Exodus 21:4-6
Contemporary English Version
4 If 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.
5 But suppose the slave loves his wife and children and his owner so much that he won't leave them. 6 Then he must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship,[a] while his owner punches a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 21.6 at the place of worship: The Hebrew text has “in the presence of God,” which probably refers to the place where God was worshiped.
Exodus 21:4-6
New International Version
4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
5 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’(A) 6 then his master must take him before the judges.[a](B) He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce(C) his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.(D)
Footnotes
- Exodus 21:6 Or before God
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