Ordinances for the People

21 “Now these are the ^(A)ordinances which you are to set before them:

² “If you buy ^(B)a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall leave as a free man without a payment to you.

⁷ “Now ^(A)if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to ^[a]go free ^(B)as the male slaves ^[b]do. ⁸ If she is ^[c]displeasing in the eyes of her master ^[d]who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people, because of his ^[e]unfairness to her. ⁹ And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her ^[f]food, her clothing, or ^(C)her conjugal rights. ¹¹ But if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go ^[g]free for nothing, without payment of money.

Personal Injuries

¹² “^(D)He who strikes someone so that he dies shall certainly be put to death. ^13 (E)Yet ^[h]if he did not lie in wait for him, but ^(F)God caused him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. ^14 (G)If, however, someone is enraged against his neighbor, so as to kill him in a cunning way, you are to take him even from My altar, to be put to death.

¹⁵ “And one who strikes his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁶ “Now ^(H)one who ^[i]kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his ^[j]possession, shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁷ “And ^(I)one who curses his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

²² “Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that ^[a]she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband ^[b]may demand of him, and he shall ^(A)pay ^[c]as the judges decide. ²³ But if there is any further injury, ^(B)then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, ^24 (C)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, ^[d]bruise for bruise.

²⁶ “And if someone strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he shall let ^[e]the slave go free on account of the eye. ²⁷ And if he ^[f]knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let ^[g]the slave go free on account of the tooth.

²¹ “^(A)You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ^22 (B)You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. ²³ If you oppress him at all, and ^(C)if he does cry out to Me, ^(D)I will assuredly hear his cry; ²⁴ and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, ^(E)and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵ “^(F)If you lend money to My people, to the poor ^[a]among you, you are not to ^[b]act as a creditor to him; you shall not ^[c]charge him ^(G)interest. ²⁶ If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak ^(H)as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ^[d]body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that ^(I)when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for ^(J)I am gracious.

²⁸ “You shall not ^[e](K)curse God, ^(L)nor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ “^(M)You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your ^[f]wine. ^(N)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30 (O)You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; ^(P)on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹ “^(Q)You shall be holy people to Me, therefore ^(R)you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Various Laws

23 “^(A)You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a ^(B)malicious witness. ² You shall not follow ^[a]the crowd in doing evil, nor shall you ^[b]testify in a dispute so as to join together with ^[c]a crowd in order to ^(C)pervert justice; ^3 (D)nor shall you ^[d]show favor to a poor person in his dispute.

⁴ “^(E)If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. ^5 (F)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for ^[e]its owner; you must arrange the load with him.

⁶ “^(G)You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. ^7 (H)Keep far from a false charge, and ^(I)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for ^(J)I will not acquit the guilty.

⁸ “^(K)You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and ^[f]subverts the cause of the just.

⁹ “^(L)You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the ^[g]feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Sabbath and the Land

¹⁰ “Now ^(M)you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, ¹¹ but in the seventh year you shall let it ^[h]rest and lie uncultivated, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the animal of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “^(N)For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as the stranger residing with you, may refresh themselves.