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21:1  Then God said to Moses, “These are the ·laws for living [regulations] that you will ·give to the Israelites [L set before them]:
21:2  “·If [or When] you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, ·and he will have to pay nothing [with no debt].
21:3  If he ·is not married when he becomes your slave [L came single/alone], he must leave ·without a wife [L single; alone]. But if he ·is married when he becomes your slave [L comes in with a wife], he may ·take [L go out with] his wife with him.
21:4  If the slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. ·When the slave is set free, only he may leave [L He will go out single/alone].
21:5  “But if the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don’t want to go free,’
21:6  then the slave’s master must take him to ·God [T the judges; C Hebrew: Elohim]. The master is to take him to a door or ·doorframe [doorpost] and ·punch a hole through [pierce] the slave’s ear using ·a sharp tool [an awl]. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.
21:7  “·If [or When] 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 [L she will not go out like male slaves go out].
21:8  If ·the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with her [L she does not please her master who designated her for himself], he must let ·one of her close relatives buy her back [L her be redeemed]. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.
21:9  If the man ·who bought her promises to let the woman marry [L designated her for] his son, he must ·treat her as [give her the rights of] a daughter.
21:10  If ·the man who bought her marries another woman [he takes another wife], he must not ·keep his first wife from having [deprive her of] food or clothing or ·sexual relations [marital rights].
21:11  If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, ·and she owes him no money [L with no debt; Lev. 25:39–43; Deut. 15:12–18].
21:12  “Anyone who ·hits [strikes] a person and kills him must be put to death.
21:13  But if a person kills someone ·accidentally [without premeditation], God allowed that to happen, so ·the person must go to a place I will choose [L I will appoint for you a place to which the person may flee; Josh. 20:1–9].
21:14  But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.
21:15  “Anyone who ·hits [strikes] his father or his mother must be put to death.
21:16  “Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or ·still has him when he is caught [L he is found in his hand] must be put to death.
21:17  “Anyone who ·says cruel things to [curses] his father or mother must be put to death.
21:18  “If two men ·argue [quarrel; contend], and one hits ·the other [L his neighbor] with a rock or with his ·fist [or tool], the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed.
21:19  Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his ·walking stick [staff], the one who hit him ·is not to be punished [has no liability]. 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.
21:20  “If a man ·beats [strikes] his male or female slave with a ·stick [rod], and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished.
21:21  But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished since the slave belongs to him.
21:22  “Suppose two men are fighting and ·hit [injure] a pregnant woman, causing ·the baby to come out [or a miscarriage; C the Hebrew is not clear whether dead or alive]. If there is no further ·injury [harm], the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows.
21:23  But if there is further ·injury [harm], then ·the punishment that must be paid is [L you shall give] life for life,
21:24  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
21:25  burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise [C to guard against excessive punishment].
21:26  “If a man ·hits [strikes] his male or female slave in the eye, and ·the eye is blinded [L destroys it], the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye.
21:27  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.
21:28  “If a man’s ·bull [ox] kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by ·throwing stones at [stoning] it, and you should not eat ·the bull [L its meat]. But the owner of the bull is ·not guilty [innocent].
21:29  However, suppose the ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it]. Then if it kills a man or woman, the ·bull [ox] must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death.
21:30  But if ·the family of the dead person accepts money [L a ransom is imposed on him], the owner of the bull must pay whatever is demanded ·to buy back his life [for his redemption].
21:31  Use this same ·law [rule] if the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a person’s son or daughter.
21:32  If the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master ·the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces [L thirty shekels] of silver, and the ·bull [ox] must also be stoned to death.
21:33  “If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man’s ox or donkey comes and falls into it,
21:34  the owner of the pit must ·pay [compensate] the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.
21:35  “If a man’s ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] another man’s ·bull [ox] and it dies, they must sell the ·bull [ox] that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed.
21:36  But if a person’s ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] other animals in the past and the owner did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it], that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.