阅读经文 

你有牛或者驴子吗？如果没有，那么这条律法就和你没有什么关系了，是这样吗？也许是吧。这是圣经中许多民事律法中的一条。在古代以色列，这些律法是为了维持社会秩序。在所有的文化中，都有关于财产的类似法律，但财产的性质可能因社会不同而有别。所有这些法律的目的都是一样的：实现民事公平。

这段经文中的法律是针对古代以色列的农业社会。如果你今天生活在一个有牛和驴的社会，你可能会希望这样的法律能生效。

但即使在不使用牛和驴的社会里，这样的法律也是适用的。这一条法规说明了公平赔偿的原则。挖坑的人应该把坑盖起来，却没有这样做。结果，有人因此损失了利益。所以，挖坑的人应该为牲畜的损失向其主人赔偿。

没有牲畜，那么汽车呢？你有一辆吗？你是否负责任地驾驶？你是否购买了相关的保险，以至于如果你伤害了别人，便可以为他们的损失提供赔偿？如果是这样，你在自己的社会中就遵循了类似的律法。

Do you own an ox? How about a donkey? Then this law has little to do with you, right?

Perhaps. This is one of many civil laws found in the Bible. In ancient Israel, these laws were intended to keep order in society. All cultures have similar laws about property, but the nature of the property may vary from one society to another. All such laws aim at the same thing: civil justice.

The laws in this passage are specific to the agricultural society of ancient Israel. If you live in a society today with oxen and donkeys, you might want such a law in effect.

But even in societies that do not use oxen and donkeys, such laws can be useful. This one illustrates the principle of fair compensation. The pit digger should have covered up the hole. As a result, someone else lost something of value. Thus the pit digger should pay the owner for the loss of the animal.

How about an automobile? Do you have one of them? Do you drive responsibly? Are you insured so that if you harm someone else, you can provide compensation for their loss? If so, you are following a similar law in your own society.