I am using the laws of the Israelites.
If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished." (Exodus 21:20)
Next line, to be fair: "but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property." (Exodus 21:21)
Pretty normal for slavery, but... not nice. We can interpret that and Exodus 21:12 to mean that a master who kills a slave was put to death:
"He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." (Exodus 21:12)
But I don't think that's true. Literally, that would mean soldiers would be put to death... and also the people putting others to death, would be put to death. Dwarf Fortress loyalty cascade
So it's not literal. It's probably like the first commandment, which only applies to fellow Israelites. I think it's interesting that the laws say things like "don't kill", and all these exceptions are just understood. Shows that they didn't think much of criminals or outsiders (all the massacres and slave-taking were also clues).
"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. "And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth." (Exodus 21:26-27)
This is cool
"Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger, may refresh themselves. (Exodus 23:12)
It's lumping slaves in with livestock. The Israelites couldn't work on the sabbath, and neither could their property. That'd be cheating.
Also, note that children of female slaves are also slaves.
Aaand... actually, the female slaves aren't actually given the day off. The reason is as obvious as it is disgusting. (And I don't just mean the housework)
Do not slander a slave to his master, Or he will curse you and you will be found guilty. (Proverbs 30:10)
They're lying to the other Israelite. The master could harm his own slave over the lie, so lying like that is a serious offense against the master.
'Now if a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. (Leviticus 19:20)
Have sex with a free woman: Death
Have sex with someone else's slave: "Punishment", probably a fine for ruining the slave's value.
And what happens to the slave? Stoning women for getting raped happens *today*, and the armies of Israel tended to kill non-virgin women on their conquests. My bet is that the rapist would be encouraged to buy the slave. "You break her, you buy her".
"You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. (Deuteronomy 23:15)
Huh, I guess this is cool too. Seems very out of place though... Ah, it doesn't say they become free. They just get to choose a new master. Even so, sounds bizarre.
Some people suggest that it was intended for severely mistreated slaves... Particularly those from other tribes. That I can see. Letting slaves freely choose their masters just doesn't sound historical.
'If a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave's service. 'He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. 'He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to his family, that he may return to the property of his forefathers. 'For they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are not to be sold in a slave sale. 'You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God. (Leviticus 25:39-43)
"If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment." (Exodus 21:2)
Why stop there?
4 If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone.
5 But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'
6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently
7 If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.
And yes, fellow Hebrews got special treatment. Foreign slaves were just slaves, as were their children.
Because the ancient Hebrews were racist fucks.
Yes. That actually sums it up pretty well.
Yeah
Oh, don't worry. There were plenty of other laws against rape and abuse. But they were generalized to everybody, not just masters and slaves. I really don't want to dig those up.
They would go into towns and kill everyone except for the young virgin girls, who they'd take as slaves. They probably didn't call it rape, but... it was. I'd call it a "very aggressive arranged marriage", but it wasn't marriage. It was involuntary concubinage.