Exodus 22

After reading chapter 22:

*We are given various penalties and restitutions for stealing animals.

*We are told that anyone who defends their home from a break in is not guilty of bloodshed if they kill the offender, unless the sun has risen. Being able to see the person makes all the difference. It doesn't tell you what you should do instead. A theif must make restitution. If he can't, he is to be sold as a slave.

*We are given various penalties and restitutions for destruction of crops.

*We are given instructions for instances of illegal possession of someone else's property, plus instructions for safekeeping or borrowing another person's property, and the responsibilities of the caretakers.

*If a man sleeps with a virgin who was not promised to someone else, he must marry her and pay her family the bride price. If her father won't let him marry her,  he still has to pay the bride price. The girl has no say in the matter.

*Sorceresses are not allowed to live. What about sorcerers? Why is this just the female version? Not to mention, sorcery is the stuff of superstition and fantasy.

*Anyone who sacrifices to any God other than Yahweh is to be destroyed. Because burning a piece of meat and saying words to a non-existent being is worthy of death?

*The Israelites are not to mistreat or oppress the foreigners among them, because the Egyptians mistreated them. They are only allowed to mistreat and oppress their Hebrew  slaves.

*If a man mistreats a widow or an orphan, God will kill him so that his wife  becomes a widow and his children orphans. I don't think this punishment fits the crime. In this case, the wife and children are left without support because of the actions of a cruel man. The man doesn't have to live with any consequences. On the other hand, they may actually be better off without him.

*Money is to be lent without interest. Cloaks are not to be held as a pledge  overnight because they are needed to sleep in. After all, God is compassionate. If you say so.

*Do not blaspheme God. Blasphemy is one of those concepts that is hard to pin down. It is usually taken to mean don't say anything bad about God, like "he doesn't exist."

*Do not curse the ruler of your people. It's a good thing most Christians consider the Old Testament laws to be passé, or they would be in trouble. Another thing, at this time the Israelites didn't even have a ruler.

*Do not hold back offerings from your graineries or vats. They didn't have graineries or vats at this time. They didn't grow grain or grapes for wine till many years later. They were supposedly still living in the desert, subsisting on quail and manna.

*Give Yahweh your first born sons, sheep, and cattle on the eighth day of their lives. (?)

* If you want to be god's holy people don't eat meat killed by wild animals, feed it to the dogs. There is no quicker way to lose holiness, and your lunch, than eating carrion.

Edited.