1 "If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. He shall make restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
2 If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or an ass or a sheep, he shall pay double.
Those who steal are required to repay more than they took.
3 "If a thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood-guilt for him;
4 but if the sun has risen upon him, there shall be blood-guilt for him.
If one kills a thief, but no one is aware of it, then there is no penalty for it. However, if others become aware of it, then a price must be paid.
5 "When a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard.
People are responsible for their pets, and must make certain that the neighbors are not burdened by the actions of their pet.
6 "When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he that kindled the fire shall make full restitution.
In cases where someone else destroys the property or food supply of another, that person is responsible for repaying the victim.
7 "If a man delivers to his neighbor money or goods to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double.
A thief must reimburse those whom he\she steals from. This should be in the form of paying double what a given object was worth.
8 If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to the gods, to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's goods.
Methods of prayer, meditation, and divination can be used to determine this. This passage suggests that these means be used to reveal whether or not a neighbor is a thief.
9 "For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for ass, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, 'This is it,' the case of both parties shall come before the gods; he whom gods shall condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
If one person cheats another, then that person shall make acceptable restitution to the person they cheated in the form of paying double what the other person was cheated out of.
10 "If a man delivers to his neighbor an ass or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away, without any one seeing it,
11 an oath by YHVH shall be between them both to see whether he has not put his hand to his neighbor's property; and the owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution.
A spiritual oath should be taken by a person who has given something of value to another person stating that he\she did not cause the objects disappearance. This, if properly performed, shall be an acceptable agreement, as dishonesty in an oath of this sort carries very real, very powerful negative consequences for the liar.
12 But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner.
If an item of value is entrusted to another, and someone else steals it, then the individual who agreed to hold onto it shall compensate the owner of the object for its loss. Those who borrow items are responsible for making sure those items get back to their owner in the same condition or better then they were when the items were borrowed.
13 If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn.
However, if something happens to the object being borrowed that was unavoidable, then the borrower shall not be held accountable for the loss of the item.
14 "If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution.
If something happens to the item being borrowed due to the borrower being careless with it, then the borrower must compensate the lender.
15 If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hire.
If the owner of the object was present when the object was broken, then the borrower is not responsible for it in any way, because the owner is responsible for the object in this circumstance.
16 "If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall give the marriage present for her, and make her his wife.
17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equivalent to the marriage present for virgins.
The modern interpretation of these passages, since women are equals, is that the woman is to be treated kindly by the man both before and after she has intercourse with the man. A woman that agrees to sex with a man also does not have to marry him. If she wants to, and the man agrees, she can. But, she should never be made to marry against her wishes.
18 "You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
This passage refers to a manipulative woman. It means that you should not allow a woman (or a man, for that matter) to manipulate you toward her\his own ends. Killing someone, in the spiritual sense, is not ending their physical life…but is instead removing their power over you, making yourself no longer subject to it. In the King James version of the Bible, this passage is mistranslated, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”. It was done to give Bible followers an excuse to persecute Pagans. The current translation isn't any better, but it is what the literal translation of the Hebrew text says, at least. Those that commit physical violence because they think someone put a spell on them demonstrate both their own spiritual weakness and the spiritual weakness of their god.
19 "Whoever lies with a beast shall be put to death.
Lying with a beast symbolizes giving in to the selfish, animal desires\lust, and placing too much power in the lower nature. This weakens the spirit of the individual and leads to the premature and often violent end of their life.
20 "Whoever sacrifices to the gods, save to YHVH only, shall be utterly destroyed.
Putting faith in materialism, or in animal passions, or other things of the lower nature, to the extent that Spirit is ignored, causes blockages in the life force, which ultimately will destroy the individual.
21 "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the
People who follow the bible should learn from reading the stories of how the Hebrews were oppressed by the Egyptians, and practice religious tolerance, allowing everyone to believe and practice what they wish without harassing them in any way.
22 You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.
People in either of these two situations have already suffered enough. Do not make their lives any more difficult.
23 If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry;
24 and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.
If you do make life harder for either widows or orphans, you will eventually be put in the same situation those people are in order to teach you not to do it. This sort of thing is what religions that use the term call “Karma”.
25 "If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him.
If someone follows a spiritual path, and you give them money, you should do it freely. Do not loan these people money if you intend to hold it over them.
26 If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down;
27 for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Something taken to secure an oath must be returned within 24 hours if that item is something of necessity belonging to the other person. Always show compassion to others, for this is the way of the Divine.
28 "You shall not revile gods, nor curse a ruler of your people.
Verbally attacking anyone in a position of authority, whether that position is spiritual or material, causes problems. It is best not to do it.
29 "You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. "The first-born of your sons you shall give to me.
The firstborn sons refer to the active spiritual faculties in your consciousness. They should always be dedicated to spiritual work.
30 You shall do likewise with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its dam; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.
Your material belongings shall also be dedicated to spiritual work. Take a little time to get familiar with what an object is to be used for, then use it to enhance your life, making you better able to connect with Spirit.
31 "You shall be men consecrated to me; therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs.
In living a spiritual life, you should pay attention to your diet, and eat healthy.