Redemption of the Poor and Enslaved

Redemption of the Poor and Enslaved

“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you. 

Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. 

Instead, show your fear of God, by letting him live with you, as your relative. Remember, do not charge interest, on money you lend him, or make a profit, on food you sell him. 

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. 

“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell himself to you, do not treat him as a slave. 

Treat him instead as a hired worker or as a temporary resident, who lives with you, and he will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 

At that time, he and his children will no longer be obligated to you, and they will return to their clans and go back, to the land originally allotted to their ancestors. 

The people of Israel are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold, as slaves. 

Show your fear of God, by not treating them harshly. 

“However, you may purchase male and female slaves, from among the nations around you. 

You may also purchase the children, of temporary residents,  who live among you, including those who have been born in your land. 

You may treat them as your property, 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. 

Leviticus 25:35–46 (NLT)

Praise be to God!