Leviticus 25:39–55

³⁹“If an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, don’t work him like a slave. ⁴⁰He will be like a hired worker or a visitor to you. He may work with you until the year of jubilee. ⁴¹Then you will release him and his children to go back to their family and the property of their ancestors. ⁴²They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves. ⁴³Do not treat them harshly. Fear your God. 

⁴⁴“You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you. ⁴⁵You may also buy them from the foreigners living among you and from their families born in your country. They will be your property. ⁴⁶You 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. 

⁴⁷“Someone who is a foreigner without a permanent home among you may become rich, and your relative living with him may be poor. The poor Israelite may sell himself to that foreigner or a member of his family. ⁴⁸After he has sold himself, he has the right to be bought back. One of his brothers may buy him back. ⁴⁹His uncle, his cousin, or some other relative could also buy him back. If he becomes rich, he could buy his own freedom. ⁵⁰Then he and his buyer must take into account the number of years from the year he was bought until the year of jubilee. His sale price will be adjusted based on the number of years he was with his buyer, like the wages of a hired worker. ⁵¹If there are many years left, he must refund from his purchase price an amount equal ⸤to those years⸥. ⁵²If there are only a few years left until the year of jubilee, he must take them into account. He must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. ⁵³During those years he should serve his buyer as a hired worker. His buyer should not treat him harshly. ⁵⁴If he cannot buy his freedom in these ways, he and his children will be released in the year of jubilee. 

⁵⁵“The Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”