Book of Exodus/YMMV

• Values Dissonance: Yes, there are laws about how to deal with slaves. These would almost be hilarious (if not for the slavery), considering they're given to escaped slaves. There are also laws saying that the penalty for rape is marrying the victim and paying her father 50 shekels. And if a woman wasn't a virgin when you married, or has been unfaithful, you can have her executed.
  • Fair for Its Day: Said laws did give slaves of the Hebrews much better lives. Fellow Hebrews who were slaves were expected to be freed after 6 years of work and generously paid at that time. Foreigners could be slaves for life but if they experienced violence at the hands of their masters they were automatically declared free under the law. Quite different from the slavery in Egypt or the slavery in America before the Civil War.
  • Punishments were generally equal regardless of class distinctions, with only a few exceptions. As compared to The Code of Hammurabi, where punishments varied for every social class on every offense, this was demonstrably more fair.
  • Civil restitution for extortion and theft required some obscene penalties, but compared to how these crimes usually merited death in many places, this was pretty lenient by comparison.