Exodus 21

ve'elleh hammishpatim asher tasim lifnehem

These are the rules that you shall set before them:

ki tiqneh eved ivri shesh shanim ya'avod uvashevi'it yetse lakhofshi khinnam

When you acquire a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years; in the seventh year he shall go free, without payment.

im-begappo yavo begappo yetse im-ba'al isha hu veyatse'ah ishto immo

If he came single, he shall leave single; if he had a wife, his wife shall leave with him.

im-adonayw yitten-lo isha veyaledah-lo vanim o vanot ha'isha viladeha tihyeh ladoneha vehu yetse vegappo

If his master gave him a wife, and she has borne him children, the wife and her children shall belong to the master, and he shall leave alone.

ve'im-amor yomar ha'eved ahavti et-adoni et-ishti ve'et-banay lo etse khofshi

But if the slave declares, “I love my master, and my wife and children: I do not wish to go free,”

vehiggisho adonayw el-ha'elohim vehiggisho el-haddelet o el-hammezuzah veratsa adonayw et-ozno bammartsea va'avado le'olam

his master shall take him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall then remain his master’s slave for life.

vekhi-yimkor ish et-bitto le'amah lo tetse ketset ha'avadim

When someone sells their daughter as a slave, she shall not go free as other slaves do.

im-ra'ah be'ene adoneha asher-[lo] (l) ye'adah vehefdah le'am nokhri lo-yimshol lemokhrah bevigdo-vah

If she proves to be displeasing to her master, who designated her for himself, he must let her be redeemed; he shall not have the right to sell her to outsiders, since he broke faith with her.

ve'im-livno yi'adennah kemishpat habbanot ya'aseh-llah

And if the master designated her for a son, he shall deal with her as is the practice with free maidens.

im-akheret yiqqakh-lo she'erah kesutah ve'onatah lo yigra

If he takes another to wife, he must not withhold from this one her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.

ve'im-shelosh-elleh lo ya'aseh lah veyatse'ah khinnam en kasef

If he fails her in these three ways, she shall go free, without payment.

makkeh ish vamet mot yumat

One who fatally strikes another shall be put to death.

va'asher lo tsadah veha'elohim innah leyado vesamti lekha maqom asher yanus shammah

If it was not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to which that person can flee.

vekhi-yazid ish al-re'ehu lehorgo ve'ormah me'im mizbekhi tiqqakhennu lamut

When one person schemes against another and kills through treachery, you shall take that person from My very altar to be put to death.

umakkeh aviv ve'immo mot yumat

One who strikes their father or mother shall be put to death.

vegonev ish umekharo venimtsa veyado mot yumat

One who kidnaps another—whether having sold or still holding them—shall be put to death.

umeqallel aviv ve'immo mot yumat

One who insults their father or mother shall be put to death.

vekhi-yerivun anashim vehikkah-ish et-re'ehu be'even o ve'egrof velo yamut venafal lemishkav

When [two] parties quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist, and [the victim] does not die but has to take to bed:

im-yaqum vehithallekh bakhuts al-mishanto veniqqah hammakkeh raq shivto yitten verappo yerappe

if the latter then gets up and walks outdoors upon a staff, the assailant shall go unpunished—except for paying for the idleness and the cure.

vekhi-yakkeh ish et-avdo o et-amato bashevet umet takhat yado naqom yinnaqem

When someone strikes their slave, male or female, with a rod, who dies there and then, this must be avenged.

akh im-yom o yomayim ya'amod lo yuqqam ki khaspo hu

But if [the victim] survives a day or two, this is not to be avenged, since the one is the other’s property.

vekhi-yinnatsu anashim venagefu isha harah veyatse'u yeladeha velo yihyeh ason anosh ye'anesh ka'asher yashit alayw ba'al ha'isha venatan biflilim

When [two or more] parties fight, and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, [the one responsible] shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may exact, the payment to be based on reckoning.

ve'im-ason yihyeh venatattah nefesh takhat nafesh

But if other damage ensues, the penalty shall be life for life,

ayin takhat ayin shen takhat shen yad takhat yad regel takhat ragel

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

keviyyah takhat keviyyah petsa takhat patsa khabburah takhat khabburah

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

vekhi-yakkeh ish et-en avdo o-et-en amato veshikhatah lakhofshi yeshallekhennu takhat eno

When someone strikes the eye of their slave, male or female, and destroys it, the slave shall go free on account of the eye.

ve'im-shen avdo o-shen amato yappil lakhofshi yeshallekhennu takhat shinno

If [the owner] knocks out the tooth of their slave, male or female, the slave shall go free on account of the tooth.

vekhi-yiggakh shor et-ish o et-isha vamet saqol yissaqel hashor velo ye'akhel et-besaro uva'al hashor naqi

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 is not to be punished.

ve'im shor naggakh hu mittemol shilshom vehu'ad bivalayw velo yishmerennu vehemit ish o isha hashor yissaqel vegam-be'alayw yumat

If, however, that ox has been in the habit of goring, and its owner, though warned, has failed to guard it, and it kills a man or a woman—the ox shall be stoned and its owner, too, shall be put to death.

im-kofer yushat alayw venatan pidyon nafsho kekhol asher-yushat alayw

If ransom is imposed to redeem [the owner’s] life, whatever is imposed must be paid.

o-ven yiggakh o-vat yiggakh kammishpat hazzeh ye'aseh lo

So, too, if it gores a minor, male or female: it shall be dealt with according to the same rule.

im-eved yiggakh hashor o amah kesef sheloshim sheqalim yitten ladonayw vehashor yissaqel

But if the ox gores a slave, male or female, [its owner] shall pay thirty shekels of silver to the master, and the ox shall be stoned.

vekhi-yiftakh ish bor o ki-yikhreh ish bor velo yekhassennu venafal-shammah shor o khamor

When someone opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

ba'al habbor yeshallem kesef yashiv livalayw vehammet yihyeh-llo

the one responsible for the pit must make restitution—paying the price to the owner, but keeping the dead animal.

vekhi-yiggof shor-ish et-shor re'ehu vamet umakheru et-hashor hakhay vekhatsu et-kaspo vegam et-hammet yekhetsun

When someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide its price; they shall also divide the dead animal.

o noda ki shor naggakh hu mittemol shilshom velo yishmerennu be'alayw shallem yeshallem shor takhat hashor vehammet yihyeh-llo

If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring, and its owner has failed to guard it, [that party] must restore ox for ox, but shall keep the dead animal.

ki yignov-ish shor o-seh utevakho o mekharo khamisha vaqar yeshallem takhat hashor ve'arba-tson takhat hasseh

When someone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, five oxen shall be paid for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep.—