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Leviticus 25
New English Translation

Regulations for the Sabbatical Year

25 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath[a] to the Lord. 3 Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce,[b] 4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest[c]—a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or[d] prune your vineyard. 5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned vines;[e] the land must have a year of complete rest. 6 You may have the Sabbath produce[f] of the land to eat—you, your male servant, your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with you,[g] 7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land—all its produce will be for you[h] to eat.

Regulations for the Jubilee Year of Release

8 “‘You must count off[i] seven weeks of years, seven times seven years,[j] and the days of the seven weeks of years will amount to forty-nine years.[k] 9 You must sound loud horn blasts[l]—in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement—you must sound the horn in your entire land. 10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year,[m] and you must proclaim a release[n] in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your Jubilee;[o] each one of you must return[p] to his property and each one of you must return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines.[q] 12 Because that year is a Jubilee, it will be holy to you—you may eat its produce[r] from the field.

Release of Landed Property

13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee you must each return[s] to your property. 14 If you make a sale[t] to your fellow citizen[u] or buy[v] from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother.[w] 15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since[x] the last Jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left.[y] 16 The more years there are,[z] the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are,[aa] the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of[ab] produce. 17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen,[ac] but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God. 18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations; you must be sure to keep them[ad] so that you may live securely in the land.[ae]

19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied,[af] and you may live securely in the land. 20 If you say, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce?” 21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield[ag] the produce[ah] for three years, 22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce[ai]—old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce,[aj] you may eat old produce. 23 The land must not be sold without reclaim[ak] because the land belongs to me, for you are foreign residents, temporary settlers, with me.[al] 24 In all your landed property[am] you must provide for the right of redemption of the land.[an]

25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold.[ao] 26 If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers[ap] and gains enough for its redemption,[aq] 27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold,[ar] refund the balance[as] to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property. 28 If he has not prospered enough to refund[at] a balance to him, then what he sold[au] will belong to[av] the one who bought it until the Jubilee year, but it must revert[aw] in the Jubilee and the original owner[ax] may return to his property.

Release of Houses

29 “‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city,[ay] its right of redemption must extend[az] until one full year from its sale;[ba] its right of redemption must extend to a full calendar year.[bb] 30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended,[bc] the house in the walled city[bd] will belong without reclaim[be] to the one who bought it throughout his generations; it will not revert in the Jubilee. 31 The houses of villages, however,[bf] which have no wall surrounding them[bg] must be considered as the field[bh] of the land; they will have the right of redemption and must revert in the Jubilee. 32 As for[bi] the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities which they possess,[bj] the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption. 33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem—the sale of a house which is his property in a city—must revert in the Jubilee,[bk] because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites. 34 Moreover,[bl] the open field areas of their cities[bm] must not be sold, because that is their perpetual possession.

Debt and Slave Regulations

35 “‘If your brother[bn] becomes impoverished and is indebted to you,[bo] you must support[bp] him; he must live[bq] with you like a foreign resident.[br] 36 Do not take interest or profit from him,[bs] but you must fear your God and your brother must live[bt] with you. 37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit.[bu] 38 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan—to be your God.[bv]

39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service.[bw] 40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner;[bx] he must serve with you until the Year of Jubilee, 41 but then[by] he may go free,[bz] he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors.[ca] 42 Since the Israelites[cb] are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale.[cc] 43 You must not rule over them harshly,[cd] but you must fear your God.

44 “‘As for your male and female slaves[ce] who may belong to you—you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you.[cf] 45 Also, you may buy slaves[cg] from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are[ch] with you, whom they have fathered in your land; they may become your property. 46 You may give them as an inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly.[ci]

47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers[cj] and your brother becomes impoverished with regard to him so that[ck] he sells himself to a resident foreigner who is with you or to a member[cl] of a foreigner’s family, 48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption.[cm] One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin[cn] may redeem him, or any one of the rest of his blood relatives—his family[co]—may redeem him, or if[cp] he prospers he may redeem himself. 50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years[cq] from the year he sold himself to him until the Jubilee year, and the cost of his sale must correspond to the number of years, according to the rate of wages a hired worker would have earned while with him.[cr] 51 If there are still many years, in keeping with them[cs] he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption, 52 but if only a few years remain[ct] until the Jubilee, he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption. 53 He must be with the one who bought him[cu] like a yearly hired worker.[cv] The one who bought him[cw] must not rule over him harshly in your sight. 54 If, however,[cx] he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free[cy] in the Jubilee year, he and his children with him, 55 because the Israelites are my own servants;[cz] they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 25:2 tn Heb “the land shall rest a Sabbath.”
  2. Leviticus 25:3 tn Heb “its produce,” but the feminine pronoun “its” probably refers to the “land” (a feminine noun in Hebrew; cf. v. 2), not the “field” or the “vineyard,” both of which are normally masculine nouns (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170).
  3. Leviticus 25:4 tn Heb “and in the seventh year a Sabbath of complete rest shall be to the land.” The expression “a Sabbath of complete rest” is superlative, emphasizing the full and all inclusive rest of the seventh year of the sabbatical cycle. Cf. ASV “a sabbath of solemn rest”; NAB “a complete rest.”
  4. Leviticus 25:4 tn Heb “and.” Here the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) has an alternative sense (“or”).
  5. Leviticus 25:5 tn Heb “consecrated, devoted, forbidden” (נָזִיר, nazir). The same term is used for the “consecration” of the “Nazirite” (and his hair, Num 6:2, 18, etc.), a designation which, in turn, derives from the very same root.
  6. Leviticus 25:6 tn The word “produce” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied; cf. NASB “the sabbath products.”
  7. Leviticus 25:6 tn A “resident who stays” would be a foreign person who was probably residing as another kind of laborer in the household of a landowner (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71). See v. 35 below.
  8. Leviticus 25:7 tn The words “for you” are implied.
  9. Leviticus 25:8 tn Heb “And you shall count off for yourself.”
  10. Leviticus 25:8 tn Heb “seven years seven times.”
  11. Leviticus 25:8 tn Heb “and they shall be for you, the days of the seven Sabbaths of years, forty-nine years.”
  12. Leviticus 25:9 sn On the “loud horn blasts” see the note on Lev 23:24, but unlike the language there, the Hebrew term for “horn” (שׁוֹפָר, shofar) actually appears here in this verse (twice).
  13. Leviticus 25:10 tn Heb “the year of the fifty years,” or perhaps “the year, fifty years” (GKC 435 §134.o, note 2).
  14. Leviticus 25:10 tn Cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV “liberty”; TEV, CEV “freedom.” The characteristics of this “release” are detailed in the following verses. For substantial summaries and bibliography on the biblical and ancient Near Eastern material regarding such a “release” see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 427-34, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 270-74.
  15. Leviticus 25:10 tn Heb “A jubilee that shall be to you.” Although there has been some significant debate about the original meaning of the Hebrew word translated “jubilee” (יוֹבֵל, yovel; see the summary in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 434), the term most likely means “ram” and can refer also to a “ram’s horn.” The fiftieth year would, therefore, be called the “jubilee” because of the associated sounding of the “ram’s horn” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 172, and the literature cited there).
  16. Leviticus 25:10 tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”
  17. Leviticus 25:11 tn Heb “you shall not sow and you shall not…and you shall not….”sn See v. 5 above and the notes there.
  18. Leviticus 25:12 tn That is, the produce of the land (fem.; cf. v. 7 above).
  19. Leviticus 25:13 tn Heb “you [plural] shall return, a man.”
  20. Leviticus 25:14 tn Heb “sell a sale.”
  21. Leviticus 25:14 tn Or “to one of your countrymen” (NIV); NASB “to your friend.”
  22. Leviticus 25:14 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute קָנֹה (qanoh, “buying”) substitutes for the finite verb here in sequence with the previous finite verb “sell” at the beginning of the verse (see GKC 345 §113.z).
  23. Leviticus 25:14 tn Heb “do not oppress a man his brother.” Here “brother” does not refer only to a sibling, but to a fellow Israelite.
  24. Leviticus 25:15 tn Heb “in the number of years after.”
  25. Leviticus 25:15 tn The words “that are left” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.sn The purchaser is actually buying only the crops that the land will produce until the next Jubilee, since the land will revert to the original owner at that time. The purchaser, therefore, is not actually buying the land itself.
  26. Leviticus 25:16 tn Heb “To the mouth of the many years.”
  27. Leviticus 25:16 tn Heb “to the mouth of the few years.”
  28. Leviticus 25:16 tn Heb “a number of produce”; the words “years of” are implied. As an alternative this could be translated “a number of harvests” (cf. NRSV, NLT).
  29. Leviticus 25:17 tn Heb “And you shall not oppress a man his fellow citizen.”
  30. Leviticus 25:18 tn Heb “And you shall keep and do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 20:8, etc.).
  31. Leviticus 25:18 tn Heb “and you shall dwell on the land to security.”
  32. Leviticus 25:19 tn Heb “eat to satisfaction”; KJV, ASV “ye shall eat your fill.”
  33. Leviticus 25:21 tn Heb “and it [i.e., the land] shall make the produce.” The Hebrew term וְעָשָׂת (veʿasat, “and it shall make”) is probably an older third feminine singular form of the verb (GKC 210 §75.m). Smr has the normal form.
  34. Leviticus 25:21 tn Smr and LXX have “its produce” (cf. 25:3, 7, etc.) rather than “the produce.”
  35. Leviticus 25:22 tn Heb “the produce,” referring to “the produce” of the sixth year of v. 21. The words “sixth year” are supplied for clarity.
  36. Leviticus 25:22 tn Heb “until the ninth year, until bringing [in] its produce.”
  37. Leviticus 25:23 tn The term rendered “without reclaim” means that the land has been bought for the full price and is, therefore, not subject to reclaim under any circumstances. This was not to be done with land in ancient Israel (contrast the final full sale of houses in v. 30; see the evidence cited in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 174).
  38. Leviticus 25:23 tn The Hebrew terms ger (גֵּר; “resident foreigner”) and toshav (תּוֹשָׁב; “resident/dweller”) have similar meaning. The toshav was less integrated into Israelite society, had less rights, and had not fully committed to the religion of Israel. But in this context the terms are used simply to emphasize that Israel would be a guest on God’s land. They were attached to the Lord’s household. They did not own the land.sn Abraham refers to himself by these terms in Gen 23:4. Ps 39:12 and 1 Chron 29:15 take up this language from Lev 25:23.
  39. Leviticus 25:24 tn Heb “And in all the land of your property.”
  40. Leviticus 25:24 tn Heb “right of redemption you shall give to the land”; NAB “you must permit the land to be redeemed.”
  41. Leviticus 25:25 tn Heb “the sale of his brother.”
  42. Leviticus 25:26 tn Heb “and his hand reaches.”
  43. Leviticus 25:26 tn Heb “and he finds as sufficiency of its redemption.”
  44. Leviticus 25:27 tn Heb “and he shall calculate its years of sale.”
  45. Leviticus 25:27 tn Heb “and return the excess.”
  46. Leviticus 25:28 tn Heb “And if his hand has not found sufficiency of returning.” Although some versions take this to mean that he has not made enough to regain the land (e.g., NASB, NRSV; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176), the combination of terms in Hebrew corresponds to the portion of v. 27 that refers specifically to refunding the money (cf. v. 27; see NIV and G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 315).
  47. Leviticus 25:28 tn Heb “his sale.”
  48. Leviticus 25:28 tn Heb “will be in the hand of.” This refers to the temporary control of the one who purchased its produce until the next Year of Jubilee, at which time it would revert to the original owner.
  49. Leviticus 25:28 tn Heb “it shall go out” (so KJV, ASV; see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).
  50. Leviticus 25:28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the original owner of the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  51. Leviticus 25:29 tn Heb “a house of a residence of a walled city.”
  52. Leviticus 25:29 tn Heb “shall be.”
  53. Leviticus 25:29 tn Heb “of its sale.”
  54. Leviticus 25:29 tn Heb “days its right of redemption shall be” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 176).
  55. Leviticus 25:30 tn Heb “until fulfilling to it a complete year.’
  56. Leviticus 25:30 tn Heb “the house which [is] in the city which to it [is] a wall.” The Kethib has לֹא (loʾ, “no, not”) rather than לוֹ (lo, “to it”) which is the Qere.
  57. Leviticus 25:30 tn See the note on v. 23 above.
  58. Leviticus 25:31 tn Heb “And the houses of the villages.”
  59. Leviticus 25:31 tn Heb “which there is not to them a wall.”
  60. Leviticus 25:31 tn Heb “on the field.”
  61. Leviticus 25:32 tn Heb “And.”
  62. Leviticus 25:32 tn Heb “the houses of the cities of their property.”
  63. Leviticus 25:33 tn Heb “And which he shall redeem from the Levites shall go out, sale of house and city, his property in the Jubilee.” Although the end of this verse is clear, the first part is notoriously difficult. There are five main views. (1) The first clause of the verse actually attaches to the previous verse, and refers to the fact that their houses retain a perpetual right of redemption (v. 32b), “which any of the Levites may exercise” (v. 33a; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 418, 421). (2) It refers to property that one Levite sells to another Levite, which is then redeemed by still another Levite (v. 33a). In such cases, the property reverts to the original Levite owner in the Jubilee Year (v. 33b; G. J. Wenham, Leviticus [NICOT], 321). (3) It refers to houses in a city that had come to be declared as a Levitical city but had original non-Levitical owners. Once the city was declared to belong to the Levites, however, an owner could only sell his house to a Levite, and he could only redeem it back from a Levite up until the time of the first Jubilee after the city was declared to be a Levitical city. In this case the first part of the verse would be translated, “Such property as may be redeemed from the Levites” (NRSV, NJPS). At the first Jubilee, however, all such houses became the property of the Levites (v. 33b; P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 353). (4) It refers to property “which is appropriated from the Levites” (not “redeemed from the Levites,” v. 33a) by those who have bought it or taken it as security for debts owed to them by Levites who had fallen on bad times. Again, such property reverts back to the original Levite owners at the Jubilee (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177). (5) It simply refers to the fact that a Levite has the option of redeeming his house (i.e., the prefix form of the verb is taken to be subjunctive, “may or might redeem”), which he had to sell because he had fallen into debt or perhaps even become destitute. Even if he never gained the resources to do so, however, it would still revert to him in the Jubilee year. The present translation is intended to reflect this latter view.
  64. Leviticus 25:34 tn Heb “And.”
  65. Leviticus 25:34 sn This refers to the region of fields just outside and surrounding the city where cattle were kept and garden crops were grown (B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 177).
  66. Leviticus 25:35 tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so TEV; cf. NAB, NIV “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).
  67. Leviticus 25:35 tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”
  68. Leviticus 25:35 tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”
  69. Leviticus 25:35 tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).
  70. Leviticus 25:35 tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71). tn The Hebrew terms ger (גֵּר; “resident foreigner”) and toshav (תּוֹשָׁב; “resident/dweller”) have similar meaning. The toshav was less integrated into Israelite society, had less rights, and had not fully committed to the religion of Israel. Here the combination emphasizes the impoverished Israelites change in status. Note that the native born citizen and the resident foreigner (or naturalized citizen) were equal under the law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16) or similar obligations (Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14).
  71. Leviticus 25:36 tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).
  72. Leviticus 25:36 tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vekhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).
  73. Leviticus 25:37 tn Heb “your money” and “your food.” With regard to “interest” and “profit” see the note on v. 36 above.
  74. Leviticus 25:38 tn Heb “to be to you for a God.”
  75. Leviticus 25:39 tn Heb “you shall not serve against him service of a slave.” A distinction is being made here between the status of slave and indentured servant.
  76. Leviticus 25:40 tn See the note on Lev 25:6 above.
  77. Leviticus 25:41 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here.
  78. Leviticus 25:41 tn Heb “may go out from you.”
  79. Leviticus 25:41 tn Heb “fathers.”
  80. Leviticus 25:42 tn Heb “they”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  81. Leviticus 25:42 tn Or perhaps reflexive Niphal rather than passive, “they shall not sell themselves [as in] a slave sale.”
  82. Leviticus 25:43 tn Heb “You shall not rule in him in violence”; cf. NASB “with severity”; NIV “ruthlessly.”
  83. Leviticus 25:44 tn Heb “And your male slave and your female slave.” Smr has these as plural terms, “slaves,” not singular.
  84. Leviticus 25:44 tn Heb “ from the nations which surround you, from them you shall buy male slave and female slave.”
  85. Leviticus 25:45 tn The word “slaves” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied here.
  86. Leviticus 25:45 tn Heb “family which is” (i.e., singular rather than plural).
  87. Leviticus 25:46 tn Heb “and your brothers, the sons of Israel, a man in his brother you shall not rule in him in violence.”
  88. Leviticus 25:47 tn Heb “And if the hand of a foreigner and resident with you reaches” (cf. v. 26 for this idiom).
  89. Leviticus 25:47 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
  90. Leviticus 25:47 tn Heb “offshoot, descendant.”
  91. Leviticus 25:48 tn Heb “right of redemption shall be to him.”
  92. Leviticus 25:49 tn Heb “the son of his uncle.”
  93. Leviticus 25:49 tn Heb “or from the remainder of his flesh from his family.”
  94. Leviticus 25:49 tc The LXX, followed by the Syriac, actually has “if,” which is not in the MT.
  95. Leviticus 25:50 tn Heb “the years.”
  96. Leviticus 25:50 tn Heb “as days of a hired worker he shall be with him.” For this and the following verses see the explanation in P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 358-59.
  97. Leviticus 25:51 tn Heb “to the mouth of them.”
  98. Leviticus 25:52 tn Heb “but if a little remains in the years.”
  99. Leviticus 25:53 tn Heb “be with him”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  100. Leviticus 25:53 tn Heb “As a hired worker year in year.”
  101. Leviticus 25:53 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the one who bought him) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  102. Leviticus 25:54 tn Heb “And if.”
  103. Leviticus 25:54 tn Heb “go out.”
  104. Leviticus 25:55 tn Heb “because to me the sons of Israel are servants.”
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利未记 25
Chinese New Version (Traditional)

安息年(A)

25 耶和華在西奈山對摩西說： 2 “你要告訴以色列人，對他們說：你們到了我賜給你們的那地以後，地要守耶和華的安息。 3 六年之內，你要耕種田地；六年之內，你要修剪葡萄園，收藏地的出產； 4 但是第七年，地要完全休歇，享受耶和華的安息；你不可耕種田地，也不可修剪葡萄園。 5 你收割以後自然生長的莊稼，你不可收割；沒有修剪的葡萄樹果子，你也不可採摘；這一年，地要完全休歇。 6 地在安息年的自然出產，是給你們作食物的；就是給你，你的僕婢、雇工和寄居的，就是與你們一起居住的人； 7 甚至你的牲畜，以及你那地的走獸，都以安息年的出產作食物。

禧年

8 “你又要為自己計算七個安息年，就是七個七年，你經過了七個安息年，四十九年的日子以後， 9 在七月初十，你要吹角，在贖罪日，角聲要響遍你的全地。 10 你們要把第五十年分別為聖，向全地所有居民宣布自由；這一年是你們的禧年，你們各人要歸回自己的地業，歸回自己的父家。 11 第五十年是你們的禧年；這一年你們不可耕種，也不可收割自然生長的，也不可採摘沒有修剪的葡萄樹果子。 12 因為這是禧年，你們要當作聖年；你們可以吃地裡的出產。

13 “在這禧年中，你們各人要歸回自己的地業。 14 如果你賣甚麼給鄰舍，或是從鄰舍的手裡買甚麼，你們不可欺負對方。 15 你要按照下一個禧年以前還剩餘的年數向鄰舍買；他也要按照這年數可得的出產價值賣給你。 16 年數多，你付的買價就要增多。年數少，你付的買價就要減少。因為他是按出產的數值賣給你。 17 你們不可欺負對方，卻要敬畏你的　神，因為我是耶和華你們的　神。

18 “所以你們要遵行我的律例，謹守我的典章，遵照奉行，就可以在那地安然居住。 19 地必生產果實，你們就可以吃飽，在那地安然居住。 20 如果你們問：在第七年我們不耕種，也不收藏我們的出產，我們吃甚麼呢？ 21 在第六年，我必命我的福臨到你們，地就會生產足夠三年食用的出產。 22 第八年你們耕種時，仍有舊糧吃；直到第九年，收成新糧的時候，你還有舊糧可吃。

贖回土地的條例

23 “地不可永遠賣掉，因為地是我的；你們在我面前不過是寄居的和客旅。 24 在你們所得為業的全地，你們應該讓人有贖地的權利。 25 如果你的兄弟貧窮，賣了部分地業，他的至親可以來，把兄弟所賣的贖回。 26 如果沒有代贖人，而他自己的經濟能力改善，足夠把地贖回， 27 他就要計算賣地的年數，把餘剩年數的出產數值還給那買主，他就可以收回自己的地業。 28 如果他沒有足夠的能力為自己收回賣了的地，他所賣的就要存在買主的手裡，直到禧年；到了禧年，買主必須把地歸還，賣地的人可以收回自己的地業。

贖回房屋的條例

29 “如果有人賣了一所城內的住宅，在賣了以後的一整年之內，他有贖回的權利；在這些日子以內，他隨時可贖回。 30 如果滿了一年期不贖回，那所城內的房屋，就要確定歸買主世世代代為業；就算到了禧年，買主也不必交出退還。 31 但房屋在四圍沒有城牆的村莊裡，就要算為鄉下的田地一樣，是可以贖回的；到了禧年，買主要交出退還。 32 至於利未人的城，就是他們所得為業的城，其中的房屋，利未人有隨時可以贖回的權利。 33 如果一個利未人在他所得為業的城裡，沒有贖回已經賣了的房屋，到了禧年，買主仍要交出退還；因為利未人城裡的房屋，是他們在以色列人中的產業。 34 只是他們城郊之地不可出賣，因為是他們永遠的地業。

借錢給窮人的條例

35 “如果你的兄弟貧窮，在你那裡手頭拮据，你要資助他，使他可以與你一同生活，像旅客寄居的一樣。 36 你不可向他收取高利，卻要敬畏你的　神，使你的兄弟可以與你一同生活。 37 你借錢給他，不可向他取利息；借糧給他，也不可要他多還。 38 我是耶和華你們的　神，曾經把你們從埃及地領出來，要把迦南地賜給你們，而且要作你們的　神。

買賣奴婢的條例

39 “你的兄弟在你那裡若是貧窮了，賣身給你，你不可逼他作奴僕的工作。 40 他在你那裡要像雇工和寄居的一樣；他要服事你直到禧年。 41 到了禧年，他和他的兒女要離開你，歸回他本家，歸回自己祖宗的地業。 42 因為他們是我的僕人，是我從埃及地領出來的，他們不可以賣作奴僕。 43 你不可嚴嚴地轄制他，卻要敬畏你的　神。 44 至於你需要的僕婢，可以來自你們四圍的列國，你們可以從他們中間購買奴婢。 45 你們也可以從那些與你們住在一起的外人的兒女中，或是從他們的家族中，就是那些與你們在一起，在你們境內所生的，購買奴婢；他們要作你們的產業。 46 你們要把他們留給你們的子孫作永遠的產業，你們要從他們中間取奴僕；只是你們的兄弟以色列人，你們卻不可苛刻管轄。

寄居者自賣為奴的條例

47 “在你中間寄居的外人或是客旅若是富足起來，你的兄弟在他那裡卻漸漸窮乏，把自己賣給住在你那裡寄居的外人或客旅的家族， 48 賣了自己以後，他仍有贖回的權利；他兄弟中的任何一個都可以贖他； 49 他的叔伯或是他叔伯的兒子可以贖他，他家族中的骨肉至親也可以贖他；如果他自己的經濟能力改善，也可以自贖。 50 他要與買主計算，從賣身那一年起，直到禧年為止；照著年數的多少，按雇工的工價計算贖銀。 51 如果賣身時還有很多年才到禧年，他就要按著年數，照他賣身的價銀按比例償還他的贖價。 52 如果距離禧年只有幾年，他就按著年數，與買主計算，按雇工的工價，償還他的贖價。 53 買主要像每年雇用的工人那樣待他。不可在你眼前苛刻地管轄他。 54 如果他不在這些年間把自己贖回，到了禧年，也可以和他的兒女一同離去。 55 因為以色列人都是屬我的僕人；他們是我的僕人，是我把他們從埃及地領了出來的；我是耶和華你們的　神。”

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Leviticus 25
New International Version

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?” 21 I will send you such a blessing(AF) in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.(AG) 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.(AH)

23 “‘The land(AI) must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine(AJ) and you reside in my land as foreigners(AK) and strangers. 24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption(AL) of the land.

25 “‘If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative(AM) is to come and redeem(AN) what they have sold. 26 If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper(AO) and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves, 27 they are to determine the value for the years(AP) since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can then go back to their own property.(AQ) 28 But if they do not acquire the means to repay, what was sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned(AR) in the Jubilee, and they can then go back to their property.(AS)

29 “‘Anyone who sells a house in a walled city retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time the seller may redeem it. 30 If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and the buyer’s descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. 31 But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee.

32 “‘The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns,(AT) which they possess. 33 So the property of the Levites is redeemable—that is, a house sold in any town they hold—and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34 But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their permanent possession.(AU)

35 “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor(AV) and are unable to support themselves among you, help them(AW) as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. 36 Do not take interest(AX) or any profit from them, but fear your God,(AY) so that they may continue to live among you. 37 You must not lend them money at interest(AZ) or sell them food at a profit. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan(BA) and to be your God.(BB)

39 “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.(BC) 40 They are to be treated as hired workers(BD) or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property(BE) of their ancestors.(BF) 42 Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt,(BG) they must not be sold as slaves. 43 Do not rule over them ruthlessly,(BH) but fear your God.(BI)

44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 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.

47 “‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves(BJ) to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, 48 they retain the right of redemption(BK) after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives(BL) may redeem them: 49 An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper,(BM) they may redeem themselves. 50 They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee.(BN) The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker(BO) for that number of years. 51 If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly.(BP) 53 They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly.(BQ)

54 “‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, 55 for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt.(BR) I am the Lord your God.(BS)

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Leviticus 24
Leviticus 26
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