Exodus 21; Exodus 22; Matthew 19

1 "Here are the laws you must explain to the people of Israel.

2 "Suppose you buy a Hebrew servant. He must serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, you must set him free. He does not have to pay anything.

3 "If he does not have a wife when he comes, he must go free alone. But if he has a wife when he comes, she must go with him.

4 Suppose his master gives him a wife. And suppose she has sons or daughters by him. Then only the man will go free. The woman and her children will belong to her master.

5 "But suppose the servant says, 'I love my master and my wife and children. I don't want to go free.'

6 Then his master must take him to the judges. He must be taken to the door or doorpost of his master's house. His master must poke a hole through his ear lobe into the doorpost. Then he will become his servant for life.

7 "Suppose a man sells his daughter as a servant. Then she can't go free as male servants do.

8 "But what if the master who has chosen her does not like her? Then he must let the man buy her back. He has no right to sell her to strangers. He has broken his promise to her.

9 "What if he chooses her to get married to his son? Then he must grant her the rights of a daughter.

10 "What if he marries another woman? He must still give the first one her food and clothes and make love to her.

11 If he does not provide her with those three things, she can go free. She does not have to pay anything.

12 "You can be sure that if anyone hits and kills someone else, he will be put to death.

13 Suppose he did not do it on purpose. Suppose I let it happen. Then he can escape to a place I will choose.

14 But suppose he kills someone on purpose. Then take him away from my altar and put him to death.

15 "If anyone attacks his father or mother, he will be put to death.

16 "If anyone kidnaps and sells another person, he will be put to death. If he still has the person with him when he is caught, he will be put to death.

17 "If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.

18 "Suppose two men get into a fight and argue with each other. One hits the other with a stone or his fist. He does not die but has to stay in bed.

19 And later he gets up and walks around outside with his walking stick. Then the man who hit him will not be held accountable. But he must pay the one who was hurt for the time he spent in bed. He must be sure that the person is completely healed.

20 "Suppose a man beats his male or female slave to death with a club. Then he must be punished.

21 But he will not be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two. After all, the slave is his property.

22 "Suppose some men are fighting and one of them hits a pregnant woman. And suppose she has her baby early but is not badly hurt. Then the man who hurt her must pay a fine. He must pay what the woman's husband asks for and the court allows.

23 "But if someone is badly hurt, a life must be taken for a life.

24 An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth. A hand must be cut off for a hand and a foot for a foot.

25 A burn must be given for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a bruise for a bruise.

26 "Suppose a man hits his male or female servant in the eye and destroys it. Then he must let the servant go free to pay for the eye.

27 "Suppose he knocks out the tooth of a male or female servant. Then he must let the servant go free to pay for the tooth.

28 "Suppose a bull kills a man or woman with its horns. Then you must kill the bull by throwing stones at it. Its meat must not be eaten. The owner of the bull will not be held accountable.

29 "But suppose the bull has had the habit of attacking people. And suppose the owner has been warned but has not kept it fenced in. Then if it kills a man or woman, you must kill it with stones. The owner must also be put to death.

30 "But suppose payment is required of him instead. Then he can save his life by paying what is required.

31 "The same law applies if the bull wounds a son or daughter with its horns.

32 "Suppose the bull wounds a male or female slave. Then the owner must pay the slave's master 12 ounces of silver. You must kill the bull with stones.

33 "Suppose a man uncovers a pit or digs one and does not cover it. And suppose an ox or donkey falls into it.

34 Then the owner of the pit must pay the animal's owner for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the owner of the pit.

35 "Suppose a man's bull wounds a neighbor's bull and it dies. Then they must sell the live one. And they must share the money and the dead animal equally.

36 "But suppose people knew that the bull had the habit of attacking. And suppose the owner did not keep it fenced in. Then he must give another animal to pay for the dead animal. The dead animal will belong to him.

1 "Suppose a man steals an ox or a sheep. And suppose he kills it or sells it. Then he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox. Or he must pay back four sheep or goats for the sheep.

2 "Suppose you catch a thief breaking into your house. And suppose you hit the thief and kill him. Then you are not guilty of murder.

3 But suppose it happens after the sun has come up. Then you are guilty of murder. "A thief must pay for what he has stolen. But suppose he does not have anything. Then he must be sold to pay for what he has stolen.

4 "What if the stolen ox, donkey or sheep is found alive with him? Then the thief must pay back twice as much as he stole.

5 "Suppose a man lets his livestock eat grass in someone else's field or vineyard. Then he must pay that person back from the best crops of his own field or vineyard.

6 "Suppose a fire breaks out and spreads into bushes. It burns grain that has been cut and stacked. Or it burns grain that is still growing. Or it burns the whole field. Then the one who started the fire must pay for the loss.

7 "Suppose a man gives his neighbor silver or other things to keep safe. And suppose they are stolen from the neighbor's house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole.

8 "But suppose the thief is not found. Then the neighbor must go to the judges. They will decide whether the neighbor has stolen the other person's property.

9 "Suppose you have an ox, donkey, sheep or clothing that does not belong to you. Or you have other property that was lost by someone else. And suppose someone says, 'That belongs to me.' Then both people must bring their case to the judges. The one the judges decide is guilty must pay back twice as much to the other person.

10 "Suppose a man asks his neighbor to take care of a donkey, ox, sheep or any other animal. And suppose the animal dies or gets hurt. Or suppose it is stolen while no one is looking.

11 Then the problem will be settled by taking an oath and promising the LORD to tell the truth. "Suppose the neighbor takes an oath and says, 'I didn't steal your property.' Then the owner must accept what the neighbor says. No payment is required.

12 "But suppose the animal really was stolen. Then the neighbor must pay the owner back.

13 "Or suppose it was torn to pieces by a wild animal. Then the neighbor must bring in what is left as proof. No payment is required.

14 "Suppose a man borrows an animal from his neighbor. And it gets hurt or dies while the owner is not there. Then the man must pay for it.

15 "But suppose the owner is with the animal. Then the man will not have to pay. If he hired the animal, the money he paid to hire it covers the loss.

16 "Suppose a man meets a virgin who is not engaged. And he talks her into having sex with him. Then he must pay her father the price for a bride. And he must get married to her.

17 "But suppose her father absolutely refuses to give her to him. Then he must still pay the price for getting married to a virgin.

18 "Do not let a woman who does evil magic stay alive. Put her to death.

19 "Anyone who has sex with an animal must be put to death.

20 "Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than me must be destroyed.

21 "Do not treat outsiders badly. Do not beat them down. Remember, you were outsiders in Egypt.

22 "Do not take advantage of widows. Do not take advantage of children whose fathers have died.

23 "If you do, they might cry out to me. Then I will certainly hear them.

24 And I will get angry. I will kill you with a sword. Your wives will become widows. Your children's fathers will die.

25 "Suppose you lend money to one of my people among you who is in need. Then do not be like those who lend money and charge interest. Do not charge any interest.

26 "Suppose your neighbor owes you money and gives you a coat as a promise to pay it back. Then return it to him by sunset.

27 That coat is the only thing he owns to wear or sleep in. When he cries out to me, I will listen, because I am loving and kind.

28 "Do not speak evil things against me. Do not call down a curse on the ruler of your people.

29 "Do not hold back your grain offerings or wine offerings. "You must give me the oldest of your sons.

30 Do the same with your cattle and sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days. But give them to me on the eighth day.

31 "I want you to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of any animal that has been torn by wild animals. Throw it to the dogs.

1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he left Galilee. He went into the area of Judea on the other side of the Jordan River.

2 Large crowds followed him. He healed them there.

3 Some Pharisees came to put him to the test. They asked, "Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?"

4 Jesus replied, "Haven't you read that in the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female'?(Genesis 1:27)

5 He said, 'That's why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. The two will become one.'(Genesis 2:24)

6 They are no longer two, but one. So a man must not separate what God has joined together."

7 They asked, "Then why did Moses command that a man can give his wife a letter of divorce and send her away?"

8 Jesus replied, "Moses let you divorce your wives because you were stubborn. But it was not this way from the beginning.

9 Here is what I tell you. Anyone who divorces his wife and gets married to another woman commits adultery. A man may divorce his wife only if she has not been faithful to him."

10 The disciples said to him, "If that's the way it is between a husband and wife, it is better not to get married."

11 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept the idea of staying single. Only those who have been helped to live without getting married can accept it.

12 Some men are not able to have children because they were born that way. Some have been made that way by other people. Others have made themselves that way in order to serve the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept living that way should do it."

13 Some people brought little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on the children and pray for them. But the disciples told the people to stop.

14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me. Don't keep them away. The kingdom of heaven belongs to people like them."

15 Jesus placed his hands on them. Then he went on from there.

16 A man came up to Jesus. He asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to receive eternal life?"

17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter the kingdom, obey the commandments."

18 "Which ones?" the man asked. Jesus said, " 'Do not commit murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false witness.

19 Honor your father and mother.'(Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20) And 'love your neighbor as you love yourself.' "(Leviticus 19:18)

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

21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me."

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

23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "What I'm about to tell you is true. It is hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven.

24 Again I tell you, it is hard for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But it is even harder for the rich to enter God's kingdom."

25 When the disciples heard this, they were really amazed. They asked, "Then who can be saved?"

26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man, that is impossible. But with God, all things are possible."

27 Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What reward will be given to us?"

28 "What I'm about to tell you is true," Jesus said to them. "When all things are made new, the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne. Then you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones. You will judge the 12 tribes of Israel.

29 Everyone who has left houses or families or fields because of me will receive 100 times as much. They will also receive eternal life.

30 But many who are first will be last. And many who are last will be first.