22:1
So far the penalties for various crimes and mishaps have been of the eye-for-an-eye variety. I.e. a near as possible equivalence between the event and the compensation. Now we get a number of cases where things are different. The first involves the stealing of an ox or sheep, and the recompense is five oxen or four sheep. Oxen were more valuable than sheep, and the loss of an ox was a more serious matter than the loss of a sheep . The difference between this case and the ones in the previous chapter is that the offender deliberately set out to steal the beast. So intent and motive are significant factors.
22:2,3a
If the thief is discovered and the owner hits him and he dies, then the owner is not guilty of bloodshed. However, this is the case only if it happens at night, if it happens in daylight then the owner is guilty of bloodshed. So there is a case for self-defence, but only for a reasonable use of self-defence. We should note that it is not implied that the thief is threatening violence. If he is interrupted during the night, the owner is not to know whether the thief is a violent threat. During the day he could tell.
As an aside, I have to say that the NIV is much clearer than the ESV in this section.
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