top Exodus ch 21
Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
Chapter 21
Regulations Concerning Servants
1 Καὶ ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα, ἃ παραθήσεις ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν. 2 ἐὰν κτήσῃ παῖδα Ἑβραῖον, ἓξ ἔτη δουλεύσει σοι· τῷ δὲ ἑβδόμῳ ἔτει ἀπελεύσεται ἐλεύθερος δωρεάν. 3 ἐὰν αὐτὸς μόνος εἰσέλθῃ, καὶ μόνος ἐξελεύσεται· ἐὰν δὲ γυνὴ συνεισέλθῃ μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἐξελεύσεται καὶ ἡ γυνὴ μετ' αὐτοῦ. 4 ἐὰν δὲ ὁ κύριος δῷ αὐτῷ γυναῖκα, καὶ τέκῃ αὐτῷ υἱοὺς ἢ θυγατέρας, ἡ γυνὴ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἔσται τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς δὲ μόνος ἐξελεύσεται. 5 ἐὰν δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἴπῃ ὁ παῖς ἠγάπηκα τὸν κύριόν μου καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ παιδία, οὐκ ἀποτρέχω ἐλεύθερος· 6 προσάξει αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸ κριτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τότε προσάξει αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν ἐπὶ τὸν σταθμόν, καὶ τρυπήσει αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος τὸ οὖς τῷ ὀπητίῳ, καὶ δουλεύσει αὐτῷ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 1 And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them. 2 If you acquire a Hebrew servant, he shall serve you six years; but in the seventh year he shall go out free for nothing. 3 If he entered alone, he shall also go out alone; but if a wife entered with him, his wife shall also go out with him. 4 But if his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and the children shall belong to his master, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the servant should answer and say, "I love my master and my wife and my children; I will not go out free," 6 his master shall bring him to the judgment seat of God, and then he shall bring him to the door, to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
7 ἐὰν δέ τις ἀποδῶται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρα οἰκέτιν, οὐκ ἀπελεύσεται ὥσπερ ἀποτρέχουσιν αἱ δοῦλαι. 8 ἐὰν μὴ εὐαρεστήσῃ τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτῆς ἣν αὑτῷ καθωμολογήσατο, ἀπολυτρώσει αὐτήν· ἔθνει δὲ ἀλλοτρίῳ οὐ κύριός ἐστιν πωλεῖν αὐτήν, ὅτι ἠθέτησεν ἐν αὐτῇ. 9 ἐὰν δὲ τῷ υἱῷ καθομολογήσηται αὐτήν, κατὰ τὸ δικαίωμα τῶν θυγατέρων ποιήσει αὐτῇ. 10 ἐὰν δὲ ἄλλην λάβῃ ἑαυτῷ, τὰ δέοντα καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν καὶ τὴν ὁμιλίαν αὐτῆς οὐκ ἀποστερήσει. 11 ἐὰν δὲ τὰ τρία ταῦτα μὴ ποιήσῃ αὐτῇ, ἐξελεύσεται δωρεὰν ἄνευ ἀργυρίου. 7 And if anyone sells his daughter as a maidservant, she shall not depart as the female slaves depart. 8 If she is not pleasing to her master, who had designated her for himself, he shall let her be redeemed; but he has no authority to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt treacherously with her. 9 And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the right of daughters. 10 And if he takes another for himself, he shall not deprive her of her necessities, her clothing, and her cohabitation. 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out free without money.
Laws Regarding Personal Injury and Homicide
12 ἐὰν δὲ πατάξῃ τίς τινα, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ, θανάτῳ θανατούσθω· 13 ὁ δὲ οὐχ ἑκών, ἀλλὰ ὁ θεὸς παρέδωκεν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, δώσω σοί τόπον, οὗ φεύξεται ἐκεῖ ὁ φονεύσας. 14 ἐὰν δέ τις ἐπιθῆται τῷ πλησίον ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτὸν δόλῳ καὶ καταφύγῃ, ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου μου λήμψῃ αὐτὸν θανατῶσαι. 15 ὃς τύπτει πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἢ μητέρα αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ θανατούσθω. 16 [MT=21:17] ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα αὐτοῦ ἢ μητέρα αὐτοῦ τελευτήσει θανάτῳ. 17 [MT=21:16] ὃς ἐὰν κλέψῃ τίς τινα τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ καταδυναστεύσας αὐτὸν ἀποδῶται, καὶ εὑρεθῇ ἐν αὐτῷ, θανάτῳ τελευτάτω. 12 And if anyone strikes another and he dies, let him be put to death by death. 13 But as for the one who did not do it intentionally, but God delivered him into his hands, I will give you a place where the one who killed may flee. 14 But if anyone attacks his neighbor to kill him by treachery and flees, you shall take him from my altar to be put to death. 15 Whoever strikes his father or his mother, let him be put to death by death. 16 [MT 21:17] He who speaks evil of his father or his mother shall surely die. 17 [MT 21:16] Whoever steals one of the children of Israel, and having overpowered him sells him, and he is found with him, let him die by death.
18 ἐὰν δὲ λοιδορῶνται δύο ἄνδρες καὶ πατάξῃ τις τὸν πλησίον λίθῳ ἢ πυγμῇ, καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ, κατακλιθῇ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν κοίτην, 19 ἐὰν ἐξαναστὰς ὁ ἄνθρωπος περιπατήσῃ ἔξω ἐπὶ ῥάβδου, ἀθῷος ἔσται ὁ πατάξας· πλὴν τῆς ἀργίας αὐτοῦ ἀποτείσει καὶ τὰ ἰατρεῖα. 20 ἐὰν δέ τις πατάξῃ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ ἢ τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ ἐν ῥάβδῳ, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ ὑπὸ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, δίκῃ ἐκδικηθήτω. 21 ἐὰν δὲ διαβιώσῃ ἡμέραν μίαν ἢ δύο, οὐκ ἐκδικηθήσεται· τὸ γὰρ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. 18 And if two men quarrel and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if the man rises and walks outside on his staff, the one who struck him shall be quit; except he shall pay for his loss of time and the medical expenses. 20 And if anyone strikes his male servant or his female servant with a rod, and they die under his hands, let justice be exacted. 21 But if they survive for a day or two, justice shall not be exacted; for they are his property.
The Law of Retaliation (Lex Talionis)
22 ἐὰν δὲ μάχωνται δύο ἄνδρες καὶ πατάξωσιν γυναῖκα ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσαν, καὶ ἐξέλθῃ τὸ παιδίον αὐτῆς μὴ ἐξεικονισμένον, ἐπιζήμιον ζημιωθήσεται· καθότι ἄν ἐπιβάλῃ ὁ ἀνὴρ τῆς γυναικός, δώσει μετὰ ἀξιώματος· 23 ἐὰν δὲ ἐξεικονισμένον ἦν, δώσει ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς, 24 ὀφθαλμὸν ἀντὶ ὀφθαλμοῦ, ὀδόντα ἀντὶ ὀδόντος, χεῖρα ἀντὶ χειρός, πόδα ἀντὶ ποδός, 25 κατάκαυμα ἀντὶ κατακαύματος, τραῦμα ἀντὶ τραύματος, μώλωπα ἀντὶ μώλωπος. 22 And if two men fight and strike a woman with child, and her child comes out not fully formed, he shall be punished with a fine; according as the woman’s husband shall impose, he shall give it with a valuation. 23 But if it was fully formed, he shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 ἐὰν δέ τις πατάξῃ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τοῦ οἰκέτου αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν τῆς θεραπαίνης αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκτυφλώσῃ, ἐλευθέρους ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτῶν. 27 ἐὰν δὲ τὸν ὀδόντα τοῦ οἰκέτου ἢ τὸν ὀδόντα τῆς θεραπαίνης αὐτοῦ ἐκκόψῃ, ἐλευθέρους ἐξαποστελεῖ αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀδόντος αὐτῶν. 26 And if anyone strikes the eye of his male servant or the eye of his female servant and blinds them, he shall send them out free in exchange for their eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or the tooth of his female servant, he shall send them out free in exchange for their tooth.
Liability for Animals and Property
28 ἐὰν δὲ κερατίσῃ ταῦρος ἄνδρα ἢ γυναῖκα, καὶ ἀποθάνῃ, λίθοις λιθοβοληθήσεται ὁ ταῦρος, καὶ οὐ βρωθήσεται τὰ κρέα αὐτοῦ· ὁ δὲ κύριος τοῦ ταύρου ἀθῷος ἔσται. 29 ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ταῦρος κερατιστὴς ᾖ πρὸ τῆς ἐχθὲς καὶ πρὸ τῆς τρίτης, καὶ διαμαρτύρωνται τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃ αὐτόν, ἀνέλῃ δὲ ἄνδρα ἢ γυναῖκα, ὁ ταῦρος λιθοβοληθήσεται, καὶ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ προσαποθανεῖται. 30 ἐὰν δὲ λύτρα ἐπιβληθῇ αὐτῷ, δώσει λύτρα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ὅσα ἐὰν ἐπιβάλωσιν αὐτῷ. 31 ἐὰν δὲ υἱὸν ἢ θυγατέρα κερατίσῃ, κατὰ τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦτο ποιήσουσιν αὐτῷ. 32 ἐὰν δὲ παῖδα κερατίσῃ ὁ ταῦρος ἢ παιδίσκην, ἀργυρίου τριάκοντα δίδραχμα δώσει τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁ ταῦρος λιθοβοληθήσεται. 28 And if a bull gores a man or a woman and they die, the bull shall be stoned with stones, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall be quit. 29 But if the bull was a gorer from yesterday and the day before, and they testified to its owner and he did not remove it, and it kills a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also die. 30 And if a ransom is imposed on him, he shall give as a ransom for his life as much as they impose on him. 31 And if it gores a son or a daughter, they shall do to him according to this ordinance. 32 And if the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, he shall give thirty didrachms of silver to their master, and the bull shall be stoned.
33 ἐὰν δέ τις ἀνοίξῃ λάκκον ἢ λατομήσῃ λάκκον καὶ μὴ καλύψῃ αὐτόν, καὶ ἐμπεσῇ ἐκεῖ μόσχος ἢ ὄνος, 34 ὁ κύριος τοῦ λάκκου ἀποτείσει· ἀργύριον δώσει τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτῶν, τὸ δὲ τετελευτηκὸς αὐτῷ ἔσται. 35 ἐὰν δὲ κερατίσῃ τινὸς ταῦρος τὸν ταῦρον τοῦ πλησίον, καὶ τελευτήσῃ, ἀποδώσονται τὸν ταῦρον τὸν ζῶντα καὶ διελοῦνται τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν ταῦρον τὸν τεθνηκότα διελοῦνται. 36 ἐὰν δὲ γνωρίζηται ὁ ταῦρος ὅτι κερατιστής ἐστιν πρὸ τῆς ἐχθὲς καὶ πρὸ τῆς τρίτης ἡμέρας, καὶ διαμεμαρτυρημένοι ὦσιν τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἀφανίσῃ αὐτόν, ἀποτείσει ταῦρον ἀντὶ ταύρου, ὁ δὲ τετελευτηκὼς αὐτῷ ἔσται. 37 [MT=22:1] ἐὰν δέ τις κλέψῃ μόσχον ἢ πρόβατον καὶ σφάξῃ αὐτὸ ἢ ἀποδῶται, πέντε μόσχους ἀποτείσει ἀντὶ τοῦ μόσχου καὶ τέσσαρα πρόβατα ἀντὶ τοῦ προβάτου. 33 And if anyone opens a pit or digs a pit and does not cover it, and a calf or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall pay; he shall give silver to their owner, and the dead animal shall be his. 35 And if someone’s bull gores the bull of a neighbor and it dies, they shall sell the living bull and divide the silver from it, and they shall also divide the dead bull. 36 But if the bull is known to be a gorer from yesterday and the day before, and they have testified to its owner and he did not remove it, he shall pay bull for bull, and the dead one shall be his. 37 And if anyone steals a calf or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five calves for the calf and four sheep for the sheep.