Hebrew Servants (Deuteronomy 15:12–18)
1 DBY And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. BSB BSB: “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:
3 DBY If he came in alone, he shall go out alone: if he had a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. BSB BSB: If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.
4 DBY If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone. BSB BSB: If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
5 DBY But if the bondman shall say distinctly, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go free; BSB BSB: But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’
6 DBY then his master shall bring him before the judges, and shall bring him to the door, or to the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall be his bondman for ever. BSB BSB: then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.
7 DBY And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out. BSB BSB: And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.
8 DBY If she is unacceptable in the eyes of her master, who had taken her for himself, then shall he let her be ransomed: to sell her unto a foreign people he hath no power, after having dealt unfaithfully with her. BSB BSB: If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.
9 DBY And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters. BSB BSB: And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.
10 DBY If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish. BSB BSB: If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.
11 DBY And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money. BSB BSB: If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.
Personal Injury Laws 12 DBY He that striketh a man, so that he die, shall certainly be put to death. BSB BSB: Whoever strikes and kills a man must surely be put to death.
13 DBY But if he have not lain in wait, and God have delivered him into his hand, I will appoint thee a place to which he shall flee. BSB BSB: If, however, he did not lie in wait, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14 DBY But if a man act wantonly toward his neighbour, and slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. BSB BSB: But if a man schemes and acts willfully against his neighbor to kill him, you must take him away from My altar to be put to death.
15 DBY And he that striketh his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death. BSB BSB: Whoever strikes his father or mother must surely be put to death.
17 DBY And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall certainly be put to death. BSB BSB: Anyone who curses his father or mother must surely be put to death.
18 DBY And if men dispute, and one strike the other with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but take to his bed, BSB BSB: If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,
19 DBY — if he rise, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that struck him be guiltless; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed. BSB BSB: then the one who struck him shall go unpunished, as long as the other can get up and walk around outside with his staff. Nevertheless, he must compensate the man for his lost work and see that he is completely healed.
20 DBY And if a man strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged. BSB BSB: If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21 DBY Only, if he continue to live a day or two days, he shall not be avenged; for he is his money. BSB BSB: However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property.
22 DBY And if men strive together, and strike a woman with child, so that she be delivered, and no mischief happen, he shall in any case be fined, according as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and shall give it as the judges estimate. BSB BSB: If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the court allows.
24 DBY eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, BSB BSB: eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 DBY branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. BSB BSB: burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe.
27 DBY And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth. BSB BSB: And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
28 DBY And if an ox gore a man or a woman, so that they die, then the ox shall certainly be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be guiltless. BSB BSB: If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible.
29 DBY But if the ox have gored heretofore, and it have been testified to its owner, and he have not kept it in, and it kill a man or a woman, — the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. BSB BSB: But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death.
30 DBY If there be imposed on him a satisfaction, then he shall give the ransom of his life, according to what is imposed on him. BSB BSB: If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.
31 DBY Whether it gore a son or gore a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him. BSB BSB: If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.
32 DBY If the ox gore a bondman or a handmaid, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. BSB BSB: If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
33 DBY — And if a man open a pit, or if a man dig a pit, and do not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it, BSB BSB: If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 DBY the owner of the pit shall make it good, shall give money to the owner of them; and the dead ox shall be his. BSB BSB: the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 DBY — And if one man's ox gore his neighbour's ox, and it die, then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money thereof, and divide the dead also. BSB BSB: If a man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox and it dies, they must sell the live one and divide the proceeds; they also must divide the dead animal.
36 DBY Or if it be known that the ox have gored heretofore, and its owner have not kept him in, he shall in any case restore ox for ox; and the dead shall be his. BSB BSB: But if it was known that the ox had a habit of goring, yet its owner failed to restrain it, he shall pay full compensation, ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.