Personal Injuries

¹² “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death.^{(A) 13} However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place^(B) I will designate. ¹⁴ But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,^(C) that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.^(D)

¹⁵ “Anyone who attacks^[a] their father or mother is to be put to death.

¹⁶ “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death,^(E) whether the victim has been sold^(F) or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

¹⁷ “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.^(G)

¹⁸ “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist^[b] and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, ¹⁹ the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

²⁰ “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, ²¹ but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.^(H)

²² “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely^[c] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands^(I) and the court allows. ²³ But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,^{(J) 24} eye for eye, tooth for tooth,^(K) hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,^{(A) 11} select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone^(B) accidentally^(C) may flee. ¹² They will be places of refuge from the avenger,^(D) so that anyone accused of murder^(E) may not die before they stand trial before the assembly.^{(F) 13} These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge.^{(G) 14} Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. ¹⁵ These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.

¹⁶ “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death.^{(H) 17} Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁸ Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. ¹⁹ The avenger of blood^(I) shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death.^{(J) 20} If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally^(K) so that they die ²¹ or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death;^(L) that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood^(M) shall put the murderer to death when they meet.

²² “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally^{(N) 23} or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, ²⁴ the assembly^(O) must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. ²⁵ The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest,^(P) who was anointed^(Q) with the holy oil.^(R)

²⁶ “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled ²⁷ and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. ²⁸ The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property.

²⁹ “‘This is to have the force of law^(S) for you throughout the generations to come,^(T) wherever you live.^(U)

³⁰ “‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.^(V)

³¹ “‘Do not accept a ransom^(W) for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death.

³² “‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest.

Protection of Property

22 ^[a]“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back^(A) five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

² “If a thief is caught breaking in^(B) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;^{(C) 3} but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,^(D) but if they have nothing, they must be sold^(E) to pay for their theft. ⁴ If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession^(F)—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.^(G)