Exodus chapter 22
English Standard Version
1"If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, 3but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
7"If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man 's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor 's property. 9For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor.
10"If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, 11an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor 's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. 12But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
14"If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. 15If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee.
16"If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. 17If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins.
21"You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 22You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, 24and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
25"If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26If ever you take your neighbor 's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
New International Version
3but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed. "Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution, but if they have nothing, they must be sold to pay for their theft. 4If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.
7"If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double. 8But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges, and they must determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. 9In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to the other.
10"If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, 11the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. 12But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution must be made to the owner. 13If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.
14"If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution. 15But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.
16"If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.
22"Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. 23If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.
25"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest. 26If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset, 27because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in? When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
New American Standard Bible
2If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account. 3If the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for bloodshed on his account— A thief shall certainly make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
7If someone gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the neighbor’s house, if the thief is caught, then the thief shall pay double. 8If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges, to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. 9For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges; he whom the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
10If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking, 11an oath before the Lord shall be taken by the two of them that he has not laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution. 12But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.
14And if someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. 15If its owner is with it, the borrower shall not be compelled to make restitution. If it is hired, it came by its hire.
16If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and sleeps with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the dowry for virgins.
21You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 22You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. 23If you oppress him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will assuredly hear his cry; 24and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
25If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, 27for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for I am gracious.
Christian Standard Bible
1"When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep. 2If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed. 3But if this happens after sunrise, the householder is guilty of bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft. 4If what was stolen—whether ox, donkey, or sheep—is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.
7"When a man gives his neighbor valuables or goods to keep, but they are stolen from that person’s house, the thief, if caught, must repay double. 8If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must present himself to the judges to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor’s property. 9In any case of wrongdoing involving an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or anything else lost, and someone claims, ‘That’s mine,’ the case between the two parties is to come before the judges. The one the judges condemn must repay double to his neighbor.
10"When a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to care for, but it dies, is injured, or is stolen, while no one is watching, 11there must be an oath before the Lord between the two of them to determine whether or not he has taken his neighbor’s property. Its owner must accept the oath, and the other man does not have to make restitution. 12But if, in fact, the animal was stolen from his custody, he must make restitution to its owner. 13If it was actually torn apart by a wild animal, he is to bring it as evidence; he does not have to make restitution for the torn carcass.
14"When a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not there with it, the man must make full restitution. 15If its owner is there with it, the man does not have to make restitution. If it was rented, the loss is covered by its rental price.
16"If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and he sleeps with her, he must certainly pay the bridal price for her to be his wife. 17If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount in silver equal to the bridal price for virgins.
22"You must not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 23If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to me, and I will certainly hear their cry. 24My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
26"If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him before sunset. 27For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body. What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to me, I will listen because I am gracious.
New Living Translation
3But if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murder. 'A thief who is caught must pay in full for everything he stole. If he cannot pay, he must be sold as a slave to pay for his theft. 4If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is found in the thief’s possession, then the thief must pay double the value of the stolen animal.
7Suppose someone leaves money or goods with a neighbor for safekeeping, and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, the compensation is double the value of what was stolen. 8But if the thief is not caught, the neighbor must appear before God, who will determine if he stole the property.
10Now suppose someone leaves a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal with a neighbor for safekeeping, but it dies or is injured or is taken away, and no one sees what happened. 11The neighbor must then take an oath in the presence of the Lord. If the Lord confirms that the neighbor did not steal the property, the owner must accept the verdict, and no payment will be required. 12But if the animal was indeed stolen, the guilty person must pay compensation to the owner. 13If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the remains of the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no compensation will be required.
14If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or dies when the owner is absent, the person who borrowed it must pay full compensation. 15But if the owner was present, no compensation is required. And no compensation is required if the animal was rented, for this loss is covered by the rental fee.
16If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sex with her, he must pay the customary bride price and marry her. 17But if her father refuses to let him marry her, the man must still pay him an amount equal to the bride price of a virgin.
22You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. 23If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. 24My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
25If you lend money to any of my people who are in need, do not charge interest as a money lender would. 26If you take your neighbor’s cloak as security for a loan, you must return it before sunset. 27This coat may be the only blanket your neighbor has. How can a person sleep without it? If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am merciful.
King James Version
2If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. 3If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
7If a man shall deliver unto his neighbour money or stuff to keep, and it be stolen out of the man's house; if the thief be found, let him pay double. 8If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. 9For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whom the judges shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour. 10If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it: 11Then shall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good. 12And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof. 13If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
14And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good. 15But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire. 16And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. 17If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
22Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. 23If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; 24And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. 26If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: 27For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.
New King James Version
1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. 3If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
7“If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. 8If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.
9“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11then an oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12But if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. 13If it is torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
14“And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.
16“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.
22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
What does Exodus chapter 22 mean?
The prior chapter recorded laws on subjects such as homicide and assault. This chapter covers a wider range of topics.Livestock was used for transportation, food, clothing, and labor. Stealing these animals was a serious crime. So, the Law assigns thieves steep penalties. Most involve paying back multiple times what the animal was worth. When the beast could not be recovered, this was four or five times its sale value. Recovered animals still required the thief to pay double. Those who could not pay their restitution could be forced into indentured servitude. Thieves could not be killed when they were clearly only stealing—but those caught breaking in at night were not so protected (Exodus 22:1–4).
Losses due to negligence are also part of the Law. Letting one's animals damage another's field required restitution. Fires which ran out of control also meant repayment to victims. If property was stolen while being guarded by someone else, thieves were to repay twice the cost. If no thief were caught, the two sides would enter arbitration. The same applies to animals which are stolen, lost, or killed by predators (Exodus 22:5–15).
Female virginity was extremely valuable in the ancient world. It guaranteed that a husband would be the father of that woman's children. This meant the husband would be working to support his own family, and not someone else's. Women who had been widowed, divorced, or were not virgins had limited prospects. Here, Israel's law punishes men for seducing young women. Their penalty is either to marry her—and be subject to divorce restrictions—or pay as if he were marrying her (Exodus 22:16–17).
Scripture universally condemns any attempt to access spiritual power, or knowledge, other than through God (Leviticus 20: 27; Deuteronomy 18:10–11). Various biblical words include overlapping ideas. "Sorceress," or "witch," was a general term referring to black magic. Other related words are more directly tied to the idea of knowledge. Mediums (Leviticus 19:31; 1 Samuel 28:3), necromancers (Leviticus 20:6), fortune tellers, and diviners (Deuteronomy 18:14) all call on supernatural beings for information. Some pagan rituals involved sexual contact with animals; today this is referred to as "bestiality." These attempts are not only sinful, but they are dangerous. Sorcery and bestiality were intricately connected with idolatry and all the evils which it brought (2 Kings 17:14–17). Those practicing such things were subject to a mandatory death penalty (Exodus 22:18–20).
God's laws for Israel were not merely concerned with religious purity. They were also a framework for a godly sense of social justice. Travelling foreigners, as well as the poor and disadvantaged, were to be treated with the same rights and respect as anyone else. The Lord expected this compassion to extend even to those who borrowed money due to poverty. These declarations are general, but God promises His vengeance on those who disobey (Exodus 22:21–27).
The word translated "revile" here is the same word rendered as "cursing" in earlier passages (Exodus 21:17). The term implies treating something as if it were unimportant; to sneer at it as worthy of contempt. To disrespect the Creator is the ultimate form of this sin (Exodus 20:1–7). Yet applying this attitude towards government leaders is also forbidden. The idea is not that governments are immune from criticism. Rather, it is because government-in-general serves an important purpose (Romans 13:1–7). Hateful defiance of human authority is linked to denial of God's authority (Exodus 22:28).
Israel was God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 14:2). He had rescued them with powerful miracles and guidance (Exodus 14:21–29). It would make sense, then, for the people to honor God with their property and their lifestyles. Other parts of the Mosaic covenant give specific instructions about how and how much to offer. Israel's separation from the rest of the world is also reflected in a policy of never eating carrion: animals killed by other animals in the wild (Exodus 22:29–31).
