DOC 4 — Exodus

Chapter 21
1 These are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2 If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3 With what raiment he came in, with the like let him go out: if having a wife, his wife also shall go out with him.
4 But if his master gave him a wife, and she hath borne sons and daughters: the woman and her children shall be her master's: but he himself shall go out with his raiment.
5 And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out free:
6 His master shall bring him to the gods, and he shall be set to the door and the posts, and he shall bore his ear through with an awl: and he shall be his servant for ever.
7 If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to go out.
8 If she displease the eyes of her master to whom she was delivered, he shall let her go: but he shall have no power to sell her to a foreign nation, if he despise her.
9 But if he have betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10 And if he take another wife for him, he shall provide her a marriage, and raiment, neither shall he refuse the price of her chastity.
11 If he do not these three things, she shall go out free without money.
12 He that striketh a man with a will to kill him, shall be put to death. 13 But he that did not lie in wait for him, but God delivered him into his hands: I will appoint thee a place to which he must flee.
14 If a man kill his neighbour on set purpose and by lying in wait for him: thou shalt take him away from my altar, that he may die.
15 He that striketh his father or mother, shall be put to death.
16 He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.
17 He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the death.
18 If men quarrel, and the one strike his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19 If he rise again and walk abroad upon his staff, he that struck him shall be quit, yet so that he make restitution for his work, and for his expenses upon the physicians.
20 He that striketh his bondman or bondwoman with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.
21 But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it is his money.
22 If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child, and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman's husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award.
23 But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render life for life.
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 If any man strike the eye of his manservant or maidservant, and leave them but one eye, he shall let them go free for the eye which he put out.
27 Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.
28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, and they die, he shall be stoned: and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29 But if the ox was wont to push with his horn yesterday and the day before, and they warned his master, and he did not shut him up, and he shall kill a man or a woman: then the ox shall be stoned, an his owner also shall be put to death.
30 And if they set a price upon him, he shall give for his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31 If he have gored a son, or a daughter, he shall fall under the like sentence.
32 If he assault a bondman or a bond woman, he shall give thirty sicles of silver to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 If a man open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall into it,
34 The owner of the pit shall pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.
35 If one man's ox gore another man's ox, and he die: they shall sell the live ox, and shall divide the price, and the carcass of that which died they shall part between them:
36 But if he knew that his ox was wont to push yesterday and the day before, and his master did not keep him in: he shall pay ox for ox, and shall take the whole carcass.

Chapter 22
1 If any man steal an ox or a sheep, and kill or sell it: he shall restore five oxen for one ox, and four sheep for one sheep.
2 If a thief be found breaking open a house or undermining it, and be wounded so as to die: he that slew him shall not be guilty of blood.
3 But if he did this when the sun is risen, he hath committed murder, and he shall die. If he have not wherewith to make restitution for the theft, he shall be sold.
4 If that which he stole be found with him, alive, either ox, or ass, or sheep: he shall restore double.
5 If any man hurt a field or a vineyard, and put in his beast to feed upon that which is other men's: he shall restore the best of whatsoever he hath in his own field, or in his vineyard, according to the estimation of the damage.
6 If a fire breaking out light upon thorns, and catch stacks of corn, or corn standing in the fields, he that kindled the fire shall make good the loss.
7 If a man deliver money, or any vessel unto his friend to keep, and they be stolen away from him that received them: if the thief be found he shall restore double:
8 If the thief be not known, the master of the house shall be brought to the gods, and shall swear that he did not lay his hand upon his neighbour's goods,
9 To do any fraud, either in ox, or in ass, or sheep, or raiment, or any thing that may bring damage: the cause of both parties shall come to the gods: and if they give judgment, he shall restore double to his neighbour.
10 If a man deliver ass, ox, sheep, or any beast, to his neighbour's custody, and it die, or be hurt, or be taken by enemies, and no man saw it:
11 There shall be an oath between them, that he did not put forth his hand to his neighbour's goods: and the owner shall accept of the oath; and he shall not be compelled to make restitution.
12 But if it were taken away by stealth, he shall make the loss good to the owner.
13 If it were eaten by a beast, let him bring to him that which was slain, and he shall not make restitution.
14 If a man borrow of his neighbour any of these things, and it be hurt or die, the owner not being present, he shall be obliged to make restitution.
15 But if the owner be present, he shall not make restitution, especially if it were hired and came for the hire of his work.
16 If a man seduce a virgin not yet espoused, and lie with her: he shall endow her, and have her to wife.
17 If the maid's father will not give her to him, he shall give money according to the dowry, which virgins are wont to receive.
18 Wizards thou shalt not suffer to live.
19 Whosoever copulateth with a beast shall be put to death.
20 He that sacrificeth to gods, shall be put to death, save only to the Lord.
21 Thou shalt not molest a stranger, nor afflict him: for yourselves also were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22 You shall not hurt a widow or an orphan.
23 If you hurt them they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry:
24 And my rage shall be enkindled, and I will strike you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor, that dwelleth with thee, thou shalt not be hard upon them as an extortioner, nor oppress them with usuries.
26 If thou take of thy neighbour a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again before sunset.
27 For that same is the only thing wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body, neither hath he any other to sleep in: if he cry to me, I will hear him, because I am compassionate.
28 Thou shalt not speak ill of the gods, and the prince of thy people thou shalt not curse.
29 Thou shalt not delay to pay thy tithes and thy firstfruits: thou shalt give the firstborn of thy sons to me.
30 Thou shalt do the same with the firstborn of thy oxen also and sheep: seven days let it be with its dam, the eighth day thou shalt give it to me.
31 You shall be holy men to me: the flesh that beasts have tasted of before, you shall not eat, but shall cast it to the dogs.

Chapter 23
1 Thou shalt not receive the voice of a lie: neither shalt thou join thy hand to bear false witness for a wicked person.
2 Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil: neither shalt thou yield in judgment, to the opinion of the most part, to stray from the truth.
3 Neither shalt thou favour a poor man in judgment. . . .


From: WORLD CIVILIZATION 101 READER: IMAGES AND TEXTS OF THE PAST, compiled and edited by George Ouwendijk and Bill Rednour  [http://www.humanities.ccny.cuny.edu/history/readercont.htm]