Exodus 21
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Holman Christian Standard BibleKing James Bible
1These are the ordinances that you must set before them:" 1Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything.2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with a wife, his wife is to leave with him. 3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4If 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." 4If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
5But if the slave declares: 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,'5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6his master is to bring him to the judges 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." 6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
7When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do.7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
8If 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. 8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
9Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters. 9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10If he takes an additional wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.10If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
11And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, without any exchange of money." 11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
12Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death.12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
13But if he didn't intend any harm, and yet God caused it to happen by his hand, I will appoint a place for you where he may flee.13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
14If a person schemes and willfully acts against his neighbor to murder him, you must take him from My altar to be put to death." 14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death." 15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
16Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession." 16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death." 17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
18When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or his fist, and the injured man does not die but is confined to bed, 18And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19if he can later get up and walk around outside leaning on his staff, then the one who struck him will be exempt from punishment. Nevertheless, he must pay for his lost work time and provide for his complete recovery." 19If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse, the owner must be punished.20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21However, if the slave can stand up after a day or two, the owner should not be punished because he is his owner's property." 21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22When men get in a fight and hit a pregnant woman so that her children are born prematurely but there is no injury, the one who hit her must be fined as the woman's husband demands from him, and he must pay according to judicial assessment.22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23If there is an injury, then you must give life for life, 23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound." 25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26When a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his eye. 26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
27If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his tooth." 27And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
28When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its meat may not be eaten, but the ox's owner is innocent. 28If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29However, if the ox was in the habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned, and its owner must also be put to death. 29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.
30If instead a ransom is demanded of him, he can pay a redemption price for his life in the full amount demanded from him. 30If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31If it gores a son or a daughter, he is to be dealt with according to this same law. 31Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.
32If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned." 32If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33When a man uncovers a pit or digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;
34the owner of the pit must give compensation; he must pay money to its owner, but the dead animal will become his." 34The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35When a man's ox injures his neighbor's ox and it dies, they must sell the live ox and divide its proceeds; they must also divide the dead animal.35And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.
36If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not restrained it, he must compensate fully, ox for ox; the dead animal will become his." 36Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Exodus 20
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