God in this chapter calls for restitution for damages. This isn't a taking from those because they have it to give, but making right what you ought to have taken care of no matter how much you have or don't have. There are exceptions for things people could not have prevented and calls for people to work out their disagreements if something seems questionable. As I read it, it seems very reasonable to me.
Another thing that is pointed out is that if a thief comes in at night and is killed then the person who was protecting his family/possessions isn't guilty. On the other side, if revenge is taken later and not as we would say in the heat of the moment then the person who takes revenge is guilty of murder.
God commands that restitution be made for one who steals and has nothing. This may seem unfair but consider how God set up what we would call indentured servanthood. This system was supposed to be a hand-up. It said, in a sense, yes we know you are starving and poor but since you can't take care of yourself, we will give you a job, a place to stay, provision for you and your family, and in a few years a new start. At least that was how it was supposed to be, unfortunately, it didn't happen that way in ancient Israel nor in the workhouses that Charles Dickens wrote against. However, both broken systems claimed God's ordained right for what they did even as they did the opposite of what God commanded. A reminder that we need to make sure that what we claim is a divine decree is actually from God.
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