The Sabbatic Year
(Exodus 23:10-13;Deuteronomy 15:1-6)
1And the LORDspakeunto Mosesin mountSinai,saying,2Speakunto the childrenof Israel,and sayunto them, When ye comeinto the landwhich I giveyou, then shall the landkeepa sabbathunto the LORD.3Sixyearsthou shalt sowthy field,and sixyearsthou shalt prunethy vineyard,and gatherin the fruitthereof;4But in the seventhyearshall be a sabbathof restunto the land,a sabbathfor the LORD:thou shalt neither sowthy field,nor prunethy vineyard.5That which groweth of its own accordof thy harvestthou shalt not reap,neither gatherthe grapesof thy vine undressed:[for] it is a yearof restunto the land.6And the sabbathof the landshall be meatfor you; for thee, and for thy servant,and for thy maid,and for thy hired servant,and for thy strangerthat sojournethwith thee,7And for thy cattle,and for the beastthat [are] in thy land,shall all the increasethereof be meat.
The Year of Jubilee
8And thou shalt numbersevensabbathsof yearsunto thee, seventimessevenyears;and the spaceof the sevensabbathsof yearsshall be unto thee fortyand nineyears.9Then shalt thou cause the trumpetof the jubileto soundon the tenth[day] of the seventhmonth,in the dayof atonementshall ye make the trumpetsoundthroughout all your land.10And ye shall hallowthe fiftiethyear,and proclaimlibertythroughout [all] the landunto all the inhabitantsthereof: it shall be a jubileunto you; and ye shall returnevery manunto his possession,and ye shall returnevery manunto his family.11A jubileshall that fiftiethyearbe unto you: ye shall not sow,neither reapthat which growethof itself in it, nor gather[the grapes] in it of thy vine undressed.12For it [is] the jubile;it shall be holyunto you: ye shall eatthe increasethereof out of the field.
Return of Property
13In the yearof this jubileye shall returnevery manunto his possession.14And if thou selloughtunto thy neighbour,or buyest[ought] of thy neighbour'shand,ye shall not oppressoneanother:15According to the numberof yearsafterthe jubilethou shalt buyof thy neighbour,[and] according unto the numberof yearsof the fruitshe shall sellunto thee:16Accordingto the multitudeof yearsthou shalt increasethe pricethereof, and accordingto the fewnessof yearsthou shalt diminishthe priceof it: for [according] to the number[of the years] of the fruitsdoth he sellunto thee.17Ye shall not therefore oppressoneanother;but thou shalt fearthy God:for I [am] the LORDyour God.
The Blessing of Obedience
(Deuteronomy 4:1-14;Deuteronomy 11:1-7;Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
18Wherefore ye shall domy statutes,and keepmy judgments,and dothem; and ye shall dwellin the landin safety.19And the landshall yieldher fruit,and ye shall eatyour fill,and dwelltherein in safety.20And if ye shall say,What shall we eatthe seventhyear?behold, we shall not sow,nor gatherin our increase:21Then I will commandmy blessingupon you in the sixthyear,and it shall bring forthfruitfor threeyears.22And ye shall sowthe eighthyear,and eat[yet] of oldfruituntil the ninthyear;until her fruitscome inye shall eat[of] the old[store].
The Law of Redemption
23The landshall not be soldfor ever:for the land[is] mine; for ye [are] strangersand sojournerswith me.24And in all the landof your possessionye shall granta redemptionfor the land.
25If thy brotherbe waxen poor,and hath soldaway [some] of his possession,and if any of his kincometo redeemit, then shall he redeemthat which his brothersold.26And if the manhave none to redeemit, and himselfbe ableto redeemit;27Then let him countthe yearsof the salethereof, and restorethe overplusunto the manto whom he soldit; that he may returnunto his possession.28But if hebe not ableto restore[it] to him, then that which is soldshall remain in the handof him that hath boughtit until the yearof jubile:and in the jubileit shall go out,and he shall returnunto his possession.
29And if a mansella dwellinghousein a walledcity,then he may redeemit within a wholeyearafter it is sold;[within] a full yearmay he redeemit.30And if it be not redeemedwithin the spaceof a fullyear,then the housethat [is] in the walledcityshall be establishedfor everto him that boughtit throughout his generations:it shall not go outin the jubile.31But the housesof the villageswhich have no wallround aboutthem shall be countedas the fieldsof the country:they may be redeemed,and they shall go outin the jubile.32Notwithstanding the citiesof the Levites,[and] the housesof the citiesof their possession,may the Levitesredeemat any time.33And if a man purchaseof the Levites,then the housethat was sold,and the cityof his possession,shall go outin [the year of] jubile:for the housesof the citiesof the Levites[are] their possessionamongthe childrenof Israel.34But the fieldof the suburbsof their citiesmay not be sold;for it [is] their perpetualpossession.
Redemption of the Poor
35And if thy brotherbe waxen poor,and fallen in decaywith thee;then thou shalt relievehim: [yea, though he be] a stranger,or a sojourner;that he may livewith thee.36Takethou no usuryof him, or increase:but fearthy God;that thy brothermay livewith thee.37Thou shalt not givehim thy moneyupon usury,nor lendhim thy victualsfor increase.38I [am] the LORDyour God,which brought you forthout of the landof Egypt,to giveyou the landof Canaan,[and] to be your God.
Redemption of Bondmen
39And if thy brother[that dwelleth] by thee be waxen poor,and be soldunto thee; thou shalt not compelhim to serveas a bondservant:40[But] as an hired servant,[and] as a sojourner,he shall be with thee, [and] shall servethee unto the yearof jubile:41And [then] shall he departfrom thee, [both] he and his childrenwith him, and shall returnunto his own family,and unto the possessionof his fathersshall he return.42For they [are] my servants,which I brought forthout of the landof Egypt:they shall not be soldasbondmen.43Thou shalt not ruleover him with rigour;but shalt fearthy God.44Both thy bondmen,and thy bondmaids,which thou shalt have, [shall be] of the heathenthat are round aboutyou; of them shall ye buybondmenand bondmaids.45Moreover of the childrenof the strangersthat do sojournamong you, of them shall ye buy,and of their familiesthat [are] with you, which they begatin your land:and they shall be your possession.46And ye shall take them as an inheritancefor your childrenafteryou, to inherit[them for] a possession;they shall be your bondmenfor ever:but over your brethrenthe childrenof Israel,ye shall not ruleoneover anotherwith rigour.
Redemption of Servants
47And if a sojourneror strangerwax richby thee,and thy brother[that dwelleth] by him wax poor,and sellhimself unto the stranger[or] sojournerby thee, or to the stockof the stranger'sfamily:48Afterthat he is soldhe may be redeemed again;oneof his brethrenmay redeemhim:49Either his uncle,or his uncle'sson,may redeemhim, or [any] that is nighof kinunto him of his familymay redeemhim; or if he be able,he may redeemhimself.50And he shall reckonwith him that boughthim from the yearthat he was soldto him unto the yearof jubile:and the priceof his saleshall be according unto the numberof years,according to the timeof an hired servantshall it be with him.51If [there be] yet manyyears[behind], accordingunto them he shall give againthe price of his redemptionout of the moneythat he was boughtfor.52And if there remainbut fewyearsunto the yearof jubile,then he shall countwith him, [and] accordingunto his yearsshall he give him againthe price of his redemption.53[And] as a yearlyhired servantshall he be with him: [and the other] shall not rulewith rigourover him in thy sight.54And if he be not redeemedin these [years], then he shall go outin the yearof jubile,[both] he, and his childrenwith him.55For unto me the childrenof Israel[are] servants;they [are] my servantswhom I brought forthout of the landof Egypt:I [am] the LORDyour God.
