וְכִֽי־יַכֶּה֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדּ֜וֹ א֤וֹ אֶת־אֲמָתוֹ֙ בַּשֵּׁ֔בֶט וּמֵ֖ת תַּ֣חַת יָד֑וֹ נָקֹ֖ם יִנָּקֵֽם׃

If a man strikes his gentile slave or his gentile maidservant, whose status is lower than that of a Hebrew slave or maidservant, with a staff, and he, the slave or maidservant, dies under his hand, from the master’s blows, he shall be avenged. he master is liable to receive the death penalty for killing a human being, regardless of the fact that he was a gentile slave.

אַ֥ךְ אִם־י֛וֹם א֥וֹ יוֹמַ֖יִם יַעֲמֹ֑ד לֹ֣א יֻקַּ֔ם כִּ֥י כַסְפּ֖וֹ הֽוּא׃ (ס)

However, if he, the slave, shall survive a day or two days, despite his grave injuries, he shall not be avenged. The master is not liable to receive the death penalty, as he, the slave, is his property. The master is less accountable for the outcome of his aggression than others, due to the fact that he struck him in the regular manner in which masters discipline their slaves. Conversely, if one strikes someone who is not a gentile slave and the victim dies, one is liable to receive the death penalty even if the victim does not die immediately.

וְכִֽי־יִנָּצ֣וּ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְנָ֨גְפ֜וּ אִשָּׁ֤ה הָרָה֙ וְיָצְא֣וּ יְלָדֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א יִהְיֶ֖ה אָס֑וֹן עָנ֣וֹשׁ יֵעָנֵ֗שׁ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָשִׁ֤ית עָלָיו֙ בַּ֣עַל הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה וְנָתַ֖ן בִּפְלִלִֽים׃

If men fight, and as they struggle, they accidentally strike a bystander who is a pregnant woman and her children are miscarried, but there is no fatality of the woman herself, he, the individual who struck the woman, shall be fined, as the husband of the woman shall impose upon him. The woman’s husband may sue him for the loss of the offspring, and if they fail to reach an agreement with regard to the compensation, he shall give in court, in accordance with the determination of the judges.

וְאִם־אָס֖וֹן יִהְיֶ֑ה וְנָתַתָּ֥ה נֶ֖פֶשׁ תַּ֥חַת נָֽפֶשׁ׃

But if there will be a fatality, the woman died, then you shall give a life for a life. From the context it can be inferred that this is referring to monetary payment rather than the death penalty, as this is not a case of premeditated murder but an accidental killing due to negligence.

עַ֚יִן תַּ֣חַת עַ֔יִן שֵׁ֖ן תַּ֣חַת שֵׁ֑ן יָ֚ד תַּ֣חַת יָ֔ד רֶ֖גֶל תַּ֥חַת רָֽגֶל׃

Similarly, if one caused permanent bodily damage to another, whether in the course of a fight or in some other manner, he must pay an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a hand for a hand; a foot for a foot;

כְּוִיָּה֙ תַּ֣חַת כְּוִיָּ֔ה פֶּ֖צַע תַּ֣חַת פָּ֑צַע חַבּוּרָ֕ה תַּ֖חַת חַבּוּרָֽה׃ (ס)

a burn for a burn; an open wound for a wound; an injury, without breaking the skin, for an injury.

וְכִֽי־יַכֶּ֨ה אִ֜ישׁ אֶת־עֵ֥ין עַבְדּ֛וֹ אֽוֹ־אֶת־עֵ֥ין אֲמָת֖וֹ וְשִֽׁחֲתָ֑הּ לַֽחָפְשִׁ֥י יְשַׁלְּחֶ֖נּוּ תַּ֥חַת עֵינֽוֹ׃ (ס)

The Torah states another law involving physical injury: If a man shall strike the eye of his gentile slave, or the eye of his gentile maidservant, and he thereby destroys it, by rendering it permanently unusable, he shall send him to freedom in compensation for his eye.

וְאִם־שֵׁ֥ן עַבְדּ֛וֹ אֽוֹ־שֵׁ֥ן אֲמָת֖וֹ יַפִּ֑יל לַֽחָפְשִׁ֥י יְשַׁלְּחֶ֖נּוּ תַּ֥חַת שִׁנּֽוֹ׃ (פ)

Furthermore, even if he, the master, shall merely dislodge the tooth of his slave or the tooth of his maidservant, he shall be penalized by having to send him to freedom for his tooth.

וְכִֽי־יִגַּ֨ח שׁ֥וֹר אֶת־אִ֛ישׁ א֥וֹ אֶת־אִשָּׁ֖ה וָמֵ֑ת סָק֨וֹל יִסָּקֵ֜ל הַשּׁ֗וֹר וְלֹ֤א יֵאָכֵל֙ אֶת־בְּשָׂר֔וֹ וּבַ֥עַל הַשּׁ֖וֹר נָקִֽי׃

Up to this point, with the exception of Hebrew slaves and maidservants, all of the laws in this section are cases of criminal law, illegal acts such as murder and inflicting bodily harm, as well as acting disrespectfully toward one’s parents, which is a crime in Jewish law. When there was a criminal justice system that functioned in accordance with Jewish law, capital punishment could be meted out for certain infractions of criminal law. Criminals were judged by a special rabbinical court of twenty-three judges. From this verse onward, the focus is mainly on civil law. If an ox belonging to someone gores a man or a woman and he shall die, the ox shall be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten. As soon as the ox is sentenced to stoning its meat is rendered forbidden for consumption. And the owner of the ox is absolved from personal responsibility for the victim’s death, and he is not punished beyond the loss of his ox.

וְאִ֡ם שׁוֹר֩ נַגָּ֨ח ה֜וּא מִתְּמֹ֣ל שִׁלְשֹׁ֗ם וְהוּעַ֤ד בִּבְעָלָיו֙ וְלֹ֣א יִשְׁמְרֶ֔נּוּ וְהֵמִ֥ית אִ֖ישׁ א֣וֹ אִשָּׁ֑ה הַשּׁוֹר֙ יִסָּקֵ֔ל וְגַם־בְּעָלָ֖יו יוּמָֽת׃

But if this is not the first occurrence of such a terrible event, as the ox was wont to gore people and endanger them previously, and witnesses had testified to these events in the presence of the owner, and its owner was warned by the court that this is a dangerous ox, but nevertheless he did not guard it and it killed a man or a woman, then the ox shall be stoned for killing a person, and its owner too shall die [ yumat ]. The wording “and its owner too shall die” is formulated in an unusual manner. It differs from the double formulation [ mot yumat ] that appears in many other verses (see, e.g., verse 16). The reason for this distinction is that although the owner of the ox may be worthy of death for his negligence, he is not liable to receive the death penalty by the court.

אִם־כֹּ֖פֶר יוּשַׁ֣ת עָלָ֑יו וְנָתַן֙ פִּדְיֹ֣ן נַפְשׁ֔וֹ כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־יוּשַׁ֖ת עָלָֽיו׃

Instead, when a monetary ransom is imposed upon him, the owner of the ox, then he shall give ransom of his life, in accordance with all that will be imposed upon him by the court. Instead of being executed, he pays the value of his life as ransom. Some Sages explain that the ransom is the value of his victim’s life. The amount to be paid is determined by objective criteria used for assessing the value of a person.

אוֹ־בֵ֥ן יִגָּ֖ח אוֹ־בַ֣ת יִגָּ֑ח כַּמִּשְׁפָּ֥ט הַזֶּ֖ה יֵעָ֥שֶׂה לּֽוֹ׃

Whether it shall gore a son or it shall gore a daughter, even if it gores a minor, in accordance with this ordinance shall be done to him. These laws do not depend upon the victim’s age.

אִם־עֶ֛בֶד יִגַּ֥ח הַשּׁ֖וֹר א֣וֹ אָמָ֑ה כֶּ֣סֶף ׀ שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שְׁקָלִ֗ים יִתֵּן֙ לַֽאדֹנָ֔יו וְהַשּׁ֖וֹר יִסָּקֵֽל׃ (ס)

If the ox shall gore a gentile slave or a gentile maidservant, who do not have the status of full citizens, he, the owner of the ox, shall give thirty silver shekels to his, the slave’s, master, and the ox shall be stoned, like any case where an animal causes the death of a human being.

וְכִֽי־יִפְתַּ֨ח אִ֜ישׁ בּ֗וֹר א֠וֹ כִּֽי־יִכְרֶ֥ה אִ֛ישׁ בֹּ֖ר וְלֹ֣א יְכַסֶּ֑נּוּ וְנָֽפַל־שָׁ֥מָּה שּׁ֖וֹר א֥וֹ חֲמֽוֹר׃

The Torah states another case involving civil law and injury: If a man shall uncover a pit that had previously been covered up properly, or if a man shall dig a pit himself and he does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey or any other living creature falls there,

בַּ֤עַל הַבּוֹר֙ יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם כֶּ֖סֶף יָשִׁ֣יב לִבְעָלָ֑יו וְהַמֵּ֖ת יִֽהְיֶה־לּֽוֹ׃ (ס)

the owner of the pit, the one who dug the pit or uncovered it is responsible for the damage and he shall pay. He shall compensate its owner with silver and the carcass shall be his. Once the individual responsible for the pit has paid the owner of the animal, he has the right to take the dead animal, which still has some value. The owner of the animal has no rights to the carcass because he has been compensated for the full value of his animal. Alternatively, this verse teaches the opposite, that the dead animal remains the property of its original owner. The owner of the pit, after returning the carcass to its owner, may subtract the value of the carcass from the value of the live animal that he must pay in compensation .

וְכִֽי־יִגֹּ֧ף שֽׁוֹר־אִ֛ישׁ אֶת־שׁ֥וֹר רֵעֵ֖הוּ וָמֵ֑ת וּמָ֨כְר֜וּ אֶת־הַשּׁ֤וֹר הַחַי֙ וְחָצ֣וּ אֶת־כַּסְפּ֔וֹ וְגַ֥ם אֶת־הַמֵּ֖ת יֶֽחֱצֽוּן׃

If the ox of a man shall strike and injure the ox of his neighbor in any manner, such as by pushing or goring it, and it dies, they shall sell the living ox that caused the damage and divide its value, the price received for its sale, and they shall divide the price for which they can sell the carcass too. In this manner, the owner of the ox that caused the injury compensates the other owner for half the damage, as he pays the value of half of his ox minus half the value of the carcass. The sale mentioned in the verse represents the share of the live ox that is granted to the owner of the dead ox.

א֣וֹ נוֹדַ֗ע כִּ֠י שׁ֣וֹר נַגָּ֥ח הוּא֙ מִתְּמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמְרֶ֖נּוּ בְּעָלָ֑יו שַׁלֵּ֨ם יְשַׁלֵּ֥ם שׁוֹר֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשּׁ֔וֹר וְהַמֵּ֖ת יִֽהְיֶה־לּֽוֹ׃ (ס)

Or if it became known to the court that it is an ox wont to gore previously, and this is at least the third or fourth time that it has gored and yet its owners would not take the necessary steps to guard it properly, he shall pay a live ox in exchange for the dead ox, and the carcass shall be his own, as the owner of the dead ox has received full compensation for his loss (see verse 34).

כִּ֤י יִגְנֹֽב־אִישׁ֙ שׁ֣וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֔ה וּטְבָח֖וֹ א֣וֹ מְכָר֑וֹ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה בָקָ֗ר יְשַׁלֵּם֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשּׁ֔וֹר וְאַרְבַּע־צֹ֖אן תַּ֥חַת הַשֶּֽׂה׃

If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, this is not a simple case of greed, where the offender succumbed to a momentary temptation, but a crime committed over an extended period of time and which eventually leads to the loss of the stolen item. Therefore, he shall pay five oxen for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep. The thief pays four or five times the value of the animal he stole, unlike standard cases of theft where one pays only double the value of the item he stole (see 22:3).

אִם־בַּמַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת יִמָּצֵ֥א הַגַּנָּ֖ב וְהֻכָּ֣ה וָמֵ֑ת אֵ֥ין ל֖וֹ דָּמִֽים׃

If the thief is found while excavating in order to break in through a tunnel and he is struck by the homeowner or someone else and he dies, there is no bloodguilt for him. The person who kills him is not liable for his death. A burglar is treated more stringently than an ordinary thief because, under certain circumstances, he is suspected of being prepared to kill anyone who stands in his way or attempts to stop him. Consequently, if the homeowner attempts to prevent the theft and ends up killing the burglar, he is exempt from punishment because he is considered to have acted in self-defense.

אִם־זָרְחָ֥ה הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ עָלָ֖יו דָּמִ֣ים ל֑וֹ שַׁלֵּ֣ם יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם אִם־אֵ֣ין ל֔וֹ וְנִמְכַּ֖ר בִּגְנֵבָתֽוֹ׃

If the sun shone upon him, he burglar,1 meaning that he broke into the house during the day or he emerged from his tunnel to the sunlight, it is assumed that he is only attempting to steal but is not prepared to kill anyone, as he assumes that the homeowner is not at home. In contrast, one who breaks in at night knows that the homeowner will be present and will attempt to defend his property. Consequently, the burglar by day is not considered a potential murderer but a simple thief, which means that if one kills him there is bloodguilt for him, the thief, and the killer is liable for murder. If this burglar steals property, he shall pay; if he has nothing with which to pay, then he shall be sold as a Hebrew slave (see 21:2–4), and the price of his purchase is used to pay for his theft.

אִֽם־הִמָּצֵא֩ תִמָּצֵ֨א בְיָד֜וֹ הַגְּנֵבָ֗ה מִשּׁ֧וֹר עַד־חֲמ֛וֹר עַד־שֶׂ֖ה חַיִּ֑ים שְׁנַ֖יִם יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ (ס)

If the theft shall be found alive in his possession, whether an ox, or a donkey, or a sheep or any other animal, he shall pay double. He must return the stolen item and also pay a sum of money equivalent to its value. This law applies to any stolen item, not just to animals (see verse 6).