Property Laws
The Lord said:
1 If 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. 2-4 But 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.
5 If you allow any of your animals to stray from your property and graze in someone else's field or vineyard, you must repay the damage from the best part of your own harvest of grapes and grain.
6 If 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.
7 Suppose 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. 8 But if the thief isn't caught, some judges will decide if you are the guilty one.
9 Suppose two people claim to own the same ox or donkey or sheep or piece of clothing. Then the judges must decide the case, and the guilty person will pay the owner double.
10 Suppose 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. 11 If 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. 12 But if the animal was stolen while in your care, you must replace it. 13 If 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.
14 Suppose you borrow an animal from a neighbor, and it gets injured or dies while the neighbor isn't around. Then you must replace it. 15 But 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 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 and marry her. 17 But if her father refuses to let her marry the man, the bride price must still be paid.
18 Death is the punishment for witchcraft.
19 Death is the punishment for having sex with an animal.
20 Death is the punishment for offering sacrifices to any god except me.
21 Do not mistreat or abuse foreigners who live among you. Remember, you were foreigners in Egypt.
22 Do not mistreat widows or orphans. 23 If you do, they will beg for my help, and I will come to their rescue. 24 In fact, I will get so angry that I will kill your men and make widows of their wives and orphans of their children.
25 Don't charge interest when you lend money to any of my people who are in need. 26 Before sunset you must return any coat taken as security for a loan, 27 because 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 Don't speak evil of me or of the ruler of your people.
29 Don't fail to give me the offerings of grain and wine that belong to me.
Dedicate to me your first-born sons 30 and 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 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.
1 وإنْ وُجِدَ السَّارقُ وهوَ يسرِقُ فضُرِبَ وقُتِلَ، فدَمُهُ مَهدورٌ. 2 فإنْ قُبِضَ علَيهِ بَعدَ شُروقِ الشَّمسِ فلا يُهدَرُ دَمُهُ، وإنَّما يُعَوِّضُ بَدلَ المَسروقِ. وإنْ كانَ لا يَملِكُ شيئا، فليُبَعْ بِما سرَقَهُ. 3 وإنْ وُجِدَتِ السَّرِقَةُ في حَوزَتِه حَـيَّةً، مِنْ ثَورٍ أو حمارٍ أو خروفٍ، فليُعَوِّضْ بَدلَ الواحدِ اثنَينِ.
في التعويض عن العطل والضرر
4 إذا رعى أحدٌ حقلا أو كَرما، فأطلَقَ مَواشيَهُ لِتَرعى في حقلِ غيرِهِ، فَمِنْ أجوَدِ حقلِهِ أو كَرمِهِ يُعَوِّضُ.
5 وإنْ شَبَّت نارٌ وانتَشَرت في الشَّوكِ وأحرقَت أكداسَ السُّنبُلِ أوِ السُّنبُلَ في الحُقولِ، فالّذي أوقدَ النَّارَ يُعوِّضُ.
6 إذا سَلَّمَ أحدٌ إلى آخَرَ فِضَّتَهُ أو أمتِعَتَهُ لِـيَحفَظَها لَه فسُرِقَت في مَنزِلِه، فإنْ قُبِضَ على السَّارِقِ عَوَّضَ ضِعفَينِ، 7 وإلاَّ فليَحلِفْ صاحبُ المَنزِلِ باللهِ أنَّهُ لم يَمُدَّ يَدَهُ إلى مُلْكِ الآخَرِ.
8 «كُلُّ دعوى سوءِ ائتمانٍ في ثَورٍ أو حمارٍ أو خروفٍ أو ثوبٍ أو شيءٍ مَفقودٍ يُقالُ فيهِ: «هذا لي»، تُرفَعُ إلى اللهِ ومَنْ يَحكُمِ اللهُ علَيهِ يُعَوِّضِ الآخَرَ ضِعفَينِ.
9 «إذا سَلَّمَ أحدٌ إلى آخَرَ حمارا أو ثَورا أو خروفا أو بَهيمَةً مَّا لِـيَحفَظَهُ لَه فماتَ أو تَضَرَّرَ أو ضاعَ مِنْ غيرِ شاهدٍ 10 فليَحلِفْ يَمينا بالرّبِّ أنَّه لم يَمُدَّ يَدَهُ إلى مُلْكِ الآخَرِ فيقبلها الآخرُ، وهوَ لا يُعَوِّضُ شيئا. 11 وإنْ سُرِقَ مِنْ عِندِهِ يُعَوِّضْ صاحبَه. 12 فإنْ افتَرسَهُ وَحشٌ، فليُحضِرْهُ بُرهانا حتّى لا يُعَوِّضَ الفريسَةَ.
13 «وإنِ استعارَ أحدٌ مِنْ آخَرَ بَهيمَةً فتَضَرَّرَت أو ماتَت في غيابِ صاحبِها، فليُعَوِّضْ صاحبَها. 14 وإنْ كانَ صاحبُها حاضِرا فلا يُعَوِّضُ. وإنْ كانَت مُستأجَرَةً خَسِرَ أُجرَتَها.
15 «إنْ أغرى رجُلٌ فتاةً بِكْرا لا خطيـبَ لها فضاجَعَها، فليَدفَعْ مَهْرَها ويَتَزَّوَجْها 16 فإنْ رفَضَ أبوهَا أنْ يُزوِّجَها بهِ، فليَدفَعْ لَه مَهْرا كمَهْرِ الفتاةِ البِكْرِ».
في الأخلاق والدين
17 «لا يَجوزُ لساحِرَةٍ أنْ تحيا.
18 «كُلُّ مَنْ ضاجَعَ بَهيمَةً، فليُقتَلْ قَتلا.
19 «مَنْ ذبَحَ لآلهَةٍ إلاَّ للرّبِّ، فقَتْلُهُ حَلالٌ.
20 «لا تَظلِمِ الغريـبَ ولا تُضَايِقْهُ، فأنتُم كُنتُم غُرَباءَ في أرضِ مِصْرَ. 21 لا تُسئْ إلى أرملَةٍ ولا يتيمٍ 22 فإنْ أسأتَ إليهِما وصرَخا إليَّ أسمَعُ صُراخَهُما، 23 فيَشتدُّ غضَبـي وأقتُلُكم بالسَّيفِ، فتَصيرُ نِساؤُكُم أرامِلَ وأبناؤُكُم يتامى.
24 «إنْ أقرَضتَ مالا لمِسكينٍ مِنْ شعبـي، فلا تُعامِلْهُ كالمُرابـي ولا تَفرِضْ علَيهِ رِبًى. 25 وإذا اسْتَرهَنتَ ثوبَ آخَرَ، فعِندَ مَغيـبِ الشَّمسِ رُدَّهُ إليهِ، 26 لأنَّهُ كِساؤُهُ الوحيدُ، كِساءُ جسَدِهِ، ففي أيِّ شيءٍ ينامُ؟ إنْ صرَخَ إليَّ استَجَبْتُ لَه لأنِّي حَنونٌ.
27 «لا تَلعَنِ اللهَ، ولا تشتُمْ رئيسَ شعبِكَ.
28 «لا تُؤخِّرْ تقديمَ باكورَةِ حِصادِكَ ومَعصَرَتِكَ لي، والبِكْرَ مِنْ بَنيكَ تُعطيني. 29 وكذلِكَ البِكْرَ مِنْ بقَرِكَ وغنَمِكَ: سَبْعَةَ أيّامٍ يكونُ معَ أُمِّهِ، وفي اليومِ الثَّامِنِ تجعَلُهُ لي. 30 كونوا قوما مُكَرَّسينَ لي، ولَحمَ فريسَةٍ في الصَّحراءِ لا تأكُلوا، بلِ اطرَحوهُ لِلكِلابِ».