Exodus 21; Exodus 22; Matthew 19

1 "Give the Israelites the following laws:

2 If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years. In the seventh year he is to be set free without having to pay anything.

3 If he was unmarried when he became your slave, he is not to take a wife with him when he leaves; but if he was married when he became your slave, he may take his wife with him.

4 If his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the woman and her children belong to the master, and the man is to leave by himself.

5 But if the slave declares that he loves his master, his wife, and his children and does not want to be set free,

6 then his master shall take him to the place of worship. There he is to make him stand against the door or the doorpost and put a hole through his ear. Then he will be his slave for life.

7 "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to be set free, as male slaves are.

8 If she is sold to someone who intends to make her his wife, but he doesn't like her, then she is to be sold back to her father; her master cannot sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.

9 If a man buys a female slave to give to his son, he is to treat her like a daughter.

10 If a man takes a second wife, he must continue to give his first wife the same amount of food and clothing and the same rights that she had before.

11 If he does not fulfill these duties to her, he must set her free and not receive any payment.

12 "Whoever hits someone and kills him is to be put to death.

13 But if it was an accident and he did not mean to kill him, he can escape to a place which I will choose for you, and there he will be safe.

14 But when someone gets angry and deliberately kills someone else, he is to be put to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.

15 "Whoever hits his father or his mother is to be put to death.

16 "Whoever kidnaps someone, either to sell him or to keep him as a slave, is to be put to death.

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

18 "If there is a fight and someone hits someone else with a stone or with his fist, but does not kill him, he is not to be punished. If the one who was hit has to stay in bed, but later is able to get up and walk outside with the help of a cane, the one who hit him is to pay for his lost time and take care of him until he gets well.

20 "If a slave owner takes a stick and beats his slave, whether male or female, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner is to be punished.

21 But if the slave does not die for a day or two, the master is not to be punished. The loss of his property is punishment enough.

22 "If some men are fighting and hurt a pregnant woman so that she loses her child, but she is not injured in any other way, the one who hurt her is to be fined whatever amount the woman's husband demands, subject to the approval of the judges.

23 But if the woman herself is injured, the punishment shall be life for life,

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

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

26 "If someone hits his male or female slave in the eye and puts it out, he is to free the slave as payment for the eye.

27 If he knocks out a tooth, he is to free the slave as payment for the tooth.

28 "If a bull gores someone to death, it is to be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but its owner is not to be punished.

29 But if the bull had been in the habit of attacking people and its owner had been warned, but did not keep it penned up - then if it gores someone to death, it is to be stoned, and its owner is to be put to death also.

30 However, if the owner is allowed to pay a fine to save his life, he must pay the full amount required.

31 If the bull kills a boy or a girl, the same rule applies.

32 If the bull kills a male or female slave, its owner shall pay the owner of the slave thirty pieces of silver, and the bull shall be stoned to death.

33 "If someone takes the cover off a pit or if he digs one and does not cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,

34 he must pay for the animal. He is to pay the money to the owner and may keep the dead animal.

35 If someone's bull kills someone else's bull, the two of them shall sell the live bull and divide the money; they shall also divide up the meat from the dead animal.

36 But if it was known that the bull had been in the habit of attacking and its owner did not keep it penned up, he must make good the loss by giving the other man a live bull, but he may keep the dead animal.

1 "If someone steals a cow or a sheep and kills it or sells it, he must pay five cows for one cow and four sheep for one sheep.

2 He must pay for what he stole. If he owns nothing, he shall be sold as a slave to pay for what he has stolen. If the stolen animal, whether a cow, a donkey, or a sheep, is found alive in his possession, he shall pay two for one. "If a thief is caught breaking into a house at night and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if it happens during the day, he is guilty of murder.

5 "If someone lets his animals graze in a field or a vineyard and they stray away and eat up the crops growing in someone else's field, he must make good the loss with the crops from his own fields or vineyards.

6 "If someone starts a fire in his own field and it spreads through the weeds to someone else's field and burns up grain that is growing or that has been cut and stacked, the one who started the fire is to pay for the damage.

7 "If anyone agrees to keep someone else's money or other valuables for him and they are stolen from his house, the thief, if found, shall repay double.

8 But if the thief is not found, the one who was keeping the valuables is to be brought to the place of worship and there he must take an oath that he has not stolen the other one's property.

9 "In every case of a dispute about property, whether it involves cattle, donkeys, sheep, clothing, or any other lost object, the two people claiming the property shall be taken to the place of worship. The one whom God declares to be guilty shall pay double to the other one.

10 "If anyone agrees to keep someone else's donkey, cow, sheep, or other animal for him, and the animal dies or is injured or is carried off in a raid, and if there was no witness,

11 the man must go to the place of worship and take an oath that he has not stolen the other man's animal. If the animal was not stolen, the owner shall accept the loss, and the other man need not repay him;

12 but if the animal was stolen, the man must repay the owner.

13 If it was killed by wild animals, the man is to bring the remains as evidence; he need not pay for what has been killed by wild animals.

14 "If anyone borrows an animal from someone else and it is injured or dies when its owner is not present, he must pay for it.

15 But if that happens when the owner is present, he need not repay. If it is a rented animal, the loss is covered by the rental price.

16 "If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, he must pay the bride price for her and marry her.

17 But if her father refuses to let him marry her, he must pay the father a sum of money equal to the bride price for a virgin.

18 "Put to death any woman who practices magic.

19 "Put to death any man who has sexual relations with an animal.

20 "Condemn to death anyone who offers sacrifices to any god except to me, the Lord.

21 "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt.

22 Do not mistreat any widow or orphan.

23 If you do, I, the Lord, will answer them when they cry out to me for help,

24 and I will become angry and kill you in war. Your wives will become widows, and your children will be fatherless.

25 "If you lend money to any of my people who are poor, do not act like a moneylender and require him to pay interest.

26 If you take someone's cloak as a pledge that he will pay you, you must give it back to him before the sun sets,

27 because it is the only covering he has to keep him warm. What else can he sleep in? When he cries out to me for help, I will answer him because I am merciful.

28 "Do not speak evil of God, and do not curse a leader of your people.

29 "Give me the offerings from your grain, your wine, and your olive oil when they are due. "Give me your first-born sons.

30 Give me the first-born of your cattle and your sheep. Let the first-born male stay with its mother for seven days, and on the eighth day offer it to me.

31 "You are my people, so you must not eat the meat of any animal that has been killed by wild animals; instead, give it to the dogs.

1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River.

2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

3 Some Pharisees came to him and tried to trap him by asking, "Does our Law allow a man to divorce his wife for whatever reason he wishes?"

4 Jesus answered, "Haven't you read the scripture that says that in the beginning the Creator made people male and female?

5 And God said, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one.'

6 So they are no longer two, but one. No human being must separate, then, what God has joined together."

7 The Pharisees asked him, "Why, then, did Moses give the law for a man to hand his wife a divorce notice and send her away?"

8 Jesus answered, "Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives because you are so hard to teach. But it was not like that at the time of creation.

9 I tell you, then, that any man who divorces his wife for any cause other than her unfaithfulness, commits adultery if he marries some other woman."

10 His disciples said to him, "If this is how it is between a man and his wife, it is better not to marry."

11 Jesus answered, "This teaching does not apply to everyone, but only to those to whom God has given it.

12 For there are different reasons why men cannot marry: some, because they were born that way; others, because men made them that way; and others do not marry for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven. Let him who can accept this teaching do so."

13 Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and to pray for them, but the disciples scolded the people.

14 Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

15 He placed his hands on them and then went away.

16 Once a man came to Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?"

17 "Why do you ask me concerning what is good?" answered Jesus. "There is only One who is good. Keep the commandments if you want to enter life."

18 "What commandments?" he asked. Jesus answered, "Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not accuse anyone falsely;

19 respect your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as you love yourself."

20 "I have obeyed all these commandments," the young man replied. "What else do I need to do?"

21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me."

22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich.

23 Jesus then said to his disciples, "I assure you: it will be very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

24 I repeat: it is much harder for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle."

25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely amazed. "Who, then, can be saved?" they asked.

26 Jesus looked straight at them and answered, "This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible."

27 Then Peter spoke up. "Look," he said, "we have left everything and followed you. What will we have?"

28 Jesus said to them, "You can be sure that when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the New Age, then you twelve followers of mine will also sit on thrones, to rule the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake, will receive a hundred times more and will be given eternal life.

30 But many who now are first will be last, and many who now are last will be first.