Beginning

22 Eternal One: If someone steals an ox or a sheep and either kills or sells it for profit, then he must pay five oxen for the one ox he stole or four sheep for the one sheep he stole. ⁴ But if the stolen animal—the ox or donkey or sheep—is still alive and in his possession when he is caught, then the thief must pay the owner double. ^3b A thief must make restitution for what he has taken. If he has no means of doing so, he must be sold to pay for his theft.

² If a person attacks a thief in the act of breaking into his house and the thief is killed during the attack, then the homeowner is innocent of blood guilt. ^3a It is different if the sun has already risen; so any homeowner who kills a thief during the day must be considered guilty of bloodshed.^[a]

Eternal One: ⁵ If someone allows his animals to graze a field or vineyard until it is bare and then lets his animals wander over onto a neighbor’s field, then he must compensate his neighbor from the very best of his field and vineyard.

⁶ If someone starts a fire and the fire spreads and sets the thorn bushes ablaze, and eventually that fire burns up stacks of harvested grain and everything growing in the fields, then the person who started the fire is responsible and must pay reparations for what was lost.

⁷ If someone gives his neighbor money or items to keep for him and it is stolen from his neighbor’s house, then if the thief is captured, he must pay double for what he stole. ⁸ If the thief is not found, then the person who owned the house that was burglarized must go stand before God’s presence so that He can decide whether he is the one who stole the property.

⁹ Whenever there is a breach of trust—regarding an ox, a donkey, a lamb, a piece of clothing, or any lost item—and the contested item is discovered in the possession of a neighbor and claimed by two different parties, then both sides must appear before God. If God finds the neighbor guilty, he must pay double for what he stole.

¹⁰ If someone leaves a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other kind of livestock in his friend’s keeping, and the animal dies or is injured or disappears while no one is watching, ¹¹ then the two are to make an oath in the presence of the Eternal. The neighbor must swear he had nothing to do with the loss of the animal, and the owner of the animal must accept his statement and not demand any compensation for the loss.

¹² But if the animal was stolen while in his neighbor’s care, then the neighbor must compensate the owner. ¹³ If it was torn to pieces by another animal, then the neighbor may use the remains as evidence, and not have to pay any compensation for the torn animal.

¹⁴ If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is harmed or dies while not in the possession of the owner, then the borrower must compensate the owner in full. ¹⁵ But if the owner was there when the animal dies or is harmed, then no compensation is required. If the animal has been rented and not borrowed, then the rental fee paid shall cover the loss of the animal.

¹⁶ If a man entices a virgin who is not promised to another man to have sex with him, then he must pay her father the bride-price and marry her. ¹⁷ If the young woman’s father refuses the marriage offer because he disapproves of the man, then the man still must pay the amount of money that is customary for the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸ You are not to allow a sorceress to live.

¹⁹ Anyone who has sex with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ Anyone who dares to sacrifice to any god other than the Eternal must be declared under the ban and destroyed.

²¹ Do not wrong or oppress any outsiders living among you, for there was a time when you lived as outsiders in the land of Egypt.

²² You must not take advantage of any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do oppress them and they cry out to Me, I will certainly hear them, ²⁴ and My wrath will be kindled. I will make sure you are slaughtered by your enemy’s sword, and your own wives and children will become widows and orphans.

²⁵ If you loan money to any of the poor among My people, do not treat them as borrowers and act as their creditors by charging interest. ²⁶ If your neighbor gives his coat to you as collateral, then be sure to give it back before night falls—even if he has not repaid you in full. ²⁷ You see that coat covers his body and may be his only protection against the cold. What do you think he would sleep in? When he calls out for Me, I will hear his cry. I am kind and compassionate as you should be when a fellow Israelite is in need.

²⁸ Do not curse the one True God or any rulers of your people.^[b]

²⁹ You must not hold back or delay your offering from the bounty of your harvest or the juice of your vineyard.^[c] Dedicate every one of your firstborn sons to Me. ³⁰ But dedicate your livestock—your ox and sheep—to Me in sacrifice. The firstborn of your livestock may stay with its mother for the first seven days. When the eighth day arrives, give the firstborn to Me. ³¹ You must be holy before Me. Do not eat any animal that has been torn to pieces by wild beasts in the field. Toss its remains to the dogs.

23 Eternal One: Do not pass along a false report. Do not plot with evil people to give a false witness.

² Even if the majority of people are doing evil, do not follow them. Also when you are called to give testimony in a dispute, do not let the crowd pressure you into perverting justice. ³ In the same way, do not side with the poor in a complaint just because he is poor.

⁴ If you are walking along and come across your enemy’s ox or donkey that has wandered away, then you must return it to its owner. ⁵ If you see the donkey of someone you know who hates you and it has fallen beneath its load, you must not leave it there. You must stop and help the donkey recover the load.

⁶ Do not deny justice to the poor among you in their disputes. ⁷ Stay far away from false accusations, and do not condemn the innocent or righteous to death. Understand this: I will not acquit those who commit such miscarriages of justice.

⁸ Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe can blind those who see and twist the words of those who are in the right. ⁹ Do not oppress an outsider. You know well what it is like to be an outsider living in a foreign land, for you were strangers once in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ You have six years to plant your fields and harvest your crops. ¹¹ When the seventh year arrives, let your land rest and lie fallow. Let the poor and hungry among you come and harvest the volunteer crops that spring up in your fields. Whatever is left over, the beasts may eat. Do the same thing with your vineyards and your olive groves. ¹² You have six days to work. When the seventh day arrives, stop all work so that your ox and donkey can rest. When you observe the Sabbath Day, your female slave’s son and any outsider serving you have a chance to catch their breath and relax.

¹³ Be careful to do all that I have instructed you. Do not even acknowledge the names of other gods or let their names spill from your lips.

¹⁴ I want you to celebrate a feast in My honor three times a year. ¹⁵ First, celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I instructed you before, you are to eat only bread made without yeast for the seven feast days beginning at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for that is when you fled out of Egypt. During this time, no one is to come before Me without some offering. ¹⁶ Second, celebrate the Feast of Harvest in the spring when you bring to Me the first and best of the wheat crop you planted in the field. Third, celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the harvest season when you gather your crops from the fields, orchards, and groves. ¹⁷ All of your men must come before the Eternal your Lord, these three times a year.

¹⁸ When you make offerings before Me, do not present any bread made with yeast along with an animal sacrifice. Do not let the fat of the sacrifice remain until the next morning. ¹⁹ Bring only the best crops from your first harvest into the house of the Eternal your God. You must not boil a baby goat in its mother’s milk.

²⁰ Look! I am going to send a heavenly messenger before you to protect you during your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. ²¹ Pay attention to all he shows you and obey whatever he tells you. Do not cause him any trouble. He will not forgive you if you rebel against him for he carries My name in him.

²² If you are obedient to his voice and follow all of My instructions, then I will be an enemy to all of those who are against you, and I will oppose all those who oppose you. ²³ When My messenger moves ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites—I will annihilate them. ²⁴ Do not bow down to their gods, worship, or serve them in any way. Do not engage in any of their wicked practices. Instead, you must destroy every idol you find and shatter their sacred pillars into tiny pieces.

²⁵ Worship and serve only the Eternal your God, and I will bless you with an ample supply of wholesome food and clean water. I will take away all sickness from you, ²⁶ prevent miscarriages and barrenness, and give you long, productive lives. ²⁷ My fear and My dread will move ahead of you, and wherever you go people will greet you with panic and confusion. I will see to it that all of your enemies turn and run from you. ²⁸ I will unleash hornets ahead of you; and they will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from the land before you. ²⁹ Now I will not do all this in a single year, because the land would become a wasteland, overpopulated with wild animals that would roam unchecked. ³⁰ Rather, I will drive them out a little at a time—a few here, a few there—until your numbers grow and you are strong enough to take over the land and its care. ³¹ I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea west of where the Philistines live and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give to you all those who inhabit the land, and you will drive them all out. ³² But do not make a covenant-treaty with them or agree to serve their gods. ³³ They must not be allowed to live in your land; otherwise they will cause you to sin against Me, the only True God. If you serve their gods, you will be trapped and be drawn into sin.

24 Eternal One (to Moses): Come up the mountain to Me, Moses, and this time bring with you Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel. These may come, but you must worship from a distance. ² Only Moses is permitted to approach Me; but be careful, for the others must stay at a distance. The rest of the people of Israel must stay below; they are not to come up the mountain with you.

People (answering together): We will do all that the Eternal has asked us to do!

People (responding): We will do all that the Eternal has said! We will obey every word of His command!

Moses (to the people): Look! Here is the blood signifying the covenant that God has established with you according to all He has said and all we have promised.

Eternal One (to Moses): ¹² Come up the mountain to Me and stay here with Me for a while. I will give you stone tablets inscribed with My law and commandments in order to provide instruction and guidance for the people.

Moses (to the elders): ¹⁴ Wait here for our return. Aaron and Hur will stay with you. If anyone has a complaint, then they can speak to them.