Leviticus 25:46
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat them as slaves, but you must never treat your fellow Israelites this way.

English Standard Version
You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.

Berean Standard Bible
You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.

King James Bible
And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

New King James Version
And 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.

New American Standard Bible
You may also pass them on as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.

NASB 1995
‘You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.

NASB 1977
‘You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.

Legacy Standard Bible
You may even give them as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not have dominion over one another with brutality.

Amplified Bible
You may even bequeath them as an inheritance to your children after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your fellow countrymen, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with harshness (severity, oppression).

Christian Standard Bible
You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But concerning your brothers, the Israelites, you must not rule over one another harshly.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But concerning your brothers, the Israelites, you must not rule over one another harshly.”

American Standard Version
And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigor.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And bequeath them to your children after you to inherit an inheritance and for a lifetime you may make them Laborers; and you shall not compel your brothers, the children of Israel, a man with his brother, to labor hard labor.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And ye shall distribute them to your children after you, and they shall be to you permanent possessions for ever: but of your brethren the children of Israel, one shall not oppress his brother in labours.

Contemporary English Version
You can own them, and even leave them to your children when you die, but do not make slaves of your own people or be cruel to them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And by right of inheritance shall leave them to your posterity, and shall possess them for ever. But oppress not your brethren the children of Israel by might.

English Revised Version
And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You may acquire them for yourselves and for your descendants as permanent property. You may work them as slaves. However, do not treat the Israelites harshly. They are your relatives.

Good News Translation
and you may leave them as an inheritance to your children, whom they must serve as long as they live. But you must not treat any Israelites harshly.

International Standard Version
You may give them as inherited property to your children 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.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen for ever; but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour.

Literal Standard Version
and you have taken them for an inheritance for your sons after you, to inherit [for] a possession; you lay service on them for all time, but on your brothers, the sons of Israel, each with his brother—you do not rule over him with rigor.

Majority Standard Bible
You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.

New American Bible
and bequeath to your children as their hereditary possession forever. You may treat them as slaves. But none of you shall lord it harshly over any of your fellow Israelites.

NET Bible
You may give them as 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.

New Revised Standard Version
You may keep them as a possession for your children after you, for them to inherit as property. These you may treat as slaves, but as for your fellow Israelites, no one shall rule over the other with harshness.

New Heart English Bible
You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them may you take your slaves forever: but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.

Webster's Bible Translation
And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession, they shall be your bond-men for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigor.

World English Bible
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.

Young's Literal Translation
and ye have taken them for inheritance to your sons after you, to occupy for a possession; to the age ye lay service upon them, but upon your brethren, the sons of Israel, one with another, thou dost not rule over him with rigour.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Redemption of Bondmen
45You may also purchase them from the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you who are born in your land. These may become your property. 46You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.

Cross References
Exodus 1:13
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

Leviticus 25:43
You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.

Leviticus 25:45
You may also purchase them from the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you who are born in your land. These may become your property.

Leviticus 25:47
If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan,


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your slaves for ever: but over your brothers the children of Israel, you shall not rule one over another with rigor.

And ye shall

Isaiah 14:2
And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

they shall be your bondmen for ever.

Leviticus 25:39
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:

ye shall not rule

Leviticus 25:43
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

Jump to Previous
Bequeath Bondmen Bond-Men Children Children's Countrymen Fellow Forever Hard Harshness Heritage Hold Inherit Inheritance Inherited Israel Israelites Life Permanent Possession Property Receive Respect Rigor Rigour Rule Ruthlessly Servants Severity Slaves Use
Jump to Next
Bequeath Bondmen Bond-Men Children Children's Countrymen Fellow Forever Hard Harshness Heritage Hold Inherit Inheritance Inherited Israel Israelites Life Permanent Possession Property Receive Respect Rigor Rigour Rule Ruthlessly Servants Severity Slaves Use
Leviticus 25
1. the Sabbath of the seventh year
8. The jubilee in the fiftieth year
14. Of oppression
18. A blessing of obedience
23. The redemption of land
29. Of houses
35. Compassion to the poor
39. The usage of bondmen
47. The redemption of servants














(46) And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children.--That is, they may appropriate them to themselves, as their personal property, which is transmissible as inheritance to posterity with the family land.

They shall be your bondmen for ever.--These are not subject to the laws of jubile. They remain in perpetual serfdom unless they or their friends redeem them, or their master has maimed any one of them. In case of injury the master is obliged to manumit him (Exodus 21:26-27). The authorities during the second Temple enacted that the master's right, even with regard to this kind of bondmen, is restricted to their labour, but that he has no right to barter with them, to misuse them, or to put them to shame.

Over your brethren . . . ye shall not rule . . . with rigour.--In contrast to these heathen bondmen the Jewish bondmen are here designated "brethren." They are co-religionists, who have been reduced to temporary servitude, but who are, nevertheless, fellow-heirs with them in the land of their possession. Hence the greatest consideration was to be shown to them in these adverse circumstances. The authorities during the second Temple have therefore enacted that there must be no difference between the daily food, raiment, and dwelling of the master and his Hebrew slave, and that the master and the servant are alike in these respects.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You may leave
וְהִתְנַחֲלְתֶּ֨ם‪‬ (wə·hiṯ·na·ḥăl·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5157: To inherit, to occupy, to bequeath, distribute, instate

them
אֹתָ֜ם (’ō·ṯām)
Direct object marker | third person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

to your sons
לִבְנֵיכֶ֤ם (liḇ·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

after
אַחֲרֵיכֶם֙ (’a·ḥă·rê·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

you to inherit
לָרֶ֣שֶׁת (lā·re·šeṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

as property;
אֲחֻזָּ֔ה (’ă·ḥuz·zāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 272: Something seized, a possession

you can make them slaves
תַּעֲבֹ֑דוּ (ta·‘ă·ḇō·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

for life.
לְעֹלָ֖ם (lə·‘ō·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

But as for your brothers,
וּבְאַ֨חֵיכֶ֤ם (ū·ḇə·’a·ḥê·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 251: A brother, )

the Israelites,
בְּנֵֽי־ (bə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

no
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

man
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

may rule
תִרְדֶּ֥ה (ṯir·deh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7287: To tread down, subjugate, to crumble off

harshly
בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃ (bə·p̄ā·reḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6531: Harshness, severity

over his brother.
בְּאָחִ֔יו (bə·’ā·ḥîw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )


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OT Law: Leviticus 25:46 You may make them an inheritance (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 25:45
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