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•“When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt…. But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out a free person,’ then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl.” (Ex. 21:2-6)

Here is a good example of the altered ethical and moral standards from biblical times to the present day. Many passages in the Bible condone slavery, one reason it was justified by American Christian slaveholders. We can only consider slavery an inhumane and immoral institution, a very clear case of something that was acceptable in the time of Moses but is now considered reprehensible.

•“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people…. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing or martial rights of the first wife.” (Ex. 21:7-10)

The connotation of this passage, confirmed elsewhere many times over, is that a woman in ancient Israel was approximately the equivalent of a slave. While there are people who still believe that this is the way things were meant to be between the sexes, that is no longer the majority view.

•“Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death.” (Ex. 21:17)

The Hammurabi code, usually much more stern and containing many more death-penalty offenses, actually saw this law differently. For the same offense, Hammurabi said the person should lose a hand, not his life.

•“When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage, and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman’s husband demands. …If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Ex. 21:22-24)

This often misquoted passage meant that punishment and justice must be evenhanded and compensation should be equal to the crime. It was meant to limit people from exacting vengeance out of proportion to the wrong that had been done to them.

•“When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not restrained it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall be put to death…. If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay to the slave owner thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” (Ex. 21:28-33)

•“If someone leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution, giving money to its owner, but keeping the dead animal.” (Ex. 21:33-34)

•“If a thief is found breaking in, and is beaten to death, no blood guilt is incurred; but it if happens after sunrise, blood guilt is incurred.” (Ex. 22:2-3)

To incur “blood guilt” meant to be considered a murderer. In other words, you could legally kill a thief in your home in the night; but in the light of day, one would presumably have other means of stopping a thief besides killing.

•“Nor put a curse upon a chieftain among your people.” (Ex. 22:27)

This law prohibits cursing the leader of one’s nation. Remember that when your taxes are due.

Following a section of “case law” dealing with making restitution for lost, damaged, or stolen sheep and other livestock, Exodus adds:

•“When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married, and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her