Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



When a man sells his daughter into slavery, she will not go free the way male slaves do. If she does not please the master who has chosen her as a wife, he must let her be bought back by one of her close relatives. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has treated her unfairly. If a man buys a female slave to give to his son, he should treat her like a daughter. read more.
If a man takes a second wife, he must continue to give his first wife the same amount of food and clothing and the same rights that she had before. If he fails to do any of these things, she should be given her freedom without cost.

If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. In Jehovah's presence the priest will use them to pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.

When you go to war with your enemies and Jehovah your God hands them over to you, you may take them captive. If you see a beautiful woman among the captives and your heart is set on her, you may marry her. Take her to your home. She should shave her head and cut her nails. read more.
She should no longer wear the clothes she was wearing when you captured her. She may live in your house and mourn the loss of her father and mother for one month. After that you may marry her. Later if you are not happy with the woman you may divorce her. She may go free. But you have slept with her as your wife, so you cannot sell her as a slave or make her into your own slave.


Do not make false accusations. Do not put an innocent person to death. I will condemn anyone who does this evil thing.

If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave.

If an engaged woman is raped (forced to experience sex) only the man who commits the act will die. Do nothing to the woman. There is no sin in the woman worthy of death. This is like the case where a man attacks and murders his neighbor. When he found her in the field, the woman who is engaged protested, but there was no one to save her.

Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers. Everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

But he did not put their children to death. The orders of Jehovah recorded in the book of the law of Moses say: The fathers are not to be put to death for the children, or the children for their fathers; but each man shall be put to death for his own sin.

He did not execute their children. He obeyed Jehovah's command written in the Book of Moses' Teachings: Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime.

Jehovah's word continued to come to me: What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel: 'The fathers eat sour grapes, but the children's teeth are set on edge?' As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah: 'You are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. read more.
The life of every person belongs to me. The life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The person who sins will die. If a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, and does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor's wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period; if a man does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing. If he does not lend money on interest or take increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and executes true justice between man and man, if he lives by my rules and obeys my laws faithfully this person is righteous. He will certainly live,' declares the Lord Jehovah. Suppose this person has a son who robs and murders. The son does all these other things that his father never did. He eats at the illegal mountain worship sites. He dishonors his neighbor's wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He robs. He does not return the security for a loan. He looks to idols for help. He does disgusting things. He lends money for interest and makes excessive profits. Will this person live? He will not live. He has done all these disgusting things. So he must die, and he will be responsible for his own death. Now suppose this son has a son. The son sees all the sins that his father does. He is afraid, so he does not do such things. He does not eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He does not dishonor his neighbor's wife. He does not oppress anyone. He does not keep the security for a loan. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to people who are hungry, and he gives clothes to those who are naked. He keeps his hand from the poor and does not take interest or increase, but executes my ordinances, and walks in my statutes. He will not die for his father's iniquity. He will surely live. As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity. Yet you say: Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity? When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has observed all my statutes and done them, he shall surely live. The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity. The righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself. And the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.


It takes a painful experience to cleanse our hearts.



The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the barracks. He told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him.

At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him. The commander was frightened when he found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.

If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave.



The elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him,

If the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge will then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence. The number of lashes is according to his guilt. He must not beat him more than forty lashes. If he beats more than that your brother will be degraded in your eyes.


If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave.

The elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him,


In this way you will set the fiftieth year apart and proclaim freedom to all the inhabitants of the land. During this year all property that has been sold must be restored to the original owner or the descendants, and any who have been sold as slaves may return to their families.

If a man is caught kidnapping any of his brothers of the sons of Israel, and he deals with him violently or sells him, the thief shall die. You will purge the evil from among you.

If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. In Jehovah's presence the priest will use them to pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.

If you buy Israelites (your own brothers) as slaves, you must set them free after six years.

It should not seem hard to you when you set him free. After all he has given you six years with double the service of a hired man. Jehovah your God will bless you in whatever you do.

These are the ordinances you should set before them. When you buy a Hebrew slave he will be your slave for six years. In the seventh year he may leave as a free man without paying for his freedom. If he was single at the time you bought him he alone must be set free. If he was married at that time, both he and his wife must be given their freedom. read more.
If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master. He shall go out alone. What if the slave loves his wife and children so much that he will not leave without them? He must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship. His owner will punch a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life. When a man sells his daughter into slavery, she will not go free the way male slaves do. If she does not please the master who has chosen her as a wife, he must let her be bought back by one of her close relatives. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has treated her unfairly. If a man buys a female slave to give to his son, he should treat her like a daughter. If a man takes a second wife, he must continue to give his first wife the same amount of food and clothing and the same rights that she had before. If he fails to do any of these things, she should be given her freedom without cost.

If a slave owner takes a stick and beats his slave, whether male or female, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner is to be punished. If the slave lives a few days after the beating, you are not to be punished. After all, you have already lost the services of that slave who was your property.

If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free because of his eye. If he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free because of his tooth.

If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give his or her master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Even though the land has not been cultivated during that year, it will provide food for you, your slaves, your hired men, the foreigners living with you,

If an Israelite becomes poor and cannot support himself, you should help him. He must live with you as a stranger without a permanent home. Do not collect interest or make any profit from him. Respect your God by respecting other Israelites' lives. Do not collect any interest on your money or on the food you give them. read more.
I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and to be your God. If an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, do not work him like a slave. He will be like a hired worker or a visitor to you. He may work with you until the year of jubilee. Then you will release him and his children to go back to their family and the property of their ancestors. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves. Do not treat them harshly. Respect your God. You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you. You may also buy the children of the foreigners who are living among you. Such children born in your land may become your property. You may leave them as an inheritance to your children, whom they must serve as long as they live. But you must not treat any Israelites harshly. Suppose a foreigner living with you becomes rich, while some Israelites become poor and sell themselves as slaves to that foreigner or to a member of that foreigner's family. He has the right to be set free by a relative, such as a brother. His uncle, his cousin, or some other relative could also buy him back. If he becomes rich, he could buy his own freedom. Then he and his buyer must take into account the number of years from the year he was bought until the year of jubilee. His sale price will be adjusted based on the number of years he was with his buyer. This is like the wages of a hired worker. If there are many years left, he must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. If there are only a few years left until the year of jubilee, he must take them into account. He must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. He should serve his buyer as a hired worker during those years. His buyer should not treat him harshly. If he cannot buy his freedom he and his children will be released in the year of jubilee. The Israelites belong to me! They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God!'

Supply him liberally from your flock and from your threshing floor and from your wine vat. Give to him as Jehovah your God has blessed you.


If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave.

Suppose there is a girl who is a virgin engaged to a man, and another man has sexual relations with her. You must bring them both out to the gate of that city and you must stone them to death! The girl did not protest what was happening and the man has violated his neighbor's woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from among you.


If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. In Jehovah's presence the priest will use them to pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.