New American Standard Bible 1995

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1"Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

1These are the ordinances that you must set before them:"

2"If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.

2When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything.

3"If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.

3If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with a wife, his wife is to 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 go out alone.

4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone."

5"But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'

5But if the slave declares: 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,'

6then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

6his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life."

7"If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.

7When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do.

8"If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master 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 unfairness to her.

8If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her.

9"If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

9Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters.

10"If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights.

10If he takes an additional wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.

11"If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

11And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, without any exchange of money."

12"He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

12Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death.

13"But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.

13But if he didn't intend any harm, and yet God caused it to happen by his hand, I will appoint a place for you where he may flee.

14"If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

14If a person schemes and willfully acts against his neighbor to murder him, you must take him from My altar to be put to death."

15"He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

15Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death."

16"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.

16Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession."

17"He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

17Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death."

18"If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but remains in bed,

18When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or his fist, and the injured man does not die but is confined to bed,

19if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

19if he can later get up and walk around outside leaning on his staff, then the one who struck him will be exempt from punishment. Nevertheless, he must pay for his lost work time and provide for his complete recovery."

20"If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.

20When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse, the owner must be punished.

21"If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.

21However, if the slave can stand up after a day or two, the owner should not be punished because he is his owner's property."

22"If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.

22When men get in a fight and hit a pregnant woman so that her children are born prematurely but there is no injury, the one who hit her must be fined as the woman's husband demands from him, and he must pay according to judicial assessment.

23"But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,

23If there is an injury, then you must give 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, bruise for bruise.

25burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound."

26"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.

26When a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his eye.

27"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

27If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his tooth."

28"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.

28When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its meat may not be eaten, but the ox's owner is innocent.

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.

29However, if the ox was in the habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned, and its owner must also be put to death.

30"If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him.

30If instead a ransom is demanded of him, he can pay a redemption price for his life in the full amount demanded from him.

31"Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

31If it gores a son or a daughter, he is to be dealt with according to this same law.

32"If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

32If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave's master, and the ox must be stoned."

33"If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

33When a man uncovers a pit or digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

34the owner of the pit must give compensation; he must pay money to its owner, but the dead animal will become his."

35"If one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox.

35When a man's ox injures his neighbor's ox and it dies, they must sell the live ox and divide its proceeds; they must also divide the dead animal.

36"Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

36If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not restrained it, he must compensate fully, ox for ox; the dead animal will become his."

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.