Ordinances for the People

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

“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. If he comes [a]alone, he shall leave [b]alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall leave with him. If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave [c]alone. But (C)if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to [d]God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an [e]awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

“Now (D)if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to [f]go free (E)as the male slaves [g]do. If she is [h]displeasing in the eyes of her master [i]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 [j]unfairness to her. 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 [k]food, her clothing, or (F)her conjugal rights. 11 But if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go [l]free for nothing, without payment of money.

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Notas al pie

  1. Exodus 21:3 Lit by himself
  2. Exodus 21:3 Lit by himself
  3. Exodus 21:4 Lit by himself
  4. Exodus 21:6 Or the judges (who acted in God’s name)
  5. Exodus 21:6 I.e., a pointed tool
  6. Exodus 21:7 Lit go out
  7. Exodus 21:7 Lit go out
  8. Exodus 21:8 Lit bad
  9. Exodus 21:8 Another reading is so that he did not designate her
  10. Exodus 21:8 Lit dealing treacherously
  11. Exodus 21:10 Lit flesh
  12. Exodus 21:11 Lit out

21 “These are the ordinances that you must set before them:

Laws about Slaves

“When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man[a] without paying anything.(A) If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with[b] a wife, his wife is to leave with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone.

“But if the slave declares: ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,’(B) his master is to bring him to the judges[c] and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.

“When a man sells his daughter as a slave,[d] she is not to leave as the male slaves do.(C) If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her. Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters. 10 If he takes an additional wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.(D) 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, without any exchange of money.[e]

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Notas al pie

  1. Exodus 21:2 Lit to go forth
  2. Exodus 21:3 Lit he is the husband of
  3. Exodus 21:6 Or to God; that is, to His sanctuary or court
  4. Exodus 21:7 Or concubine
  5. Exodus 21:11 She doesn’t have to pay any redemption price.