Leviticus 25:45-55

45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.

46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit [them for] a possession, they shall be your bond-men for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigor.

47 And if a sojourner or a stranger shall become rich by thee, and thy brother [that dwelleth] by him shall become poor, and sell himself to the stranger [or] sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family:

48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:

49 Either his uncle, or his uncle's son may redeem him, or [any] that is nigh of kin to him of his family, may redeem him; or if he is able, he may redeem himself.

50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him, from the year that he was sold to him, to the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years, according to the time of a hired servant shall it be with him.

51 If [there shall be] yet many years [behind], according to them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

52 And if there shall remain but few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall count with him, [and] according to his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.

53 [And] as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: [and the other] shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight.

54 And if he shall not be redeemed in these [years], then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, [both] he, and his children with him.

55 For to me the children of Israel [are] servants, they [are] my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:45-55 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.