persisted in going out, has acted the fool, has wasted her house, has
belittled her husband, he shall prosecute her. If her husband has said, “I
divorce her,” she shall go her way; he shall give her nothing as her price
of divorce. If her husband has said, “I will not divorce her,” he may take
another woman to wife; the wife shall live as a slave in her husband’s
house.
(M134) § 142. If a woman has hated her husband and has said, “You shall
not possess me,” her past shall be inquired into, as to what she lacks. If
she has been discreet, and has no vice, and her husband has gone out, and
has greatly belittled her, that woman has no blame, she shall take her
marriage-portion and go off to her father’s house.
§ 143. If she has not been discreet, has gone out, ruined her house,
belittled her husband, she shall be drowned.
(M135) § 144. If a man has married a votary, and that votary has given a
maid to her husband, and so caused him to have children, and, if that man
is inclined to marry a concubine, that man shall not be allowed to do so,
he shall not marry a concubine.
§ 145. If a man has married a votary, and she has not granted him
children, and he is determined to marry a concubine, that man shall marry
the concubine, and bring her into his house, but the concubine shall not
place herself on an equality with the votary.
(M136) § 146. If a man has married a votary, and she has given a maid to
her husband, and the maid has borne children, and if afterward that maid
has placed herself on an equality with her mistress, because she has borne
children, her mistress shall not sell her, she shall place a slave-mark
upon her, and reckon her with the slave-girls.
§ 147. If she has not borne children, her mistress shall sell her.
(M137) § 148. If a man has married a wife and a disease has seized her, if
he is determined to marry a second wife, he shall marry her. He shall not
divorce the wife whom the disease has seized. In the home they made
together she shall dwell, and he shall maintain her as long as she lives.
§ 149. If that woman was not pleased to stay in her husband’s house, he
shall pay over to her the marriage-portion which she brought from her
father’s house, and she shall go away.
(M138) § 150. If a man has presented field, garden, house, or goods to his
wife, has granted her a deed of gift, her children, after her husband’s
death, shall not dispute her right; the mother shall leave it after her
death to that one of her children whom she loves best. She shall not leave
it to her kindred.
(M139) § 151. If a woman, who is living in a man’s house, has persuaded
her husband to bind himself, and grant her a deed to the effect that she
shall not be held for debt by a creditor of her husband’s; if that man had
a debt upon him before he married that woman, his creditor shall not take
his wife for it. Also, if that woman had a debt upon her before she
entered that man’s house, her creditor shall not take her husband for it.
§ 152. From the time that that woman entered into the man’s house they
together shall be liable for all debts subsequently incurred.
(M140) § 153. If a man’s wife, for the sake of another, has caused her
husband to be killed, that woman shall be impaled.
(M141) § 154. If a man has committed incest with his daughter, that man
shall be banished from the city.
(M142) § 155. If a man has betrothed a maiden to his son and his son has
known her, and afterward the man has lain in her bosom, and been caught,
that man shall be strangled and she shall be cast into the water.
§ 156. If a man has betrothed a maiden to his son, and his son has not
known her, and that man has lain in her bosom, he shall pay her half a
mina of silver, and shall pay over to her whatever she brought from her
father’s house, and the husband of her choice shall marry her.
(M143) § 157. If a man, after his father’s death, has lain in the bosom of
his mother, they shall both of them be burnt together.
(M144) § 158. If a man, after his father’s death, be caught in the bosom
of his step-mother, who has borne children, that man shall be cut off from
his father’s house.
(M145) § 159. If a man, who has presented a gift to the house of his
prospective father-in-law and has given the bride-price, has afterward
looked upon another woman and has said to his father-in-law, “I will not
marry your daughter”; the father of the girl shall keep whatever he has
brought as a present.
(M146) § 160. If a man has presented a gift to the house of his
prospective father-in-law, and has given the bride-price, but the father
of the girl has said, “I will not give you my daughter,” the father shall
return double all that was presented him.
(M147) § 161. If a man has brought a gift to the house of his prospective
father-in-law, and has given the bride-price, but his comrade has
slandered him and his father-in-law has said to the suitor, “You shall not
marry my daughter,” [the father] shall return double all that was
presented him. Further, the comrade shall not marry the girl.
(M148) § 162. If a man has married a wife, and she has borne him children,
and that woman has gone to her fate, her father shall lay no claim to her
marriage-portion. Her marriage-portion is her children’s only.
§ 163. If a man has married a wife, and she has not borne him children,
and that woman has gone to her fate; if his father-in-law has returned to
him the bride-price, which that man brought into the house of his
father-in-law, her husband shall have no claim on the marriage-portion of
that woman. Her marriage-portion indeed belongs to her father’s house.
§ 164. If the father-in-law has not returned the bride-price, the husband
shall deduct the amount of her bride-price from her marriage-portion, and
shall return her marriage-portion to her father’s house.
(M149) § 165. If a man has presented field, garden, or house to his son,
the first in his eyes, and has written him a deed of gift; after the
father has gone to his fate, when the brothers share, he shall keep the
present his father gave him, and over and above shall share equally with
them in the goods of his father’s estate.
(M150) § 166. If a man has taken wives for the other sons he had, but has
not taken a wife for his young son, after the father has gone to his fate,
when the brothers share, they shall set aside from the goods of their
father’s estate money, as a bride-price, for their young brother, who has
not married a wife, over and above his share, and they shall cause him to
take a wife.
(M151) § 167. If a man has taken a wife, and she has borne him children
and that woman has gone to her fate, and he has taken a second wife, and
she also has borne children; after the father has gone to his fate, the
sons shall not share according to mothers, but each family shall take the
marriage-portion of its mother, and all shall share the goods of their
father’s estate equally.
(M152) § 168. If a man has determined to disinherit his son and has
declared before the judge, “I cut off my son,” the judge shall inquire
into the son’s past, and, if the son has not committed a grave misdemeanor
such as should cut him off from sonship, the father shall disinherit his
son.
§ 169. If he has committed a grave crime against his father, which cuts
off from sonship, for the first offence he shall pardon him. If he has
committed a grave crime a second time, the father shall cut off his son
from sonship.
(M153) § 170. If a man has had children borne to him by his wife, and also
by a maid, if the father in his lifetime has said, “My sons,” to the
children whom his maid bore him, and has reckoned them with the sons of
his wife; then after the father has gone to his fate, the children of the
wife and of the maid shall share equally. The children of the wife shall
apportion the shares and make their own selections.
§ 171. And if the father, in his lifetime, has not said, “My sons,” to the
children whom the maid bore him, after the father has gone to his fate,
the children of the maid shall not share with the children of the wife in
the goods of their father’s house. The maid and her children, however,
shall obtain their freedom. The children of the wife have no claim for
service on the children of the maid.
(M154) The wife shall take her marriage-portion, and any gift that her
husband has given her and for which he has written a deed of gift and she
shall dwell in her husband’s house; as long as she lives, she shall enjoy
it, she shall not sell it. After her death it is indeed her children’s.
§ 172. If her husband has not given her a gift, her marriage-portion shall
be given her in full, and, from the goods of her husband’s estate, she
shall take a share equal to that of one son.
(M155) If her children have persecuted her in order to have her leave the
house, and the judge has inquired into her past, and laid the blame on the
children, that woman shall not leave her husband’s house. If that woman
has determined to leave, she shall relinquish to her children the gift her
husband gave her, she shall take the marriage-portion of her father’s
estate, and the husband of her choice may marry her.
(M156) § 173. If that woman, where she has gone, has borne children to her
later husband, after that woman has died, the children of both marriages
shall share her marriage-portion.
§ 174. If she has not borne children to her later husband, the children of
her first husband shall take her marriage-portion.
(M157) § 175. If either a slave of a patrician, or of a plebeian, has
married the daughter of a free man, and she has borne children, the owner
of the slave shall have no claim for service on the children of a free
woman. And if a slave, either of a patrician or of a plebeian, has married
a free woman and when he married her she entered the slave’s house with a
marriage-portion from her father’s estate, be he slave of a patrician or
of a plebeian, and from the time that they started to keep house, they
have acquired property; after the slave, whether of a patrician or of a
plebeian, has gone to his fate, the free woman shall take her
marriage-portion, and whatever her husband and she acquired, since they
started house-keeping. She shall divide it into two portions. The master
of the slave shall take one half, the other half the free woman shall take
for her children.
§ 176. If the free woman had no marriage-portion, whatever her husband and
she acquired since they started house-keeping he shall divide into two
portions. The owner of the slave shall take one half, the other half the
free woman shall take for her children.
(M158) § 177. If a widow, whose children are young, has determined to
marry again, she shall not marry without consent of the judge. When she is
allowed to remarry, the judge shall inquire as to what remains of the
property of her former husband, and shall intrust the property of her
former husband to that woman and her second husband. He shall give them an
inventory. They shall watch over the property, and bring up the children.
Not a utensil shall they sell. A buyer of any utensil belonging to the
widow’s children shall lose his money and shall return the article to its
owners.
(M159) § 178. If a female votary, or vowed woman, has had given her by her
father a portion, as for marriage, and he has written her a deed, and in
the deed which he has written her he has not written that she may leave it
as she pleases, and has not granted her all her desire; after her father
has gone to his fate, her brothers shall take her field, or garden, and,
according to the value of her share, shall give her corn, oil, and wool,
and shall content her heart. If they do not give her corn, oil, and wool,
according to the value of her share, and do not satisfy her, she shall let
her field and garden to a farmer, whom she chooses, and the farmer shall
support her. The field, garden, or whatever her father gave her, she shall
enjoy, as long as she lives. She shall not sell it, nor mortgage it. The
reversion of her inheritance indeed belongs to her brothers.
(M160) § 179. If a female votary, or vowed woman, has had a portion given
her by her father, and he has written her a deed, and in the deed that he
has written her has [declared] that she may give it as she pleases, and
has granted her all her desire; after her father has gone to his fate, she
shall leave it as she pleases; her brothers shall make no claim against
her.
(M161) § 180. If the father has not given a portion to his daughter, who
is a female votary, or vowed woman; after her father has gone to his fate,
she shall share in the property of her father’s house, like any other
child. As long as she lives, she shall enjoy her share; after her, it
indeed belongs to her brothers.
(M162) § 181. If a father has vowed his daughter to a god, as a temple
maid, or a virgin, and has given her no portion; after the father has gone
to his fate, she shall share in the property of her father’s estate,
taking one-third of a child’s share. She shall enjoy her share, as long as
she lives. After her, it belongs to her brothers.
(M163) § 182. If a father has not given a portion, as for marriage, to his
daughter, a votary of Marduk of Babylon, and has not written her a deed;
after her father has gone to his fate, she shall share with her brothers
from the goods of her father’s estate, taking one-third of a child’s
share. She shall not be subject to duty. The votary of Marduk shall leave
it after her to whom she pleases.
(M164) § 183. If a father has given a portion, as for marriage, to his
daughter by a concubine, and has given her to a husband, and has written
her a deed; after her father has gone to his fate, she shall not share in
the goods of her father’s house.
(M165) § 184. If a man has not given a portion, as for marriage, to his
daughter by a concubine, and has not given her to a husband; after her
father has gone to his fate, her brothers shall present her with a
marriage-portion, according to the wealth of her father’s estate, and
shall give her to a husband.
(M166) § 185. If a man has taken a young child, a natural son of his, to
be his son, and has brought him up, no one shall make a claim against that
foster child.
(M167) § 186. If a man has taken a young child to be his son, and after he
has taken him, the child discover his own parents, he shall return to his
father’s house.
§ 187. The son of a royal favorite, of one that stands in the palace, or
the son of a votary shall not be reclaimed.
(M168) §§ 188, 189. If a craftsman has taken a child to bring up and has
taught him his handicraft, he shall not be reclaimed. If he has not taught
him his handicraft that foster child shall return to his father’s house.
(M169) § 190. If a man has brought up the child, whom he has taken to be
his son, but has not reckoned him with his sons, that foster child shall
return to his father’s house.
(M170) § 191. If a man has brought up the child, whom he took to be his
son, and then sets up a home, and after he has acquired children, decides
to disinherit the foster child, that son shall not go his way [penniless];
the father that brought him up shall give him one-third of a son’s share
in his goods and he shall depart. He shall not give him field, garden, or
house.
(M171) § 192. If the son of a palace favorite or the son of a vowed woman
has said to the father that brought him up, “You are not my father,” or to
the mother that brought him up, “You are not my mother,” his tongue shall
be cut out.
§ 193. If the son of a palace favorite or the son of a vowed woman has
come to know his father’s house and has hated his father that brought him
up, or his mother that brought him up, and shall go off to his father’s
house, his eyes shall be torn out.
(M172) § 194. If a man has given his son to a wet-nurse to suckle, and
that son has died in the hands of the nurse, and the nurse, without
consent of the child’s father or mother, has nursed another child, they
shall prosecute her; because she has nursed another child, without consent
of the father or mother, her breasts shall be cut off.
(M173) § 195. If a son has struck his father, his hands shall be cut off.
(M174) § 196. If a man has knocked out the eye of a patrician, his eye
shall be knocked out.
§ 197. If he has broken the limb of a patrician, his limb shall be broken.
§ 198. If he has knocked out the eye of a plebeian or has broken the limb
of a plebeian, he shall pay one mina of silver.
§ 199. If he has knocked out the eye of a patrician’s servant, or broken
the limb of a patrician’s servant, he shall pay half his value.
§ 200. If a patrician has knocked out the tooth of a man that is his
equal, his tooth shall be knocked out.
§ 201. If he has knocked out the tooth of a plebeian, he shall pay
one-third of a mina of silver.
(M175) § 202. If a man has smitten the privates of a man, higher in rank
than he, he shall be scourged with sixty blows of an ox-hide scourge, in
the assembly.
§ 203. If a man has smitten the privates of a patrician of his own rank,
he shall pay one mina of silver.
§ 204. If a plebeian has smitten the privates of a plebeian, he shall pay
ten shekels of silver.
§ 205. If the slave of anyone has smitten the privates of a free-born man,
his ear shall be cut off.
(M176) § 206. If a man has struck another in a quarrel, and caused him a
permanent injury, that man shall swear, “I struck him without malice,” and
shall pay the doctor.
§ 207. If he has died of his blows, [the man] shall swear [similarly], and
pay one-half a mina of silver; or,
§ 208. If [the deceased] was a plebeian, he shall pay one-third of a mina
of silver.
(M177) § 209. If a man has struck a free woman with child, and has caused
her to miscarry, he shall pay ten shekels for her miscarriage.
§ 210. If that woman die, his daughter shall be killed.
§ 211. If it be the daughter of a plebeian, that has miscarried through
his blows, he shall pay five shekels of silver.
§ 212. If that woman die, he shall pay half a mina of silver.
§ 213. If he has struck a man’s maid and caused her to miscarry, he shall
pay two shekels of silver.
§ 214. If that woman die, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.
(M178) § 215. If a surgeon has operated with the bronze lancet on a
patrician for a serious injury, and has cured him, or has removed with a
bronze lancet a cataract for a patrician, and has cured his eye, he shall
take ten shekels of silver.
§ 216. If it be plebeian, he shall take five shekels of silver.
§ 217. If it be a man’s slave, the owner of the slave shall give two
shekels of silver to the surgeon.
(M179) § 218. If a surgeon has operated with the bronze lancet on a
patrician for a serious injury, and has caused his death, or has removed a
cataract for a patrician, with the bronze lancet, and has made him lose
his eye, his hands shall be cut off.
§ 219. If the surgeon has treated a serious injury of a plebeian’s slave,
with the bronze lancet, and has caused his death, he shall render slave
for slave.
§ 220. If he has removed a cataract with the bronze lancet, and made the
slave lose his eye, he shall pay half his value.
(M180) § 221. If a surgeon has cured the limb of a patrician, or has
doctored a diseased bowel, the patient shall pay five shekels of silver to
the surgeon.
§ 222. If he be a plebeian, he shall pay three shekels of silver.
§ 223. If he be a man’s slave, the owner of the slave shall give two
shekels of silver to the doctor.
(M181) § 224. If a veterinary surgeon has treated an ox, or an ass, for a
severe injury, and cured it, the owner of the ox, or the ass, shall pay
the surgeon one-sixth of a shekel of silver, as his fee.
§ 225. If he has treated an ox, or an ass, for a severe injury, and caused
it to die, he shall pay one-quarter of its value to the owner of the ox,
or the ass.
(M182) § 226. If a brander has cut out a mark on a slave, without the
consent of his owner, that brander shall have his hands cut off.
§ 227. If someone has deceived the brander, and induced him to cut out a
mark on a slave, that man shall be put to death and buried in his house;
the brander shall swear, “I did not mark him knowingly,” and shall go
free.
(M183) § 228. If a builder has built a house for a man, and finished it,
he shall pay him a fee of two shekels of silver, for each _SAR_ built on.
§ 229. If a builder has built a house for a man, and has not made his work
sound, and the house he built has fallen, and caused the death of its
owner, that builder shall be put to death.
§ 230. If it is the owner’s son that is killed, the builder’s son shall be
put to death.
§ 231. If it is the slave of the owner that is killed, the builder shall
give slave for slave to the owner of the house.
§ 232. If he has caused the loss of goods, he shall render back whatever
he has destroyed. Moreover, because he did not make sound the house he
built, and it fell, at his own cost he shall rebuild the house that fell.
§ 233. If a builder has built a house for a man, and has not keyed his
work, and the wall has fallen, that builder shall make that wall firm at
his own expense.
(M184) § 234. If a boatman has built a boat of sixty _GUR_ for a man, he
shall pay him a fee of two shekels of silver.
§ 235. If a boatman has built a boat for a man, and has not made his work
sound, and in that same year that boat is sent on a voyage and suffers
damage, the boatman shall rebuild that boat, and, at his own expense,
shall make it strong, or shall give a strong boat to the owner.
(M185) § 236. If a man has let his boat to a boatman, and the boatman has
been careless and the boat has been sunk or lost, the boatman shall
restore a boat to the owner.
(M186) § 237. If a man has hired a boat and boatman, and loaded it with
corn, wool, oil, or dates, or whatever it be, and the boatman has been
careless, and sunk the boat, or lost what is in it, the boatman shall
restore the boat which he sank, and whatever he lost that was in it.
§ 238. If a boatman has sunk a man’s boat, and has floated it again, he
shall pay half its value in silver.
§ 239. If a man has hired a boatman, he shall pay him six _GUR_ of corn
yearly.
(M187) § 240. If a boat, on its course, has run into a boat at anchor, and
sunk it, the owner of the boat that was sunk shall estimate on oath
whatever was lost in his boat, and the owner of the moving vessel, which
sank the boat at anchor, shall make good his boat and what was lost in it.
(M188) § 241. If a man has levied a distraint on a working ox, he shall
pay one-third of a mina of silver.
(M189) § 242. If a man has hired a working ox for one year, its hire is
four _GUR_ of corn.
§ 243. As the hire of a milch cow one shall give three _GUR_ of corn to
its owner.
(M190) § 244. If a man has hired an ox, or an ass, and a lion has killed
it in the open field, the loss falls on its owner.
(M191) § 245. If a man has hired an ox and has caused its death, by
carelessness, or blows, he shall restore ox for ox, to the owner of the
ox.
§ 246. If a man has hired an ox, and has broken its leg, or cut its neck
(?), he shall restore ox for ox, to the owner of the ox.
§ 247. If a man has hired an ox, and knocked out its eye, he shall pay to
the owner of the ox half its value.
(M192) § 248. If a man has hired an ox, and has broken its horn, cut off
its tail, or torn its muzzle, he shall pay one-quarter of its value.
§ 249. If a man has hired an ox, and God has struck it, and it has died,
the man that hired the ox shall make affidavit and go free.
(M193) § 250. If a bull has gone wild and gored a man, and caused his
death, there can be no suit against the owner.
(M194) § 251. If a man’s ox be a gorer, and has revealed its evil
propensity as a gorer, and he has not blunted its horn, or shut up the ox,
and then that ox has gored a free man, and caused his death, the owner
shall pay half a mina of silver.
§ 252. If it be a slave that has been killed, he shall pay one-third of a
mina of silver.
(M195) § 253. If a man has set another over his field, hired him, allotted
him tools, and intrusted him with oxen for cultivating the field and
provided harnesses for them, and if that man has appropriated the seed or
provender, and they have been found in his possession, his hands shall be
cut off.
§ 254. If he has taken the provender or rations and has enfeebled the
oxen, he shall make it good from the corn he has hoed.
§ 255. If he has let out the man’s oxen for hire, or stolen the seed-corn,
or has not produced a crop, that man shall be prosecuted, and he shall pay
sixty _GUR_ of corn for each _GAN_.
§ 256. If he is not able to pay his compensation, he shall be torn in
pieces on that field by the oxen.
(M196) § 257. If a man has hired a field-laborer, he shall pay him eight
_GUR_ of corn yearly.
§ 258. If anyone has hired an ox-herd he shall pay him six _GUR_ of corn
yearly.