Exodus 21:1-36 TLB

[1] "Here are other laws you must obey: [2] "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve only six years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain his freedom. [3] "If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with him at the same time. [4] But if his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free. [5] "But if the man shall plainly declare, 'I prefer my master, my wife, and my children, and I would rather not go free,' [6] then his master shall bring him before the judges and shall publicly bore his ear with an awl, and after that he will be a slave forever. [7] "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. [8] If she does not please the man who bought her, then he shall let her be bought back again; but he has no power to sell her to foreigners, since he has wronged her by no longer wanting her after marrying her. [9] And if he arranges an engagement between a Hebrew slave girl and his son, then he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but must treat her as a daughter. [10] If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing, or fail to sleep with her as his wife. [11] If he fails in any of these three things, then she may leave freely without any payment. [12] "Anyone who hits a man so hard that he dies shall surely be put to death. [13] But if it is accidental-an act of God-and not intentional, then I will appoint a place where he can run and get protection. [14] However, if a man deliberately attacks another, intending to kill him, drag him even from my altar, and kill him. [15] "Anyone who strikes his father or mother shall surely be put to death. [16] "A kidnapper must be killed, whether he is caught in possession of his victim or has already sold him as a slave. [17] "Anyone who reviles or curses his mother or father shall surely be put to death. [18] "If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined to bed, but doesn't die, [19] if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp, the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed, and pay any medical expenses. [20] "If a man beats his slave to death-whether the slave is male or female-that man shall surely be punished. [21] However, if the slave does not die for a couple of days, then the man shall not be punished-for the slave is his property. [22] "If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman's husband shall demand, and as the judges approve. [23] But if any harm comes to the woman and she dies, he shall be executed. [24] "If her eye is injured, injure his; if her tooth is knocked out, knock out his; and so on-hand for hand, foot for foot, [25] burn for burn, wound for wound, lash for lash. [26] "If a man hits his slave in the eye, whether man or woman, and the eye is blinded, then the slave shall go free because of his eye. [27] And if a master knocks out his slave's tooth, he shall let him go free to pay for the tooth. [28] "If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner shall not be held- [29] unless the ox was known to gore people in the past, and the owner had been notified and still the ox was not kept under control; in that case, if it kills someone, the ox shall be stoned and the owner also shall be killed. [30] But the dead man's relatives may accept a fine instead, if they wish. The judges will determine the amount. [31] "The same law holds if the ox gores a boy or a girl. [32] But if the ox gores a slave, whether male or female, the slave's master shall be given thirty pieces of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. [33] "If a man digs a well and doesn't cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, [34] the owner of the well shall pay full damages to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall belong to him. [35] "If a man's ox injures another, and it dies, then the two owners shall sell the live ox and divide the price between them-and each shall also own half of the dead ox. [36] But if the ox was known from past experience to gore, and its owner has not kept it under control, then there will not be a division of the income; but the owner of the living ox shall pay in full for the dead ox, and the dead one shall be his.