Leviticus 25:39-55
World English Bible
39 “‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
44 “‘As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover, of the children of the aliens who live among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property. 46 You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession. Of them you may take your slaves forever, but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
47 “‘If an alien or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself to the stranger or foreigner living among you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself. 50 He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; he shall be with him according to the time of a hired servant. 51 If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. 52 If there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years of service he shall give back the price of his redemption. 53 As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him. He shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight. 54 If he isn’t redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee: he and his children with him. 55 For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.
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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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 25:39 Lit. slave of slaves
- Leviticus 25:41 Lit. may go out from you
- Leviticus 25:46 Lit. sons
- Leviticus 25:47 Lit. his hand overtakes
- Leviticus 25:49 Lit. flesh
- Leviticus 25:49 So LXX and Syriac
- Leviticus 25:49 Lit. his hand overtakes
- Leviticus 25:51 Or price-money
- Leviticus 25:54 Lit. his sons
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