Leviticus 25

(Exodus 23:10–13; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

1Then the LORDH3068 saidH1696 toH413 MosesH4872 on MountH2022 SinaiH5514, 2“SpeakH1696 toH413 the IsraelitesH1121H3478 and say to themH559: WhenH3588 you enterH935H413 the landH776 thatH834 IH589 am givingH5414 you, the land itselfH776 must observeH7673 a SabbathH7676 to the LORDH3068.

3For sixH8337 yearsH8141 you may sowH2232 your fieldH7704 and pruneH2168 your vineyardH3754 and gatherH622 its cropsH8393. 4But in the seventhH7637 yearH8141 there shall beH1961 a SabbathH7676 of complete restH7677 for the landH776—a SabbathH7676 to the LORDH3068.

You are notH3808 to sowH2232 your fieldH7704 or pruneH2168 your vineyardH3754H3808. 5You are notH3808 to reapH7114 the aftergrowthH5599 of your harvestH7105 or gatherH1219 the grapesH6025 of your untended vinesH5139H3808. The landH776 must haveH1961 a yearH8141 of complete restH7677. 6Whatever the landH776 yields during the Sabbath yearH7676 shall beH1961 food for youH402—for yourself, your manservantH5650 and maidservantH519, the hired handH7916 or foreignerH8453 who staysH1481 with youH5973, 7and for your livestockH929 and the wild animalsH2416 in your landH776. AllH3605 its growthH8393 may serveH1961 as foodH398.

The Year of Jubilee

8And you shall count offH5608 sevenH7651 SabbathsH7676 of yearsH8141—sevenH7651 timesH6471H1961 sevenH7651 yearsH8141—so that the sevenH3117H7651 SabbathsH7676 of yearsH8141 amount to forty-nineH705H8672 yearsH8141. 9Then you are to soundH5674 the hornH7782 far and wideH8643 on the tenth dayH6218 of the seventhH7637 monthH2320, the DayH3117 of AtonementH3725. You shall soundH5674 it throughoutH3605 your landH776.

10So you are to consecrateH6942 the fiftiethH2572H8141 yearH8141 and proclaimH7121 libertyH1865 in the landH776 for allH3605 its inhabitantsH3427. ItH1931 shall beH1961 your JubileeH3104, when eachH376 of you is to returnH7725 toH413 his propertyH272 and toH413 his clanH4940H7725.

11The fiftiethH2572H8141 yearH8141 will beH1961 a JubileeH3104H1931 for you; you are notH3808 to sowH2232 the land orH3808 reapH7114 its aftergrowthH5599H3808 or harvestH1219 the untended vinesH5139. 12ForH3588 itH1931 is a JubileeH3104; it shall beH1961 holyH6944 to you. You may eat onlyH398 the crops takenH8393 directly fromH4480 the fieldH7704.

Return of Property

13In thisH2063 YearH8141 of JubileeH3104, eachH376 of you shall returnH7725 toH413 his own propertyH272.

14IfH3588 you make a saleH4376H4465 to your neighborH5997 orH176 a purchaseH7069 fromH3027 himH5997, you must notH408 take advantageH3238 of eachH376 otherH251. 15You are to buyH7069 fromH854 your neighborH5997 according to the numberH4557 of yearsH8141 sinceH310 the last JubileeH3104; he is to sellH4376 to you according to the numberH4557 of harvestH8393 years remainingH8141. 16You shall increaseH7235 the priceH4736 in proportionH6310 to a greater numberH7230 of yearsH8141, or decreaseH4591 it in proportion toH6310 a lesserH4591 number of yearsH8141; forH3588 heH1931 is sellingH4376 you a given number ofH4557 harvestsH8393.

17Do notH3808 take advantageH3238 of eachH376 otherH5997, but fearH3372 your GodH430; forH3588 IH589 am the LORDH3068 your GodH430.

The Blessing of Obedience

(Deuteronomy 28:1–14)

18You are to keepH6213 My statutesH2708 andH853 carefullyH8104 observeH6213 My judgmentsH4941, so that you may dwellH3427 securelyH983 inH5921 the landH776. 19Then the landH776 will yieldH5414 its fruitH6529, so that you can eatH398 your fillH7648 and dwellH3427 in safetyH983 in the landH5921.

20NowH3588 you may wonderH559, ‘WhatH4100 will we eatH398 in the seventhH7637 yearH8141 ifH2005 we do notH3808 sowH2232H3808 or gatherH622 our produceH8393?’ 21But I will sendH6680 My blessingH1293 upon you in the sixthH8345 yearH8141, so that the land will yieldH6213 a cropH8393 sufficient for threeH7969 yearsH8141. 22While you are sowingH2232 in the eighthH8066 yearH8141, you will be eatingH398 fromH4480 the previousH3465 harvestH8393, untilH5704 the ninthH8671 year’sH8141 harvestH8393 comes inH935.

The Law of Redemption

23The landH776 must notH3808 be soldH4376 permanentlyH6783, becauseH3588 it is Mine, andH3588 youH859 are but foreignersH1616 and residentsH8453 with MeH5978. 24Thus for everyH3605 piece of propertyH776 you possessH272, you must provide forH5414 the redemptionH1353 of the landH776.

25IfH3588 your brotherH251 becomes impoverishedH4134 and sellsH4376 some of his propertyH272, his nearestH7138H413 of kinH1350 may comeH935 and redeemH1350 what his brotherH251 has soldH4465. 26Or ifH3588 a manH376 hasH1961 no oneH3808 to redeem itH1350 for him, but he prospersH5381H3027 and acquiresH4672 enoughH1767 to redeem his landH1353, 27he shall calculateH2803 the yearsH8141 since its saleH4465, repayH7725 the balanceH5736 to the manH376 to whomH834 he sold itH4376, and returnH7725 to his propertyH272. 28But ifH518 he cannotH3808 obtainH4672H3027 enoughH1767 to repayH7725 him, what he soldH4465 will remainH1961 in possessionH3027 of the buyerH7069 untilH5704 the YearH8141 of JubileeH3104. In the JubileeH3104, however, it is to be releasedH3318, so that he may returnH7725 to his propertyH272.

29IfH3588 a manH376 sellsH4376 a houseH1004H4186 in a walledH2346 cityH5892, he retainsH1961 his right of redemptionH1353 untilH5704 a fullH8552 yearH8141 after its saleH4465; during that yearH3117 it may beH1961 redeemedH1353. 30IfH518 it is notH3808 redeemedH1350 by the endH5704H4390 of a fullH8549H6965 yearH8141, then the houseH1004 in the walledH2346 cityH5892 is permanentlyH6783 transferred to its buyerH7069 and his descendantsH1755. It is notH3808 to be releasedH3318 in the JubileeH3104. 31But housesH1004 in villagesH2691 withH834 noH369 wallsH2346 around themH5439H5921 are to be consideredH2803 as open fieldsH7704H776. They may be redeemedH1353, and they shall beH1961 releasedH3318 in the JubileeH3104.

32As for the citiesH5892 of the LevitesH3881, the LevitesH3881 alwaysH5769 haveH1961 the right to redeemH1353 their housesH1004 in the citiesH5892 they possessH272. 33So whateverH834 belongs toH4480 the LevitesH3881 may be redeemedH1350—a houseH1004 soldH4465 in a cityH5892 they possessH272—and must be releasedH3318 in the JubileeH3104, becauseH3588 the housesH1004H1931 in the citiesH5892 of the LevitesH3881 are their possessionH272 amongH8432 the IsraelitesH1121H3478. 34But the openH7704 pasturelandH4054 around their citiesH5892 may notH3808 be soldH4376, forH3588 thisH1931 is their permanentH5769 possessionH272.

Redemption of the Poor

35Now ifH3588 your countrymanH251 becomes destituteH4134 and cannot support himselfH4131H3027 among youH5973, then you are to helpH2388 him as you would a foreignerH1616 or strangerH8453, so that he can continue to liveH2421 among youH5973. 36Do notH408 takeH3947 any interestH5392 or profitH8636 from himH854, but fearH3372 your GodH430, that your countrymanH251 may liveH2421 among youH5973. 37You must notH3808 lendH5414 himH853 your silverH3701 at interestH5392 orH3808 sell himH5414 your foodH400 for profitH4768. 38IH589 am the LORDH3068 your GodH430, whoH834 brought youH3318 out of the landH776 of EgyptH4714 to giveH5414 you the landH776 of CanaanH3667 and to beH1961 your GodH430.

Redemption of Bondmen

39IfH3588 a countrymanH251 among youH5973 becomes destituteH4134 and sells himselfH4376 to you, then you must notH3808 force himH5647 into slaveH5650 laborH5656. 40Let him stayH1961 with youH5973 as a hired workerH7916 or temporary residentH8453; he is to workH5647 forH5973 you untilH5704 the YearH8141 of JubileeH3104. 41Then heH1931 and his childrenH1121H5973 are to be releasedH3318, and he may returnH7725 toH413 his clanH4940 and toH413H7725 the propertyH272 of his fathersH1.

42BecauseH3588 the Israelites are My servantsH5650, whomH834 I broughtH3318 out of the landH776 of EgyptH4714, they are notH3808 to be soldH4376H4466 as slavesH5650. 43You are notH3808 to ruleH7287 over them harshlyH6531, but you shall fearH3372 your GodH430.

44Your menservantsH5650 and maidservantsH519 shall comeH1961 fromH854 the nationsH1471 around youH5439, from whom you may purchaseH7069 them. 45You may alsoH1571 purchase themH7069 from theH1121 foreignersH8453 residingH1481 among youH5973 or their clansH4940 living among youH5973 whoH834 are bornH3205 in your landH776. These may becomeH1961 your propertyH272. 46You may leaveH5157 themH853 to your sonsH1121 afterH310 you to inheritH3423 as propertyH272; you can make them slavesH5647 for lifeH5769. But as for your brothersH251, the IsraelitesH1121H3478, noH3808 manH376 may ruleH7287 harshlyH6531 over his brotherH251.

Redemption of Servants

47IfH3588 a foreignerH1616 residingH8453 among youH5973 prospersH5381H3027, but your countrymanH251 dwelling near himH5973 becomes destituteH4134 and sells himselfH4376 to the foreignerH1616 orH176 to a memberH6133 ofH1616 his clanH4940, 48he retainsH1961 the right of redemptionH1353 afterH310 he has sold himselfH4376. OneH259 of his brothersH251 may redeem himH1350: 49eitherH176 his uncleH1730 orH176 cousinH1121H1730 orH176 any close relativeH7607H1320 from his clanH4940 may redeem himH1350. Or ifH176 he prospersH5381H3027, he may redeem himselfH1350.

50He andH5973 his purchaserH7069 will then count the timeH2803 from the yearH8141 he soldH4376 himself up toH5704 the YearH8141 of JubileeH3104. The priceH3701 of his saleH4465 will beH1961 determined by the numberH4557 of yearsH8141, based onH1961 the dailyH3117 wages of a hired handH7916. 51IfH518 manyH7227 yearsH8141 remainH5750, he must payH7725 for his redemptionH1353 in proportion toH6310 his purchaseH4736 priceH3701. 52IfH518 only a fewH4592 yearsH8141 remainH7604 untilH5704 the YearH8141 of JubileeH3104, he is to calculateH2803 and payH7725 his redemptionH1353 according toH6310 his remaining yearsH8141. 53He shall be treatedH1961H5973 like a man hiredH7916 from yearH8141 to yearH8141, but a foreign owner must notH3808 rule over himH7287 harshlyH6531 in your sightH5869.

54Even ifH518 he is notH3808 redeemedH1350 in any of these waysH428, heH1931 and his childrenH1121H5973 shall be releasedH3318 in the YearH8141 of JubileeH3104. 55ForH3588 the IsraelitesH1121H3478 are My servantsH5650. TheyH1992 are My servantsH5650, whomH834 I broughtH3318 out of the landH776 of EgyptH4714. IH589 am the LORDH3068 your GodH430.