1你要在眾人前立定這些法度： 1These are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2假使你買了一個希伯來人作奴僕，他只勞作六年，第七年應自由離去，無須贖金。 2If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3他若單身而來，也應單身而去；他若娶了妻子來的，也應讓他的妻子與他同去。 3With what raiment he came in, with the like let him go out: if having a wife, his wife also shall go out with him.
4若主人給他娶了妻子，妻子也生了子女，妻子和子女都應歸於主人，他仍要單身離去。 4But if his master gave him a wife, and she hath borne sons and daughters: the woman and her children shall be her master's: but he himself shall go out with his raiment.
5若是那奴僕聲明說：我愛我的主人和我的妻子子女，我不願離去作自由人。 5And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out free:
6他的主人應領他到天主前，然後領他到門口或門框前，用錐子穿透他的耳朵，如此他可長久服事主人。 6His master shall bring him to the gods, and he shall be set to the door and the posts, and he shall bore his ear through with an awl: and he shall be his servant for ever.
7假使有人將女兒賣作婢女，她不可像男僕那樣離去。 7If any man sell his daughter to be a servant, she shall not go out as bondwomen are wont to go out.
8若主人已定她為自己的妻子，以後又厭惡了她，應許她贖身，但因主人對她失了信，不能把她賣給外方人民。 8If she displease the eyes of her master to whom she was delivered, he shall let her go: but he shall have no power to sell her to a foreign nation, if he despise her.
9若主人定了她作自己兒子的妻子，就應以待女兒的法律待她。 9But if he have betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10若主人為自己另娶了一個，對前妻的飲食、衣服與合歡之誼，不可減少。 10And if he take another wife for him, he shall provide her a marriage, and raiment, neither shall he refuse the price of her chastity.
11若對她不實行這三條，她可以離去，無須贖金或代價。 11If he do not these three things, she shall go out free without money.
12凡打人至死的，應受死刑。 12He that striketh a man with a will to kill him, shall be put to death.
13但若不是有意殺人，而是天主許他的手行的，我給你指定一個他可以逃避的地方。 13But he that did not lie in wait for him, but God delivered him into his hands: I will appoint thee a place to which he must flee.
14假使有人向人行兇，蓄意謀殺，應將他由我的祭壇前抓來處死。 14If a man kill his neighbour on set purpose and by lying in wait for him: thou shalt take him away from my altar, that he may die.
15凡打父親或母親的，應受死刑。 15He that striketh his father or mother, shall be put to death.
16凡拐帶人口的，無論已將人賣了，或者還在他手中，都應受死刑。 16He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.
17凡咒罵父親或母親的，應受死刑。 17He that curseth his father, or mother, shall die the death.
18假使二人吵架，一人用石頭或鋤頭打了另一人，被打的人未死，卻應臥床休養， 18If men quarrel, and the one strike his neighbour with a stone or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19他以後若能起床，能扶杖出外，打他的人，可免處分，但應賠償他失業的損失，把他完全醫好。 19If he rise again and walk abroad upon his staff, he that struck him shall be quit, yet so that he make restitution for his work, and for his expenses upon the physicians.
20假使有人用棍杖打奴僕或婢女，被打死在他手中，必受嚴罰。 20He that striketh his bondman or bondwoman with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.
21但若奴婢還活了一兩天，便不受處分，因為是他用銀錢買來的。 21But if the party remain alive a day or two, he shall not be subject to the punishment, because it is his money.
22假使人們打架，撞傷了孕婦，以致流產，但沒有別的損害，傷人者為這罪應按女人的丈夫所提出的，判官所斷定的，繳納罰款。 22If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child, and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman's husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award.
23若有損害，就應以命償命， 23But if her death ensue thereupon, he shall render life for life.
24以眼還眼，以牙還牙，以手還手，以腳還腳， 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25以烙還烙，以傷還傷，以疤還疤。 25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26假使有人打壞奴僕或婢女的一隻眼睛，為了他的眼睛應讓他自由離去。 26If any man strike the eye of his manservant or maidservant, and leave them but one eye, he shall let them go free for the eye which he put out.
27若有人打掉奴僕或婢女的一隻牙，為了他的牙應讓他自由離去。 27Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.
28牛無論牴死男或女，應用石頭砸死這牛，並且不許吃牠的肉，牛主不受懲罰。 28If an ox gore a man or a woman, and they die, he shall be stoned: and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29但若這隻牛以前牴過人，牛主也受過警告，而仍不加防範，這牛無論牴死男女，牛應砸死，牛主也應受死刑。 29But if the ox was wont to push with his horn yesterday and the day before, and they warned his master, and he did not shut him up, and he shall kill a man or a woman: then the ox shall be stoned, an his owner also shall be put to death.
30若是給他提出了贖價，他應照所提出的一切數目繳納贖命罰金。 30And if they set a price upon him, he shall give for his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31牛若牴死了男女兒童，也應照這法律處理。 31If he have gored a son, or a daughter, he shall fall under the like sentence.
32牛若牴死了一個奴僕或婢女，應給僕婢的主人三十銀『協刻耳』，牛應砸死。 32If he assault a bondman or a bond woman, he shall give thirty sicles of silver to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33假使有人敞著旱井，或挖掘旱井時，不加掩蓋，無論牛或驢陷在裡面， 33If a man open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall into it,
34井主應賠償，應給牛主銀錢，死的牲畜歸自己。 34The owner of the pit shall pay the price of the beasts: and that which is dead shall be his own.
35假使一人的牛牴死別人的牛，應把活牛賣了，銀錢平分，死牛也平分。 35If one man's ox gore another man's ox, and he die: they shall sell the live ox, and shall divide the price, and the carcass of that which died they shall part between them:
36但若查明這隻牛從前牴死過牛，牛主又不加以防範，牛主應該賠償，以牛還牛，死牛歸自己。 36But if he knew that his ox was wont to push yesterday and the day before, and his master did not keep him in: he shall pay ox for ox, and shall take the whole carcass.
37假使有人偷了牛或羊，無論是宰了或是賣了，應用五頭牛賠償一頭牛，四隻羊賠償一隻羊。 37
21:6
「到天主前」，即言到判官前。由於判官是天主的代言人。「到门口或门框前」，可能是指帐幕门口，但亦可指家主门口（申15:17）。
21:7-11
有关婢女的法律和有关男仆的法律不同，因为婢女普通或作主人的妾侍，或作家主儿子的妻室（申21:10-14）。
21:13-14
除规定祭坛能做避难所外，又指定数城作避难所（户35:9-20；申19:1-13；苏20）。
21:18-27
18-27节是记载古代民族的「报复法」。此法律的产生，按圣经的记载，是为叫人尊重别人的性命（创9:5-6）。但日後此报复法为耶稣所废（玛5:38-42）。