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Exodus 22

1“When a man steals an ox, a sheep, or a goat and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox and four animals from the flock for the sheep or goat. 2If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, no bloodguilt is incurred. 3But if the sun has risen upon him, bloodguilt is incurred. The thief must make full restitution. If he has nothing, he must be sold for his theft. 4If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether ox, donkey, sheep, or goat, he must repay double.

5“When a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in someone else's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard. 6When fire breaks out and catches thornbushes, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or a field is consumed, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.

7“When a man gives his neighbor silver or articles for safekeeping and they are stolen from the man's house, if the thief is found, he must repay double. 8If the thief is not found, the owner of the house must approach the judges to determine whether he has laid his hand on his neighbor's property. 9In every matter of wrongdoing, concerning an ox, donkey, sheep, goat, garment, or any lost item of which someone says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties must come before the judges. The one the judges declare guilty must repay double to his neighbor.

10“When a man gives his neighbor a donkey, ox, sheep, goat, or any animal for safekeeping, and it dies, is injured, or is carried off with no one seeing it, 11an oath of Yahweh must be between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor's property. Its owner must accept it, and the keeper need not make restitution. 12But if it is stolen from him, he must make restitution to its owner. 13If it is torn to pieces, he must bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for what was torn.

14“When a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he must make full restitution. 15If its owner is with it, he need not make restitution. If it was hired, the loss is covered by its hire.

16“When a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he must pay the bride-price to make her his wife. 17If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he must weigh out silver equivalent to the bride-price for virgins.

18“You must not let a sorceress live. 19Whoever lies with an animal must be put to death. 20Whoever sacrifices to gods other than Yahweh alone must be devoted to destruction.

21“You must not mistreat or oppress a resident foreigner, for you were resident foreigners in the land of Egypt. 22You must not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23If you do afflict such a person and that person cries out to me, I will certainly hear the cry. 24My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows, and your sons fatherless.

25“If you lend silver to my people, to the poor person among you, you must not act as a creditor toward that person; you must not impose interest. 26If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you must return it by sunset, 27for it is the only covering, the garment for the person's skin. In what else will that person lie down? When that person cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

28“You must not curse God or curse a ruler among your people. 29You must not delay bringing your full yield and your pressed juice. Give me the firstborn of your sons. 30Do the same with your cattle and flocks. It must remain with its mother for seven days; on the eighth day give it to me. 31You must be holy men to me. You must not eat flesh torn by animals in the field; throw it to the dogs.

Translation notes 11

22:1–31 — Numbering. Verse 1 corresponds to Hebrew 21:37; verses 2–31 correspond to Hebrew 22:1–30. The text uses familiar English references.

22:1, 4, 9–10 — Sheep or goat. The Hebrew names a single animal from the flock, which can be a sheep or goat. The repayment in verse 1 names the broader flock category; the draft does not restrict these laws to sheep.

22:2–3 — Bloodguilt. The contrast is usually understood as night versus daylight and the resulting difference in the householder's responsibility for killing the intruder. The Hebrew says “if the sun has risen upon him”; it does not specify every possible circumstance of self-defense. The following requirement of restitution returns to the thief as subject.

22:8–9 — Judges. The Hebrew word is elohim, also meaning God or gods. A proceeding before God, perhaps at a sanctuary or through an oath, is another serious interpretation. The plural verb “declare guilty” in verse 9 and the judicial setting support the rendering here, but do not settle the precise procedure. The Samaritan Hebrew text compared explicitly names Yahweh earlier in that verse and later uses a singular verb, a different textual form that makes the divine interpretation explicit.

22:11 — An oath of Yahweh. This is an oath invoking Yahweh to establish that the keeper did not misappropriate the property. “Accept it” supplies the understood oath as the owner's object; the Hebrew simply says the owner will take or accept. “The keeper” identifies the implied subject of the final payment clause.

22:15 — Its hire. The closing wording is compressed. The draft understands the hire payment to cover the owner's risk. Another interpretation concerns a hired worker and that worker's wages; the text does not spell out modern insurance arrangements.

22:16–17 — Bride-price. This is the marriage payment, not a fine that makes the woman the man's wife regardless of her father's refusal. The law states the father's decision; it does not state the woman's consent or lack of consent.

22:18 — Sorceress. The Hebrew form is feminine. The draft preserves that fact without claiming that the law's broader ancient application can be settled from the grammatical form alone.

22:20 — Devoted to destruction. The term describes an irrevocable ban or dedication, here involving death. It is not merely a recommendation to disapprove of someone's worship.

22:28 — God. “Judges” or “gods” are alternative renderings of the same Hebrew word. Here the divine and human authority parallel is understood as God and the ruler; the legal passages in verses 8–9 use the word differently in this draft.

22:29–31 — Yield; firstborn; holy men. “Full yield” and “pressed juice” render unusual Hebrew expressions literally concerning fullness and tears or dripping produce. Verse 29 commands giving the firstborn sons; redemption instructions elsewhere explain their release and are not inserted into this sentence. “Holy men” retains the masculine expression and the community address.