The Daily Audio Bible
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22 “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, paying as much as the judges determine. 23 If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,(A) 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,(B) 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 “When a slaveowner strikes the eye of a male or female slave, destroying it, the owner shall let the slave go, a free person, to compensate for the eye. 27 If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.
Laws concerning Property
28 “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.(C) 29 If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past and its owner has been warned but did not restrain it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If a ransom is imposed on the owner, then the owner shall pay whatever is imposed for the redemption of the victim’s life.(D) 31 If it gores a boy or a girl, the owner shall be dealt with according to this same rule. 32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay to the slaveowner thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.(E)
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,(F) 34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution, giving money to its owner but keeping the dead animal.
35 “If someone’s ox hurts the ox of another, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price of it, and the dead animal they shall also divide. 36 But if it was known that the ox was accustomed to gore in the past and its owner did not restrain it, the owner shall restore ox for ox but keep the dead animal.
Laws of Restitution
22 [a]“When someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2 [b](If the thief is found breaking in and is struck dead, no bloodguilt is incurred;(G) 3 but if it happens after sunrise, bloodguilt is incurred.) The thief shall make full restitution or, if unable to do so, shall be sold for the theft.(H) 4 When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is found alive in the thief’s possession, the thief shall pay double.
5 “When someone causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets livestock loose to graze in someone else’s field, restitution shall be made from the best in the owner’s field or vineyard.
6 “When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 “When someone delivers to a neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, then the thief, if caught, shall pay double.(I) 8 If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought before God, to determine whether or not the owner had laid hands on the neighbor’s goods.(J)
9 “In any case of disputed ownership involving ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or any other loss, of which one party says, ‘This is mine,’ the case of both parties shall come before God; the one whom God condemns shall pay double to the other.(K)
10 “When someone delivers to another a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is carried off without anyone seeing it, 11 an oath before the Lord shall decide between the two of them that the one has not laid hands on the property of the other; the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution shall be made.(L) 12 But if it was stolen, restitution shall be made to its owner.(M) 13 If it was mangled by beasts, let it be brought as evidence; restitution shall not be made for the mangled remains.
14 “When someone borrows an animal from another and it is injured or dies, the owner not being present, full restitution shall be made. 15 If the owner was present, there shall be no restitution; if it was hired, only the hiring fee is due.
Social and Religious Laws
16 “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 and make her his wife.(N) 17 But if her father refuses to give her to him, he shall pay an amount equal to the bride-price for virgins.
18 “You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.(O)
19 “Whoever has intercourse with an animal shall be put to death.(P)
20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord alone shall be devoted to destruction.(Q)
21 “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.(R) 22 You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.(S) 23 If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry;(T) 24 my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.(U)
25 “If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.(V) 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as guarantee, you shall restore it before the sun goes down, 27 for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as a cover. In what else shall that person sleep? And when your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.
28 “You shall not revile God or curse a leader of your people.(W)
29 “You shall not delay to make offerings from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses.[c]
“The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.(X) 30 You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall remain with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.(Y)
31 “You shall be people consecrated to me, so you shall not eat any meat that is mangled by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.(Z)
Justice for All
23 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness.(AA) 2 You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice,[d](AB) 3 nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.
4 “When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.(AC)
5 “When you see the donkey of one who hates you struggling under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.(AD)
6 “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.(AE) 7 Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.(AF) 8 You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds officials and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.(AG)
9 “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.(AH)
Sabbatical Year and Sabbath
10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,(AI) 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard and with your olive orchard.
12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey may have relief and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.(AJ) 13 Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
24 As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.(A) 2 Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”(B)
Signs of the End of the Age
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray.(C) 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’[a] and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines[b] and earthquakes in various places:(D) 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Persecutions Foretold
9 “Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.(E) 10 Then many will fall away,[c] and they will betray one another and hate one another.(F) 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.(G) 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(H) 14 And this good news[d] of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.(I)
The Desolating Sacrilege
15 “So when you see the desolating sacrilege, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),(J) 16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; 17 the one on the housetop must not go down to take things from the house; 18 the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. 19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.(K) 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.(L) 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’[e] or ‘There he is!’—do not believe it.(M) 24 For false messiahs[f] and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.(N) 25 Take note, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look! He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look! He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.(O) 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the eagles will gather.
Psalm 29
The Voice of God in a Great Storm
A Psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,[a]
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(A)
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.(B)
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.(C)
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.(D)
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.(E)
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf
and Sirion like a young wild ox.(F)
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.(G)
6 For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
7 and I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among the youths,
a young man without sense,(A)
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house(B)
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.(C)
10 Then a woman comes toward him
decked out like a prostitute, with hidden intent.
11 She is loud and wayward;
her feet do not stay at home;(D)
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
and at every corner she lies in wait.(E)
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with impudent face she says to him:
14 “I had to offer sacrifices,
and today I have paid my vows;(F)
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
16 I have decked my couch with coverings,
colored spreads of Egyptian linen;(G)
17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took a bag of money with him;
he will not come home until full moon.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with her smooth talk she compels him.(H)
22 Right away he follows her
and goes like an ox to the slaughter
or bounds like a stag toward the trap[a]
23 until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
not knowing that it will cost him his life.(I)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.