An example of fair punishment

10-11 10-11There was a man whose mother’s name was Shelomith; she was an Israeli whose father was Dibri from the tribe of Dan. And that man’s father was from Egypt. One day that man and another Israeli man started to fight inside the camp. And while they were fighting, that man cursed Yahweh [MTY]. 12 So the Israeli people seized him and guarded him until they could find out what Yahweh would reveal to them that they should do to that man.

13 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, 14 “Tie up and take outside the camp the man who has cursed me. There all those who heard what he said must put their hands on his head to indicate that he is guilty, and then all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him. 15 Tell the Israelis, ‘If anyone curses me, he must ◄endure the consequences/be punished►. 16 So anyone who curses me [MTY] must be executed. All the people must throw stones at him. It does not matter if he is a foreigner or an Israeli citizen; anyone who curses me must be executed.’

17 “Also, If anyone murders another person, he must be executed. 18 And anyone who kills another person’s animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed. 19 And if one person injures another person, the injured person is allowed to injure the person who injured him in the same way: 20 If someone breaks one of another person’s bones, that person is allowed to break one of the bones of the person who injured him. If someone gouges out an eye of another person, that person is allowed to gouge out the eye of the person who injured him. If someone knocks out the tooth of another person, that person is allowed to knock out one of his teeth. What is done to the offender must be the same as what he did to the other person. 21 Whoever kills another person’s animal must give that person a live animal to replace the one that he killed, but anyone who murders another person must be executed. 22 That law applies to you Israelis and and also to the foreigners who live among you; I, Yahweh your God am the one who has commanded it.”

23 Then Moses/I told the Israelis what they must do to the man who cursed Yahweh, so they took the man outside the camp and killed him by throwing stones at him. They did what Yahweh commanded Moses/me to tell them to do.