Hebrew Servants
(Deuteronomy 15:12–18)

1These art the lawes whiche thou shalt set before them.

2If thou bye a seruaunt that is an Hebrue, sixe yeres he shall serue, & in the seuenth, he shall go out free paying nothyng. 3If he came alone, he shall go out alone: and yf he came maryed, his wyfe shall go out with hym. 4And if his maister haue geuen hym a wyfe, and she haue borne him sonnes or daughters: then the wyfe and her chyldren shalbe her maisters, and he shall go out alone. 5And yf the seruaunt say: I loue my maister, my wyfe, and my chyldren, I wyll not go out free: 6His maister shall bryng hym vnto the iudges, and set hym to the doore or the doorepost, and his maister shal bore his eare through with a naule, and he shalbe his seruaunt for euer.

7And if a man sell his daughter to be a seruaunt, she shal not go out as the men seruauntes do. 8If she please not her maister, who hath nowe promised her mariage, then shall he let her redeeme her selfe: To sell her vnto a straunge nation shall he haue no power, seyng he despised her. 9If he haue promysed her vnto his sonne to wyfe, he shall deale with her as men do with their daughters. 10And if he take hym another wyfe: yet her foode, her rayment, and duetie of maryage shall he not minishe. 11And if he do not these three vnto her, the shal she go out free & pay no money.

Personal Injury Laws

12He that smyteth a man, that he dye, shalbe slayne for it. 13If a man lay not awayte, but God deliuer him into his hande, then I wyll poynt thee a place whither he shal flee. 14If a man come presumpteously vpon his neyghbour to slay hym with guyle, thou shalt take him from myne aulter that he dye.

15He that smyteth his father or his mother, let hym be slayne for it.

16He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if he be proued vppon hym, shalbe slayne for it.

17And he that curseth his father or mother, shalbe put to death for it.

18If men stryue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fyste, and he dye not, but lyeth in his bed: 19If he rise agayne, and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote hym go quite, saue only he shall beare his charges for leesyng his tyme, and shall paye for his healyng.

20And if a man smyte his seruaunt or his mayde with a rod, & they dye vnder his hande, he shalbe greeuously punished. 21And if he continue a day or two, it shal not be reueged, for he is his money.

22If men striue, & hurt a woman with chylde, so that her fruite depart from her, and yet no destruction folow: then he shalbe sore punished according as the womans husbande wyll laye to his charge, and he shall pay as the dayes men wyll appoynt hym. 23And if any destruction folowe, then he shall geue life for life, 24Eye for eye, tothe for tothe, hande for hande, foote for foote, 25Burnyng for burnyng, wounde for wounde, strype for strype.

26And if a man smyte his seruaunt or his mayde in the eye, that it perishe, he shall let them go free for the eyes sake. 27Also if he smyte out his seruaunt or his maydes tothe, he shall let them go out free for the tothes sake.

28If an oxe gore a man or a woman, that they dye, then the oxe shalbe stoned, and his fleshe shall not be eaten: but the owner of the oxe shall go quite. 29If the oxe were wont to pushe with his horne in time past, and it hath ben tolde his maister, and he hath not kept him, but that he hath killed a man or a woman: then the oxe shalbe stoned, and his owner shall dye also. 30If there be set to hym a sume of money, then he shal geue for the redeeming of his life whatsoeuer is layde vpo him. 31And whether he haue gored a sonne or a daughter, accordyng to the same iudgement shall it be done vnto him. 32But if it be a seruaunt or a mayde that the oxe hath gored, then he shall geue vnto their maister thirtie sicles, and the oxe shalbe stoned.

33If a man open a well, or digge a pitte, and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein: 34The owner of the pitte shall make it good, & geue money vnto their maister, and the dead beast shall be his.

35If one mans oxe hurt another, that he dye: then they shall sell the lyue oxe, and deuide the money, and the dead oxe also they shall deuide. 36Or if it be knowen that the oxe hath vsed to pushe in tyme past, & his maister hath not kept hym: he shall paye oxe for oxe, and the dead shalbe his owne.