International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1"These are the ordinances that you are to set before them.

1"Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

2"When you acquire a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh he is to go out a free man without paying anything.

2"If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.

3If he came in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, his wife is to go out with him.

3"If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, 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 children belong to her master, and he is to go out by himself.

4"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 go out alone.

5But if the servant, in fact, says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I won't go out a free man,'

5"But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'

6then his master is to bring him before the judges and he is to bring him to the door or to the doorpost. His master is to pierce his ear with an awl, and he is to serve him permanently.

6then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

7"When a man sells his daughter as a servant, she won't go out as the male servants do.

7"If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.

8If she's displeasing to her master who selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He does not have the right to sell her to foreign people, because he has dealt unfairly with her.

8"If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master 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 unfairness to her.

9If he has selected her for his son, he is to treat her according to the ordinance for daughters.

9"If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

10If he takes another woman for himself, he may not withhold from the first her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.

10"If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.

11If he does not do these three things for her, she may go out without paying anything at all."

11"If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

12"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies is certainly to be put to death.

12"He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

13If he didn't lie in wait, but God let him fall into his reach, then I'll appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

13"But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.

14If a man acts deliberately against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you are to take him to die even if he's at my altar.

14"If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

15"Whoever strikes his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

15"He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16"Whoever kidnaps a person, whether he has sold him or whether the victim is still in his possession, is certainly to be put to death.

16"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.

17"Whoever curses his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

17"He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18"If people quarrel and one strikes the other with a rock or his fist, and he does not die but ends up in bed,

18"If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but remains in bed,

19and the injured person then gets up and walks around outside with the help of his staff, the one who struck him is not liable, except that he is to compensate him for his loss of time and take care of his complete recovery.

19if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

20"If a man strikes his male or female servant with a stick and he or she dies as a direct result, the master must be punished.

20"If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.

21But if the servant survives a day or two, the master is not to be punished because the servant is his property.

21"If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.

22"If two men are fighting and they strike a pregnant woman and her children are born prematurely, but there is no harm, he is certainly to be fined as the husband of the woman demands of him, and he will pay as the court decides.

22"If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.

23If there is harm, then you are to require life for life,

23"But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty 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, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

25burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he is to release him as a free man in exchange for his eye.

26"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.

27If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he is to release him as a free man in exchange for his tooth.

27"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

28"If an ox gores a man or woman so that they die, the ox is certainly to be stoned and its flesh may not be eaten, but the owner of the ox is free from liability.

28"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.

29But if the ox has gored previously, and its owner has been warned about it but didn't restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, the ox is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death.

29"If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

30If a fine is imposed on him, he may pay all that was imposed on him as a ransom for his life.

30"If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him.

31This same ordinance applies if it gores a son or daughter.

31"Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

32"If the ox gores a male or female servant, the owner is to give 30 shekels of silver to the servant's master, and the ox is to be stoned.

32"If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33If a man opens a pit or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or donkey falls into it,

33"If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34the owner of the pit is to make restitution. He is to pay money to its owner, and the dead animal will become his.

34the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

35"If a man's ox strikes his neighbor's ox and it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the money. They also are to divide the dead animal.

35"If one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox.

36But if it was known that the ox had gored previously, and its owner didn't restrain it, he shall certainly repay ox for ox, and the dead ox will become his."

36"Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org