| Berean Study Bible | New International Version |
| 1“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them: | 1"These are the laws you are to set before them: |
| 2If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything. | 2"If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. |
| 3If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. | 3If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. |
| 4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. | 4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. |
| 5But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ | 5"But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,' |
| 6then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life. | 6then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. |
| 7And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. | 7"If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. |
| 8If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her. | 8If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. |
| 9And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter. | 9If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. |
| 10If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife. | 10If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. |
| 11If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment. | 11If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money. |
| 12Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death. | 12"Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. |
| 13If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. | 13However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. |
| 14But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death. | 14But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death. |
| 15Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death. | 15"Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death. |
| 16Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession. | 16"Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper's possession. |
| 17Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death. | 17"Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. |
| 18If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed, | 18"If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, |
| 19then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed. | 19the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed. |
| 20If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. | 20"Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, |
| 21However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property. | 21but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property. |
| 22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows. | 22"If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. |
| 23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life— | 23But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, |
| 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, | 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, |
| 25burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe. | 25burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. |
| 26If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. | 26"An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. |
| 27And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth. | 27And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth. |
| 28If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible. | 28"If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. |
| 29But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. | 29If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. |
| 30If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him. | 30However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded. |
| 31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule. | 31This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. |
| 32If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned. | 32If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death. |
| 33If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, | 33"If anyone uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, |
| 34the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his. | 34the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange. |
| 35If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal. | 35"If anyone's bull injures someone else's bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. |
| 36But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his. | 36However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange. |
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