Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 130
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
22:1-15
pay full compensation—a live ox for the dead one—but he may keep the
dead ox.
“If someone steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, the thief must
pay back five oxen for each ox stolen, and four sheep for each sheep stolen.
“If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck
and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of
murder. But if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty
of murder.
“A thief who is caught must pay in full for everything he stole. If he cannot pay, he must be sold as a slave to pay for his theft. If someone steals an
ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is found in the thief ’s possession, then the
thief must pay double the value of the stolen animal.
“If an animal is grazing in a field or vineyard and the owner lets it stray
into someone else’s field to graze, then the animal’s owner must pay compensation from the best of his own grain or grapes.
“If you are burning thornbushes and the fire gets out of control and
spreads into another person’s field, destroying the sheaves or the uncut
grain or the whole crop, the one who started the fire must pay for the
lost crop.
“Suppose someone leaves money or goods with a neighbor for safe
keeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is
caught, the compensation is double the value of what was stolen. But if
the thief is not caught, the neighbor must appear before God, who will
determine if he stole the property.
“Suppose there is a dispute between two people who both claim to own
a particular ox, donkey, sheep, article of clothing, or any lost property.
Both parties must come before God, and the person whom God declares
guilty must pay double compensation to the other.
“Now suppose someone leaves a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal
with a neighbor for safekeeping, but it dies or is injured or is taken away,
and no one sees what happened. The neighbor must then take an oath in
the presence of the Lord. If the Lord confirms that the neighbor did not
steal the property, the owner must accept the verdict, and no payment will
be required. But if the animal was indeed stolen, the guilty person must
pay compensation to the owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal,
the remains of the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no compensation will be required.
“If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or
dies when the owner is absent, the person who borrowed it must pay full
compensation. But if the owner was present, no compensation is required.
