1 Dette er de lover du skal gi dem.

"Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them.

2 Når du kjøper en hebraisk tjener, skal han tjene i seks år, men i det sjuende året skal han gå fri uten å betale noe.

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.

3 Kommer han alene, skal han gå ut alene. Er han gift, skal hans kone gå ut med ham.

If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.

4 Hvis hans herre gir ham en kone og hun føder ham sønner eller døtre, skal kona og barna tilhøre hans herre, og han skal gå ut alene.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

5 Men dersom tjeneren tydelig sier: 'Jeg elsker min herre, min kone og mine barn og vil ikke gå fri,'

But if the servant shall plainly say, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;'

6 skal hans herre føre ham til Gud, og føre ham til døren eller dørstolpen, og hans herre skal bore hull i hans øre med en syl. Han skal tjene ham for alltid.

then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the door-post, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever.

7 Når en mann selger sin datter som tjenestepike, skal hun ikke gå ut slik som mannlige tjenere gjør.

"If a man sells his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do.

8 Dersom hun ikke behager sin herre, som har tatt henne til kone, skal han la henne løses ut. Han har ingen rett til å selge henne til fremmed folk, siden han har sveket henne.

If she doesn't please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, seeing he has dealt deceitfully with her.

9 Dersom han gir henne til sin sønn, skal han behandle henne som en datter.

If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

10 Tar han en annen kone til seg, skal han ikke redusere hennes mat, klær og ekteskapsrettigheter.

If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.

11 Om han ikke gjør disse tre tingene for henne, kan hun gå fri uten å betale noe.

If he doesn't do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.

12 Den som slår en mann så han dør, skal sannelig dø,

"One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,

13 men dersom det ikke var tilsiktet, og Gud lot det skje, skal jeg utpeke et sted der han kan flykte.

but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen: then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.

14 Hvis en mann med overlegg angriper sin neste for å drepe ham, skal du ta ham bort fra mitt alter, så han kan dø.

If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

15 Den som slår sin far eller sin mor, skal sannelig dø.

"Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.

16 Den som kidnapper noen, enten han selger ham eller han blir funnet hos ham, skal sannelig dø.

"Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

17 Den som forbanner sin far eller sin mor, skal sannelig dø.

"Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 Hvis menn krangler og en slår den andre med en stein eller med knyttneven, men han dør ikke, men blir sengeliggende,

"If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn't die, but is confined to bed;

19 dersom han står opp igjen og går omkring med sin stav, skal den som slo ham være uskadet: bare erstatte tapet av hans tid og ta seg av hans helbredelse fullstendig.

if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.

20 Hvis en mann slår sin tjener eller tjenestepike med en stav, og de dør under hans hånd, skal han sannelig bli straffet.

"If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.

21 Men om de kommer seg etter en eller to dager, skal han ikke straffes, for de er hans eiendom.

Notwithstanding, if he gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his property.

22 Hvis menn sloss og skader en gravid kvinne så hun føder for tidlig, men det ikke inntreffer annen skade, skal han sannelig bøtelegges så mye som kvinnens mann krever og dommerne godkjenner.

"If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman's husband demands and the judges allow.

23 Men dersom det inntreffer skade, skal du gi liv for liv,

But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,

24 øye for øye, tann for tann, hånd for hånd, fot for fot,

eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 brenning for brenning, sår for sår, og blåmerke for blåmerke.

burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.

26 Hvis en mann slår sin tjeners øye, eller sin tjenestepikes øye, og ødelegger det, skal han la henne gå fri for øyets skyld.

"If a man strikes his servant's eye, or his maid's eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

27 Hvis han slår ut sin mannlige tjeners tann, eller sin kvinnelige tjeners tann, skal han la henne gå fri for tannens skyld.

If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

28 Hvis en okse stanger en mann eller en kvinne til døde, skal oksen stenes, og dens kjøtt skal ikke spises; men oksens eier skal ikke holdes ansvarlig.

"If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.

29 Men dersom oksen har vært beryktet for å stange før, og eieren er blitt advart, men ikke har holdt den inne, og den dreper en mann eller kvinne, skal oksen stenes, og eieren skal også dø.

But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and it has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.

30 Hvis det pålegges en løsepenger, skal han gi for sitt livs utløsning hva som kreves.

If a ransom is laid on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is laid on him.

31 Enten den stanger en sønn eller en datter, skal det gjøres etter denne dom.

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

32 Hvis oksen stanger en mannlig eller kvinnelig tjener, skal det gis tretti sekel sølv til deres herre, og oksen skal stenes.

If the bull gores a man-servant or a maid-servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 Hvis noen åpner en grop, eller en mann graver en grop og ikke dekker den, og en okse eller et esel faller ned i den,

"If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn't cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,

34 skal gropens eier gjøre opp for det. Han skal betale til dyrets eier, og det døde dyret skal tilhøre ham.

the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.

35 Hvis en manns okse skader en annens okse så den dør, skal de selge den levende oksen og dele pengene; og de skal også dele det døde dyret.

"If one man's bull injures another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.

36 Men er det kjent at oksen har vært beryktet for å stange, men eieren har ikke holdt den inne, skal han sannelig betale okse for okse, og det døde dyret blir hans eget.

Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.