Exodus 22:1–14

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.