Deuteronomy 25:2-4

New Century Version

² If the guilty person has to be punished with a beating, the judge will make that person lie down and be beaten in front of him. The number of lashes should match the crime. ³ But don’t hit a person more than forty times, because more than that would disgrace him before others.

⁴ When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating.