Leviticus 25:39–55

³⁹“ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.^{u 40}They are to be treated as hired workers^v or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. ⁴¹Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property^w of their ancestors.^{x 42}Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt,^y they must not be sold as slaves. ⁴³Do not rule over them ruthlessly,^z but fear your God.^a

⁴⁴“ ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. ⁴⁵You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. ⁴⁶You 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.

⁴⁷“ ‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves^b to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, ⁴⁸they retain the right of redemption^c after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives^d may redeem them: ⁴⁹An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper,^e they may redeem themselves. ⁵⁰They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee.^f The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker^g for that number of years. ⁵¹If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. ⁵²If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly.^{h 53}They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly.ⁱ

⁵⁴“ ‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, ⁵⁵for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt.^j I am the Lord your God.^k