Exodus 21:12-27
Legacy Standard Bible
Judgments About Personal Injuries
12 “(A)He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 (B)But [a]if he did not lie in wait for him, but (C)God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 (D)If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him by deceit, you shall take him even from My altar, that he may die.
15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16 “(E)He who [b]kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17 “(F)And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “And if men contend with each other and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but [c]remains in bed, 19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his [d]loss of time, and he [e]shall take care of him until he is completely healed.
20 “And if a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies [f]at his hand, he shall surely [g]be punished. 21 But if for a day or two he is able to stand, no punishment shall be taken; (G)for he is his [h]property.
22 “And if men struggle with each other and [i]strike a woman with child so that [j]she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband [k]will set for him, and he shall (H)pay [l]as the judges decide. 23 But if there is any further injury, (I)then you shall pay life for life, 24 (J)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.
26 “And if a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. 27 And if he [m]knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 21:13 Lit he who
- Exodus 21:16 Lit steals
- Exodus 21:18 Lit lies
- Exodus 21:19 Lit his sitting
- Exodus 21:19 Lit healing, he shall cause to be healed
- Exodus 21:20 Lit under
- Exodus 21:20 Lit suffer vengeance
- Exodus 21:21 Lit money
- Exodus 21:22 Lit smote
- Exodus 21:22 Or an untimely birth occurs; lit her children come out
- Exodus 21:22 Lit lays on him
- Exodus 21:22 Lit by arbitration
- Exodus 21:27 Lit causes to fall
Exodus 21:12-27
Common English Bible
Instructions about human violence
12 Anyone who hits and kills someone should be put to death. 13 If the killing wasn’t on purpose but an accident allowed by God, then I will designate a place to which the killer can run away. 14 But if someone plots and kills another person on purpose, you should remove the killer from my altar and put him to death.
15 Anyone who violently hits their father or mother should be put to death.
16 Anyone who kidnaps a person, whether they have been sold or are still being held, should be put to death.
17 Anyone who curses their father or mother should be put to death.
18 When two people are fighting and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist so that he is in bed for a while but doesn’t die— 19 if he recovers and is able to walk around outside with a cane, then the one who hit him shouldn’t be punished, except to pay for the loss of time from work and to pay for his full recovery.
20 When a slave owner hits a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner should be punished. 21 But if the slave gets up after a day or two, the slave owner shouldn’t be punished because the slave is the owner’s property.
22 When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage but no other injury occurs, then the guilty party will be fined what the woman’s husband demands, as negotiated with the judges. 23 If there is further injury, then you will give a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a bruise for a bruise, a wound for a wound.
26 When a slave owner hits and blinds the eye of a male or female slave, he should let the slave go free on account of the eye. 27 If he knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, he should let the slave go free on account of the tooth.
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