179. If a votary or a vowed woman to whom her father has given a marriage portion, and has written her a tablet, and on the tablet which he wrote her has written, “property where (to whom) it seems good to her to give (let her give),” has allowed her the fulness of her heart’s desire: afterwards when the father has gone to his fate, her property after her death to whomever it pleases her she shall give; her brothers shall not strive with her.
180. If a father to his daughter, a bride or vowed woman, a marriage portion has not given; after the father has gone to his fate, she shall receive of the possession of the father’s house a share like one son. As long as she lives she shall keep it; her property after her death shall belong to her brothers.
181. If a father has vowed to God a hierodule or a temple virgin, and has gone to his fate, she shall have a share in the possession of the father’s house equal to one-third her portion as one of his children. As long as she lives she shall keep it. Her property after her death shall belong to her brothers.
182. If a father to his daughter, a votary of Marduk of Babylon, has not given a marriage portion, a tablet has not written; after the father has gone to his fate she shall share with her brothers in the possession of her father’s house; a third of her share as his child (she shall receive). Control over it shall not go from her. The votary of Marduk shall give her property after her death to whomever it pleases her.
183. If a father to his daughter by a concubine has given a marriage portion, and has given her to a husband and has written her a tablet; after the father has gone to his fate, in the goods of the father’s house, she shall not share.
184. If a man to his daughter by a concubine a marriage portion has not provided, to a husband has not given her; after the father has gone to his fate her brothers shall provide her a marriage portion according to the value of the father’s house, and to a husband they shall give her.
Laws concerning Adoption
185. If a man has taken a small child as a son in his own name and has brought him up, that foster child shall not be reclaimed.
186. If a man has taken a small child for his son, and if when he took him his father and his mother he offended, that foster child shall return to the house of his father.
187. The son of a familiar slave in the palace service, or the son of a vowed woman, cannot be reclaimed.
188. If an artisan has taken a child to bring up, and has taught him his handicraft, no one can make a complaint.
189. If he has not taught him his handicraft, that foster child shall return to the house of his father.
190. If a man, a small child whom he took for his son and brought him up, with his own sons has not counted, that foster son shall return to his father’s house.
191. If a man who has taken a small child for his son and has brought him up, has afterwards made a home for himself and acquired children, if he sets his face to cut off the foster child; that child shall not go his way. His adoptive father shall give him of his goods one-third a son’s share, and then he shall go. Of the field, garden, and house he shall not give him.
192. If the son of a favourite slave or the son of a vowed woman to the father who brought him up and to the mother who brought him up say, “Thou art not my father, thou art not my mother,” one shall cut out his tongue.
193. If the son of a palace favourite or the son of a vowed woman has known the house of his father and has hated the father who brought him up and the mother who brought him up, and has gone to the house of his father, one shall tear out his eyes.
194. If a man has given his son to a nurse and if his son has died in the hand of the nurse, and if the nurse, without the consent of his father or mother, another child has nourished, she shall be brought to account and because she nourished another child, without the consent of the father and mother, one shall cut off her breasts.
Laws of Recompense
195. If a son has struck his father, one shall cut off his hands.
196. If one destroys the eye of a free-born man, his eye one shall destroy.
197. If anyone breaks the limb of a free-born man, his limb one shall break.
198. If the eye of a nobleman he has destroyed, or the limb of a nobleman he has broken, one mina of silver he shall pay.
199. If he has destroyed the eye of the slave of a free-born man or has broken the limb of the slave of a free-born man, he shall pay the half of its price.
200. If he knocks out the teeth of a man who is his equal, his teeth one shall knock out.
201. If the teeth of a freedman he has made to fall out, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver.
202. If anyone has injured the strength of a man who is high above him, he shall publicly be struck with sixty strokes of a cowhide whip.
203. If he has injured the strength of a man who is his equal, he shall pay one mina of silver.
204. If he has injured the strength of a freedman, one shall cut off his ear.
205. If the slave of a man has injured the strength of a free-born man, one shall cut off his ear.
206. If a man has struck another in a quarrel and has wounded him, and that man shall swear, “I did not strike him wittingly,” he shall pay the doctor.
207. If he dies of the blows, he shall swear again, and if it was a free-born man, he shall pay one-half a mina of silver.
208. If it was a freedman, he shall pay one-third a mina of silver.
209. If anyone has struck a free-born woman and caused her to let fall what was in her womb, he shall pay ten shekels of silver for what was in her womb.
210. If that woman dies, one shall put his daughter to death.
211. If it was a freedwoman whom he caused to let fall that which was in her womb, through his blows, he shall pay five shekels of silver.
212. If that woman dies, he shall pay one-half a mina of silver.
213. If he has struck a man’s maid-servant and caused her to drop what was in her womb, he shall pay two shekels of silver.
214. If that maid-servant dies he shall pay one-third a mina of silver.
Regulations concerning Physicians and Veterinary Surgeons
215. If a doctor has treated a man for a severe wound with a lancet of bronze and has cured the man, or has opened a tumour with a bronze lancet and has cured the man’s eye; he shall receive ten shekels of silver.
216. If it was a freedman, he shall receive five shekels of silver.
217. If it was a man’s slave, the owner of the slave shall give the doctor two shekels of silver.
218. If a physician has treated a free-born man for a severe wound with a lancet of bronze and has caused the man to die, or has opened a tumour of the man with a lancet of bronze and has destroyed his eye, his hands one shall cut off.
219. If a doctor has treated the slave of a freedman for a severe wound with a bronze lancet and has caused him to die, he shall give back slave for slave.
220. If he has opened his tumour with a bronze lancet and has ruined his eye, he shall pay the half of his price in money.
221. If a doctor has cured the broken limb of a man, or has healed his sick body, the patient shall pay the doctor five shekels of silver.
222. If it was a freedman, he shall give three shekels of silver.
223. If it was a man’s slave, the owner of the slave shall give two shekels of silver to the doctor.
224. If the doctor of oxen and asses has treated an ox or an ass for a grave wound and has cured it, the owner of the ox or the ass shall give to the doctor as his pay one-sixth of a shekel of silver.