7 ter shall bore his ear through with an awl and he shall serve him for ever. When any man selleth his daughter to be a handmaid she 8 shall not go away as those who are in bondage go. If she please not her master provided he betrothed her for himself, he shall let her be redeemed; but he is not her master to sell her into another family, because he hath broken covenant with her: 9 but if he betroth her for his son, he shall deal by her accord10 ing to the privilege of daughters. And if the son take another for himself, he shall not deprive her of food and raiment and 11 her marriage rites. And if he do not these three for her she shall go away ransom free. 12 If any one smite another and he die, he shall be put to 13 death. But if he was not a voluntary agent, but God delivered into his hands, I will appoint for thee a place to which he 14 who hath killed shall flee. But if any one lie in wait for his neighbour to kill him insidiously, and flee, thou shalt drag him from my altar to put him to death. 15 16 17 18 He who smiteth his father or his mother shall be death. put to He who curseth his father or his mother shall be put to death. He who stealeth any of the children of Israel, and having got him in his power selleth him, or if he be found with him, shall be put to death. If two men quarrel and one smite the other with a stone 19 or his fist and he dieth not, but is confined to his bed; if the man rise and walk abroad on his staff, he who smote him shall be acquitted but shall pay for his loss of time and the expence of his cure. 20 If a man smite his man servant or his maid servant with a staff; and the servant die under his hand, vengeance shall be 21 taken by a judicial process; but if the servant live a day or two, let no vengeance be taken, for he is his money. 22 If two men fight and strike a woman with child and she miscarry of an embrio, atonement shall be made by a fine. According as the husband of the woman shall with a judicial de23 cision lay upon him, he shall pay : but if the child be compleatly 24 organised he shall give, life for life; eye for eye; tooth for 25 tooth; hand for hand; foot for foot; burning for burning; 26 wound for wound; stripe for stripe. But if a man smite the eye of a man servant, or the eye of a maid servant; and it become 27 blind, he shall set them free for their eye's sake. And if he beat out the tooth of a man servant, or the tooth of a maid servant, he shall set them free for their tooth's sake. 28 If a bull gore a man or a woman and he or she die, the bull shall be stoned to death and his flesh shall not be eaten; but 29 the owner of the bull shall be held guiltless: but if the bull hath heretofore been accustomed to push with his horns, and this hath been made known to his owner, and he hath not shut him up; if he kill a man or woman, the bull shall be stoned and 30 his owner also may be put to death. But if a fine shall be laid 31 upon him, he shall pay as a ransom for his life whatever they lay upon him. And if the bull shall gore a son or a daughter, they 32 shall deal with him according to this law. But if the bull shall gore a man servant or a maid servant he shall pay their master thirty didrachms of silver and the bull shall be stoned. 33 If any man open a pit, or dig a pit and do not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, the owner of the pit shall make it 34 good. He shall pay the owner of them, and the dead beast shall be his. 35 If any man's bull gore the bull of his neighbour and he die, they shall sell the live bull and divide the money and they shall 36 divide the dead bull. But if the bull be noted for having been heretofore accustomed to push with his horns, and this hath been made known to his owner, and he hath not shut him up he shall be fined bull for bull and the dead bull shall be his. XXII. If any man steal an ox or a sheep and kill, or sell it, he shall pay as a fine five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep. 2 If a thief be found in the act of breaking in and be struck 3 and die, he who struck him is not liable to death; but if the sun was risen upon him he is liable and may be put to death. 4. If a thief hath no property, let him be sold for the theft. If the thing stolen, whatever it be from an ass to a sheep, be left alive and found in his hand, he shall be fined double. 5 If any man cause a field or a vineyard to be eaten and shall send out his cattle to feed upon the field of another, with the 6 7 produce of his own field he shall make restitution; and if he shall cause a whole field to be eaten up; with his choicest field or his choicest vineyard he shall make compensation. If a fire break out and catch in thorns and consume corn on the threshing floors or on the stalk, or in the field, he who kindled the fire shall make compensation. If any man deliver to his neighbour money or furniture to keep, and they be stolen out of the man's house; the thief, if 8 he be found, shall be fined double. But if the thief cannot be found, the owner of the house shall go before God and be examined on oath whether he may not in some manner have ac9 ted wrong touching the deposit of his neighbour. On every supposed act of injustice touching an ox or an ass or a sheep or raiment or any kind of deposit which is lost, whatever it may be, the cause of both parties shall come before God, and he whom God pointeth out shall pay his neighbour two fold. 10 And if a man deliver to his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast to keep, and it be hurt or die, or be car11 ried off by an enemy unknown to any one, there shall be an oath of God between the parties, that he hath not in any manner acted wrong touching the deposit of his neighbour; and the owner shall thus be satisfied; and the other shall not make it 12 good. But if it be stolen from him he shall make restitution 13 to the owner; and if it be torn by wild beasts he shall bring 14 the owner to the prey and shall not make compensation. But if any one borrow of his neighbour and that which was borrowed be hurt or die or be carried off by an enemy and the 15 owner be not with it, he shall make compensation; but if the owner be with it he shall not make it good, and if it be hired he shall have it for the hire of it. 16 If any man delude an unmarried virgin and lie with her, 17 he shall by paying a dowry purchase her for a wife: but if her father absolutely refuse and will not consent to give her to him for a wife, he shall pay the father in money to the amount of the dowry paid for virgins. 18 19 20 You shall not protect sorcerers. Every act of bestiality you shall punish with death. He who sacrificeth to any god save to the Lord alone shall be destroyed by death. 21 22 A stranger you shall not injure; nor shall you afflict him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. A widow and an orphan you shall not afflict. If you in any23 wise afflict them and they cry to me, I will hear their voice 24 and my wrath will be kindled, and I will slay you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless. 25 If thou lend money to thy brother, who is near thee and in want; thou shalt not be rigorous with him, nor charge him in26 terest. And if thou hast taken the mantle of thy neighbour as a pledge, thou shalt restore it to him before the setting of the 27 sun; for it is his covering. This mantle is the only covering of his nakedness. In what can he sleep? If therefore he cry to me, I will hear him; for I am merciful. 28 29 30 Thou shalt not revile gods, nor speak evil of the ruler of thy people. The first fruits of thy threshing floor and of thy press thou shalt not withhold. The first born of thy sons thou shalt give to me. Thou shalt do the same with thy calf, thy sheep and thy ass. Seven days it shall be with the dam and on the eighth day thou shalt 31 dedicate it to me. You shall be men holy to me, and you shall not eat what is torn by wild beasts. You shall throw it to the dogs. XXIII. Thou shalt not countenance an idle report, nor con2 spire with the unrighteous to be a false witness. Thou shalt not be with the majority in wickedness, nor join with the multi3 tude to shut out justice. In passing judgment thou shalt not 4 be influenced by compassion for the needy. If thou meet the ox of thy enemy or his ass going astray thou shalt turn it 5 back and restore it to him. And if thou seest thine enemy's ass fallen under his burden thou shalt not pass it by, but shalt raise it up with its load. 6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of a poor man in the 7 trial of his cause. Thou shalt keep aloof from every thing unjust. An innocent and a righteous man thou shalt not slay; nor shalt thou justify a wicked man for the sake of bribes. 8 Bribes thou shalt not receive, for they blind the eyes of them who see, and pervert judgment. 9 10 You shall not afflict a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Six years thou shalt sow thy ground and gather in the pro11 ducts thereof; but on the seventh thou shalt give it rest and let it lie fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat, and what they leave, let the wild beasts of the field eat. The same thou 12 shalt do with thy vineyards and thy olives. Six days thou shalt do thy work; but on the seventh there shall be a rest; that thy ox and thy ass may rest: and that the son of thy handmaid and the stranger may repose. 13 You shall keep all that I have said to you; and make no mention of the name of strange gods, nor let it be heard out of your mouth. 14 Three times a year you shall keep a festival to me-the fes15 tival of unleavened bread you shall carefully observe. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the time fixed in the month of new things. For in that 16 month thou didst come out of Egypt. Thou shalt not appear before me empty. Thou shalt also keep the festival of the ingathering of the first fruits of thy labours employed in sowing thy field; and the festival of completion at the end of the year, 17 when thou hast gathered in thy labours from the field. Three times a year all thy males must appear before the Lord thy God; for when I have driven out the nations from before thee I will enlarge thy borders. 18 19 20 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; nor shall the fat of my festival remain till the morning. The dedications of the first products of thy land thou shalt bring to the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of its dam. Now behold I send my angel before thy face, that he may guard thee in the way, and bring thee to the land, which I have 21 prepared for thee. Take heed to thyself and hearken to him and disobey him not; for he should not withdraw from you; 22 for my name is upon him. If you will hearken diligently to this voice of mine, and do whatever I command thee, and keep my covenant, you shall be to me a peculiar people above all the nations; for the whole earth is mine, but you shall be to me a royal priesthood and a holy nation. These words you |