(ב) מַלְקִין בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה בְּכָל מָקוֹם מִן הַתּוֹרָה בִּפְנֵי שְׁלֹשָׁה סְמוּכִין אֲבָל לֹא בִּפְנֵי הֶדְיוֹטוֹת:
(ג) וְכָל מַלְקִיּוֹת שֶׁמַּלְקִין דַּיָּנֵי חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֵינָהּ אֶלָּא מַכַּת מַרְדּוּת:
(ד) אֵין אָדָם לוֹקֶה אֶלָּא בְּעֵדִים וְהַתְרָאָה וּבוֹדְקִין הָעֵדִים בִּדְרִישָׁה וּבַחֲקִירָה כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁעוֹשִׂים בְּדִינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת. עָבַר עַל לָאו שֶׁנִּתַּק לַעֲשֵׂה וְהִתְרוּ בּוֹ וְאָמְרוּ לוֹ אַל תַּעֲשֶׂה דָּבָר זֶה שֶׁאִם תַּעֲשֶׂנּוּ וְלֹא תְּקַיֵּם עֲשֵׂה שֶׁבּוֹ תִּלְקֶה. וְעָבַר וְלֹא קִיֵּם הָעֲשֵׂה הֲרֵי זֶה לוֹקֶה. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַתְרָאָה בְּסָפֵק הִיא שֶׁאִם יְקַיֵּם יִפָּטֵר הַתְרָאַת סָפֵק הַתְרָאָה הִיא:
(2) Lashes are administered in the present age in any place, according to Scriptural Law in the presence of three judges who were given semichah. This punishment is not, however, administered in the presence of three ordinary people.
(3) All the lashes that are administered by the judges of the diaspora in every place are 'stripes for rebellious conduct.'
(4) A person is not punished by lashes unless his transgression was observed by witnesses and they administered a warning to him. The witnesses are questioned and cross-examined in the same manner as they are in cases involving capital punishment.
The following laws apply when a person transgresses a negative commandment that can be corrected by a positive commandment. Before the transgressor violates the negative commandment, witnesses must administer a warning, telling him: 'Do not perform this activity. If you perform it and do not fulfill the positive commandment associated with it, you will receive lashes.' If, after receiving such a warning, the transgressor violates the commandment and does not fulfill the positive commandment, he receives lashes. Although the warning involved uncertainty, - for if he fulfills the positive commandment, he will be released unpunished - an uncertain warning is considered as a warning.
(ט) הָאִישׁ הַמַּכֶּה צָרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת יָתֵר בְּדֵעָה וְחָסֵר בְּכֹחַ. וּמַגְבִּיהַּ אֶת הָרְצוּעוֹת בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדָיו וּמַכֶּה בְּיָדוֹ אַחַת בְּכָל כֹּחוֹ. וּמַלְקֵהוּ שְׁלִישׁ מִלְּפָנָיו [עַל חָזֵהוּ] בֵּין דָּדָיו וּשְׁנֵי שְׁלִישִׁים מֵאֲחוֹרָיו. שְׁלִישׁ עַל כָּתֵף זֶה וּשְׁלִישׁ עַל כָּתֵף זֶה:
(9) The man administering the lashes should be heavily endowed with knowledge and minimally endowed with physical power. He should lift up the strap with both his hands and strike him with one hand, with all his power.
He should strike him with a third of the lashes on his front, i.e., on his breast, between his nipples, and two thirds of the lashes on his back, one third on one shoulder and the other third on the other shoulder.
(א) כֵּיצַד מַלְקִין אֶת הַמְחֻיָּב מַלְקוֹת. כְּפִי כֹּחוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כה ב) "כְּדֵי רִשְׁעָתוֹ בְּמִסְפָּר". וְזֶה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים כה ג) "אַרְבָּעִים" שֶׁאֵין מוֹסִיפִין עַל הָאַרְבָּעִים אֲפִלּוּ הָיָה חָזָק וּבָרִיא כְּשִׁמְשׁוֹן. אֲבָל פּוֹחֲתִין לַחַלָּשׁ שֶׁאִם יַכֶּה לַחַלָּשׁ מַכָּה רַבָּה בְּוַדַּאי הוּא מֵת. לְפִיכָךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ הַבָּרִיא בְּיוֹתֵר מַכִּין אוֹתוֹ שְׁלֹשִׁים וְתֵשַׁע שֶׁאִם יוֹסִיף לוֹ אַחַת נִמְצֵאת שֶׁלֹּא הִכָּהוּ אֶלָּא אַרְבָּעִים הָרְאוּיוֹת לוֹ:
(ב) כְּשֶׁאוֹמְדִין אֶת הַחוֹטֵא כַּמָּה הוּא יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל אֵין אוֹמְדִין אֶלָּא בְּמַכּוֹת הָרְאוּיוֹת לְהִשְׁתַּלֵּשׁ. אֲמָדוּהוּ שֶׁיָּכוֹל לְקַבֵּל עֶשְׂרִים אֵין אוֹמְרִין יִלְקֶה עֶשְׂרִים וְאַחַת כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ יְכוֹלִין לְהִשְׁתַּלֵּשׁ אֶלָּא יִלְקֶה שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה. אֲמָדוּהוּ לְקַבֵּל אַרְבָּעִים וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִתְחִיל לִלְקוֹת רָאוּהוּ חַלָּשׁ וְאָמְרוּ אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל יוֹתֵר עַל אֵלּוּ הַתֵּשַׁע אוֹ הַשְּׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שֶׁלָּקָה הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר. אֲמָדוּהוּ לְקַבֵּל שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה וְאַחַר שֶׁלָּקָה רָאוּהוּ חָזָק וְיָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל יוֹתֵר הֲרֵי זֶה פָּטוּר וְאֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה יוֹתֵר עַל הָאֹמֶד:
(ג) אֲמָדוּהוּ הַיּוֹם שֶׁיִּלְקֶה שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה וְלֹא הִלְקוּהוּ עַד לְמָחָר וַהֲרֵי הוּא לְמָחָר יָכוֹל לְקַבֵּל שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה אֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה אֶלָּא שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה. אֲמָדוּהוּ שֶׁיִּלְקֶה לְמָחָר שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה וְלֹא לָקָה עַד יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי וַהֲרֵי הוּא חָזָק לְקַבֵּל שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לוֹקֶה שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שֶׁהֲרֵי בִּשְׁעַת הָאֹמֶד לֹא אֲמָדוּהוּ לִלְקוֹת אֶלָּא לְאַחַר זְמַן. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה:
(1) How are lashes administered to a person liable to receive them? According to his strength, as indicated by Deuteronomy 25:2: "According to his wickedness by number." The number 40 stated in the following verse is mentioned to teach that more than 40 lashes are never administered even if the person is as healthy and as strong as Samson. When, by contrast, a person is weak, the amount of lashes is reduced. For if a weak person is given many lashes, he will certainly die. Therefore our Sages said: that even a very healthy person is given only 39 lashes. For if accidentally an extra blow is administered, he will still not have been given more than the 40 which he was required to receive.
(2) When the court estimates how many lashes the condemned is able to bear, the estimation is made in numbers that are divisible by three. If it was estimated that he could bear 20, we do not say that he should be given 21, so that the number of lashes will be divisible by three. Instead, he is given 18 lashes.
If the court estimated that he could bear 40 lashes, but when they began lashing him, they saw that he was weak and that he would not be able to bear more than the nine or twelve lashes that he already received, he is released. If they estimated that he could bear twelve and after he was lashed, they saw that he was strong and could bear more, he is released. He is not lashed more than the original estimate.
(3) If, on a specific day, it was estimated that he could bear twelve lashes to be given on that day, but he was not lashed until the following day, and on the following day, he is able to bear eighteen, he receives only twelve.
If it was estimated on one day that if he was lashed on the following day, he could bear twelve and he was not lashed until the third day, at which time he was strong enough to bear eighteen, he should be given eighteen lashes. The rationale is that at the time the estimation was made, it was reckoned that he would not be lashed until a later date. Similar laws apply in all analogous situations.