The 239th mitzvah is that we are commanded regarding [punishing] a thief — whether to collect two, four times, or five times the amount stolen1; to kill him should he break in [to the person's property];2 or to sell him.3 The general principle is that the mitzvah is to punish a thief according to the Torah's directions.
All the details of this mitzvah are explained in the 7th chapter of tractate Bava Kama, the 8th chapter of Sanhedrin, the 3rd chapter of Bava Metzia, and a few passages in Kesuvos,4 Kiddushin,5 and Shavuos.6
