Common English Bible

Exodus 21:5-19 Common English Bible (CEB)

5. However, if the slave clearly states, "I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I don’t want to go free,"

6. then his master will bring him before God. He will bring him to the door or the doorpost. There his master will pierce his ear with a pointed tool, and he will serve him as his slave for life.

7. When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shouldn’t be set free in the same way as male slaves are set free.

8. If she doesn’t please her master who chose her for himself, then her master must let her be bought back by her family. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people since he has treated her unfairly.

9. If he assigns her to his son, he must give her the rights of a daughter.

10. If he takes another woman for himself, he may not reduce her food, clothing, or marital rights.

11. If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she will go free without any payment, for no money.

12. Anyone who hits and kills someone should be put to death.

13. If the killing wasn’t on purpose but an accident allowed by God, then I will designate a place to which the killer can run away.

14. But if someone plots and kills another person on purpose, you should remove the killer from my altar and put him to death.

15. Anyone who violently hits their father or mother should be put to death.

16. Anyone who kidnaps a person, whether they have been sold or are still being held, should be put to death.

17. Anyone who curses their father or mother should be put to death.

18. When two people are fighting and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist so that he is in bed for a while but doesn’t die—

19. if he recovers and is able to walk around outside with a cane, then the one who hit him shouldn’t be punished, except to pay for the loss of time from work and to pay for his full recovery.