Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 129
21:16-36
E x od u s
117
“Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.
“Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death.
“Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or
fist, and the injured person does not die but is confined to bed. If he is
later able to walk outside again, even with a crutch, the assailant will not
be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide
for his full recovery.
“If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies
as a result, the owner must be punished. But if the slave recovers within
a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the slave is his
property.
“Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further
injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of
compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. But
if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for
a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a
foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
“If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye and the eye is blinded,
he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And if a man knocks
out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to
compensate for the tooth.
“If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and
its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be
held liable. But suppose the ox had a reputation for goring, and the owner
had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills
someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death.
However, the dead person’s relatives may accept payment to compensate
for the loss of life. The owner of the ox may redeem his life by paying
whatever is demanded.
“The same regulation applies if the ox gores a boy or a girl. But if the ox
gores a slave, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s
owner thirty silver coins, and the ox must be stoned.
“Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then
an ox or a donkey falls into it. The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead
animal.
“If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then
the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between
them. They must also divide the dead animal. But if the ox had a reputation for goring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must
