Leviticus 25:39-55

International Children’s Bible

³⁹ “‘Someone from your country might become very poor. He might even sell himself as a slave to you. If he does, you must not make him work like a slave. ⁴⁰ He will be like a hired worker. And he will be like a visitor with you until the year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ Then he may leave you. He may take his children and go back to his family and the land of his ancestors. ⁴² This is because the Israelites are my servants. I brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They must not become slaves again. ⁴³ You must not rule this person cruelly. You must respect your God.

⁴⁴ “‘You may buy men and women slaves from other nations around you. ⁴⁵ Also you may buy children as slaves. These children must come from the families of foreigners living in your land. These child slaves will belong to you. ⁴⁶ You may even pass these foreign slaves on to your children after you die. You can make them slaves forever. But you must not rule cruelly over your own brothers, the Israelites.

⁴⁷ “‘A foreigner or visitor among you might become rich. And someone in your country might become poor. The poor man might sell himself as a slave to a foreigner living among you. Or he might sell himself to a member of a foreigner’s family. ⁴⁸ The poor man has the right to be bought back and become free. One of his relatives may buy him back. ⁴⁹ His uncle or his uncle’s son may buy him back. One of his close relatives may buy him back. Or if he gets enough money, he may pay the money himself. Then he will be free again.

⁵⁰ “‘How do you decide the price? You must count the years from the time he sold himself to the foreigner. And count up to the next year of Jubilee. Use that number to decide the price. This is because the person really only hired himself out for a certain number of years. ⁵¹ There might still be many years before the year of Jubilee. If so, the person must pay back a large part of the price. ⁵² There might only be a few years left until Jubilee. If so, the person must pay a small part of the first price. ⁵³ But he will live like a hired man with the foreigner every year. Don’t let the foreigner rule cruelly over him.

⁵⁴ “‘That person will become free, even if no one buys him back. At the year of Jubilee, he and his children will become free. ⁵⁵ This is because the people of Israel are my servants. I brought them out of slavery in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.