The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 "These are the rulings you are to present to them:
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Now these are the laws which you are to put before them.
2 "If you purchase a Hebrew slave, he is to work six years; but in the seventh, he is to be given his freedom without having to pay anything.
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If you get a Hebrew servant for money, he is to be your servant for six years, and in the seventh year you are to let him go free without payment.
3 If he came single, he is to leave single; if he was married when he came, his wife is to go with him when he leaves.
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If he comes to you by himself, let him go away by himself: if he is married, let his wife go away with him.
4 But if his master gave him a wife, and she bore him sons or daughters, then the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will leave by himself.
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If his master gives him a wife, and he gets sons or daughters by her, the wife and her children will be the property of the master, and the servant is to go away by himself.
5 Nevertheless, if the slave declares, 'I love my master, my wife and my children, so I don't want to go free,'
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But if the servant says clearly, My master and my wife and children are dear to me; I have no desire to be free:
6 then his master is to bring him before God; and there at the door or doorpost, his master is to pierce his ear with an awl; and the man will be his slave for life.
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Then his master is to take him to the gods of the house, and at the door, or at its framework, he is to make a hole in his ear with a sharp-pointed instrument; and he will be his servant for ever.
7 "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to go free like the men-slaves.
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And if a man gives his daughter for a price to be a servant, she is not to go away free as the men-servants do.
8 If her master married her but decides she no longer pleases him, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He is not allowed to sell her to a foreign people, because he has treated her unfairly.
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If she is not pleasing to her master who has taken her for himself, let a payment be made for her so that she may go free; her master has no power to get a price for her and send her to a strange land, because he has been false to her.
9 If he has her marry his son, then he is to treat her like a daughter.
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And if he gives her to his son, he is to do everything for her as if she was his daughter.
10 If he marries another wife, he is not to reduce her food, clothing or marital rights.
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And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less.
11 If he fails to provide her with these three things, she is to be given her freedom without having to pay anything.
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And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.
12 "Whoever attacks a person and causes his death must be put to death.
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He who gives a man a death-blow is himself to be put to death.
13 If it was not premeditated but an act of God, then I will designate for you a place to which he can flee.
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But if he had no evil purpose against him, and God gave him into his hand, I will give you a place to which he may go in flight.
14 But if someone willfully kills another after deliberate planning, you are to take him even from my altar and put him to death.
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But if a man makes an attack on his neighbour on purpose, to put him to death by deceit, you are to take him from my altar and put him to death.
15 "Whoever attacks his father or mother must be put to death.
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Any man who gives a blow to his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.
16 "Whoever kidnaps someone must be put to death, regardless of whether he has already sold him or the person is found still in his possession.
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Any man who gets another into his power in order to get a price for him is to be put to death, if you take him in the act.
17 "Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.
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Any man cursing his father or his mother is to be put to death.
18 "If two people fight, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and the injured party doesn't die but is confined to his bed;
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If, in a fight, one man gives another a blow with a stone, or with the shut hand, not causing his death, but making him keep in bed;
19 then, if he recovers enough to be able to walk around outside, even if with a cane, the attacker will be free of liability, except to compensate him for his loss of time and take responsibility for his care until his recovery is complete.
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If he is able to get up again and go about with a stick, the other will be let off; only he will have to give him payment for the loss of his time, and see that he is cared for till he is well.
20 "If a person beats his male or female slave with a stick so severely that he dies, he is to be punished;
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If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment.
21 except that if the slave lives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his property.
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But, at the same time, if the servant goes on living for a day or two, the master is not to get punishment, for the servant is his property.
22 "If people are fighting with each other and happen to hurt a pregnant woman so badly that her unborn child dies, then, even if no other harm follows, he must be fined. He must pay the amount set by the woman's husband and confirmed by judges.
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If men, while fighting, do damage to a woman with child, causing the loss of the child, but no other evil comes to her, the man will have to make payment up to the amount fixed by her husband, in agreement with the decision of the judges.
23 But if any harm follows, then you are to give life for life,
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But if damage comes to her, let life be given in payment for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
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Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound and bruise for bruise.
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Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow.
26 "If a person hits his male or female slave's eye and destroys it, he must let him go free in compensation for his eye.
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If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant a blow in the eye, causing its destruction, he is to let him go free on account of the damage to his eye.
27 If he knocks out his male or female slave's tooth, he must let him go free in compensation for his tooth.
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Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.
28 "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox is to be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner of the ox will have no further liability.
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If an ox comes to be the cause of death to a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned, and its flesh may not be used for food; but the owner will not be judged responsible.
29 However, if the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner was warned but did not confine it, so that it ended up killing a man or a woman; then the ox is to be stoned, and its owner too is to be put to death.
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But if the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and the owner has had word of it and has not kept it under control, so that it has been the cause of the death of a man or woman, not only is the ox to be stoned, but its owner is to be put to death.
30 However, a ransom may be imposed on him; and the death penalty will be commuted if he pays the amount imposed.
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If a price is put on his life, let him make payment of whatever price is fixed.
31 If the ox gores a son or daughter, the same rule applies.
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If the death of a son or of a daughter has been caused, the punishment is to be in agreement with this rule.
32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, its owner must give their master twelve ounces of silver; and the ox is to be stoned to death.
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If the death of a man-servant or of a woman-servant is caused by the ox, the owner is to give their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.
33 "If someone removes the cover from a cistern or digs one and fails to cover it, and an ox or donkey falls in,
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If a man makes a hole in the earth without covering it up, and an ox or an ass dropping into it comes to its death;
34 the owner of the cistern must make good the loss by compensating the animal's owner; but the dead animal will be his.
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The owner of the hole is responsible; he will have to make payment to their owner, but the dead beast will be his.
35 "If one person's ox hurts another's, so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the revenue from the sale; and they are also to divide the dead animal.
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And if one man's ox does damage to another man's ox, causing its death, then the living ox is to be exchanged for money, and division made of the price of it, and of the price of the dead one.
36 But if it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner did not confine it; he must pay ox for ox, but the dead animal will be his.
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But if it is common knowledge that the ox has frequently done such damage in the past, and its owner has not kept it under control, he will have to give ox for ox; and the dead beast will be his.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.