Exodus 22

Responsibility for Property

22“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall ^arestore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. ²If the thief is found ^bbreaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be ^cno guilt for his bloodshed. ³If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be ^dsold ¹for his theft. ⁴If the theft is certainly ^efound alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall ^frestore double.

⁵“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds 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 fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

⁷“If a man ^gdelivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, ^hif the thief is found, he shall pay double. ⁸If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the ⁱjudges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

⁹“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the ^jcause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. ¹⁰If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, ¹¹then an ^koath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. ¹²But ^lif, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. ¹³If it is ^mtorn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.

¹⁴“And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. ¹⁵If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

¹⁶ⁿ“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. ¹⁷If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the ^obride-price of virgins.

^18p“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

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

^20r“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

^21s“You shall neither mistreat a ²stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

^22t“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. ²³If you afflict them in any way, and they ^ucry at all to Me, I will surely ^vhear their cry; ²⁴and My ^wwrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; ^xyour wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

^25y“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him ^zinterest. ^26aIf you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am ^bgracious.

^28c“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ^druler of your people.

²⁹“You shall not delay to offer ^ethe first of your ripe produce and your juices. ^fThe firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30gLikewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother ^hseven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹“And you shall be ⁱholy men to Me: ^jyou shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.