Exodus 22

CHAPTER 22

Judgments About Property Rights

¹“¹If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and ^afour sheep for the sheep.

²“¹If the ^athief is ²caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

³“But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be ^asold for his theft.

⁴“If what he stole is actually found alive in his hand, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^ahe shall pay double.

⁵“If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶“If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷“^aIf a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is ¹caught, he shall pay double.

⁸“If the thief is not ¹caught, then the owner of the house shall ²appear before ^3athe judges to determine whether he ⁴laid his hands on his neighbor’s property.

⁹“For every ¹breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the ²case of both parties shall come before ^3athe judges; he whom ⁴the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰“If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking,

¹¹then an ^aoath before Yahweh shall be made by the two of them ¹that he has not ²laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution.

¹²“But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.

¹³“Now if it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

¹⁴“If a man ¹borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution.

¹⁵“But if its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.

Various Judgments

¹⁶“^aIf a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife.

¹⁷“If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall ¹pay money equal to the ^adowry for virgins.

¹⁸“You shall not allow a ^asorceress to live.

¹⁹“^aWhoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

²⁰“^aAnd he who sacrifices to ¹any god, other than to Yahweh alone, shall be ²devoted to destruction.

²¹“^aYou shall not mistreat a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

²²“^aYou shall not afflict any widow or orphan.

²³“And if you indeed afflict him, and ^aif he earnestly cries out to Me, ^bI will surely hear his cry;

²⁴and My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, ^aand your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵“^aIf you lend money to My people, to the afflicted ¹among you, you are not to ²act as a creditor to him; you shall not ³charge him ^binterest.

²⁶“If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak ^aas a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun sets,

²⁷for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ¹body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall be that ^awhen he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for ^bI am gracious.

²⁸“You shall not ^1acurse God, ^bnor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹“^aYou shall not delay the offering from ¹the fullness of your harvest and the juice of your wine vat. ^bThe firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.

³⁰“^aAnd you shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; ^bon the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹“^aYou shall be holy men to Me, therefore ^byou shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.