Hebrew Servants
(Deuteronomy 15:12–18)

1Now these are the lawes, which thou shalt set before them:

2If thou bye an Ebrewe seruant, he shall serue sixe yeres, and in the seuenth he shal go out free, for nothing. 3If he came himselfe alone, he shall goe out himselfe alone: if hee were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4If his master haue giuen him a wife, and she hath borne him sonnes or daughters, he wife and her children shalbe her masters, but he shall goe out himselfe alone. 5But if the seruant saye thus, I loue my master, my wife and my children, I will not goe out free, 6Then his master shall bring him vnto the Iudges, & set him to the dore, or to the poste, and his master shall bore his eare through with a nawle, and he shall serue him for euer.

7Likewise if a man sell his daughter to be a seruant, she shal not goe out as the men seruantes doe. 8If shee please not her master, who hath betrothed her to him selfe, then shall hee cause to buy her: hee shall haue no power to sell her to a strange people, seeing he despised her. 9But if he hath betrothed her vnto his sonne, he shal deale with her according to the custome of the daughters. 10If he take him another wife, he shall not diminish her foode, her rayment, and recompence of her virginitie. 11And if he do not these three vnto her, the shall she go out free, paying no money.

Personal Injury Laws

12He that smiteth a man, and he die, shal dye the death. 13And if a man hath not layed wayte, but God hath offered him into his hande, then I wil appoynt thee a place whither he shall flee. 14But if a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

15Also hee that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if it be founde with him, shal die the death.

17And hee that curseth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

18When men also striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but lieth in bed, 19If hee rise againe and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote him go quite, saue onely hee shall beare his charges for his resting, and shall pay for his healing.

20And if a man smite his seruant, or his maide with a rod, and he die vnder his hande, he shalbe surely punished. 21But if he continue a day, or two dayes, hee shall not be punished: for he is his money.

22Also if men striue and hurt a woman with childe, so that her childe depart from her, and death followe not, hee shall bee surely punished according as the womans husbande shall appoynt him, or he shall pay as the Iudges determine. 23But if death followe, then thou shalt paye life for life, 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hande for hand, foote for foote, 25Burning for burning, wound for wounde, stripe for stripe.

26And if a man smite his seruant in the eie, or his maide in the eye, and hath perished it, hee shall let him goe free for his eye. 27Also if he smite out his seruants tooth, or his maides tooth, he shall let him goe out free for his tooth.

28If an oxe gore a man or a woman, that he die, the oxe shalbe stoned to death, and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the oxe shall goe quite. 29If the oxe were wont to push in times past, and it hath bene tolde his master, and hee hath not kept him, and after he killeth a man or a woman, the oxe shall be stoned, and his owner shall die also. 30If there be set to him a summe of mony, then he shal pay the raunsome of his life, whatsoeuer shalbe laied vpon him. 31Whether he hath gored a sonne or gored a daughter, he shalbe iudged after the same maner. 32If the oxe gore a seruant or a mayde, hee shal giue vnto their master thirtie shekels of siluer, and the oxe shalbe stoned.

33And when a man shall open a well, or when he shall dig a pit and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein, 34The owner of the pit shall make it good, and giue money to the owners thereof, but the dead beast shalbe his.

35And if a mans oxe hurt his neighbours oxe that he die, then they shal sel the liue oxe, & deuide the money thereof, and the dead oxe also they shall deuide. 36Or if it bee knowen that the oxe hath vsed to push in times past, & his master hath not kept him, he shal pay oxe for oxe, but the dead shall be his owne.