the table set before them become a snare;
    may it become retribution and^[b] a trap.^(AL)
²³May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent forever.^(AM)
²⁴Pour out your wrath^(AN) on them;
    let your fierce anger overtake them.
²⁵May their place be deserted;^(AO)
    let there be no one to dwell in their tents.^(AP)
²⁶For they persecute those you wound
    and talk about the pain of those you hurt.^(AQ)
²⁷Charge them with crime upon crime;^(AR)
    do not let them share in your salvation.^(AS)
²⁸May they be blotted out of the book of life^(AT)
    and not be listed with the righteous.^(AU)

²⁹But as for me, afflicted and in pain—
may your salvation, God, protect me.^(AV)

³⁰I will praise God’s name in song^(AW)
    and glorify him^(AX) with thanksgiving.
³¹This will please the Lord more than an ox,
    more than a bull with its horns and hooves.^(AY)
³²The poor will see and be glad^(AZ)—
    you who seek God, may your hearts live!^(BA)
³³The Lord hears the needy^(BB)
    and does not despise his captive people.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and all that move in them,^(BC)
³⁵for God will save Zion^(BD)
    and rebuild the cities of Judah.^(BE)
Then people will settle there and possess it;
³⁶    the children of his servants will inherit it,^(BF)
    and those who love his name will dwell there.^(BG)