The Oldest Code of Laws in the World | Page 3

spell and put a ban upon a man, and has not
justified himself, he that wove the spell upon him shall be put to death.
section 2. If a man has put a spell upon a man, and has not justified
himself, he upon whom the spell is laid shall go to the holy river, he
shall plunge into the holy river, and if the holy river overcome him, he
who wove the spell upon him shall take to himself his house. If the
holy river makes that man to be innocent, and has saved him, he who
laid the spell upon him shall be put to death. He who plunged into the
holy river shall take to himself the house of him who wove the spell
upon him.
section 3. If a man, in a case pending judgement, has uttered threats
against the witnesses, or has not justified the word that he has spoken,
if that case be a capital suit, that man shall be put to death.

section 4. If he has offered corn or money to the witnesses, he shall
himself bear the sentence of that case.
section 5. If a judge has judged a judgement, decided a decision,
granted a sealed sentence, and afterwards has altered his judgement,
that judge, for the alteration of the judgement that he judged, one shall
put him to account, and he shall pay twelvefold the penalty which was
in the said judgement, and in the assembly one shall expel him from his
judgement seat, and he shall not return, and with the judges at a
judgement he shall not take his seat.
section 6. If a man has stolen the goods of temple or palace, that man
shall be killed, and he who has received the stolen thing from his hand
shall be put to death.
section 7. If a man has bought silver, gold, manservant or maidservant,
ox or sheep or ass, or anything whatever its name, from the hand of a
man's son, or of a man's slave, without witness and bonds, or has
received the same on deposit, that man has acted the thief, he shall be
put to death.
section 8. If a man has stolen ox or sheep or ass, or pig, or ship,
whether from the temple or the palace, he shall pay thirtyfold. If he be a
poor man, he shall render tenfold. If the thief has nought to pay, he
shall be put to death.
section 9. If a man who has lost something of his, something of his that
is lost has been seized in the hand of a man, the man in whose hand the
lost thing has been seized has said, 'A giver gave it me,' or 'I bought it
before witnesses,' and the owner of the thing that is lost has said,
'Verily, I will bring witnesses that know my lost property,' the buyer
has brought the giver who gave it him and the witnesses before whom
he bought it, and the owner of the lost property has brought the
witnesses who know his lost property, the judge shall see their
depositions, the witnesses before whom the purchase was made and the
witnesses knowing the lost property shall say out before God what they
know; and if the giver has acted the thief he shall be put to death, the
owner of the lost property shall take his lost property, the buyer shall

take the money he paid from the house of the giver.
section 10. If the buyer has not brought the giver who gave it him and
the witnesses before whom he bought, and the owner of the lost
property has brought the witnesses knowing his lost property, the buyer
has acted the thief, he shall be put to death; the owner of the lost
property shall take his lost property.
section 11. If the owner of the lost property has not brought witnesses
knowing his lost property, he has lied, he has stirred up strife, he shall
be put to death.
section 12. If the giver has betaken himself to his fate, the buyer shall
take from the house of the giver fivefold as the penalty of that case.
section 13. If that man has not his witnesses near, the judge shall set
him a fixed time, up to six months, and if within six months he has not
driven in his witnesses, that man has lied, he himself shall bear the
blame of that case.
section 14. If a man has stolen the son of a freeman, he shall be put to
death.
section 15. If a man has caused either a palace slave or palace maid, or
a slave of a poor man or a poor man's maid, to go out of the gate, he