Laws for Daily Life

²²The LORD told Moses, "Say this to the children of Israel: 'You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven.'" ²³You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make gods of gold for yourselves. ²⁴Build an altar of earth for me, and sacrifice your burnt offerings and peace offerings on it — your sheep and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵If you make me an altar of stone, do not use cut stones. For if you use your tool on it, you have polluted it. ²⁶And don't build steps leading up to my altar, so that your nakedness isn't exposed on it.'" Chapter 21¹These are the judgments you must present to them: ²If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will serve you for 6 years. In the 7th year, he goes free without paying anything. ³If he came in by himself, he shall leave by himself. If he was married when he came, his wife shall leave with him. ⁴If his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the wife and children belong to the master, and the servant must leave on his own. ⁵But if the servant openly declares, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children — I don't want to go free,' ⁶Then his master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also take him to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. ⁷If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not released the same way male servants are. ⁸If she doesn't please the master who chose her for himself, he must allow her to be bought back. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he broke faith with her. ⁹If he gives her to his son instead, he must treat her as his own daughter. ¹⁰If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the first wife's food, clothing, or marital rights. ¹¹If he fails to provide these 3 things for her, she may leave free of charge, owing nothing. ¹²Anyone who strikes and kills another person must be put to death. ¹³But if a man did not lie in wait, and God delivers him into his hand, then I will appoint a place where he can flee. ¹⁴But if someone deliberately plots to murder his neighbor, you must drag him away even from my altar to be executed. ¹⁵Anyone who strikes his father or mother must be put to death. ¹⁶Anyone who kidnaps someone — whether he sells the victim or is caught still holding him — must be put to death. ¹⁷Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. ¹⁸If 2 men get into a fight and one hits the other with a stone or his fist, and the injured man doesn't die but is stuck in bed, ¹⁹If the injured man recovers and is able to walk around with a staff, the one who struck him will not be held guilty. However, he must compensate for the man's lost time and ensure he is fully healed. ²⁰If a man beats his male or female servant with a rod and the servant dies from the beating, the master must be punished. ²¹But if the servant survives for a day or two, the master won't be punished, since the servant is his property. ²²If men are fighting and they injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, but no serious harm results, the one responsible must pay whatever fine the woman's husband demands, subject to the judges' approval. ²³But if there is serious harm, then the penalty is life for life, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵Burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. ²⁶If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he must set the servant free as compensation for the eye. ²⁷If he knocks out his male or female servant's tooth, he must set the servant free as compensation for the tooth. ²⁸If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox is not held responsible. ²⁹However, if the bull had a history of goring and the owner was warned but still didn't keep it penned in, and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner must also be put to death. ³⁰If a ransom is demanded instead, the owner may save his life by paying whatever amount is required of him. ³¹This same rule applies whether the bull gores someone's son or someone's daughter. ³²If the bull gores a male or female servant, the owner must pay 30 shekels of silver to the servant's master, and the bull must be stoned. ³³If a man opens 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 must compensate the animal's owner with money, and the dead animal will belong to the pit owner. ³⁵If one man's bull injures another man's bull and it dies, they must sell the living bull and split the money equally. They must also split the dead animal. ³⁶But if it was known that the bull had a habit of goring and its owner didn't keep it penned in, the owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal becomes his." Chapter 22¹"If someone steals an ox or a sheep and then kills it or sells it, he must pay back 5 oxen for the ox and 4 sheep for the sheep. ²If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck and killed, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. ³But if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodshed for him; he must make full restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ⁴If the stolen animal — whether an ox, a donkey, or a sheep — is found alive and still in his possession, he must pay back double. ⁵"If someone lets his animal loose and it grazes in another person's field or vineyard, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard. ⁶"If a fire breaks out and spreads through thornbushes, burning up stacked grain, standing grain, or an entire field, the person who started the fire must pay full restitution. ⁷"If someone gives money or goods to a neighbor for safekeeping and they are stolen from that neighbor's house, the thief — if caught — must pay back double. ⁸If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must appear before the judges so they can determine whether he helped himself to his neighbor's property. ⁹In any dispute over ownership — whether it involves an ox, a donkey, a sheep, clothing, or anything else that someone claims as their own — both parties must bring their case before the judges. Whoever the judges find guilty must pay double to the other person. ¹⁰"If someone entrusts a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to a neighbor's care, and the animal dies, is injured, or is driven off while no one is watching, ¹¹the matter must be settled by an oath before the LORD. The caretaker must swear that he did not take his neighbor's property. The owner must accept this oath, and no restitution will be required. ¹²But if the animal was stolen while in his care, he must make restitution to the owner. ¹³If it is torn in pieces, he should bring it as evidence, and he will not have to pay for what was torn. ¹⁴"If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it gets injured or dies while the owner isn't present, the borrower must pay full restitution. ¹⁵But if the owner was there with the animal, no restitution is required. If the animal was hired, the loss is covered by the rental fee. ¹⁶"If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and sleeps with her, he must pay the full bride price and marry her. ¹⁷If her father absolutely refuses to let her marry him, the man must still pay the amount equal to the bride price for a virgin. ¹⁸"You must not allow a sorceress to live. ¹⁹"Anyone who has sex with an animal must be put to death. ²⁰"Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the LORD alone must be completely destroyed. ²¹"You must not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, because you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. ²²"You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child." ²³If you mistreat them in any way and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. ²⁴My anger will burn hot, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your own wives will become widows and your own children will be fatherless. ²⁵"If you lend money to any of my people who are poor among you, don't act like a moneylender toward them. You must not charge them interest. ²⁶If you take your neighbor's garment as collateral for a loan, you must return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷For that is his only covering, his clothing for his skin. What will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am gracious. ²⁸You must not speak against the gods, nor curse the leader of your people. ²⁹Do not delay in offering the first of your ripe fruits and your liquors. You must give me the firstborn of your sons. ³⁰Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let the firstborn stay with its mother for 7 days, and on the 8th day, give it to me. ³¹You shall be holy people to me. Do not eat any meat from an animal torn by beasts in the field; throw it to the dogs. Chapter 23¹Don't spread false reports. Never team up with a wicked person to give dishonest testimony. ²Don't follow a crowd into doing evil. When you testify in a legal case, don't side with the majority just to twist justice. ³Don't show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit either. ⁴If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, you must bring it back to him. ⁵If you see the donkey of someone who hates you collapsed under its load, don't walk away. You must stop and help him with it. ⁶Don't deny justice to your poor people when they bring a case to court. ⁷"Keep far from a false matter, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not justify the wicked." ⁸Do not accept any gift, because a gift blinds the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. ⁹Don't oppress a foreigner. You know what it feels like to be a foreigner, because you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. ¹⁰For 6 years, plant your land and harvest its crops. ¹¹But during the 7th year, let the land rest and leave it unplowed. The poor among your people can eat whatever grows on its own, and the wild animals can eat what's left over. Do the same with your vineyards and olive groves. ¹²"You shall do your work for 6 days, and on the 7th day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed." ¹³Pay careful attention to everything I've told you. Never speak the names of other gods — don't even let their names come out of your mouth. ¹⁴Celebrate a festival in my honor 3 times a year. ¹⁵Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For 7 days, eat bread made without yeast at the appointed time in the month of Abib, just as I commanded you — because that's the month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶Also celebrate the Festival of Harvest, when you bring in the first fruits of the crops you planted. And celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you bring in everything from your fields. ¹⁷Three times a year, all your males must appear before the LORD God. ¹⁸Don't offer the blood of my sacrifice alongside bread made with yeast. The fat from my festival offering must not be left out overnight until morning. ¹⁹Bring the very best of the first fruits from your land to the house of the LORD your God. Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk. ²⁰I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹Pay close attention to him and obey his voice. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, because my name is in him. ²²But if you truly obey his voice and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an opponent to your opponents. ²³My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites — and I will wipe them out. ²⁴Do not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices. Instead, completely overthrow them and break their images to pieces. ²⁵Worship the LORD your God, and he will bless your food and your water. I will remove sickness from among you. ²⁶No woman in your land will miscarry or be unable to have children. I will give you a full lifespan. ²⁷I will send my fear ahead of you and destroy all the people you encounter, making all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸I will send hornets ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you arrive. ²⁹But I won't drive them all out in a single year, or the land would become deserted and wild animals would overrun it. ³⁰Little by little I will push them out ahead of you, until your population has grown large enough to take possession of the land. ³¹I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will hand the people living in the land over to you, and you will drive them out. ³²Don't make any covenant with them or with their gods. ³³They must not live in your land, or they will lead you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, it will surely be a trap for you.