(A)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. (B)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the (C)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

“And if a man (D)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she [a]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, (E)and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 21:8 Lit. is evil in the eyes of

Hebrew Servants(A)(B)

“If you buy a Hebrew servant,(C) he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,(D) without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’(E) then his master must take him before the judges.[a](F) He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce(G) his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.(H)

“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself,[b] he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.(I) 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 21:6 Or before God
  2. Exodus 21:8 Or master so that he does not choose her