Thematic Bible: Laws concerning


Thematic Bible





The seventh day is a Sabbath dedicated to Jehovah your God. Do not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. Verse ConceptsServanthood, In SocietyWork, And RestIndustryStrangersThe Seventh Day Of The WeekForeigners Included In The LawDay 7No Work On Feast DaysRegulations For Men And WomenSabbaths InstitutedStrangers in israel

If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. If an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him. read more.
Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule. 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. If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution. He will give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his. If one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally. They should divide the dead ox. If it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

A man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it. He must pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guiltiness on his account. But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder. A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he should be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. read more.
If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it is a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.

If your enemy's donkey falls under its load, help him get the donkey to its feet again. Do not just walk away. Verse Conceptsevil, believers' responses toResponsibility, For God's WorldAnimal RightsHeavy BurdensPeople HelpingLoving Your Enemies


Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Do not plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material. Verse ConceptsMulesFieldsAnimals, religious role ofSeedCultivationAnimal ReproductionNot MixingMixing MaterialsInstruction About ClothesKeep The Commandments!GarmentsAgricultureDrugs

The seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God: in it you should not do any work. Your son and daughter should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should not work. Your ox, donkey, cattle or any stranger living with you should not work. Your manservant and maidservant should rest as much as you do. Verse ConceptsServanthood, In SocietyWork, And RestStrangersThe Seventh Day Of The WeekForeigners Included In The LawDay 7No Work On Feast DaysRegulations For Men And Women

You should not see your brothers donkey or his bull fallen down on the way, and pay no attention to them. Help him lift it to its feet. Verse ConceptsRespect, For EnvironmentResponsibility, For God's WorldRoadsAnimals Falling

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If you find a bird's nest near the road, in a tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it. The mother could be sitting on the young or on eggs. Do not take the mother with the young. Let the mother go. You may take the young. Let the mother go. May things go well with you and you may prolong your days.


For the scripture said: You must not muzzle the bull while he is threshing. The workman is worthy of his wages. Verse ConceptsEmploymentMastersMinistry, In The ChurchThreshingWord Of GodMuzzlingOxenBinding As AnimalsScripture SaysSpecial RevelationRewardWorth


When men quarrel and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist and injures him so that he has to stay in bed you must do this. Verse ConceptsDisputesBatteryBedsBeating PeopleBeing Struck With StonesNot Dyingstriving

When a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting, if she is not badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. The payment will be for life if she is seriously injured, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, read more.
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. 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 any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you should go to the place Jehovah your God chooses. Approach the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days. Inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. Act according to the terms of the verdict they declare to you from that place Jehovah chooses. Be careful to abide by all that they teach you. read more.
Act according to the verdict and the terms they tell you. Do not turn away from the word they declare to you. The man who acts presumptuously and does not listen to the priest or the judge will die. This way you will purge the evil from Israel. The priests and judges are there to serve Jehovah your God.

You have heard it said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, do not resist a wicked person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to that person.

It is written in the Law of Moses: You should not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads (threshes) out the grain. Does God care only about oxen? Verse ConceptsMoses, Significance OfThreshingMuzzlingAnimals, God's Care OfOxenSealing ThingsBinding As AnimalsWritten In The Lawthe Law of mosesPerspectivemuscles


For the scripture said: You must not muzzle the bull while he is threshing. The workman is worthy of his wages. Verse ConceptsEmploymentMastersMinistry, In The ChurchThreshingWord Of GodMuzzlingOxenBinding As AnimalsScripture SaysSpecial RevelationRewardWorth

If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. If an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. If a ransom is demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded of him. read more.
Whether it gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule. 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. If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution. He will give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his. If one man's ox hurts another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally. They should divide the dead ox. If it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

A man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it. He must pay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guiltiness on his account. But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder. A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he should be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. read more.
If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it is a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. Someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard. They stray and graze in another person's field. He must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. If he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing, he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard. A fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field. The person who started the fire must make up for the loss. Someone gives his neighbor silver or other valuables to keep for him. They are stolen from that person's house. If the thief is caught, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to God to find out whether or not he took his neighbor's valuables. There is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, and any other lost property which two people claim as their own. Both people must bring their case to God. The one whom God declares guilty must make up for his neighbor's loss with double the amount. Someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses.



You have indeed exacted pledges from your family for no reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeFalse AccusationsPeople Stripping Peoplelent

If you take someone's cloak as a pledge that he will pay you, you must give it back to him before the sunsets, Verse ConceptsThe SunDressSunsetsLaws About Pledges

Do not take a hand mill or an upper millstone as security for a debt. That would be taking away a man's livelihood. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeMillstonesCreditorsLaws About Pledges

They drive away the donkey of the orphan. They take the widow's ox for a pledge. Verse ConceptsOxenCreditAbhorGuaranteeOppression, Nature OfOrphansWidowsCreditorsOwning LivestockNot Helping Widows

They lie down beside every altar on clothes taken from indebtedness. In the house of their God they drink the wine they have confiscated. Verse ConceptsCreditGuaranteeDrinking WineAccused Of DrunkennessFine As PenaltyInterlopers In The Temple

In the business of trading goods for money, do no wrong to one another. Verse ConceptsBuying and sellingTradeWronging Other Peoplecheaterssales


Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of Egypt. Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Jehovah!'

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.

After Abram lived in Canaan ten years, Sarai, his wife, gave her Egyptian maidservant Hagar to her husband to be his wife. Verse ConceptsConcubinesTen To Fourteen YearsGiving In Marriagemistress

While Abraham was still alive, he gave gifts to the sons of Hagar and Keturah. He also sent their sons to live in the east far from his son Isaac. Verse ConceptsGroups Sent Away

The sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan. Verse ConceptsConcubines

This is the story of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing. Verse ConceptsThose Who Kept StockHalf brothersParents Being Wrong

The man went after her to persuade her to return. He took his servant and two donkeys with him. The woman invited the Levite into the house, and when her father saw him, he gave him a friendly greeting. The young woman's father insisted that he stay. So he stayed for three days. The couple had their meals and spent the nights there. The morning of the fourth day they woke up early and prepared to go. But the woman's father said to the Levite: Eat first. You will feel better. You can go later.

David left Hebron and moved to Jerusalem. He married many women from Jerusalem, and he had a lot of children. Verse ConceptsConcubinesPolygamyDavid's Wives

The king left on foot. His whole household followed him. The king left ten concubines behind to take care of the palace. Verse ConceptsConcubinesTen People

She said to Abraham: Get rid of that slave woman and her son. Verse ConceptsInheritance, MaterialFamilyQuarrelsOld Testament People As Typessarah

The word of Jehovah came to him: This man shall not be your heir. No one but your very own issue shall be your heir. Verse ConceptsGod, Faithfulness OfAbrahamBody

Caleb's concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez. The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph. Caleb's concubine Maacah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah.

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These are the eight children Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother. His concubine, Reumah, also bore Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was laughing in mockery. She said to Abraham: Get rid of that slave woman and her son. This upset Abraham because of his son Ishmael. read more.
God said to Abraham: Do not be upset about the boy and your slave. Listen to what Sarah says, because through Isaac your descendants will carry on your name. I will make the slave's son into a nation also, because he is your child. Early the next morning Abraham took bread and a container of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder. He also gave her the boy and sent her on her way. So she left and wandered around in the desert near Beer-sheba.

Rehoboam loved Maacah, Absalom's granddaughter, more than all his other wives and concubines. He had eighteen wives and sixty concubines. He fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. Verse ConceptsConcubinesEighteenTwenty Some

Abijah became strong. He married fourteen wives and fathered twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. Verse ConceptsPolygamyFourteenTwenty Some

The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel was his descendant through his Aramean concubine. She gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead. Verse ConceptsConcubines


Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. Verse ConceptsConcubines

Saul had a concubine named Rizpah. She was Aiah's daughter. Ishbosheth asked Abner: Why did you have sex with my father's concubine? Verse ConceptsConcubinesSleep, PhysicalExtra Marital Sex Examplesmistress

Then Rachel let Jacob marry Bilhah. Jacob slept with Bilhah. Verse ConceptsMarital SexMarital Sex BetweenGiving In MarriagesexBuilding Relationships

There was still no king in Israel. There was a Levite who lived in the remote area of Mount Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Verse ConceptsConcubinesKingship, HumanBethlehemNo King

He also kept a concubine in Shechem. She bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the Temple in Jerusalem. This way the king and his lords, his wives and his concubines, might drink from them. Verse ConceptsPolygamySilverHoly VesselsSacred VesselsSacrilegeGold TransferredOther Wives

You have indeed exacted pledges from your family for no reason, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeFalse AccusationsPeople Stripping Peoplelent

If you take someone's cloak as a pledge that he will pay you, you must give it back to him before the sunsets, Verse ConceptsThe SunDressSunsetsLaws About Pledges

Do not take a hand mill or an upper millstone as security for a debt. That would be taking away a man's livelihood. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeMillstonesCreditorsLaws About Pledges

They drive away the donkey of the orphan. They take the widow's ox for a pledge. Verse ConceptsOxenCreditAbhorGuaranteeOppression, Nature OfOrphansWidowsCreditorsOwning LivestockNot Helping Widows

They lie down beside every altar on clothes taken from indebtedness. In the house of their God they drink the wine they have confiscated. Verse ConceptsCreditGuaranteeDrinking WineAccused Of DrunkennessFine As PenaltyInterlopers In The Temple



Do not take a hand mill or an upper millstone as security for a debt. That would be taking away a man's livelihood. Verse ConceptsCreditBorrowing, SuretyGuaranteeMillstonesCreditorsLaws About Pledges

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. 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. read more.
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 you lend money to any of my people who are poor, do not act like a moneylender and require him to pay interest. If you take someone's cloak as a pledge that he will pay you, you must give it back to him before the sunsets, for it is the only covering he has to keep him warm. What else can he sleep in? When he cries out to me for help, I will answer him because I am merciful.

In the business of trading goods for money, do no wrong to one another. Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. read more.
You must not wrong one another. You shall respect your God. I am Jehovah your God.

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.

This is how you should release. Every man who has a loan to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not require it from his neighbor, or from his brother, because it is called Jehovah's release. You may collect from a foreigner, but your hand should release that debt which is yours with your brother.

Do not charge interest to your brothers, interest on money, food, anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your brother (countrymen) you shall not charge interest. That way Jehovah your God will bless you in all that you undertake in the land you are about to possess.

When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort do not go into his house and repossess the security. Remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan must bring the pledged security out to you. If he is a poor man, do not keep the pledged security over night. read more.
Return the pledge to him before the sun goes down. He will have his pledged item and he may sleep. He will bless you. And it will be righteousness for you before Jehovah your God.

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If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive what thanks do you have? Even sinners lend to sinners to receive again as much. Verse ConceptsHope, Nature OfGiving Without Expecting ReturnGiving Backexpectationslent

If someone takes you to court to sue you and takes your shirt, let him have your coat as well. Verse ConceptsCloaksDressPeople Giving ClothesOuter GarmentsInner GarmentsAdding EvilRobbing People

If the peoples of the lands come to do trade in goods or food on the Sabbath day, that we would do no trade with them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. In the seventh year we would take no payment from any debtor. Verse Conceptsethics, personalBuying and sellingCreditRespect, For EnvironmentSabbatical YearSabbath, In OtTradeYearsDebtorsCancellation Of DeptCancelling DebtsSabbath ObservedDebt

He was not able to make payment. So his lord gave orders for him to be sold. His wife, sons, and daughters were all to be sold along with every possession. The money would be used for payment of what he owed. Verse ConceptsLordship, Human And DivineDebtorsOther WivesSettling AccountsUnable To Do Other ThingsDebt

Come to an agreement quickly with the one who has a legal case against you. Do it before he turns the case over to the judge and you are thrown into jail. Take it from me; you will stay in jail until you pay the very last penny of your fine.

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. 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. read more.
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.

In the business of trading goods for money, do no wrong to one another. Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. read more.
You must not wrong one another. You shall respect your God. I am Jehovah your God.

Someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses. The case between them must be settled by swearing an oath to Jehovah that the neighbor did not take the other person's animal. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor does not have to make up for the loss. However, if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make up for the owner's loss. read more.
If a wild animal killed the neighbor's animal he must bring in the dead body of the wild animal as evidence. He does not have to make up for an animal that has been killed. Whenever someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must make up for the loss. If the owner is with the animal, the borrower does not have to make up for the loss. If it is rented, the rental fee covers the loss.

If any of you Israelites become so poor that you are forced to sell your property, your closest relative must buy it back. If that relative has the money. Later, if you can afford to buy it, you must pay enough to make up for what the present owner will lose on it before the next Year of Celebration, when the property would become yours again. read more.
If he cannot earn enough to buy it back, what he sold stays in the hands of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it will be released, and he will own it again. If anyone sells a home in a walled city, for one year after selling it he has the right to buy it back. He may buy it back only within that time. If he does not buy it back during that year, the house in the city belongs to the buyer for generations to come. It will not be released in the jubilee. Houses in villages without walls are regarded as belonging to the fields of the land. They can be bought back. They will be released in the jubilee. The Levites always have the right to buy back their property in the cities they own. If any Levite buys back a house, in the jubilee the purchased house in the city will be released. This is because the houses in the Levite cities are their property among the Israelites. But a field that belongs to their cities must not be sold, because it is their property from generation to generation. 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. 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.

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. read more.
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!'

The man replied: Which law? And Jesus said: Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false witness, Verse ConceptsAdulterersAdultery, DefinedMurderSanctity Of LifeWitnesses, FalseAvoid AdulteryDo Not MurderDo Not StealEighth Commandment

Jehovah continued: If you are a witness under oath who refuses to tell what you saw or what you know, you are sinning and will be punished. Verse ConceptsProof, As EvidenceSin BearerWitnesses, LegalAdjurationGuiltResponsibilityWitnessingSwearingMoralityRemoving People From Your LifeMaking Mistakestestimonypartnershipconsequencestestifyingperformance

The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death. Verse ConceptsCongregationDeath penaltyCamps, Unclean ThingsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfLaying On Of HandsHands On HeadsOutside The CampLaying On Hands For EvilInstructions About Stoning

Those accused of murder may be found guilty and put to death only on the evidence of two or more witnesses. The evidence of one witness is not sufficient to support an accusation of murder. Verse ConceptsAgreements, LegalMurderWitnesses, LegalOnly One PersonDeath Penalty For Killing



Do not witness against your neighbor without cause. Do not deceive with you lips. Verse ConceptsThe Lips Of The WickedDeception, Forbidden By GodLipsWitnesses, FalseLiarsAvoiding DeceitLying And Deceit



Do not make false accusations. Do not put an innocent person to death. I will condemn anyone who does this evil thing. Verse ConceptsInnocence, Teaching OnAcquittalDo Not MurderFar From OneJudicial PunishmentFake FriendsaccusationsAcquitting The Guilty

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On the evidence and testimony of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. The witnesses must throw the first stone to put him to death, and afterward all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

One witness is not enough to convict someone of a crime, offense, or sin he may have committed. Cases must be settled based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This is what you must do whenever a witness takes the stand to accuse a person falsely of a crime. The two people involved must stand in Jehovah's presence, in front of the priests and judges who are serving at that time. read more.
The judges must make a thorough investigation. If it is found that the witness lied when he testified against the other Israelite, do to him what he planned to do to the other person. Get rid of this evil. When other people hear about this, they will be afraid. Never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Have no pity on him: Take a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot.

When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the fields. Do not go back to cut the heads of grain that were left. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. Jehovah is your God.' Verse ConceptsGleaningForeignersethics, socialHarvestLand, As A Divine ResponsibilityPoverty, Remedies ForSowing And ReapingAliens, Believers DutyCapitalismStrangersLoving ForeignersThe Lord Is GodLaws About AgricultureEconomicsThe poorStrangers in israelImmigrantsAliensFarmingFeeding The Poor

When you reap the harvest of your land, you should not reap to the very corners of your field. You should not gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not glean your vineyard. Do not gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. Leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.

When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

Count seven times seven years (seven sabbaths of years), a total of forty-nine years. Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement, send someone to blow a trumpet throughout the whole land. 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. read more.
That fiftieth year will be your jubilee year. Do not plant or harvest what grows by itself or pick grapes from the vines in the land. The jubilee year will be holy to you. You will eat what the field itself produces. In this jubilee year every slave will be freed in order to return to his property. In the business of trading goods for money, do no wrong to one another. Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops. In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. You must not wrong one another. You shall respect your God. I am Jehovah your God. You must observe my statutes and keep my judgments, so as to carry them out. That way you may live securely on the land. The land will give you its products. You will eat all you want and live there securely. You may ask: What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?' I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years. You will plant again in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more. No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me! It is not your land! You only live there for a little while. When property is sold, the original owner must be given the first chance to buy it. If any of you Israelites become so poor that you are forced to sell your property, your closest relative must buy it back. If that relative has the money. Later, if you can afford to buy it, you must pay enough to make up for what the present owner will lose on it before the next Year of Celebration, when the property would become yours again. If he cannot earn enough to buy it back, what he sold stays in the hands of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it will be released, and he will own it again. If anyone sells a home in a walled city, for one year after selling it he has the right to buy it back. He may buy it back only within that time. If he does not buy it back during that year, the house in the city belongs to the buyer for generations to come. It will not be released in the jubilee. Houses in villages without walls are regarded as belonging to the fields of the land. They can be bought back. They will be released in the jubilee. The Levites always have the right to buy back their property in the cities they own. If any Levite buys back a house, in the jubilee the purchased house in the city will be released. This is because the houses in the Levite cities are their property among the Israelites. But a field that belongs to their cities must not be sold, because it is their property from generation to generation. 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. 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!'

If you give your field in the jubilee year, it will have its full value. Should you give the field after the jubilee year, the priest will estimate its value based on the number of years left until the next jubilee year. If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more. read more.
If you do not buy it back and it is sold to someone else, it may not be redeemed. When the field is released in the jubilee year, it will be holy like a field claimed by Jehovah. It will become the property of the priest. You may give a field you bought, not one that was a part of your family property, to Jehovah as something holy. The priest must figure out the field's value until the jubilee year. You will pay its value on that day as something holy, belonging to Jehovah. In the jubilee year the field will go back to the person from whom it was bought, to whom it belongs as family property.

During the Year of Restoration, when all property that has been sold is restored to its original owners, the property of Zelophehad's daughters will be permanently added to the tribe into which they marry and will be lost to our tribe. Verse ConceptsYear Of Jubilee

They are to bring these offerings to Jehovah: a one-year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, a one-year-old female lamb as an offering for sin, and a ram as a fellowship offering. All of these animals must have no defects. Verse ConceptsCripplesFellowship OfferingLambsOfferingsAnimal Sacrifices, Peace OfferingAnimal Sacrifices, Sin OfferingFemale AnimalsPerfect SacrificesAnimals At Specific AgesSheep And GoatsPeace offerings

Joyful occasions such as your New Moon Festivals and your other religious festivals, you are to blow the trumpets when you present your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings. Then I will help you. I AM JEHOVAH YOUR GOD! Verse ConceptsJoy, Of IsraelMemorialNew Moon FestivalTrumpetAnimal Sacrifices, BurntAnimal Sacrifices, Peace OfferingTrumpets For CelebrationThe Lord Is GodFestivals ObservedRegulating Sacrifices

Take the other ram and Aaron and his sons are to put their hands on its head. Kill it and take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the rest of the blood all around the altar. Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. He, his sons, and their clothes will then be dedicated to me. read more.
Remove the ram's fat, the fat tail, the fat covering the internal organs, the fat attached to the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh.

You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. Verse ConceptsCooking, Types Of FoodAnimal Sacrifices, Peace OfferingFood For Priests Defined

These are the instructions for the fellowship offering that you must bring to Jehovah. If you offer it as a thank offering, you must also bring rings of unleavened bread mixed with oil, wafers of unleavened bread brushed with oil, and loaves made from flour mixed well with oil. In addition to these rings of bread, you must bring leavened bread (with yeast) along with your fellowship offering of thanksgiving. read more.
He will present one of every offering as a contribution to Jehovah. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings. The flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings will be eaten on the day of his offering. He should not leave any of it over until morning.

If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted. It will not be considered for his benefit. It will be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it will bear his own iniquity. Verse ConceptsAbominationsAcceptance, divineAcceptance, Of WorshipThree Days

Tell the Israelites: 'Take a male goat as an offering for sin, a calf and a lamb, each one-year-old and without defects, as a burnt offering, a bull and a ram as a fellowship offering, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil to sacrifice in Jehovah's presence. Jehovah will appear to you today.'

He brought the people's offerings. He took the male goat for the people's offering for sin and slaughtered it. Then he sacrificed it to take away sins as he had done before. He followed the proper procedures and brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it. He also brought the grain offering. He took a handful of grain and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. read more.
He slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people's fellowship offering. Aaron's sons gave him the blood. He threw it against the altar on all sides. The fat from the bull and the ram, the fat from the tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver they placed on the breasts. Aaron burned them all on the altar. First he took the breasts and the right thighs and presented them to Jehovah just as Moses commanded.


Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation. Verse ConceptsAbstinenceAlcoholOrdinancesPriests, Function In Ot TimesWineProhibitionEntering The TabernacleNot Drinking WineStrong DrinkDeath Due To God's PresenceDrinking No WineAlcoholic Beveragesbeeralcoholism

Anoint them just as you anointed their father that they can serve me as priests. This anointing will make them priests for generations to come. Verse ConceptsPriesthood, In OtThe Act Of AnointingAnointing Priests

In addition, we make it clear to you, that it will be against the law to put any tax or payment in goods or forced payment on any of the priests or Levites, the music-makers, doorkeepers, Nethinim, or any servants of this house of God. Verse ConceptsGatekeepersTributesHuman Authority, Nature OfSingersTemple Assistants

And the Tirshatha (governor) said that they were not to have the most holy things for their food, till a priest came to give decision by the Urim and Thummim. Verse ConceptsThe Urim And ThummimUrim And Thummim

Jehovah also said: This is what you must do in order to (consecrate) set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests: Take a young bull that has no defects and two rams that have no defects. Verse ConceptsAnointing, Performed OnPriests, Function In Ot TimesPriests, Institution In Ot TimesServanthood, And Worship Of GodPerfect SacrificesTwo AnimalsMaking People HolySacrificing Cattle Sheep And Goats

Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative, Verse ConceptsHoliness,  Worldly SeparationPriests, Function In Ot TimesPollutionsPollution ForbiddenDeath Of A Family MemberGrandmothers

The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death. Verse ConceptsCongregationDeath penaltyCamps, Unclean ThingsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfLaying On Of HandsHands On HeadsOutside The CampLaying On Hands For EvilInstructions About Stoning

Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death. Verse ConceptsGatesPunishment, Legal Aspects OfBusiness At The GatewayInstructions About Stoning

with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet. Verse ConceptsHornsMusical Instruments, types ofRamsThrowing StonesDeath As PunishmentNot TouchingTrumpets For SignallingBoth Men And Animals KilledInstructions About Stoning

Tell the Israelites: 'If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. Verse ConceptsDeath penaltyPunishment, Legal Aspects OfStonesIdolatry, Wicked Practices OfAliens, Believers DutyStrangersInstructions About StoningDeath Penalty For Heresy

Stone him to death because he has sought to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Verse ConceptsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfGroups Of SlavesInstructions About StoningGod Bringing Israel Out Of Egypt

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. Verse ConceptsComing To GatesInstructions About Stoning

Do not hand over an escaped slave to his master. Let him live with you in your midst. Let him choose a place in one of your towns where it pleases him. Do not mistreat him.

When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sexual intercourse with her, he must pay the bride price and marry her. If her father refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount of money equal to the bride price for virgins.

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 an engaged woman is raped (forced to experience sex) only the man who commits the act will die. read more.
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. Suppose a man finds a woman who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered. The man who has sex with her must give to the girl's father fifty shekels of silver, and she will become his wife because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.

The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death. Verse ConceptsCongregationDeath penaltyCamps, Unclean ThingsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfLaying On Of HandsHands On HeadsOutside The CampLaying On Hands For EvilInstructions About Stoning

Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death. Verse ConceptsGatesPunishment, Legal Aspects OfBusiness At The GatewayInstructions About Stoning

with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet. Verse ConceptsHornsMusical Instruments, types ofRamsThrowing StonesDeath As PunishmentNot TouchingTrumpets For SignallingBoth Men And Animals KilledInstructions About Stoning

Tell the Israelites: 'If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. Verse ConceptsDeath penaltyPunishment, Legal Aspects OfStonesIdolatry, Wicked Practices OfAliens, Believers DutyStrangersInstructions About StoningDeath Penalty For Heresy

Stone him to death because he has sought to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Verse ConceptsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfGroups Of SlavesInstructions About StoningGod Bringing Israel Out Of Egypt

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. Verse ConceptsComing To GatesInstructions About Stoning

The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death. Verse ConceptsCongregationDeath penaltyCamps, Unclean ThingsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfLaying On Of HandsHands On HeadsOutside The CampLaying On Hands For EvilInstructions About Stoning

Bring that man or woman who has done this evil deed out to your gates. Stone the man or the woman to death. Verse ConceptsGatesPunishment, Legal Aspects OfBusiness At The GatewayInstructions About Stoning

with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet. Verse ConceptsHornsMusical Instruments, types ofRamsThrowing StonesDeath As PunishmentNot TouchingTrumpets For SignallingBoth Men And Animals KilledInstructions About Stoning

Tell the Israelites: 'If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. Verse ConceptsDeath penaltyPunishment, Legal Aspects OfStonesIdolatry, Wicked Practices OfAliens, Believers DutyStrangersInstructions About StoningDeath Penalty For Heresy

Stone him to death because he has sought to draw you away from Jehovah your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Verse ConceptsPunishment, Legal Aspects OfGroups Of SlavesInstructions About StoningGod Bringing Israel Out Of Egypt

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. Verse ConceptsComing To GatesInstructions About Stoning

When you build the altar for Jehovah your God, never plant beside it any tree dedicated to the goddess Asherah. Verse ConceptsServing AsherahWorship At TreesChristmas Treegirlfriends


When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for the first three years. Verse ConceptsForeskinsCultivationThree YearsEating Forbidden FoodFirst fruits

This is what you must do whenever you blockade a city for a long time in order to capture it in war. Do not harm any of its fruit trees with an ax. You may eat the fruit. Never cut those trees down, because the trees of the field are not people you have come to blockade. Verse ConceptsRespect, For EnvironmentEcological ConcernsFortsTreesFelling TreesSharp ToolsHarming Trees