Exodus 22:1–14

Protection of Property

22^a“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back^w five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

²“If a thief is caught breaking in^x at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;^{y 3}but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,^z but if they have nothing, they must be sold^a to pay for their theft. ⁴If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession^b—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.^c

⁵“If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution^d from the best of their own field or vineyard.

⁶“If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks^e of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.^f

⁷“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping^g and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.^{h 8}But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,ⁱ and they must^b determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. ⁹In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.^cj The one whom the judges declare^d guilty must pay back double to the other.

¹⁰“If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping^k and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, ¹¹the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath^l before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. ¹²But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution^m must be made to the owner. ¹³If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.ⁿ

¹⁴“If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution.^o