Exodus 22
22
Property Laws
The Lord said:
1If you steal an ox and slaughter or sell it, you must replace it with five oxen; if you steal a sheep and slaughter it or sell it, you must replace it with four sheep. 2-4But if you cannot afford to replace the animals, you must be sold as a slave to pay for what you have stolen. If you steal an ox, donkey, or sheep, and are caught with it still alive, you must pay the owner double.
If you happen to kill a burglar who breaks into your home after dark, you are not guilty. But if you kill someone who breaks in during the day, you are guilty of murder.
5If you allow any of your animals to stray from your property and graze#22.5 graze: Or “eat everything.” in someone else's field or vineyard, you must repay the damage from the best part of your own harvest of grapes and grain.
6If you carelessly let a fire spread from your property to someone else's, you must pay the owner for any crops or fields destroyed by the fire.
7Suppose a neighbor asks you to keep some silver or other valuables, and they are stolen from your house. If the thief is caught, the thief must repay double. 8But if the thief isn't caught, some judges#22.8 some judges: Or “I.” will decide if you are the guilty one.
9Suppose two people claim to own the same ox or donkey or sheep or piece of clothing. Then the judges#22.9 the judges: Or “I.” must decide the case, and the guilty person will pay the owner double.
10Suppose a neighbor who is going to be away asks you to keep a donkey or an ox or a sheep or some other animal, and it dies or gets injured or is stolen while no one is looking. 11If you swear with me as your witness that you did not harm the animal, you do not have to replace it. Your word is enough. 12But if the animal was stolen while in your care, you must replace it. 13If the animal was attacked and killed by a wild animal, and you can show the remains of the dead animal to its owner, you do not have to replace it.
14Suppose you borrow an animal from a neighbor, and it gets injured or dies while the neighbor isn't around. Then you must replace it. 15But if something happens to the animal while the owner is present, you do not have to replace it. If you had leased the animal, the money you paid the owner will cover any harm done to it.
Laws for Everyday Life
The Lord said:
16 #
Dt 22.28,29. Suppose a young woman has never had sex and isn't engaged. If a man talks her into having sex, he must pay the bride price#22.16 bride price: It was the custom for a man to pay his wife's family a bride price before the actual wedding ceremony took place. and marry her. 17But if her father refuses to let her marry the man, the bride price must still be paid.
18 #
Dt 18.10,11. Death is the punishment for witchcraft.
19 #
Lv 18.23; 20.15,16; Dt 27.14-26. Death is the punishment for having sex with an animal.
20 #
Dt 17.2-7. Death is the punishment for offering sacrifices to any god except me.
21 #
Ex 23.9; Lv 19.33,34; Dt 24.17,18; 27.14-26. Do not mistreat or abuse foreigners who live among you. Remember, you were foreigners in Egypt.
22Do not mistreat widows or orphans. 23If you do, they will beg for my help, and I will come to their rescue. 24In fact, I will get so angry that I will kill your men and make widows of their wives and orphans of their children.
25 #
Lv 25.35-38; Dt 15.7-11; 23.19,20. Don't charge interest when you lend money to any of my people who are in need. 26#Dt 24.10-13. Before sunset you must return any coat taken as security for a loan, 27because that is the only cover the poor have when they sleep at night. I am a merciful God, and when they call out to me, I will come to help them.
28 #
Ac 23.5. Don't speak evil of me#22.28 me: Or “your judges.” or of the ruler of your people.
29Don't fail to give me the offerings of grain and wine that belong to me.#22.29 Don't fail … me: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
Dedicate to me your first-born sons 30and the first-born of your cattle and sheep. Let the animals stay with their mothers for seven days, then on the eighth day give them to me, your God.
31 #
Lv 17.15. You are my chosen people, so don't eat the meat of any of your livestock that was killed by a wild animal. Instead, feed the meat to dogs.
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Exodus 22: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Exodus 22
22
1 # 22:1
Exodus 22:1–31
in English Bibles is Exodus 21:37–22:30 in the Hebrew Bible. ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Whenever someone steals a bull or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must make up for the loss with five head of cattle to replace the bull or four sheep to replace the sheep.
2“If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. 3But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder.
“A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold ⌞as a slave⌟ to pay for what he stole. 4But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.
5“Whenever someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard, and they stray and graze in another person’s field, he must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. But if he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing,#22:5 “he must make … grazing” Greek, Samaritan Pentateuch, Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text omits these words. he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard.
6“Whenever a fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field, the person who started the fire must make up for the loss.
7“This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor silver or ⌞other⌟ valuables to keep for him, and they are stolen from that person’s house: If the thief is caught, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. 8If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to God to find out whether or not he took his neighbor’s valuables. 9If there is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, or any ⌞other⌟ lost property which two people claim as their own, both people must bring their case to God. The one whom God declares guilty must make up for his neighbor’s loss with double the amount.
10“This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses. 11The case between them must be settled by swearing an oath to the Lord that the neighbor did not take the other person’s animal. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor doesn’t have to make up for the loss. 12But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make up for the owner’s loss. 13If it was killed by a wild animal, he must bring in the dead body as evidence. He doesn’t have to make up for an animal that has been killed.
14“Whenever someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must make up for the loss. 15If the owner is with the animal, the borrower doesn’t have to make up for the loss. If it is rented, the rental fee covers the loss.
Laws for Living as God’s Holy People
16“Whenever a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sexual intercourse with her, he must pay the bride-price and marry her. 17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount of money equal to the bride-price for virgins.
18“Never let a witch live.
19“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.
20“Whoever sacrifices to any god except the Lord must be condemned and destroyed.
21“Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.
22“Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. 23If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry. 24I will become angry and have you killed in combat. Then your wives and children will become widows and orphans.
25“If you lend money to my people—to any poor person among you—never act like a moneylender. Charge no interest. 26If you take any of your neighbor’s clothes as collateral, give it back to him by sunset. 27It may be the only clothes he has to cover his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will listen because I am compassionate.
28“Never show disrespect for God or curse a leader of your people.
29“Never withhold your best wine from me.
“You must give me your firstborn son. 30You must do the same with your cattle and your sheep. They will stay with their mothers seven days, but on the eighth day you must give them to me.
31“You must be my holy people. Never eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by wild animals out in the countryside. Throw it to the dogs.”
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