MishpatimJudgments

1Reading 1 Exodus 21:1–19Chapter page with footnotes →

Hebrew Servants

^21:1And these are the judgments which you shall set before them.

²When you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. ³If by himself he comes in, by himself he shall go out; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out by himself.

⁵But if the servant plainly says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free," ⁶then his master shall bring him near to God, and shall bring him near to the door or to the doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with the awl, and he shall serve him forever.

⁷And when a man sells his daughter for a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants go out. ⁸If she is bad in the eyes of her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; to a foreign people he shall not have power to sell her, since he has dealt treacherously with her. ⁹And if for his son he designates her, according to the judgment of the daughters he shall do for her. ¹⁰If another he takes for himself, her food, her covering, and her marital right he shall not diminish. ¹¹And if these three he does not do for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without money.

Personal Injury Laws

¹²One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. ¹³But one who did not lie in wait, and God let it come to his hand—then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

¹⁴And when a man acts presumptuously against his neighbor to slay him with cunning, from My altar you shall take him to die.

¹⁵And one who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

¹⁶And one who steals a man and sells him, or he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

¹⁷And one who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

¹⁸And when men contend, and one man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist, and he does not die but falls to bed, ¹⁹if he rises and walks about outside upon his staff, then the one who struck shall be acquitted; only he shall give for his loss of time, and he shall surely have him healed.

2Reading 2 Exodus 21:20–22:3Chapter page with footnotes →

^21:20And when a man strikes his manservant or his maidservant with the rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be avenged. ²¹But if a day or two days he stands, he shall not be avenged, for he is his money.

²²And when men struggle and strike a pregnant woman so that her children come out, but there is no harm, he shall surely be fined as the husband of the woman lays upon him, and he shall give by the judges. ²³But if there is harm, then you shall give soul for soul, ²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

²⁶And when a man strikes the eye of his manservant or the eye of his maidservant and destroys it, he shall send him out free for the sake of his eye. ²⁷And if the tooth of his manservant or the tooth of his maidservant he knocks out, he shall send him out free for the sake of his tooth.

²⁸And when an ox gores a man or a woman so that he dies, the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be innocent.

²⁹But if it was an ox prone to gore from yesterday and the day before, and it was testified to its owner, and he did not keep it in, and it killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and also its owner shall be put to death. ³⁰If a ransom is laid upon him, then he shall give the redemption of his soul according to all that is laid upon him.

³¹Whether it gores a son or gores a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.

³²If the ox gores a manservant or a maidservant, thirty shekels of silver he shall give to his master, and the ox shall be stoned.

³³And when a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls there, ³⁴the owner of the pit shall make restitution; money he shall return to its owner, and the dead one shall be his.

³⁵And when one man's ox strikes the ox of his neighbor so that it dies, then they shall sell the living ox and divide its money; and also the dead one they shall divide. ³⁶Or if it was known that the ox was prone to gore from yesterday and the day before, and its owner did not keep it in, he shall surely make restitution, ox for ox, and the dead one shall be his.

Property Laws

³⁷When a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, five cattle he shall make restitution for the ox, and four of the flock for the sheep.

^22:1If in the breaking-in the thief is found, and he is struck and dies, there is no blood for him. ²If the sun has risen upon him, there is blood for him; he shall surely make restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. ³If the theft is indeed found in his hand alive, from ox to ass to sheep, he shall make restitution double.

3Reading 3 Exodus 22:4–26Chapter page with footnotes →

^22:4If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare, and lets loose his beast, and it grazes in another's field, the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard he shall make restitution.

⁵If fire breaks out and finds thorns, and a stack of grain, or the standing grain, or the field is consumed, the one who kindled the burning shall surely make restitution.

⁶If a man gives to his neighbor money or vessels to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall make restitution double. ⁷If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought near to God, whether he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods.

⁸For every matter of transgression, over ox, over ass, over sheep, over garment, over any lost thing of which one says, "This is it," the matter of both of them shall come to God; whom God condemns shall make restitution double to his neighbor.

⁹If a man gives to his neighbor an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast to keep, and it dies, or is broken, or is taken captive, with none seeing, ¹⁰an oath of the LORD shall be between the two of them, whether he has not put his hand into his neighbor's goods; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution.

¹¹But if it is indeed stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.

¹²If it is indeed torn in pieces, let him bring it as witness; the torn thing he shall not make restitution.

¹³And if a man borrows from his neighbor, and it is broken or dies, its owner not being with it, he shall surely make restitution. ¹⁴If its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.

Laws of Social Responsibility

¹⁵And if a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁶If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall weigh out money according to the dowry of virgins.

¹⁷A sorceress you shall not let live.

¹⁸Everyone who lies with a beast shall surely be put to death.

¹⁹He who sacrifices to the gods shall be utterly devoted to destruction, except to the LORD alone.

²⁰And a stranger you shall not wrong, nor shall you oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

²¹Any widow or orphan you shall not afflict. ²²If you indeed afflict him, for if he indeed cries out to me, I will surely hear his cry, ²³and my anger shall burn, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children orphans.

²⁴If you lend money to my people, to the poor with you, you shall not be to him as a creditor; you shall not lay upon him interest.

²⁵If you indeed take in pledge your neighbor's garment, by the going-in of the sun you shall return it to him; ²⁶for it is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin; in what shall he lie down? And it shall come to pass, when he cries out to me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

4Reading 4 Exodus 22:27–23:5Chapter page with footnotes →

^22:27God you shall not revile, and a ruler among your people you shall not curse.

²⁸Your fullness and your outflow you shall not delay. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. ²⁹So you shall do with your ox, with your sheep; seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

³⁰And men of holiness you shall be to me; and flesh in the field that is torn you shall not eat; to the dog you shall throw it.

Justice and Mercy

^23:1You shall not lift up a false report; do not put your hand with the wicked to be a witness of violence.

²You shall not be after the many to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute to turn aside after the many to pervert. ³And a poor man you shall not favor in his dispute.

⁴If you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely return it to him.

⁵If you see the ass of him who hates you crouching under its burden, and you would refrain from releasing it for him, you shall surely release it with him.

5Reading 5 Exodus 23:6–19Chapter page with footnotes →

^23:6You shall not turn aside the judgment of your needy in his dispute. ⁷From a false matter keep far; and the innocent and the righteous do not slay; for I will not justify the wicked.

⁸And a bribe you shall not take; for the bribe blinds the clear-sighted, and perverts the words of the righteous.

⁹And a stranger you shall not oppress; for you yourselves know the soul of the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Shabbat Laws

¹⁰And six years you shall sow your land, and gather in its produce; ¹¹but the seventh you shall let it rest and let it lie fallow, that the needy of your people may eat; and what they leave the living thing of the field shall eat. So you shall do with your vineyard, with your olive grove.

¹²Six days you shall do your deeds, and on the seventh day you shall shabbat; that your ox and your ass may rest, and the son of your maidservant and the stranger may be refreshed.

¹³And in all that I have said to you take heed; and the name of other gods you shall not mention, it shall not be heard upon your mouth.

The Three Feasts of Pilgrimage

¹⁴Three times you shall hold a feast to me in the year.

¹⁵The feast of unleavened bread you shall keep; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time (mo-ed) of the month of Abib, for in it you came out from Egypt; and they shall not appear before my face empty;

¹⁶and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering at the going-out of the year, when you gather in your labors from the field.

¹⁷Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the face of the Lord the LORD.

¹⁸You shall not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice upon what is leavened; nor shall the fat of my feast remain overnight until morning.

¹⁹The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

6Reading 6 Exodus 23:20–25Chapter page with footnotes →

God’s Angel to Lead

^23:20Behold, I am sending an angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. ²¹Take heed of his face, and hear his voice; do not rebel against him; for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is within him.

²²But if you indeed hear his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³For my angel shall go before you, and bring you to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.

²⁴You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their doings; but you shall utterly tear them down, and you shall surely break in pieces their pillars.

²⁵And you shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from your midst.

7Reading 7 Exodus 23:26–24:18Chapter page with footnotes →

^23:26There shall not be one miscarrying or barren in your land; the number of your days I will fulfill.

²⁷My terror I will send before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will give all your enemies to you by the neck. ²⁸And I will send the hornet before you, and it shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.

²⁹I will not drive him out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation, and the living thing of the field multiply against you. ³⁰Little by little I will drive him out from before you, ad(עד) you are fruitful and inherit the land.

³¹And I will set your border from the Sea of Reeds even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will give into your hand the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out from before you. ³²You shall not make with them, nor with their gods, a covenant. ³³They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for you will serve their gods, for it will be a snare to you.

The Covenant Sealed

^24:1And to Moses he said, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and bow down from afar. ²And Moses alone shall come near to the LORD; but they shall not come near, neither shall the people go up with him."

³And Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, "All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do."

⁴And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵And he sent the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered up burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD.

⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he dashed against the altar. ⁷And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people; and they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will hear."

⁸And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold, the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has cut with you concerning all these words."

⁹Then Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; ¹⁰and they saw the God of Israel; and under his feet was like a work of sapphire pavement, and like the very heavens for clearness. ¹¹And against the nobles of the children of Israel he did not put forth his hand; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

Moses on the Mountain

¹²And the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me to the mountain, and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Torah and the commandment, which I have written to teach them."

¹³And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister; and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴And to the elders he said, "Sit here for us ad(עד) we return to you; and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever is a master of matters, let him come near to them."

¹⁵And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶And the glory of the LORD dwelt upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and he called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷And the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

¹⁸And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountain; and Moses was in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

PJeremiah 34:8–22Chapter page with footnotes →

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

^34:8The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah cut a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them, ⁹that each man should send away his servant and each man his maidservant, the Hebrew man and the Hebrew woman, free—so as not to make them serve, namely a Jew, his brother, a man. ¹⁰And all the princes and all the people who had entered into the covenant listened, to send away each man his servant and each man his maidservant free, so as not to make them serve any more; and they listened and sent them away. ¹¹But afterward they turned and caused the servants and the maidservants whom they had sent away free to return, and they subdued them for servants and for maidservants.

¹²And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: ¹³Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I, I cut a covenant with your fathers in the day I brought them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of servants, saying: ¹⁴At the end of seven years you shall send away each man his brother the Hebrew who is sold to you and has served you six years, and you shall send him away free from you; but your fathers did not listen to me and did not incline their ear.

¹⁵And you turned today and did what is right in my eyes, to proclaim liberty each man to his neighbor; and you cut a covenant before me in the house upon which my name is called. ¹⁶But you turned and profaned my name, and you caused to return each man his servant and each man his maidservant whom you had sent away free to their soul; and you subdued them to be for you for servants and for maidservants.

¹⁷Therefore thus says the LORD: You, you have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor; behold, I am proclaiming for you liberty, declares the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

¹⁸And I will give the men who transgressed my covenant, who did not establish the words of the covenant which they cut before me—the calf which they cut in two and passed between its parts: ¹⁹the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the officials, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf; ²⁰and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their soul; and their corpse will be for food for the bird of the heavens and for the beast of the earth. ²¹And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their soul, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has gone up from upon you.

²²Behold, I am commanding, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and the cities of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant.

PJeremiah 33:25–26Chapter page with footnotes →

^33:25Thus says the LORD: If my covenant of day and night, the statutes of the heavens and earth, I have not appointed, ²⁶also the seed of Jacob and David my servant I would reject, from taking from his seed rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have compassion on them.

AMatthew 5:38–48Chapter page with footnotes →

Love Your Enemies

^5:38You have heard that it was said: 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹But I say to you: do not resist the evil one; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. ⁴⁰And to the one who wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. ⁴²Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³You have heard that it was said: 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, for He causes His sun to rise on evil and good, and sends rain on righteous and unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your friends, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

⁴⁸Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

AHebrews 9:18–22Chapter page with footnotes →

^9:18Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. ¹⁹For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, ²⁰saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you."

²¹And in the same way he sprinkled the tent and all the vessels used in worship with blood. ²²Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.