Exodus 22

₁The Lord said to Moses: ‘If a person steals an ox and he kills or sells it, then he must give the owner 5 oxen. If he steals a sheep, and he kills or sells it, he must give the owner 4 sheep. _2-4If you catch the thief and the animal that he stole is still_alive, then the thief must give the owner 2 animals for each animal that he stole. It does not_matter if it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, the thief must pay for everything. If the thief has nothing, then you must sell him as a slave to pay for the animals that he stole.

If someone catches a thief while he is breaking in and stealing at night and he beats the thief and kills him, you must not kill the man who beat him. But if it happens in day time, then you must kill the man who killed the thief.’

₅‘If a man lets his animals eat in his field or vineyard, then he must look after them. If his animals run free and they go and eat in another man's field, then the owner of the animals must pay the other man. He must give some of his best wheat or his best grapes to the other man.’

₆‘If a man burns the bushes in his field and the fire also burns another man's wheat that he has cut or wheat that is still growing, or grass, then the man who started the fire must pay back everything.’

₇‘If a man gives his money or things to another person to keep for him and a thief steals it from his house and they catch the thief, then the thief must give back twice as much. ₈If they can not catch the thief, then the owner of the house must say he did not take the things that belong to the other man, and God must be his Witness.

₉People sometimes argue about an ox or a donkey or a sheep or clothes or anything that is lost. If one of them says it belongs to him and the other one says it is not_true, then they must ask God who is right. God will say who is guilty and then the man who is guilty must give the other man twice as much.

₁₀If someone gives another person a donkey or an ox or a sheep or another animal to keep for him, and the animal dies, or another animal kills it or someone steals it when no one is looking, ₁₁then the man who had to look after the animals must say he did not kill or steal the animal, and God must be the Witness. Then the owner must believe him and the other man does not have to pay. ₁₂But if someone has stolen the animal, then the man who had to look after the animal must pay the owner of the animal. ₁₃If a wild animal killed the animal and the man can show the skin or what is left over of the dead animal, then he does not have to pay the owner.’

₁₄‘If someone borrows another man's animal and a wild animal kills it or it dies and the owner was not there when it happened, then the man who borrowed it must give another animal in the place of the animal that died. ₁₅If the owner was there when it happened, then the man does not have to pay anything. If he hired the animal, then the money that he paid to hire it is enough to pay for the animal.’

₁₆‘If a man has seduced a girl who is not engaged and he has sex with her, then he must give her father the bride-price and he must marry the girl. ₁₇If her father does not want to give her to the man to marry, then he must still pay. He must give the bride-price to her father.’

₁₈‘You must kill a woman who uses magic.

₁₉You must kill someone who has sex with an animal.

₂₀You must kill someone who sacrifices offerings to another god. You may sacrifice only to the Lord.’

₂₁‘Don't do bad things to a stranger. You may not make him suffer. Remember that you were strangers in Egypt.

₂₂You may never do anything bad to a widow or an orphan. ₂₃If you do and they ask Me to help them, I will listen to them. ₂₄I will become very angry and I will kill you. Then your wives will become widows and your children will become orphans.’

₂₅‘If you lend money to my people who are poor, don't be like people who always lend money to other people. Don't make the poor people pay interest.

₂₆If you take someone's clothes because he has no money to pay you, then you must give his clothes back when the sun goes down, ₂₇because he must put them over him when he sleeps. If you don't give them back and he asks Me to help him, I will listen to him because I feel sorry for him.’

₂₈‘You may not curse God or a leader of your people.’

₂₉‘Do not keep all the wheat that you cut and the wine that you make for yourself. Remember the offering that you must give to God.

You must give your oldest son to Me. ₃₀You must also give the oldest bull-calves and the oldest ram-lambs to Me. The calf or lamb must stay with his mother for 7 days and on the 8th day you must give it to Me.

₃₁You are my holy people. If a wild animal has killed one of your animals, don't eat the meat of the dead animal. Give that meat to the dogs.’