Exodus 21
Tree of Life Version
Parashat Mishpatim
Ordinances for the Covenant
21 “Now these are the ordinances which you will set before them.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh he is to go free, without payment. 3 If he comes in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, then his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gave him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will be her master’s, and he will go free by himself.
5 “But if the servant plainly states, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master is to bring him to God,[a] then take him to a door or to a doorpost. His master is to pierce his ear through with an awl, and he will serve him forever.
7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she is not to go free as the male servants do. 8 If she does not please her master who has selected her for himself, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He will have no power to sell her to a foreign people, seeing as he has dealt deceitfully toward her. 9 If he betroths her to his son, he must give her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife, he is not to diminish her food, her clothing, or her marriage rights. 11 If he does not provide these three to her, then she is to go free without payment.
12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must surely be put to death. 13 But if he did not hunt him down, yet God caused it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may run. 14 If a man presumes to kill his neighbor with craftiness, you are to take him from My altar and put him to death.
15 “Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must surely be put to death.
16 “Anyone who steals a person and sells him, or is found with him under his hand, must surely be put to death.
17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death.
18 “If people quarrel, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the other does not die but lies in bed, 19 if he rises again and walks around on his staff, then the one that struck him he will be cleared. But he must pay for the loss of his time and help him to be thoroughly healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male or female servant with a staff, who dies by his hand, he must surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if the servant gets up in a day or two he will not be punished, for he is his property.[b]
22 “If men fight, and hit a pregnant woman so that her child is born early, yet no harm follows, the one who hit her is to be strictly fined, according to what the woman’s husband demands of him. He must pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows,[c] then you are to penalize life for life, 24 eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let him go free for the sake of his eyesight. 27 If he strikes out his slave’s tooth, he must let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman so that they die, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat is not to be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be cleared. 29 If the ox was given to goring in times past, and a warning has been given to its owner, yet he has not kept it pent up, and it has killed a man or a woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. 30 If instead a ransom is placed on him, then he is to pay for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded. 31 Whether it has gored a son or daughter, this rule is to be applied to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, he is to pay 30 shekels of silver to their master, and the ox is to be stoned.
33 “If one uncovers a pit or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in, 34 the owner of the pit must pay compensation. He is to give money to the owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s ox so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the price. They are also to divide the dead one. 36 Or if it becomes known that the ox was given to violence in times past, and its owner has not kept it pent up, he must surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his own. 37 [d] If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he is to pay five oxen for one ox or four sheep for one sheep.
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:6 Heb. Elohim, lit. “God, gods, princes or judges.”
- Exodus 21:21 Lit. money.
- Exodus 21:23 i.e., a miscarriage.
- Exodus 21:37 Traditional Christian texts number Ex. 21:37-22:30 as Ex. 22:1-31.
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
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
