Study Desk

then the slave's master must take him to God. The master is to take him to a door or doorframe and punch a hole through the slave's ear using a sharp tool. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.

"If a man sells his daughter as a slave, the rules for setting her free are different from the rules for setting the male slaves free.

If the man who bought her promises to let the woman marry his son, he must treat her as a daughter.

If the man who bought her marries another woman, he must not keep his first wife from having food or clothing or sexual relations.

"Anyone who hits his father or his mother must be put to death.

"Anyone who says cruel things to his father or mother must be put to death.

"If two men argue, and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist, the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed.

Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his walking stick, the one who hit him is not to be punished. But he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely healed.

"If a man beats his male or female slave with a stick, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished.

"If a man hits his male or female slave in the eye, and the eye is blinded, the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye.

If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.

But if the family of the dead person accepts money, the one who owned the bull may buy back his life, but he must pay whatever is demanded.

But if a person's bull has hurt other animals in the past and the owner did not keep it in a pen, that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.

"If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man's field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must pay back the loss from the best of his crop.

"Suppose a man starts a fire that spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor's field. If the fire burns his neighbor's growing grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay for what was burned.

"Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things to keep for him and those things are stolen from the neighbor's house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole.

But if the thief is never found, the owner of the house must make a promise before God that he has not stolen his neighbor's things.

"Suppose two men disagree about who owns something—whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says, ‘This is mine,' each man must bring his case to God. God's judges will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.

"Suppose a man asks his neighbor to keep his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets hurt, or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened.

That neighbor must promise before the Lord that he did not harm or kill the other man's animal, and the owner of the animal must accept his promise made before God. The neighbor does not have to pay the owner for the animal.