Exo 21 | NASB2020 | STEP | “Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

Exodus 21

Ordinances for the People

1 “Now these are the ^aordinances which you are to set before them:

2 “If you buy ^ba Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall leave as a free man without a payment to you. 3 If he comes ^{▼▼Lit by himself}alone, he shall leave ^{▼▼Lit by himself}alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall leave with him. 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 leave ^{▼▼Lit by himself}alone. 5 But ^fif the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to ^{▼▼Or the judges (who acted in God’s name)}God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an ^{▼▼I.e., a pointed tool}awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

7 “Now ⁱif a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to ^{▼▼Lit go out}go free ^kas the male slaves ^{▼▼Lit go out}do. 8 If she is ^{▼▼Lit bad}displeasing in the eyes of her master ^{▼▼Another reading is so that he did not designate her}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 ^{▼▼Lit dealing treacherously}unfairness to her. 9 And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her ^{▼▼Lit flesh}food, her clothing, or ^qher conjugal rights. 11 But if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go ^{▼▼Lit out}free for nothing, without payment of money.

Personal Injuries

12 “ ^sHe who strikes someone so that he dies shall certainly be put to death. 13 ^tYet ^{▼▼Lit he who}if he did not lie in wait for him, but ^vGod caused him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 ^wIf, however, someone is enraged against his neighbor, so as to kill him in a cunning way, you are to take him even from My altar, to be put to death.

15 “And one who strikes his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

16 “Now ^xone who ^{▼▼Lit steals}kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his ^{▼▼Lit hand}possession, shall certainly be put to death.

17 “And ^aaone who curses his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

18 “Now if people have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with a fist, and he does not die but ^{▼▼Lit lies in}is confined to bed, 19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his ^{▼▼Lit his sitting}loss of time, and ^{▼▼Lit healing, he shall cause to be healed}shall pay for his care until he is completely healed.

20 “And if someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies ^{▼▼Lit under}at his hand, he shall ^{▼▼Lit suffer vengeance}be punished. 21 If, however, the slave ^{▼▼Lit stands}survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; ^ahfor the slave is his ^{▼▼Lit money}property.

22 “Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that ^{▼▼Or an untimely birth occurs; lit her children come out}she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband ^{▼▼Lit lays on him}may demand of him, and he shall ^alpay ^{▼▼Lit by arbitration}as the judges decide. 23 But if there is any further injury, ^anthen you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 ^aoeye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, ^{▼▼Lit welt}bruise for bruise.

26 “And if someone strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he shall let ^{▼▼Lit him go...his eye}the slave go free on account of the eye. 27 And if he ^{▼▼Lit causes to fall}knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let ^{▼▼Lit him go...his tooth}the slave go free on account of the tooth.

28 “Now if an ox gores a man or a woman ^{▼▼Lit so that he dies}to death, ^authe ox shall certainly be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. 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. 30 If a ransom is ^{▼▼Lit laid on him}demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is ^{▼▼Lit laid on him}demanded of him. 31 Whether it gores a son or ^{▼▼Lit gores a daughter}a daughter, it shall be done to him according to ^{▼▼Lit this judgment}the same rule. 32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, ^{▼▼Lit he}the owner shall give his or her master ^{▼▼About 15 oz. or 425 gm
,} ^bbthirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Property Rights

33 “Now if someone opens a pit, or ^{▼▼Lit if a man digs}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 restitution; he shall ^{▼▼Lit give back}give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

35 “And if someone’s ox injures another’s ox so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its proceeds equally; and they shall also divide the dead ox. 36 Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he must make restitution of ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.