I get asked often why I compare God's Law to the Common Law.  Many people today don't realize that God's Law was designed for all nations to follow.  It was not for Israel only.  The Common Law is God's Law for nations today.  Although it does not contain every commandment in the scripture, it is a law that comes from the Torah and is practiced today by many nations.  Here is a list of the forty-eight dooms (laws/judgments) of the Common Law.

1. "Do not love other strange gods before Me!"  Exodus 20:3

2. "Do not call out My Name in idleness! For you are not guiltless with Me, if you call out My Name in idleness." Exodus 20:7

3. "Mind that you hallow the rest-day! You must work six days; but on the seventh you must rest! For in six days Christ made Heavens and Earth, the seas, and all the shapen things in them; but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord hallowed it." Exodus 20:8-11

4. "Honour your father and your mother whom the Lord gave you — so that you may live longer on Earth!" Exodus 20:12

5. "Do not slay!" Exodus 20:13

6. "Do not commit adultery!" Exodus 20:14

7. "Do not steal!" Exodus 20:15

8. "Do not witness falsely!" Exodus 20:16

9. "Do not unrighteously desire your neighbour's goods!" Exodus 20:17

10. "Do not make gold or silver gods for yourself!" Exodus 20:4-6

11. "These are the judgments which you must appoint. If anyone buys a Christian slave20[or man in bondage], let him be bonded for six years — but the seventh, he must freely be unbought. With such clothes as he went in, with such must he go forth. If he himself had a wife [previously] — she must go out with him. However, if his overlord gave him a wife — she and her bairn [must] go to the overlord. If, however, the bondsman then says, 'I do not wish to go away from my overlord; nor from my wife; nor from my bairn; nor from my goods' — let his overlord then bring him to the door of the church and drill his ear through with an awl, as a sign that he should be a bondsman ever since!" Exodus 21:2-6

12. "Though anyone sells his daughter as a maidservant, let her not at all be a bondswoman like other women. Nor may he sell her to foreigners. But if he who bought her does not respect her — let her go free, [even] among foreigners. If, then, he [her overlord] allows his son to cohabit with her — let him give her marriage-gifts, and see to it that she receives clothes and the dowry which is the value of her maidenhood! Let him give her that! If he do none of these things to her — then she is free." See: Exodus 21:7f.

13. "The man who intentionally slays another man — let him suffer death [Genesis 9:5- 6]! He, however, who slay him out of necessity or unwillingly or involuntarily — as when God may have sent him into his power, and when he had not lain in wait for him — he is worthy of his living and lawful fine, if he [the involuntary manslaughterer] seeks asylum. But if any one presumptuously and wilfully slays his neighbour through guile — drag him from My altar, so that he should suffer death!" See: Numbers 35:11-33.

14. "He who smites his father or his mother — shall suffer death!" Exodus 21:15.

15. "He who steals a Freeman and sells him, and it be proved against him, so that he cannot clear himself — let him suffer death!" Exodus 21:6

16. "If any one smites his neighbour with a stone or with his fist — if he [the one smitten] may go forth, even though only with the help of a staff: get him medicine; and do his work for him, while he himself cannot!" See: Exodus 21:12-16.

17. "He who smites his own bondservant or bondswoman — if he or she does not die the same day but still lives for two or three nights — he is not at all so guilty [of death]: for it was his own chattel. However, if he or she die the same day — put the guilt upon him [the overlord]" See: Exodus 21:20-21.

18. "If anyone, while fighting, hurt a pregnant woman — let him pay a fine for the hurt, as the evaluators determine! If she die — let him pay soul with soul!" See: Exodus 21:22-23.

19. "If anyone puts out another's eye, let him give his own for it: tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe!" See: Ex. 21:24-25.

20. "If anyone smite out the eye of his manservant or his maidservant, so that he makes them one-eyed — for that, he must free them!" See: Exodus 21:26-27.

21. "If an ox gores a man or a woman so that they die — let the ox be stoned to death; but do not let its flesh be eaten! The owner is guiltless — if the ox gored two or three days earlier and the owner did not know about it. However, if he did know about it, and if he did not want to impound it — and if it then slew either a man or a woman — let it be destroyed with stones, and let the owner of the slain or the gored bondsman be paid whatever the Council finds to be right! If it gore a son or a daughter, it is worthy of the same judgment. However, if it gored a bondsman or bondsmen, let thirty shillings of silver be given to the overlord; and let the ox be destroyed with stones!" See: Exodus 21:28-32.

22. "If anyone digs a water-pit; or unties a tied-up animal, and does not tie it up again — let him pay for whatever falls therein; and let him have the dead one!" See: Exodus 21:33-34.

23. "If an ox wounds another man's ox so that it dies, let them sell the [live] ox and share its value — and, similarly, also the meat of the dead one! However, if the owner knew that the ox was goring, but did not wish to restrain it — let him give another ox for it, and keep all the meat for himself!" See: Exodus 21:35-36.

24. "If anyone steals another's ox, and slays or sells it — let him give two for it; and four sheep for one! If he does not have anything to give — let he himself be sold for the fee!" See: Exodus 22:1.

25. "If a thief breaks into a man's house at night, and he be slain there — he [the slayer] is not guilty of manslaughter! If he does this after sun-rise, he is guilty of manslaughter; and he himself shall then die — unless he slew out of necessity! If he [the thief] be caught red-handed with what he previously stole — let him pay twofold for it!" See: Exodus 22:2-4.

26. "If anyone harms another man's vineyard or his acres or any of his lands — let him pay the fine as men value it!" See: Exodus 22:5.

27. "If fire be kindled to burn right22 — let him who tindered the fire then pay a fine for the mischief!" Here, for "fine" Alfred uses the Anglo-Saxon word bot (compare the word 'booty'). See: Exodus 22:6.

28. "If anyone entrust livestock to his friend — if he [the friend] himself steals it, let him pay for it twofold! If he does not know who stole it, let him clear himself [from the accusation] that he committed a fraud! However, if it were quick [alias 'live'] cattle — and if he says that the army took it; or that it died of itself; and if he has a witness — he need not pay for it. If he, however, has no witness — and if he [the loser of the livestock] does not believe him [the custodian] — let him then swear!" See: Exodus 22:7-11.

29. "If anyone deceives an unwedded woman and sleeps with her, let him pay for her — and have her afterwards as his wife! However, if the woman's father does not want to let her go — let him [the seducer] give money, according to her dowry!" Cf. Exodus 22:16-17.

30. "Don't let women live who are wont to receive enchanters and conjurers and witches!" See: Exodus 22:18. Note: these sorcerers and practitioners of witchcraft were usually also murderers and/or kidnappers.

31. "Let him who has intercourse with cattle,23 suffer death!" See: Exodus 22:19. Note: modern departures from the capital punishments in this and other similar provisions here, are departures not just from the Ancient Common Law — but also from the Holy Bible.

32. "Also let him who offers sacrifices to the gods — except to God alone — suffer death!" See: Exodus 22:18-20. Note: the cruel earlier extermination by (degenerate) unitarian Judaists or Moslems and also by polytheistic Pagans even of private worshippers of the Triune Jehovah as the one and only True God — is here replaced by the humane judicial punishment according to (regenerate) Trinitarian Law not of those who are private but rather of those who are public worshippers of false gods.

33. "You must not vex strangers and those who come from afar — for you were strangers, long ago, in the land of the Egyptians!" See: Exodus 22:21. Note: not the unitarian mediaeval Jews but the trinitarian Anglo-Britons are here regarded as the legal continuation of the Ancient Israelites.

34. "You must not scathe widows and step-children, nor harm them anywhere! However, if you do otherwise — they cry out to Me, and I hear them; and then I slay you with My sword. Thus I make your wives to be widows, and your bairns to be stepchildren!" See: Exodus 22:22-24.

35. "If you give money as a loan to your comrade who wants to dwell with you — do not pressure him as one in need; and do not oppress him with interest!" See: Exodus 22:25.

36. "If a man has nothing but a single garment with which to cover himself or to wear, and he gives it as a pledge — before the sun sets, give it back to him! If you do not do so — he calls out to Me; and I hear him. For I am very mild-hearted." See: Exodus 22:26-27.

37. "You may not revile your Lord; nor curse the overlord of the people!" See: Exodus 22:28.

38. "Your tithe-monies and your first-fruits of things that go, and things that grow — you must give to God!" See: Exodus 22:29-30.

39. "You may not eat at all of that meat which wild animals leave! Give it to the hounds!" See: Exodus 22:31.

40. "Do not listen to the words of a liar; nor permit his judgments; nor speak to anyone who gives testimony in his favour!" See: Exodus 23:1f.

41. "Do not, beyond your right reason, wend yourself to people who are unwise and unrighteous in their wishes, when they speak and cry out — nor to the learning of the most unwise! Do not permit them!" See: Exodus 23:2f.

42. "If another man's stray cattle come into your power — though it be your foe — make it known to him!" See: Exodus 22:4f.

43. "You must judge very evenly; do not give one judgment to the wealthy, [but] another to the poor! Nor give one judgment to the more beloved — and another to the more disliked!" See: Exodus 23:6.

44. "Always shun lies [alias 'Shun thou aye leasings']!"

45. "You must never slay a righteous [alias 'sooth-fast'] and unguilty man!"

46. "You must never accept bribes [alias 'meed-monies']! For they all too often blinden wise men's thoughts and turn their words aside." See: Exodus 23:7-8.

47. "Do not act in any way uncouthly toward the stranger from abroad [alias 'out-comer']; nor oppress him with any unrighteousness [alias 'uncouthly']!"

48. "Never swear by heathen gods; nor may you call out to them, in any way!" Ex. 23:9.            

By Steve Siefken

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV