Exodus 21

Laws About Hebrew Servants

1 The Lord told Moses, ‘Here is the laws you must lay down for the people.’

2 ‘If you buy a Hebrew servant, he works for six years. On the seventh year, he is free, no charge.’

3 ‘If he came in single, he leaves single. If he was married, his wife leaves with him.’

4 ‘If his master gave him a wife and they had kids, the wife and kids stay with the master. The dude leaves alone.’

5 ‘But if the servant says, Nah, I love my master, my wife, and my kids, I do not want to leave,’

6 ‘Then his master takes him to the judges, brings him to a doorpost, and pierces his ear with an awl. Then he stays for life.’

Laws About Women Servants

7 ‘If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she does not go free like the men do.’

8 ‘If her master was supposed to marry her but changes his mind, he still must let her go back home. He cannot sell her to foreigners, he played himself, not her.’

9 ‘If he gives her to his son, he must treat her like his own daughter.’

10 ‘If he marries another wife, he still must provide for her, food, clothes, and marital rights.’

11 ‘If he does not do that, she can leave free, no cost.’

Laws About Personal Injury

12 ‘If you kill someone on purpose, you are getting the death penalty.’

13 ‘But if it was an accident, I will set up a safe place for you to run to.’

14 ‘If you plan and kill someone on purpose, do not think you can run to My altar for safety, you still getting put down.’

15 ‘If you hit your mom or dad, you are dead.’

16 ‘If you kidnap someone, whether you sell them or just hold them, you are dead.’

17 ‘If you curse your parents, you are dead.’

18 ‘If two men get in a fight and one knocks the other out but he does not die, just gets bedridden,’

19 ‘If he gets back up and can walk with a stick, the one who hit him just has to pay his medical bills and lost time.’

Laws About Slaves and Violence

20 ‘If you beat your servant and they die on the spot, you are getting punished.’

21 ‘But if they survive a few days, no punishment, since they are your servant.’

22 ‘If two dudes are fighting and hit a pregnant woman, causing her to go into labor but no harm comes to her or the baby, the husband can demand a fine. The judge will decide how much.’

23 ‘But if there is serious harm, then it is life for life,’

24 ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,’

25 ‘Burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.’

26 ‘If you hit your servant and knock out their eye, they go free.’

27 ‘If you knock out their tooth, they go free.’

Laws About Animals Causing Injury

28 ‘If an ox gores a person to death, the ox gets stoned, but the owner is not punished.’

29 ‘But if that ox was known for being aggressive and the owner did not keep it locked up, and it kills someone, both the ox and the owner get the death penalty.’

30 ‘If the family wants to settle for money instead of death, then the owner pays whatever they demand.’

31 ‘If the ox kills a son or daughter, same rule applies.’

32 ‘If it gores a slave, the owner must pay 30 silver coins to the slave’s master, and the ox still gets stoned.’

Laws About Property and Responsibility

33 ‘If you leave a pit open and someone’s ox or donkey falls in,’

34 ‘You must pay for the animal and keep the dead body.’

35 ‘If one guy’s ox kills another guy’s ox, they sell the live one and split the money. They also split the dead ox.’

36 ‘But if the ox had a history of goring and the owner did not keep it in check, he must pay full price for the dead ox. The dead one is his to keep.’