Exodus 21

1 “These [specific, particular] are the ordinances [judgments, laws, regulations] that you are to set [place, establish, appoint] before them [in their presence, face to face]: word study 2 If you buy [acquire, redeem] a Hebrew [descendant of Eber] servant [slave, bondservant], he is to serve [work, labor] you for six [a period of completion] years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free [without obligation, exempt from slavery] without paying [giving, owing] anything [for nothing, as a gift]. word study 3 If he arrived [by himself, single] alone, he is to leave [go out, depart] alone; if he arrived [came in, entered] with a wife [woman, female companion], she is to leave [go out, depart] with him [together, as a couple]. word study 4 If [under the condition that] his master [lord or owner] gives him a wife [female companion, partner] and she bears him sons [male children, descendants] or daughters [female children, heirs], the woman [female, wife] and her children [offspring, youth] shall belong to her master [owner, lord], and only the man [he, the servant] shall go free [be released, depart by himself]. word study 5 But if the servant [slave, bondman] declares, ‘I love [have affection for, am devoted to] my master [lord, owner] and my wife [woman, companion] and children [sons, descendants]; I do not want [am unwilling, refuse] to go free [be released, exit as a liberated person, without obligation],’ word study 6 then his master [lord, ruler] is to bring him before the judges [to God, to the place of worship]. And he shall take him to the door [or gate] or doorpost [the frame of the entrance] and pierce his ear [a sharp tool] with an awl [a pointed metal rod]. Then he shall serve [work, be in bondage] his master [lord, owner] for life [forever, always]. word study 7 And if a man [father or male guardian] sells his daughter [female child or woman] as a servant [maidservant or female slave], she is not [in no way] to go free [be released or liberated] as the menservants [male slaves or servants] do [are released]. word study 8 If she is [not pleasing, displeasing to the point of rejection] displeasing in the eyes [the seat of discernment, the window to the soul] of her master [lord, one with authority over her] who had designated [appointed, chosen] her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed [bought back, set free from bondage]. He has no right [power, authority] to sell her to foreigners [a strange nation, people outside her own], since he has [acted deceitfully] broken faith with her. word study 9 And if [in the event that, whether] he chooses [selects, espouses] her for his son [as a wife for his descendant], he must deal [treat, act] with her as [according to the manner of, like] with a daughter [a female child, a woman under his care]. word study 10 If [under the condition] he takes [to get, acquire] another [different, next] wife, he must not reduce [diminish, decrease] the food [sustenance, provision], clothing [garments, covering], or marital rights [intimate duty, cohabitation] of his first wife. word study 11 If, however, he does not [fail to] provide her with these [specific] three things [as required], she is free [released from obligation] to go without [having to pay] monetary payment [silver, compensation]. word study 12 Whoever [any person, anyone who] strikes [smiteth, hits] and kills [so that he dies, to the point of death] a man [male person, individual] must surely [certainly, without fail] be put to death [executed, die the death]. word study 13 If, however, he did not [intentionally] lie in wait [to ambush], but God [Elohim, the supreme Ruler] allowed it to happen [delivered him into his hand], then I will appoint for you a place [a location of safety, a city of refuge] where he may flee [to escape, to find refuge]. word study 14 But if a man [with deliberate intent, presumptuously] schemes and acts willfully [with premeditation, on purpose] against his neighbor [fellow, companion] to kill him, you must take him away from My altar [place of sacrifice, refuge] to be put to death [executed, slain]. word study 15 Whoever strikes [smiteth, hits, or attacks] his father [parent, ancestor, or paternal figure] or mother [female parent, maternal figure, or nurturer] must surely [certainly, without fail] be put to death [executed, die the death, or face fatal punishment]. word study 16 Whoever kidnaps [stealeth, takes by force or deception] another man [a male person, an individual] must be put to death [executed, die the death], whether he sells [selleth, disposes of for gain] him or the man is found [discovered, caught] in his possession [hand, power or control]. word study 17 Anyone who [despises, reviles] curses [to bring into contempt, to lighten] his father [parent, paternal figure] or mother [female parent, maternal figure] must surely [certainly, without fail] be put to death [executed, die the death]. word study 18 If men [individuals, people] are quarreling [striving, contending] and one strikes [smites, hits] the other with a stone [rock] or a fist [clenched hand], and he does not die [perish, lose his life] but is confined [kept, lies] to bed [a place of rest, recovery], word study 19 then the one who struck [smote, hit] him shall go unpunished [be quit, cleared], as long as the other can get up [rise again] and walk around [go about] outside [without, in the open] with his staff [support, walking stick]. Nevertheless, he must compensate [pay, give] the man for his lost [cessation, resting] work and see that he is completely [thoroughly] healed [mended, restored]. word study 20 If a man [a male person, individual] strikes [hits, smites] his manservant [servant, slave, one who serves] or maidservant [female slave, servant] with a rod [a stick, staff], and the servant [one who serves, a slave] dies [passes away, meets death] by his hand [under his power, direction], he shall surely [certainly, without a doubt] be punished [avenged, held accountable]. word study 21 However, if the servant [or slave, bondman] gets up [to stand, rises] after a day [or a short time] or two [days, a brief period], the owner [master, lord] shall not be punished [avenged, held accountable], since the servant [belongs to him] is his [own, personal] property [silver, valuable possession]. word study 22 If men [striving together, contending] who are fighting [quarreling, struggling] strike [hit, smite] a pregnant [with child, expecting] woman and her child is born prematurely [comes out, is delivered], but there is no further [additional, subsequent] injury [harm, mischief], he shall surely be fined [penalized, punished] as the woman’s husband [master, owner] demands [requires, appoints] and as the court [judges, magistrates] allows [permits, determines]. word study 23 But if a serious [harmful, evil] injury [mischief, damage] results, then you must require [give, pay] a life [soul, living being] for a life [soul, living being]— word study 24 eye [the organ of sight, or a source of something] for eye, tooth for tooth, hand [an open hand] for hand, foot [like when God says he will tread on the wicked] for foot, word study 25 burn [scorching, branding] for burn, wound [hurtful mark, bruise] for wound, and stripe [blow, bruise] for stripe. word study 26 If a man [any male person] strikes [to smite, hit, or inflict a blow] and blinds [ruins or destroys] the eye [the organ of sight, a source of something] of his manservant [male slave or servant] or maidservant [female slave or servant], he must let the servant [bondservant, one bound to serve] go free [be released from bondage, exempt from obligation] as compensation [payment or reparation] for the eye [the damaged or destroyed eye]. word study 27 And if [under these circumstances, in this situation] he knocks out [strikes out, smites] the tooth [a sharp part] of his manservant [servant, slave, one who serves] or maidservant [female slave, servant, one who serves], he must let the servant [slave, one who serves] go free [be exempt from slavery, be released] as compensation [payment, reparation] for the tooth [as a replacement, in exchange]. word study 28 If an ox [cattle, like a bull] gores [to push or thrust with force, using its horns] a man [a male person, individual] or woman [a female person, wife] to death [to die, either literally or as a punishment], the ox must surely be stoned [to stone to death, as a punishment], and its meat [flesh, body] must not be eaten [devoured, consumed]. But the owner [master, one who has control] of the ox shall not be held responsible [innocent, guiltless, free from blame]. word study 29 But if the ox [cattle, a bull] has a habit of goring [pushing with its horn, attacking], and its owner [master, leader] has been warned [testified to, informed] yet does not restrain [keep, watch over] it, and it kills a man [male person, individual] or woman [female person, wife], then the ox [cattle, a bull] must be stoned [put to death by stoning] and its owner [master, leader] must also [too, even] be put to death. word study 30 If [under certain conditions, in a specific situation] payment [a sum of money, compensation] is demanded of him instead, he may redeem [buy back, rescue] his life [soul, living being] by paying [to give, provide] the full amount [all that is required, everything] demanded of him [required as a ransom, imposed upon him]. word study 31 If the ox [uses its horns and] gores [to push or thrust with force] a son [a male child or descendant] or [as an alternative] a daughter [a female child or woman], it shall be done to him according to the same [this specific] rule [justice or judgment]. word study 32 If [in the event that, whether] the ox [cattle, a domesticated animal] gores [to push or thrust with force, using its horns] a manservant [male slave, servant] or [as an alternative] maidservant [female slave, servant], the owner [master, one who has control] must pay [to give, provide as payment] thirty [a numerical value, 30] shekels [a unit of weight or money, a coin] of silver [a precious metal, used for payment] to the master [lord, one who has authority] of that servant [one who serves, a slave], and the ox [cattle, a domesticated animal] must be stoned [to kill with stones, a form of punishment]. word study 33 If a man [or person, individual] opens [digs, uncovers] or digs [excavates, makes] a pit [cistern, well] and fails [neglects, omits] to cover [hide, conceal] it, and an ox [cattle, bull] or a donkey [male donkey] falls [drops, comes to harm] into it, word study 34 the owner [master, one having control] of the pit [cistern, a hole in the ground] shall make restitution [pay the price, give compensation]; he must pay [return, give back] its owner [master, one having authority], and the dead [lifeless, having died] animal will be his [belong to him, be in his possession]. word study 35 If a man’s [neighbor’s or fellow man’s] ox [cattle, like a bull] injures [strikes or smites] his neighbor’s [fellow or companion] ox and it dies [perishes or comes to an end], they must sell [exchange for money or trade] the live [alive or living] one and divide [split or share] the proceeds [silver or payment]; they also must divide [apportion or share] the dead [deceased or lifeless] animal [ox or cattle]. word study 36 But if it was known [clearly understood, recognized] that the ox [cattle, a bull] had a habit of goring [pushing, attacking with its horns], yet its owner [master, one in charge] failed to restrain [keep, watch over] it, he shall pay full compensation [make complete restitution], ox for ox [one for one, in full], and the dead animal [the slain beast, the lifeless body] will be his [belong to him, be his possession]. word study