Exo 21-22, Lev 20, Deu 13 | ESV | STEP | Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.

1 “Now these are the ^arules that you shall set before them. 2 ^bWhen you buy a Hebrew slave, ^{▼▼Or servant; the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles; also verses 5, 6, 7, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32 (see Preface)} 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 ^dif 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 ^eGod, 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 ^fsells 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 ^{▼▼Or so that he has not designated her} 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 ^hher 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 ⁱ“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 ^jBut if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then ^kI will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, ^lyou shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

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

16 ^m“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found ⁿin possession of him, shall be put to death.

17 ^o“Whoever curses ^{▼▼Or dishonors; Septuagint reviles} 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 ^qslave 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 ^rhe shall pay as the ^sjudges determine. 23 But if there is harm, ^{▼▼Or so that her children come out and it is clear who was to blame, he shall be fined as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he alone shall pay. If it is unclear who was to blame . . .} then you shall pay ^ulife for life, 24 ^veye 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 ^wox 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 ^xa ransom is imposed on him, then ^yhe 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 ^zthirty shekels ^{▼▼A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams} of silver, and ^abthe 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.

Exodus 22

1 ^{▼▼Ch 21:37 in Hebrew} “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and ^adfour sheep for a sheep. 2 ^{▼▼Ch 22:1 in Hebrew} If a thief is found ^afbreaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3 but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then ^aghe shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the stolen beast ^ahis found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^aihe shall pay double.

5 “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

6 “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

7 “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man’s house, then, if the thief is found, ^ajhe shall pay double. 8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. 9 For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

10 “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 11 ^akan oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. 12 But if ^alit is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

14 “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee. ^{▼▼Or it is reckoned in (Hebrew comes into) its hiring fee}

Laws About Social Justice

16 ^an“If a man seduces a virgin ^{▼▼Or a girl of marriageable age; also verse 17} who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price ^{▼▼Or engagement present; also verse 17} for her and make her his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, ^aqhe shall pay money equal to the ^arbride-price for virgins.

18 ^as“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

19 ^at“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

20 ^au“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction. ^{▼▼That is, set apart ( devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)}

21 ^aw“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22 ^axYou shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you do mistreat them, and they ^aycry out to me, I will surely ^azhear their cry, 24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and ^bayour wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

25 ^bb“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 ^bcIf ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he ^bdcries to me, I will hear, for I am ^becompassionate.

28 ^bf“You shall not revile God, nor ^bgcurse a ruler of your people.

29 “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. ^bhThe firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 30 ^biYou shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: ^bjseven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

31 ^bk“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore ^blyou shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; ^bmyou shall throw it to the dogs.

Leviticus 20

Punishment for Child Sacrifice

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ^bnAny one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 ^boI myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary ^bpunclean and ^bqto profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not ^brput him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in ^bswhoring after Molech.

6 “If ^bta person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, ^buI will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 ^bvConsecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 ^bwKeep my statutes and do them; ^bxI am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For ^byanyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; ^bzhis blood is upon him.

Punishments for Sexual Immorality

10 “If a ^caman commits adultery with the wife of ^{▼▼Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of} his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 ^ccIf a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 ^cdIf a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed ^ceperversion; their blood is upon them. 13 ^cfIf a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 ^cgIf a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 ^chIf a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 ^ciIf a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17 ^cj“If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 ^ckIf a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 ^clYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to make naked ^cmone’s relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 ^cnIf a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 ^coIf a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity. ^{▼▼Literally menstrual impurity} He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

You Shall Be Holy

22 ^cq“You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not ^crvomit you out. 23 ^csAnd you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But ^ctI have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land ^cuflowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, ^cvwho has separated you from the peoples. 25 ^cwYou shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 ^cxYou shall be holy to me, ^cyfor I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

27 ^cz“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be ^dastoned with stones; ^dbtheir blood shall be upon them.”

Deuteronomy 13

1 “If a prophet or ^dca dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and ^ddthe sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God ^deis testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall ^dfwalk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and ^dghold fast to him. 5 But ^dhthat prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. ^diSo you shall purge the evil ^{▼▼Or evil person} from your midst.

6 ^dk“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or ^dlthe wife you embrace ^{▼▼Hebrew the wife of your bosom} or your friend ^dnwho is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ ^dowhich neither you nor your fathers have known, 7 some ^dpof the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, 8 you shall ^dqnot yield to him or listen to him, nor ^drshall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. 9 But you shall kill him. ^dsYour hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. 10 ^dtYou shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 And ^duall Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

12 “If you hear in one of your cities, which the Lord your God is giving you to dwell there, 13 that certain ^dvworthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known, 14 then you shall inquire and make search and ask ^dwdiligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you, 15 you shall surely put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, devoting it to destruction, ^{▼▼That is, setting apart ( devoting) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)} all who are in it and its cattle, with the edge of the sword. 16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and ^dyburn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a ^dzheap forever. It shall not be built again. 17 ^eaNone of the devoted things shall stick to your hand, ^ebthat the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, ^ecas he swore to your fathers, 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, ^edkeeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.