from before the Lord, then I will appoint thee a place whither he may flee. But when a wicked man acts toward his neighbour with deceitfulness to kill him, even from Mine altar thou shalt bring him away to put him to death. Whosoever striketh his father or his mother shall be surely put to death. And whosoever stealeth a soul of the house of Israel and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, shall be surely put to death. And he who curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. And when men contend, and a man smiteth his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but fall upon his bed ;—if he rise (again) and walk about upon his staff, he who smote him shall be acquitted; only he shall make good his loss of labour, and defray the charge of the physician.

And when a man smiteth his servant or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, condemned he shall be condemned. But if he survive one day, or two, he shall not be condemned, because he was his money. If men contending strike a woman with child and she miscarry, but die not, fined he shall be fined, as the husband of the woman may set upon him, and he shall give according to the sentence of judgment. But if death take place, thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. And if a man smite the eye of his servant or his handmaid and destroy it, he shall let him go free, for the sake of his eye. Or if he beat out (cause to fall) a tooth of his servant or a tooth of his handmaid, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

If an ox gore a man or woman unto death, the ox being stoned shall be stoned, and his flesh must not be eaten; but the master of the ox shall be acquitted.

But if the ox had gored in time before (yesterday and the day before), and it had been attested to his master, and he not keeping him he hath killed man or woman, the ox shall be stoned and the owner be put to death. If a fine of money7 (if mammon) be laid upon him, he may give redemption for his life according to all that is laid upon him. If the ox gore a son or daughter of Israel, after this judgment shall it be done to him. If an ox gore a man-servant or a maidservant, (the owner) shall give to his master thirty sileen of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

And if a man open a pit, or dig a pit, and doth not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein, the master of the pit shall pay he shall give silver to his owner, and the carcass shall be his own. And if the ox of one man hurt a neighbour's ox that it die, they shall sell the living ox and divide the money; and that which is dead they shall also divide. But if it be known that the ox gored in time past and his owner did not keep him in, paying he shall pay ox for ox, and the dead one shall be his. If a man steal an ox or a lamb, and kill or sell it, he shall repay five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the lamb.

XXII. If a thief be found breaking through, and he be smitten and die, there shall be no blood due to him. If the eyes of witnesses fall upon him, blood shall be due to him, paying he shall pay. If he have nothing, he shall be sold for his robbery. If the thing stolen, from an ox to an ass, be found in his possession, they being alive, he shall restore two for one. If a man make waste a field or vineyard, or send his cattle to consume another's field, the best of his field and the best of his vineyard he shall restore. If fire break out, and it find thorns, so that sheaves or standing corn or

7 Sam. Vers., "If a price of expiation."

the field be consumed, he who kindled the fire paying

shall pay.

When a man giveth his neighbour silver or vessels to keep, and they be stolen from the man's house; if the thief be found, he shall repay double. If the thief be not found, the master of the house shall be brought before the judges (to make oath) that he hath not put forth his hand upon that which his neighbour had delivered to him. Upon every matter of guiltiness about ox or ass or lamb, or raiment, or anything destroyed of which it may be said, This is it, the cause of both shall be brought before the judges, and he whom the judges shall condemn shall pay double to his neighbour. If a man deliver to his neighbour an ass or an ox or a lamb or any cattle to keep, and it die, or be injured, or be carried away, no one seeing; an oath of the Lord shall be between them that he hath not put forth his hand against that which his neighbour had delivered, and the owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not repay. But if it be stolen from him, he shall repay its owner; and if it be torn, and he bring witnesses that it was torn, he shall not repay. And if a man borrow of his neighbour and it be injured or die, the owner of it not being with it, repaying he shall repay. But if the owner be with it, he shall not repay. If it were hired, let it be (considered) for its hire.

And if a man seduce a virgin who is not betrothed and lie with her, he shall surely establish her to be his wife. If her father be unwilling to give her to him, he shall weigh down silver according to the dowry of virgins. An enchantress shall not live. Whosoever lieth with a beast shall be surely put to death. Who

soever sacrificeth to the idols of the Gentiles shall be put to death-but to the Name of the Lord alone.

8 Sam. Vers., "a pythoness."

And a stranger thou shalt not trouble nor oppress; for you were sojourners in the land of Mizraim. Afflict not the widow or the orphan: if you indeed afflict them, and they cry before Me, I will surely hearken to their cry; and My displeasure shall be strong, and will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless. If thou lend money to My people, to the poor who is with thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou inflict an injury upon him. If, (as) a pledge, thou take thy neighbour's garment, at the going away of the sun thou shalt return it unto him. For it may be his only covering; for (then) it is the clothing for his skin wherein shall he sleep? And it shall be that when he crieth before Me I will hearken; for I am merciful.

:

Thou shalt not revile the judges, nor curse the ruler of My people. Thy firstfruits and thy tithes thou shalt not delay (to offer:) the firstborn of thy children thou shalt separate before Me; so shalt thou do with thy oxen and with thy sheep. Seven days shall (the firstling) be with its mother; on the eighth day thou shalt separate it before Me. And ye shall be holy men before Me; and the flesh torn from a living animal you may not eat; you shall cast it to the dogs.

Thou shalt not take up a false report, nor set thine hand with the wicked to be a false witness for him. Thou shalt not follow the many to wickedness, neither shalt thou fail to teach that which in thine eyes is judgment; after the many (majority ?) thou shalt fulfil judgment. And And upon the poor thou shalt not be pitiful in judging him.

If thou meet the ox of thy enemy, or his ass, wan

9 Sam. Vers., an exactor."

1 Other copies, "what thou hast sought out concerning judgment."

2

dering away, thou shalt surely bring it back to him. When thou seest thine enemy's ass prostrate beneath his burden, thou shalt forbear from forsaking him;2 thou shalt surely abandon what is in thy heart against him, and shalt deliver it unto him. Thou shalt not warp the judgment of the poor man in his cause. From a false matter keep distant; and him who has been acquitted and has come forth from judgment uncondemned thou shalt not kill; for I will not justify the guilty. And thou art not to receive a bribe; for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the just. And thou shalt not distress the sojourner; for you know the mind of a sojourner; for you were dwellers in the land of Mizraim.

Six years thou shalt sow the land and gather in its produce, but the seventh year thou shalt let it alone and suffer it to rest, that the poor of thy people may eat, and what they leave the beast of the field may eat. So also shalt thou do with thy vineyard and with thy olive ground. Six days shalt thou do thy work, and in the seventh day have rest, that thy ox and thy ass may rest, and the son of thine handmaid and thy sojourner may be quiet. And of all that I have spoken to you be mindful, and the name of the idols of the Gentiles remember not; let it not be heard upon thy lips.

Three times thou shalt solemnize festival before Me in the year. Thou shalt keep the festival of unleavened bread. Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened cake, as I have commanded thee, in the time of the moon of Abiba, for therein you went forth from Mizraim; and you shall not appear before Me empty. And the festival of harvest, the first fruits of thy labours which thou hast sowed in thy fields; and the festival of gathering, at the end of the year when thou gatherest

2 Sam. Vers., "wilt thou turn away to abandon him ? "