³⁹ “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.^(A)

Hebrew Servants^(A)(B)

² “If you buy a Hebrew servant,^(C) he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,^(D) without paying anything.

²² But Solomon did not make slaves^(A) of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers.

⁵ Although we are of the same flesh and blood^(A) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.^(B) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”^(C)

The Widow’s Olive Oil

4 The wife of a man from the company^(A) of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor^(B) is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

⁴⁶ You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

¹⁴ ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[a](A) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(B) to me.

⁷ All nations will serve^(A) him and his son and his grandson until the time^(B) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate^(C) him.