Leviticus 25:39-55

International Standard Version

³⁹ “If your brother with you becomes so poor that he sells himself to you, you are not to make him serve like a bond slave.^{[a] 40} Instead, he is to serve with you like a hired servant or a traveler who lives with you, until the year of jubilee. ⁴¹ Then he and his children with him may leave^[b] to return to his family and his ancestor’s inheritance. ⁴² Since they’re my servants whom I’ve brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. ⁴³ You are not to rule over them with harshness. You are to fear your God.”

Release of Slaves

⁴⁴ “As for your male and maid slaves who will be with you, you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations. ⁴⁵ You may also buy from resident aliens who live among you and their families who are with you, whom they fathered in your land. They may become your property. ⁴⁶ You may give them as inherited property to your children^[c] after you, to own as properties in perpetuity. You may make bond slaves of them, but no one is to rule over his fellow Israeli with harshness.

⁴⁷ “If a resident alien or traveler becomes rich,^[d] but your relative who lives next to him is so poor that he sells himself to that resident alien or traveler among you or to a member of the resident alien’s family, ⁴⁸ he has the right to be redeemed after he sells himself. One of his brothers may redeem him. ⁴⁹ His uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him or any blood^[e] relative from his tribe may redeem him. If^[f] he becomes rich,^[g] then he may redeem himself.

⁵⁰ “He is to bring an accounting to the one who bought him, starting from the year he had sold himself until the year of jubilee. The price of his sale is to correspond to the number of years comparable to the time a hired servant stays with him. ⁵¹ If there are still many years left, he is to refund the cost^[h] of his redemption. ⁵² But if only a few years are left until the year of jubilee, he is to bring an accounting of the years that he is to refund for his redemption. ⁵³ Like a hired servant, he is to remain with him year after year, but he is not to rule over him with what you see as severity. ⁵⁴ If he isn’t redeemed by these, then he is to be set free in the year of jubilee—he and his children^[i] with him— ⁵⁵ because the Israelis are my servants. They’re my servants, since I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”