The Law Concerning Slavery

³⁹ ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave.

^2 (A)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.

²² But of the children of Israel Solomon ^(A)made no forced laborers, because they were men of war and his servants: his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.

⁵ Yet now ^(A)our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we ^(B)are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”

Elisha and the Widow’s Oil^(A)

4 A certain woman of the wives of ^(B)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming ^(C)to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

⁴⁶ And ^(A)you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.

¹⁴ “At the end of ^(A)seven years let every man set free his Hebrew brother, who ^[a]has been sold to him; and when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you.” But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear.

^7 (A)So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, ^(B)until the time of his land comes; ^(C)and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them.

^14 (A)(For many nations ^(B)and great kings shall ^(C)be served by them also; ^(D)and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)’ ”