Social Responsibility

If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the customary dowry and accept her as his wife. But if her father refuses to let her marry him, the man must still pay the money for her dowry.

A sorceress must not be allowed to live.

Anyone who has sexual relations with a animal must be executed.

Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.

Do not oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Do not exploit widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to me, then I will surely help them. My anger will blaze forth against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Your wives will become widows, and your children will become fatherless.

If you lend money to a fellow Hebrew in need, do not be like a money lender, charging interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge of repayment, you must return it by nightfall. Your neighbor will need it to stay warm during the night. If you do not return it and your neighbor cries out to me for help, then I will hear, for I am very merciful.

Do not blaspheme God or curse anyone who rules over you.

Do not hold anything back when you give me the tithe of your crops or your wine.

You must make the necessary payment for redemption of your firstborn sons.

You must also give me the firstborn of your cattle and sheep. Leave the newborn animal with its mother for seven days; then give it to me on the eighth day.

You are my own holy people. Therefore, do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Throw its carcass out for the dogs to eat.

Exodus 22:16-31

Protection of Property

"A fine must be paid by anyone who steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sell it. For oxen the fine is five oxen for each one stolen. For sheep the fine is four sheep for each one stolen.

"If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty. But 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 that was stolen. If payment is not made, the thief must be sold as a slave to pay the debt. If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is recovered alive, then the thief must pay double the value.

"If an animal is grazing in a field or vineyard, and the owner lets it stray into someone else's field to graze, then the animal's owner must pay damages in the form of high-quality grain or grapes.

"If a fire gets out of control and goes into another person's field, destroying the sheaves or the standing grain, then the one who started the fire must pay for the lost crops.

"Suppose someone entrusts money or goods to a neighbor, and they are stolen from the neighbor's house. If the thief is found, the fine is double the value of what was stolen. But if the thief is not found, God will determine whether or not it was the neighbor who stole the property.

"Suppose there is a dispute between two people as to who owns a particular ox, donkey, sheep, article of clothing, or anything else. Both parties must come before God for a decision, and the person whom God declares guilty must pay double to the other.

Now suppose someone asks a neighbor to care for a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal, but it dies or is injured or gets away, and there is no eye-witness to report just what happened. The neighbor must then take an oath of innocence in the presence of the LORD. The owner must accept the neighbor's word, and no payment will be required. But if the animal or property was stolen, payment must be made to the owner. If it was attacked by a wild animal, the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no payment will be required.

If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is injured or killed, and if the owner was not there at the time, the person who borrowed it must pay for it. But if the owner is there, no payment is required. And no payment is required if the animal was rented because this loss was covered by the rental fee.

A Plague of Hail!

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning. Go to Pharaoh and tell him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you don't, I will send a plague that will really speak to you and your officials and all the Egyptian people. I will prove to you that there is no other God like me in all the earth. I could have killed you all by now. I could have attacked you with a plague that would have wiped you from the face of the earth. But I have let you live for this reason that you might see my power and that my fame might spread throughout the earth.

But you are still lording it over my people, and you refuse to let them go. So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm worse than any in all of Egypt's history. Quick! Order your livestock and servants to come in from the fields. Every person or animal left outside will die beneath the hail.'"

Some of Pharaoh's officials believed what the LORD said. They immediately brought their livestock and servants in from the fields. But those who had no respect for the word of the LORD left them out in the open.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Lift your hand toward the sky, and cause the hail to fall throughout Egypt, on the people, the animals, and the crops."

So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. The LORD sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such severe hail and continuous lightning. It left all of Egypt in ruins. Everything left in the fields was destroyed people, animals, and crops alike. Even all the trees were destroyed. The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.

Then Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron. "I finally admit my fault, "he confessed. "The LORD is right, and my people and I are wrong. Please beg the LORD to end this terrifying thunder and hail. I will let you go at once."

All right, "Moses replied. "As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the LORD. Then the thunder and hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth belongs to the LORD. But as for you and your officials, I know that you still don not fear the LORD God as you should."

All the flax and barley were destroyed because the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom. But the wheat and the spelt were not destroyed because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.

So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. As he lifted his hands to the LORD, all at once the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased. When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet again by stubbornly refusing to do as they had promised. Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the LORD had predicted.