The Third Book of Moses: Leviticus

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 25 -

(Exodus 23:10–13; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

And the Lord spake vnto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, When ye shall come into the lande which I giue you, the lande shall keepe Sabbath vnto the Lord.

Sixe yeeres thou shalt sowe thy field, and sixe yeeres thou shalt cut thy vineyarde, and gather the fruite thereof.

But the seuenth yeere shalbe a Sabbath of rest vnto the lande: it shall be the Lordes Sabbath: thou shalt neither sowe thy fielde, nor cut thy vineyarde.

That which groweth of it owne accorde of thy haruest, thou shalt not reape, neither gather the grapes that thou hast left vnlaboured: for it shalbe a yeere of rest vnto the land.

And the rest of the lande shall be meate for you, euen for thee, and for thy seruant, and for thy mayde, and for thy hired seruant, and for the stranger that soiourneth with thee:

And for thy cattell, and for the beastes that are in thy lande shall all the encrease thereof be meate.

The Year of Jubilee

Also thou shalt number seuen Sabbaths of yeeres vnto thee, euen seuen times seuen yeere: and the space of the seuen Sabbaths of yeeres will be vnto thee nine and fourtie yeere.

Then thou shalt cause to blow the trumpet of the Iubile in the tenth day of the seuenth moneth: euen in the day of the reconciliation shall ye make the trumpet blowe, throughout all your lande.

And ye shall halowe that yeere, euen the fiftieth yeere, and proclaime libertie in the lande to all the inhabitants thereof: it shalbe the Iubile vnto you, and ye shall returne euery man vnto his possession, and euery man shall returne vnto his familie.

This fiftieth yeere shalbe a yeere of Iubile vnto you: ye shall not sowe, neither reape that which groweth of it selfe, neither gather the grapes thereof, that are left vnlaboured.

For it is the Iubile, it shall be holy vnto you: ye shall eate of the encrease thereof out of the fielde.

Return of Property

In the yeere of this Iubile, ye shall returne euery man vnto his possession.

And when thou sellest ought to thy neighbour, or byest at thy neighbours hande, ye shall not oppresse one another:

But according to the nomber of yeeres after the Iubile thou shalt bye of thy neighbour: also according to the nomber of the yeeres of the reuenues, he shall sell vnto thee.

According to the multitude of yeeres, thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewnesse of yeeres, thou shalt abate the price of it: for the nomber of fruites doeth he sell vnto thee.

Oppresse not ye therefore any man his neighbour, but thou shalt feare thy God: for I am the Lord your God.

The Blessing of Obedience

(Deuteronomy 28:1–14)

Wherefore ye shall obey mine ordinances, and keepe my lawes, and do them, and ye shall dwell in the land in safetie.

And the lande shall giue her fruite, and ye shall eate your fill, and dwell therein in safetie.

And if ye shall say, What shall we eate the seuenth yeere, for we shall not sowe, nor gather in our increase?

I will sende my blessing vpon you in the sixt yeere, and it shall bring foorth fruite for three yeeres.

And ye shall sowe the eight yeere, and eate of the olde fruite vntill the ninth yeere: vntill the fruite thereof come, ye shall eate the olde.

The Law of Redemption

Also the lande shall not be solde to be cut off from the familie: for the land is mine, and ye be but strangers and soiourners with me.

Therefore in all the land of your possession ye shall graunt a redemption for the lande.

If thy brother be impouerished, and sell his possession, then his redeemer shall come, euen his neere kinsman, and bye out that which his brother solde.

And if he haue no redeemer, but hath gotten and founde to bye it out,

Then shall he count the yeeres of his sale, and restore the ouerplus to the man, to whome he solde it: so shall he returne to his possession.

But if he can not get sufficient to restore to him, then that which is solde, shall remaine in the hande of him that hath bought it, vntill the yere of the Iubile: and in the Iubile it shall come out, and he shall returne vnto his possession.

Likewise if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled citie, he may bye it out againe within a whole yeere after it is solde: within a yeere may he bye it out.

But if it be not bought out within ye space of a ful yeere, then the house that is in the walled citie, shalbe stablished, as cut off from the familie, to him that bought it, throughout his generations: it shall not goe out in the Iubile.

But the houses of villages, which haue no walles round about them, shalbe esteemed as the fielde of the countrey: they may be bought out againe, and shall goe out in the Iubile.

Notwithstanding, the cities of the Leuites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Leuites redeeme at all seasons.

And if a man purchase of the Leuites, the house that was solde, and the citie of their possession shall goe out in the Iubile: for the houses of the cities of the Leuites are their possession among the children of Israel.

But the fielde of the suburbes of their cities, shall not be solde: for it is their perpetuall possession.

Redemption of the Poor

Moreouer, if thy brother be impouerished, and fallen in decay with thee, thou shalt relieue him, and as a stranger and soiourner, so shall he liue with thee.

Thou shalt take no vsurie of him, nor vantage, but thou shalt feare thy God, that thy brother may liue with thee.

Thou shalt not giue him thy money to vsurie, nor lende him thy vitailes for increase.

I am the Lord your God, which haue brought you out of the lande of Egypt, to giue you the lande of Canaan, and to be your God.

Redemption of Bondmen

If thy brother also that dwelleth by thee, be impouerished, and be sold vnto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serue as a bond seruant,

But as an hired seruant, and as a soiourner he shalbe with thee: he shall serue thee vnto the yeere of the Iubile.

Then shall he depart from thee, both hee, and his children with him, and shall returne vnto his familie, and vnto the possession of his fathers shall he returne:

For they are my seruants, whom I brought out of the lande of Egypt: they shall not be solde as bondmen are solde.

Thou shalt not rule ouer him cruelly, but shalt feare thy God.

Thy bond seruant also, and thy bond maid, which thou shalt haue, shalbe of the heathen that are rounde about you: of them shall ye bye seruants and maydes.

And moreouer of the children of the stragers, that are soiourners among you, of them shall ye bye, and of their families that are with you, which they begate in your lande: these shall be your possession.

So ye shall take them as inheritance for your children after you, to possesse them by inheritance, ye shall vse their labours for euer: but ouer your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule one ouer another with crueltie.

Redemption of Servants

If a soiourner or a stranger dwelling by thee get riches, and thy brother by him be impouerished, and sell him selfe vnto the stranger or soiourner dwelling by thee, or to the stocke of the strangers familie,

After that he is solde, he may be bought out: one of his brethren may bye him out,

Or his vncle, or his vncles sonne may bye him out, or any of the kindred of his flesh among his familie, may redeeme him: either if he can get so much, he may bye him selfe out.

Then he shall recken with his byer from the yeere that he was solde to him, vnto the yere of Iubile: and the money of his sale shalbe according to the number of yeeres: according to the time of an hyred seruant shall he be with him.

If there be many yeeres behind, according to them he shall giue againe for his deliuerance, of the money that he was bought for.

If there remaine but fewe yeeres vnto the yeere of Iubile, then he shall count with him, and according to his yeeres giue againe for his redemption.

He shalbe with him yeere by yeere as an hired seruant: he shall not rule cruelly ouer him in thy sight.

And if he be not redeemed thus, he shall go out in the yeere of Iubile, he, and his children with him.

For vnto me the children of Israel are seruants: they are my seruants, who I haue brought out of the land of Egypt: I am ye Lord your God.

(Exodus 23:10–13; Deuteronomy 15:1–6)

The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD.

You shall sow your field six years, and you shall prune your vineyard six years, and gather in its fruits;

but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.

What grows of itself in your harvest you shall not reap, and you shall not gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.

The Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you; for yourself, for your servant, for your maid, for your hired servant, and for your stranger, who lives as a foreigner with you.

For your livestock also, and for the animals that are in your land, shall all its increase be for food.

The Year of Jubilee

“‘You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.

Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.

You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.

That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from the undressed vines.

For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.

Return of Property

“‘In this Year of Jubilee each of you shall return to his property.

“‘If you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.

According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor. According to the number of years of the crops he shall sell to you.

According to the length of the years you shall increase its price, and according to the shortness of the years you shall diminish its price; for he is selling the number of the crops to you.

You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

The Blessing of Obedience

(Deuteronomy 28:1–14)

“‘Therefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my ordinances and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety.

The land shall yield its fruit, and you shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.

If you said, “What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase;”

then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bear fruit for the three years.

You shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits from the old store until the ninth year. Until its fruits come in, you shall eat the old store.

The Law of Redemption

“‘The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me.

In all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption for the land.

“‘If your brother becomes poor, and sells some of his possessions, then his kinsman who is next to him shall come, and redeem that which his brother has sold.

If a man has no one to redeem it, and he becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it,

then let him reckon the years since its sale, and restore the surplus to the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return to his property.

But if he isn’t able to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

“‘If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it has been sold. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption.

If it isn’t redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee.

But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be accounted for with the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.

“‘Nevertheless, in the cities of the Levites, the Levites may redeem the houses in the cities of their possession at any time.

The Levites may redeem the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, and it shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.

But the field of the pasture lands of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

Redemption of the Poor

“‘If your brother has become poor, and his hand can’t support himself among you, then you shall uphold him. He shall live with you like an alien and a temporary resident.

Take no interest from him or profit; but fear your God, that your brother may live among you.

You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.

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.

Redemption of Bondmen

“‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him to serve as a slave.

As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee.

Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers.

For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves.

You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.

“‘As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves.

Moreover, of the children of the aliens who live among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property.

You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession. Of them you may take your slaves forever, but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.

Redemption of Servants

“‘If an alien or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself to the stranger or foreigner living among you, or to a member of the stranger’s family,

after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him;

or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself.

He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; he shall be with him according to the time of a hired servant.

If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

If there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years of service he shall give back the price of his redemption.

As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him. He shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight.

If he isn’t redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee: he and his children with him.

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.