Through the Bible – Day 28

₁God said to the people of Israel:

₁₈The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off ₁₉and said to Moses, “If you speak to us, we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!”

₂₀“Don't be afraid!” Moses replied. “God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin.” ₂₁But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off.

₂₂The LORD told Moses to say to the people of Israel:

₁The LORD gave Moses the following laws for his people:

₂If you buy a Hebrew slave, he must remain your slave for six years. But in the seventh year you must set him free, without cost to him. ₃If he was single at the time you bought him, he alone must be set free. But if he was married at the time, both he and his wife must be given their freedom. ₄If you give him a wife, and they have children, only the man himself must be set free; his wife and children remain the property of his owner.

₅But suppose the slave loves his wife and children so much that he won't leave without them. ₆Then he must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship, while his owner punches a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life.

₇A young woman who was sold by her father doesn't gain her freedom in the same way that a man does. ₈If she doesn't please the man who bought her to be his wife, he must let her be bought back. He cannot sell her to foreigners; this would break the contract he made with her. ₉If he selects her as a wife for his son, he must treat her as his own daughter.

₁₀If the man later marries another woman, he must continue to provide food and clothing for the one he bought and to treat her as a wife. ₁₁If he fails to do any of these things, she must be given her freedom without cost.

₁₂Death is the punishment for murder. ₁₃But if you did not intend to kill someone, and I, the LORD, let it happen anyway, you may run for safety to a place that I have set aside. ₁₄If you plan in advance to murder someone, there's no escape, not even by holding on to my altar. You will be dragged off and killed.

₁₅Death is the punishment for attacking your father or mother.

₁₆Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death.

₁₇Death is the punishment for cursing your father or mother.

₁₈Suppose two of you are arguing, and you hit the other with either a rock or your fist, without causing a fatal injury. If the victim has to stay in bed, ₁₉and later has to use a stick when walking outside, you must pay for the loss of time and do what you can to help until the injury is completely healed. That's your only responsibility.

₂₀Death is the punishment for beating to death any of your slaves. ₂₁However, 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.

₂₂Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. ₂₃But if she is seriously injured, the payment will be life for life, ₂₄eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ₂₅burn for burn, cut for cut, and bruise for bruise.

₂₆If you hit one of your slaves and cause the loss of an eye, the slave must be set free. ₂₇The same law applies if you knock out a slave's tooth—the slave goes free.

₂₈A bull that kills someone with its horns must be killed and its meat destroyed, but the owner of the bull isn't responsible for the death.

₂₉Suppose you own a bull that has been in the habit of attacking people, but you have refused to keep it fenced in. If that bull kills someone, both you and the bull must be put to death by stoning. ₃₀However, you may save your own life by paying whatever fine is demanded. ₃₁This same law applies if the bull gores someone's son or daughter. ₃₂If the bull kills a slave, you must pay the slave owner thirty pieces of silver for the loss of the slave, and the bull must be killed by stoning.

₃₃Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property. ₃₄You must pay for the dead animal, and it becomes yours.

₃₅If your bull kills someone else's, yours must be sold. Then the money from your bull and the meat from the dead bull must be divided equally between you and the other owner.

₃₆If you refuse to fence in a bull that is known to attack others, you must pay for any animal it kills, but the dead animal will belong to you.

₁₄Jesus and his disciples returned to the crowd. A man knelt in front of him ₁₅and said, “Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water. ₁₆I brought him to your disciples, but none of them could heal him.”

₁₇Jesus said, “You people are too stubborn to have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here.” ₁₈Then Jesus spoke sternly to the demon. It went out of the boy, and at once he was healed.

₁₉Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn't we force out the demon?”

_20-21Jesus replied:

₂₂While Jesus and his disciples were going from place to place in Galilee, he told them, “The Son of Man will be handed over to people ₂₃who will kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.” All this made the disciples very sad.

₂₄When Jesus and the others arrived in Capernaum, the collectors for the temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the temple tax?”

₂₅“Yes, he does,” Peter answered.

After they had returned home, Jesus went up to Peter and asked him, “Simon, what do you think? Do the kings of this earth collect taxes and fees from their own people or from foreigners?”

₂₆Peter answered, “From foreigners.”

Jesus replied, “Then their own people don't have to pay. ₂₇But we don't want to cause trouble. So go and cast a line into the lake and pull out the first fish you hook. Open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Use it to pay your taxes and mine.”