The Code of Hammurabi · 10 of 12

Laws 235–259

235. If a boatman has navigated a ship for a man and has not made his work trustworthy, and in that same year that he worked that ship it has suffered an injury, the boatman shall exchange that ship or shall make it strong at his own expense and shall give a strong ship to the owner of the ship.

236. If a man has given his ship to a boatman, on hire, and the boatman has been careless, has grounded the ship, or has caused it to be lost, the boatman shall render ship for ship to the owner.

237. If a man has hired a boatman and ship, and with corn, wool, oil, dates, or whatever it be as freight, has freighted her, that boatman has been careless and grounded the ship, or has caused what is in her to be lost, the boatman shall render back the ship which he has grounded and whatever in her he has caused to be lost.

238. If a boatman has grounded the ship of a man and has refloated her, he shall give money to half her price.

239. If a man has hired a boatman, he shall give him six GUR of corn per year.

240. If a ship that is going forward has struck a ship at anchor and has sunk her, the owner of the ship that has been sunk whatever he has lost in his ship shall recount before God, and that of the ship going forward which sunk the ship at anchor shall render to him his ship and whatever of his was lost.

241. If a man has taken an ox on distraint, he shall pay onethird of a mina of silver.

242. If a man has hired a working ox for one year, he shall pay four GUR of corn as its hire.

243. If a milch cow, he shall give three GUR of corn to its owner.

244. If a man has hired an ox or sheep and a lion has killed it in the open field, that loss is for its owner forsooth.

245. If a man has hired an ox and through neglect or by blows has caused it to die, ox for ox to the owner of the ox he shall render.

246. If a man has hired an ox and has crushed its foot or has cut its nape, ox for ox to the owner of the ox he shall render.

247. If a man has hired an ox and has caused it to lose its eye, he shall pay half its price to the owner of the ox.

248. If a man has hired an ox, and has crushed its horn, cut off its tail, or pierced its nostrils, he shall pay a quarter of its price.

249. If a man has hired an ox, and God has struck it and it has died, the man who has hired the ox shall swear before God and shall go free.

250. If a wild bull in his charge has gored a man and caused him to die, that case has no remedy.

251. If the ox has pushed a man, by pushing has made known his vice, and he has not blunted his horn, has not shut up his ox, and that ox has gored a man of gentle birth and caused him to die, he shall pay half a mina of silver.

252. If a gentleman's servant, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.

253. If a man has hired a man to reside in his field and has furnished him seed, has entrusted him the oxen and harnessed them for cultivating the field--if that man has stolen the corn or plants, and they have been seized in his hands, one shall cut off his hands.

254. If he has taken the seed, worn out the oxen, from the seed which he has hoed he shall restore.

255. If he has hired out the oxen of the man or has stolen the corn and has not caused it to grow in the field, that man one shall put him to account and he shall measure out sixty GUR of corn per GAN of land.

256. If his compensation he is not able to pay, one shall remove the oxen from that field.

257. If a man has hired a harvester, he shall give him eight GUR of corn per year.

258. If a man has hired an ox-driver, he shall give him six GUR of corn per year.

259. If a man has stolen a watering machine from the meadow, he shall give five shekels of silver to the owner of the watering machine.