Leviticus 25:39-55 ▼

39 And if your brother becomes poor and be sold to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a bondservant;

40 But as a hired laborer, and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the year of jubilee;

41 And then he shall depart from you, both he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers shall he return.

42 For they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen.

43 You shall not compel them to do hard work; but shall fear your God.

44 But as for your male servants and your female servants whom you may have from among the people that are round about you, of them shall you buy bondmen and bondwomen.

45 Moreover of the children of the strangers who have sojourned among you, of them shall you buy, and of their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they shall be your possession.

46 And you shall bequeath them to your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; you may make slaves of them for ever; but as for your brethren the children of Israel, you shall not compel them to do hard work.

47 And if a sojourner or stranger who dwells with you becomes rich, and your brother who dwells with him becomes poor and is sold to the stranger or sojourner who dwells with you or to a native born of the stranger's family who dwells with you,

48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him;

49 Either his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or any of his near kin belonging to his family may redeem him; or if he can afford it, he may redeem himself.

50 He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he was sold him to the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant shall it be with him.

51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

52 And if there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, and according to his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.

53 As a yearly hired servant shall he be with him; and he shall not subject him to hard labor in your sight.

54 And if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he and his children with him.

55 For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.