Exodus 21

Laws About Slaves

1 "Now these are the h rules that you shall set before them. 2 i When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone. 5 But j if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' 6 then his master shall bring him to k God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

7 "When a man l sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her 1 for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. 9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or m her marital rights. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

12 n "Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 o But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then p I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, q you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

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

16 r "Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found s in possession of him, shall be put to death.

17 t "Whoever curses 2 his father or his mother shall be put to death.

18 "When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, 19 then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

20 "When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the u slave is his money.

22 "When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and v he shall pay as the w judges determine. 23 But if there is harm, 3 then you shall pay x life for life, 24 y eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 "When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

28 "When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the z ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. 29 But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If a a ransom is imposed on him, then v he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. 31 If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 32 If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master b thirty shekels 4 of silver, and z the ox shall be stoned.

Laws About Restitution

33 "When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

35 "When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. 36 Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 24:3
    Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.
    Deuteronomy 4:14
    And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, that you might do them in the land that you are going over to possess.
    Deuteronomy 6:1
    Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the rules that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it.
  2. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:12
    If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
    Jeremiah 34:14
    At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.' But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me.
    Leviticus 25:39 - 41
    If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:
  3. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 15:16 - 17
    But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you.
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 82:6
    I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.
    John 10:34 - 35
    Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'?
  5. Cross References
    Nehemiah 5:5
    Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
  6. Cross References
    1 Corinthians 7:5
    Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
  7. Cross References
    Genesis 9:6
    Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.
    Leviticus 24:17
    Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.
    Numbers 35:30 - 31
    If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
    Matthew 26:52
    Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
  8. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 19:4 - 5
    This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past -
    Numbers 35:22 - 25
    But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait
  9. Cross References
    Numbers 35:11
    Then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.
    Deuteronomy 4:41 - 43
    Then Moses set apart three cities in the east beyond the Jordan.
    Deuteronomy 19:2 - 3
    You shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.
    Joshua 20:2 - 9
    Say to the people of Israel, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses.
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:28 - 34
    When the news came to Joab - for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom - Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
  11. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:7
    If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
    1 Timothy 1:10
    The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.
  12. Cross References
    Exodus 22:4
    If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
  13. Cross References
    Leviticus 20:9
    For anyone who curses his father or his mother ...
    Deuteronomy 27:16
    "'Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or ...
    Matthew 15:4
    For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your ...
    Mark 7:10
    For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mot...
    Proverbs 20:20
    If one curses his father or his mother, his lam...
    Proverbs 30:11
    There are those who curse their fathers and do ...
  14. Cross References
    Leviticus 25:45 - 46
    You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property.
  15. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 22:18 - 19
    Then the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him.
  16. Cross References
    Job 31:11
    For that would be a heinous crime; that would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges.
  17. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 19:21
    Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 24:20
    Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.
    Deuteronomy 19:21
    Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
    Matthew 5:38
    "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 9:5
    And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
  20. Cross References
    Exodus 30:12
    When you take the census of the people of Israel, then each shall give a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number them, that there be no plague among them when you number them.
    Numbers 35:31 - 32
    Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.
  21. Cross References
    Exodus 21:22
    When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.
  22. Cross References
    Zechariah 11:12 - 13
    Then I said to them, "If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them." And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver.
    Matthew 26:15
    And said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 21:28
    When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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