Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 128
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
20:22–21:15
And the Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: You saw
for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven. Remember, you must not
make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.
“Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to m
e—
your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your
cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and
I will come to you and bless you. If you use stones to build my altar, use
only natural, uncut stones. Do not shape the stones with a tool, for that
would make the altar unfit for holy use. And do not approach my altar by
going up steps. If you do, someone might look up under your clothing and
see your nakedness.
“These are the regulations you must present to Israel.
“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years.
Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But
if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed
with him.
“If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or
daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife
and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may declare, ‘I
love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he
does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must
take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl.
After that, the slave will serve his master for life.
“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the
end of six years as the men are. If she does not satisfy her owner, he must
allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to
foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. But if the
slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her
as a slave but as a daughter.
“If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he
must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual
intimacy. If he fails in any of these three obligations, she may leave as a free
woman without making any payment.
“Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death. But if
it was simply an accident permitted by God, I will appoint a place of refuge
where the slayer can run for safety. However, if someone deliberately kills
another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and
be put to death.
“Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.
