The Sabbath Year

25 The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai,^{(A) 2} “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. ³ For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops.^{(B) 4} But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest,^(C) a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.^{(D) 5} Do not reap what grows of itself^(E) or harvest the grapes^(F) of your untended vines.^(G) The land is to have a year of rest. ⁶ Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year^(H) will be food for you—for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, ⁷ as well as for your livestock and the wild animals^(I) in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

The Year of Jubilee^(J)(K)

⁸ “‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. ⁹ Then have the trumpet^(L) sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month;^(M) on the Day of Atonement^(N) sound the trumpet throughout your land. ¹⁰ Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty^(O) throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee^(P) for you; each of you is to return to your family property^(Q) and to your own clan. ¹¹ The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee^(R) for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.^{(S) 12} For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

¹³ “‘In this Year of Jubilee^(T) everyone is to return to their own property.

¹⁴ “‘If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other.^{(U) 15} You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years^(V) since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. ¹⁶ When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price,^(W) because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. ¹⁷ Do not take advantage of each other,^(X) but fear your God.^(Y) I am the Lord your God.^(Z)

¹⁸ “‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws,^(AA) and you will live safely in the land.^{(AB) 19} Then the land will yield its fruit,^(AC) and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.^{(AD) 20} You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year^(AE) if we do not plant or harvest our crops?”

Hezekiah King of Judah^(A)(B)(C)

18 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah^(D) son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years.^(E) His mother’s name was Abijah^[a] daughter of Zechariah. ³ He did what was right^(F) in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David^(G) had done. ⁴ He removed^(H) the high places,^(I) smashed the sacred stones^(J) and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake^(K) Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.^[b])

⁵ Hezekiah trusted^(L) in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. ⁶ He held fast^(M) to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him; he was successful^(N) in whatever he undertook. He rebelled^(O) against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. ⁸ From watchtower to fortified city,^(P) he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

⁹ In King Hezekiah’s fourth year,^(Q) which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. ¹⁰ At the end of three years the Assyrians took it. So Samaria was captured in Hezekiah’s sixth year, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. ¹¹ The king^(R) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.^{(S) 12} This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant^(T)—all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.^(U) They neither listened to the commands^(V) nor carried them out.

¹⁵ Also with uplifted hand I swore^(A) to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands^(B)— ¹⁶ because they rejected my laws^(C) and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts^(D) were devoted to their idols.^{(E) 17} Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy^(F) them or put an end to them in the wilderness. ¹⁸ I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents^(G) or keep their laws or defile yourselves^(H) with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God;^(I) follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.^{(J) 20} Keep my Sabbaths^(K) holy, that they may be a sign^(L) between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.^(M)”

²¹ “‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws,^(N) of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger^(O) against them in the wilderness.^{(P) 22} But I withheld^(Q) my hand, and for the sake of my name^(R) I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter^(S) them through the countries, ²⁴ because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees^(T) and desecrated my Sabbaths,^(U) and their eyes lusted after^(V) their parents’ idols.^{(W) 25} So I gave^(X) them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;^{(Y) 26} I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice^(Z) of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.^(AA)’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors^(AB) blasphemed^(AC) me by being unfaithful to me:^{(AD) 28} When I brought them into the land^(AE) I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.^{(AF) 29} Then I said to them: What is this high place^(AG) you go to?’” (It is called Bamah^[a] to this day.)

Rebellious Israel Renewed

³⁰ “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves^(AH) the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?^{(AI) 31} When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children^(AJ) in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.^(AK)

³² “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen.

At the Home of Martha and Mary

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha^(A) opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary,^(B) who sat at the Lord’s feet^(C) listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care^(D) that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried^(E) and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a](F) Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

⁸ So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us^(A) for building you up rather than tearing you down,^(B) I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹ I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive^(C) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”^{(D) 11} Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

¹² We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.^(E) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³ We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,^(F) a sphere that also includes you. ¹⁴ We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you^(G) with the gospel of Christ.^{(H) 15} Neither do we go beyond our limits^(I) by boasting of work done by others.^(J) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,^(K) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶ so that we can preach the gospel^(L) in the regions beyond you.^(M) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷ But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^{[a](N) 18} For it is not the one who commends himself^(O) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.^(P)