Exodus 21:1-25 ▼

1 These art the lawes whiche thou shalt set before them.

2 If thou bye a seruaunt that is an Hebrue, sixe yeres he shall serue, & in the seuenth, he shall go out free paying nothyng.

3 If he came alone, he shall go out alone: and yf he came maryed, his wyfe shall go out with hym.

4 And if his maister haue geuen hym a wyfe, and she haue borne him sonnes or daughters: then the wyfe and her chyldren shalbe her maisters, and he shall go out alone.

5 And yf the seruaunt say: I loue my maister, my wyfe, and my chyldren, I wyll not go out free:

6 His maister shall bryng hym vnto the iudges, and set hym to the doore or the doorepost, and his maister shal bore his eare through with a naule, and he shalbe his seruaunt for euer.

7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a seruaunt, she shal not go out as the men seruauntes do.

8 If she please not her maister, who hath nowe promised her mariage, then shall he let her redeeme her selfe: To sell her vnto a straunge nation shall he haue no power, seyng he despised her.

9 If he haue promysed her vnto his sonne to wyfe, he shall deale with her as men do with their daughters.

10 And if he take hym another wyfe: yet her foode, her rayment, and duetie of maryage shall he not minishe.

11 And if he do not these three vnto her, the shal she go out free & pay no money.

12 He that smyteth a man, that he dye, shalbe slayne for it.

13 If a man lay not awayte, but God deliuer him into his hande, then I wyll poynt thee a place whither he shal flee.

14 If a man come presumpteously vpon his neyghbour to slay hym with guyle, thou shalt take him from myne aulter that he dye.

15 He that smyteth his father or his mother, let hym be slayne for it.

16 He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if he be proued vppon hym, shalbe slayne for it.

17 And he that curseth his father or mother, shalbe put to death for it.

18 If men stryue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fyste, and he dye not, but lyeth in his bed:

19 If he rise agayne, and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote hym go quite, saue only he shall beare his charges for leesyng his tyme, and shall paye for his healyng.

20 And if a man smyte his seruaunt or his mayde with a rod, & they dye vnder his hande, he shalbe greeuously punished.

21 And if he continue a day or two, it shal not be reueged, for he is his money.

22 If men striue, & hurt a woman with chylde, so that her fruite depart from her, and yet no destruction folow: then he shalbe sore punished according as the womans husbande wyll laye to his charge, and he shall pay as the dayes men wyll appoynt hym.

23 And if any destruction folowe, then he shall geue life for life,

24 Eye for eye, tothe for tothe, hande for hande, foote for foote,

25 Burnyng for burnyng, wounde for wounde, strype for strype.