Exodus 22:7-26

7Perhaps you may give some of your money or your valuable things to your neighbour. You may ask your neighbour to keep them safe for you. But a robber might take those things from your neighbour's house. If you catch the robber, he must pay back twice the value of the things that he took.

8But if you do not find the robber, you must take your neighbour to stand in front of the judges. They must decide if your neighbour has taken your things for himself.

9Perhaps two people both say that something belongs to them. They may argue about a cow, a donkey, a sheep, some clothes or anything else that they have lost. Then both of them must go to stand in front of the judges. The judges will decide which of them is guilty. The guilty person must pay back twice the value of the thing to the other person.

10Perhaps you may ask your neighbour to keep one of your animals safe for you. It may be a donkey, a cow, a sheep or any other animal that belongs to you. Then the animal may die, or something may hurt it. Or perhaps a robber takes it for himself. If nobody has seen what really happened, you must do this:

11Your neighbour must make a serious promise to the Lord. He must promise that he did not take your animal for himself, or hurt it. Then you must accept what he has said. Do not ask your neighbour to pay you any money.

12But if a robber did take the animal from your neighbour, then your neighbour must pay you for it.

13But perhaps a wild animal attacked it. Then your neighbour must show the pieces of your animal that are left. Then he will not have to pay you for the loss of your animal.

14Your neighbour might lend one of his animals to you to do some work. Something bad might happen to the animal while its owner is not with it. It might die, or something might hurt it. Then you must pay your neighbour for the loss of the animal.

15But if the owner is with his animal when something bad happens to it, you do not have to pay anything. And if you already paid your neighbour some money to use his animal, that will be enough to pay him for the loss.

16Perhaps a man may meet a young girl who has not had sex with any man before. He might deceive her to have sex with her. If she has not yet promised to marry another man, he must marry her. He must give the right gifts to her parents.

17Her father might refuse to give her to the man to be his wife. But the man must still give the right gifts for a girl who is not married.

18You must punish with death any woman who is a magician.

19You must punish with death anyone who has sex with an animal.

20You must completely destroy anyone who offers a sacrifice to a false god. You must only offer sacrifices to the Lord.

21Never be cruel to a foreign person or give them trouble. Remember that you yourselves lived in Egypt as foreigners.

22Never give trouble to any widow or to any children who have no family.

23If you are cruel to them, I will hear them when they call out to me for help.

24I will be very angry with you. I will kill you in war. Your wives will become widows. Your children will no longer have any family.

25You may lend money to any of my people who need help. But do not ask them to pay back more money than you have lent to them. That is what traders in money do.

26You may take someone's coat as a guarantee that he will pay you back. But you must always return his coat to him before sunset.