Exodus 21:33-23:9

English Standard Version

Laws About Restitution

³³ “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his.

³⁵ “When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. ³⁶ Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his.

22 ^[a] “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and ^(A)four sheep for a sheep. ^2 [b] If a thief is found ^(B)breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, ³ but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He^[c] shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then ^(C)he shall be sold for his theft. ⁴ If the stolen beast ^(D)is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^(E)he shall pay double.

⁵ “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.

⁶ “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

⁷ “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, ^(F)he shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. ⁹ For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, ^11 (G)an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. ¹² But if ^(H)it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.

¹⁴ “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. ¹⁵ If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.^[d]

Laws About Social Justice

^16 (I)“If a man seduces a virgin^[e] who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price^[f] for her and make her his wife. ¹⁷ If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, ^(J)he shall pay money equal to the ^(K)bride-price for virgins.

^18 (L)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

^19 (M)“Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.

^20 (N)“Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.^[g]

^21 (O)“You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. ^22 (P)You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. ²³ If you do mistreat them, and they ^(Q)cry out to me, I will surely ^(R)hear their cry, ²⁴ and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and ^(S)your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

^25 (T)“If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. ^26 (U)If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, ²⁷ for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he ^(V)cries to me, I will hear, for I am ^(W)compassionate.

^28 (X)“You shall not revile God, nor ^(Y)curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. ^(Z)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. ^30 (AA)You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: ^(AB)seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

^31 (AC)“You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore ^(AD)you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; ^(AE)you shall throw it to the dogs.

23 ^(AF)“You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a ^(AG)malicious witness. ² You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, ^3 (AH)nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit.

^4 (AI)“If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.

^6 (AJ)“You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit. ^7 (AK)Keep far from a false charge, and ^(AL)do not kill the innocent and righteous, for ^(AM)I will not acquit the wicked. ^8 (AN)And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.

^9 (AO)“You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.