Exodus 20–23

The Ten Commandments

20:1-17^pp — Dt 5:6–21

And God spoke^a all these words:^b

“I am the Lord your God,^c who brought you out^d of Egypt,^e out of the land of slavery.^f

“You shall have no other gods before me.^g

“You shall not make for yourself an image^h in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worshipⁱ them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,^j punishing the children for the sin of the parents^k to the third and fourth generation^l of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand^m generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.ⁿ

“Remember the Sabbath^o day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,^p but the seventh day is a sabbath^q to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,^r the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested^s on the seventh day.^t Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother,^u so that you may live long^v in the land^w the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.^x

“You shall not commit adultery.^y

“You shall not steal.^z

“You shall not give false testimony^a against your neighbor.^b

“You shall not covet^c your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet^d and saw the mountain in smoke,^e they trembled with fear.^f They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak^g to us or we will die.”^h

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.ⁱ God has come to test^j you, so that the fear^k of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”^l

The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness^m where God was.

Idols and Altars

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:^a Do not make any gods to be alongside me;^b do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.^c

“ ‘Make an altar^d of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings^e and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name^f to be honored, I will come to you and bless^g you. If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool^h on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, lest your nakednessⁱ be exposed on it.’

“These are the laws^j you are to set before them:

Hebrew Servants

21:2-6^pp — Dt 15:12–18 21:2-11^Ref — Lev 25:39–55

“If you buy a Hebrew servant,^a he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,^b without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’^c then his master must take him before the judges.^d He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce^e his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.^f

“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.^g If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Personal Injuries

“Anyone who strikes someone a fatal blow is to be put to death.^a However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place^b I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,^c that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.^d

“Anyone who attacks their father or mother is to be put to death.

“Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death,^e whether the victim has been sold^f or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.^g

“If two people quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with a fist and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

“Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.^h

“If people are fighting and a pregnant woman is hit and gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demandsⁱ and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,^j eye for eye, tooth for tooth,^k hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

“An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death,^l and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up^m and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. However, if payment is demanded, the owner’s life may be redeemed by the payment of whatever is demanded.ⁿ This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels^o of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

“If anyone uncovers a pit^p or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.

“If anyone’s bull injures the bull of another and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up,^q the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

Protection of Property

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

^*“If a thief is caught breaking in^b and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;^c but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

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

“If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another person’s field, restitution^h must be made from the best of the livestock owner’s field or vineyard.

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

“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping^k and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.^l But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,^m and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. In 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.ⁿ The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to the other.

“If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to a neighbor for safekeeping^o and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath^p 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. But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution^q must be made to the owner. If 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.^r

“If anyone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, restitution^s must be made. But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.^t

Social Responsibility

“If a man seduces a virgin^a who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,^b and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

“Do not allow a sorceress^c to live.

“Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal^d is to be put to death.

“Whoever sacrifices to any god^e other than the Lord…