Leviticus 25:14-24

14 If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, don't take advantage of him.

15 When you buy property from your neighbor, take into account the number of years since the jubilee. Your neighbor must sell it to you taking into account the number of crops [until the next jubilee].

16 If there are still many years [until the jubilee], you will pay more for it. If there are only a few years [until the jubilee], you will pay less for it because he is selling you only the number of crops.

17 Never take advantage of each other. Fear your God, because I am the LORD your God.

18 "Obey my laws, and carefully follow my rules. Then you will live securely in the land.

19 The land will give you its products, and you will eat all you want and live there securely.

20 You may ask, 'What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?'

21 I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years.

22 You will plant [again] in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more.

23 "Land must never be sold permanently, because the land is mine. To me you are strangers without permanent homes.

24 People must always have the right to buy their property back.

Leviticus 25:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 25

In this chapter the Israelites are directed, when come into the land of Canaan, to observe every seventh year as a sabbatical year, in which there was to be no tillage of the land, and yet there would be a sufficiency for man and beast, Le 25:1-7; and every fiftieth year as a year of jubilee, in which also there was to be no tillage of the land, and every man was to return to his possession or estate, which had been sold to another any time before this, Le 25:8-17; and a promise of safety and plenty in the seventh year is made to encourage the observance of it, Le 25:18-22; and several laws and rules are delivered out concerning the sale of lands, the redemption of them, and their return to their original owner in the year of jubilee, Le 25:23-28; and the sale of houses, and the redemption of them, and the difference between those in walled cities and those in villages, with respect thereunto, Le 25:29-31; and also concerning the houses of the cities of the Levites, and the fields of the suburbs of them, Le 25:32-34; to which are added some instructions about relieving decayed, persons, and lending and giving to them, without taking usury of them, Le 25:34-38; and other laws concerning the release of such Israelites as had sold themselves for servants to the Israelites, in the year of jubilee, since none but Heathens were to be bondmen and bondmaids for ever, Le 25:39-46; and of such who were sold to proselytes, Le 25:47-55.