Exodus Chapter 21

Laws About Slaves

¹ “Present these ordinances to the people.

² “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he’ll serve six years and go free on the seventh without pay. ³ If he came alone, he’ll go out alone. If he has a wife, they’ll go out together. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the slave will go out alone. ⁵ But if the slave says he loves his master, his wife and children, and won’t leave them to be a free man, ⁶ his master is to take him to the judges—to the door or doorpost—and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he’ll serve him permanently.                                                                                                 Ex 21:1-6           

⁷ “If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she’s not to go free as the male slaves do. ⁸ If she’s not pleasing to her master who designated her for himself, he is to let her be bought back. He can’t sell her to a foreigner; he’d be treating her unfairly. ¹⁰ If he marries another woman, he can’t reduce her food, clothing, or conjugal rights. ¹¹ If he won’t do these things for her, she’ll go out without being paid for. ⁹ If he designates her for his son, he is to treat her like a daughter.

Ex 21:7-11

Cases About Personal Injury

¹² “Execute anyone that assaults and kills someone. ¹³ If it was an accident, I’ll designate a safe place the slayer can flee to. ¹⁴ But take even from the horns of my altar anyone that does premeditated murder.                     

¹⁵ “Execute^f anybody that hits his father or mother.

¹⁶ “Execute^f kidnappers whether they hold in possession or sell the one they kidnapped. 

¹⁷ “Execute^f anybody that cusses at father or mother.                 

Ex 21:12-17

¹⁸ “If men are fighting and one strikes the other with a stone or his fist and he doesn’t die, but is laid up, ¹⁹ if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then don’t punish^f the one that hit him. He’ll pay for the man’s loss of time and take care of him till he fully recovers.

²⁰ “If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies, punish him. ²¹ If the slave survives a day or so, there’s no punishment; he’s his property.

²² “If men are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she miscarries without further injury, fine him as her husband requires and the judges determine. ²³ But if there’s further harm, punish^f 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.                                               

Ex 21:18-25

²⁶ “If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and puts it out, he’ll free the slave for the eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out his male or female slave’s tooth, he’ll free the slave for the tooth.

²⁸ “If an ox gores a man or woman to death, stone it, don’t eat it, and don’t punish the owner. ²⁹ But if it has gored before and its owner knew it and didn’t pen it up, if it kills somebody, stone the ox and execute the owner. ³⁰ If a ransom is demanded from him, he’ll give whatever the relatives demand for loss of life. ³¹ If it gores a son or daughter, the same rule applies. ³² If it gores a male or female slave, the owner has to give the slave’s master 12 oz ^{30 shekels of silver}. Stone the ox. Ex 21:26-32            

³³ “If someone digs a pit without covering it up and an ox or donkey falls in it, ³⁴ the pit’s owner has to pay the animal’s owner for the loss, and the dead animal becomes his.

³⁵ “If one man’s ox kills another man’s ox, sell the live ox, divide the sale price, and divide the dead ox between them. ³⁶ If it was previously known to gore and its owner didn’t pen it up, he’ll pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.     

Ex 21:33-36