(KJV) Exodus 211

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⥃Hebrew Servants [ Deuteronomy 15:12–18 ]

[1] Now these [are] the judgments2 which3 thou shalt set before them. [2] If thou buy an Hebrew4 servant, six years he shall serve: and in the5 seventh he shall go out free for nothing. [3] If he came in by himself6, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. [4] If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her7 master’s, and he shall go out by himself. [5] And if8 the servant shall plainly say9, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: [6] Then his master shall bring him unto the judges10; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear11 through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever12.

[7] [¶]And if a man sell13 his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out14 as the menservants do. [8] If she please not15 her master, who hath16 betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing17 he hath dealt deceitfully with her. [9] And if he have betrothed her unto18 his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. [10] If he take him another [wife]; her food19, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish. [11] And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.20

⥃Personal Injury Laws

[12] He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.21 [13] And if a man lie not22 in wait, but God23 deliver [him] into his hand; then I will appoint24 thee a place whither he shall flee. [14] But if a man come presumptuously25 upon his neighbour, to slay26 him with guile; thou shalt take him27 from mine altar, that he may die.

[15] [¶]And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.2829

[16] [¶]And he that stealeth30 a man, and selleth him31, or if he be found in32 his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

[17] [¶]And he that curseth33 his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

[18] [¶]And if men34 strive together, and one smite another35 with a stone36, or with [his] fist, and he die not, but keepeth [his] bed: [19] If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff37, then shall he that smote [him] be quit: only he shall pay38 [for] the loss39 of his time, and shall cause [him] to be thoroughly healed.

[20] [¶]And if a man smite40 his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall41 be surely punished42. [21] Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he [is] his money.43

[22] If men strive44, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart [from her], and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges45 [determine]. [23] And if [any] mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life46, [24] Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,4748 [25] Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

[26] [¶]And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.49 [27] And if he smite50 out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

[28] [¶]If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox51 shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox [shall be] quit. [29] But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also52 shall be put to death. [30] If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom53 of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. [31] Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment54 shall it be done unto him. [32] If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox55 shall be stoned.56

[33] [¶]And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;57 [34] The owner of the pit shall make [it] good, [and] give money unto the owner of them; and the dead [beast] shall be his.58

[35] [¶]And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead [ox] also they shall divide. [36] Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own. 59

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  1. Exod 21:1, Laws for men servants; Exod 21:5, For the servant whose ear is bored; Exod 21:7, For women servants; Exod 21:12, For manslaughter; Exod 21:16, For stealers of men; Exod 21:17, For cursers of parents; Exod 21:18, For smiters; Exod 21:22, For a hurt by chance; Exod 21:28, For an ox that gores; Exod 21:33, For him that is an occasion of harm. ↩

  2. Lev 18:5, Lev 18:26, Lev 19:37, Lev 20:22; Num 35:24, Num 36:13; Deut 5:1, Deut 5:31, Deut 6:20; 1Kgs 6:12; 2Chr 19:10; Neh 9:13-14, Neh 10:29; Ps 147:19; Ezek 20:11, Ezek 20:25; Mal 4:4 ↩

  3. Exod 19:7, Exod 24:3-4; Deut 4:5, Deut 4:8, Deut 4:14, Deut 4:45, Deut 6:20; Matt 28:20; 1Thess 4:1 ↩

  4. Exod 12:44, Exod 22:3; Gen 27:28, Gen 27:36; Lev 25:39-41, Lev 25:44; 2Kgs 4:1; Neh 5:1-5, Neh 5:8; Matt 18:25; 1Cor 6:20 ↩

  5. Lev 25:40-43, Lev 25:45; Deut 15:1, Deut 15:12-15, Deut 15:18, Deut 31:10; Jer 34:8-17 ↩

  6. Heb. with his body, Deut 15:12-14 ↩

  7. Exod 4:22; Gen 14:14, Gen 15:3, Gen 17:13, Gen 17:27, Gen 18:19; Eccl 2:7; Jer 2:14 ↩

  8. Deut 15:16-17; Isa 26:13; 2Cor 5:14-15 ↩

  9. Heb. saying shall say ↩

  10. Exod 21:22, Exod 12:12, Exod 18:21-26, Exod 22:8-9, Exod 22:28; Num 25:5-8; Deut 1:16, Deut 16:18; Deut 19:17-18; 1Sam 8:1-2; Isa 1:26; Zeph 3:3 ↩

  11. This significant ceremony was intended as a mark of permanent servitude, and was calculated to impress the servant with the duty of hearing all his master's orders, and obeying them punctually. Ps 40:6-8 ↩

  12. Lev 25:23, Lev 25:40; Deut 15:17; 1Sam 1:22, 1Sam 27:12, 1Sam 28:2; 1Kgs 12:7 ↩

  13. Neh 5:5 ↩

  14. Exod 21:2-3 ↩

  15. Heb. be evil in the eyes of, etc. Gen 28:8; Judg 14:3; 1Sam 8:6, 1Sam 18:8 *marg. ↩

  16. Deut 20:7, Deut 21:11-14 ↩

  17. Exod 8:29; Judg 9:19; Job 6:15; Mal 2:11-15 ↩

  18. Exod 22:17; Gen 38:11; Lev 22:13 ↩

  19. Sheairah, "her flesh;" he shall not only afford her a sufficient quantity of food, as before, but of the same quality. She is not to be fed, like a common slave, with a sufficiency of bread, vegetables, milk, etc., but with her customary supply of flesh, and other agreeable articles of food. 1Cor 7:1-6 ↩

  20. Exod 21:2 ↩

  21. Exod 20:13; Gen 9:6; Lev 24:17; Num 35:16-24, Num 35:30-31; Deut 19:11-13; 2Sam 12:13; Matt 26:52 ↩

  22. Num 35:11, Num 35:22; Deut 19:4-6, Deut 19:11; Mic 7:2 ↩

  23. 1Sam 24:4, 1Sam 24:10, 1Sam 24:18; 2Sam 16:10; Isa 10:7 ↩

  24. Num 35:11; Deut 4:41-43, Deut 19:1-3, Deut 19:9; Josh 20:2-9 ↩

  25. Num 15:30-31; Deut 1:43, Deut 17:12-13, Deut 18:22, Deut 19:11-13; 1Kgs 2:29-34; Ps 19:13; Heb 10:26; 2Pet 2:10 ↩

  26. Num 35:20-21; Deut 27:24; 2Sam 3:27, 2Sam 20:9-10 ↩

  27. 1Kgs 1:50-51, 1Kgs 2:28-34; 2Kgs 11:15 ↩

  28. To smite either father or mother, in a manner which indicated either contempt or malice, or left marks of violence, was deemed a proof of so ungrateful and unnatural a disposition, that no provocation was admitted as an excuse, but the offence was made capital. Nay, he who cursed his father or mother, who uttered imprecations, ill wishes, or revilings, against a parent, was included in the same sense; though few crimes were made capital by the law of Moses. The law of God, as delegated to parents is honoured when they are honoured, and despised when they are despised, and to rebel against the lawful exercise of this authority is rebellion against God. - Rev. T. Scott ↩

  29. Deut 21:18-21, Deut 27:24; Prov 30:11, Prov 30:17; 1Tim 1:9 ↩

  30. Gen 40:15; Deut 24:7; 1Tim 1:10; Rev 18:12 ↩

  31. Gen 37:28 ↩

  32. Exod 22:4 ↩

  33. or, revilteth, Lev 20:9; Deut 27:16; Prov 20:20, Prov 30:11, Prov 30:17; Matt 15:3-6; Mark 7:10-11 ↩

  34. Exod 21:22, Exod 2:13; Deut 25:11; 2Sam 14:6 ↩

  35. or, his neighbour ↩

  36. Exod 21:20; Num 35:16-24 ↩

  37. 2Sam 3:29; Zech 8:4 ↩

  38. This was a wise and excellent institution. The same provision is made in the civil law; and most courts of justice still regulate their decisions in such cases by this Mosaic precept. ↩

  39. Heb. his ceasing ↩

  40. Exod 21:26-27; Deut 19:21; Prov 29:19; Isa 58:3-4 ↩

  41. Gen 9:6; Num 35:30-33 ↩

  42. Heb. avenged, Gen 4:15, Gen 4:24; Num 35:19; Rom 13:4 ↩

  43. Lev 25:45-46 ↩

  44. Exod 21:18 ↩

  45. Exod 21:30; Deut 16:18, Deut 22:18-19 ↩

  46. Num 35:31 ↩

  47. This is the earliest account we have of the ταυτοπαθεια, tautopatheia, Lex Talionis, law of like for like. ↩

  48. Exod 21:26-27; Lev 24:19-20; Deut 19:21; Judg 1:6-7; 1Sam 15:33; Matt 5:38-40, Matt 7:2; Luke 6:38; Rev 16:6 ↩

  49. Exod 21:20; Deut 16:19; Neh 5:5; Job 31:13-15; Ps 9:12, Ps 10:14, Ps 10:18, Ps 72:12-14; Prov 22:22-23; Eph 6:9; Col 4:1 ↩

  50. Exod 21:19 ↩

  51. Exod 21:32; Gen 9:5-6; Lev 20:15-16 ↩

  52. Deut 21:1-9 ↩

  53. Exod 21:22, Exod 30:12; Num 35:31-33; Prov 13:8 ↩

  54. or, sentence, Exod 21:31 ↩

  55. Exod 21:28-29 ↩

  56. Gen 37:28; Zech 11:12-13; Matt 26:15, Matt 27:3-9; Phil 2:7 ↩

  57. Ps 9:15, Ps 119:85; Prov 28:10; Eccl 10:8; Jer 18:20, Jer 18:22 ↩

  58. Exod 21:29-30, Exod 22:6, Exod 22:14 ↩

  59. Exod 21:29 ↩