HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 486
LEVIT IC U S 2 6
back within a year, the sale of the house within
the walled town cannot be reversed. It will
become the permanent property of the buyer.
It will not be returned to the original owner in
the Year of Jubilee. 31 But a house in a village—
a settlement without fortified walls—will be
treated like property in the countryside. Such
a house may be bought back at any time, and
it must be returned to the original owner in the
Year of Jubilee.
— promises —
from God
“I will give you peace in
the land, and you will
be able to sleep with
no cause for fear.”
L E V I T I C US 2 6:6
32 “The Levites always have the right to buy
back a house they have sold within the towns
allotted to them. 33 And any property that is sold
by the Levites—all houses within the Levitical
towns—must be returned in the Year of Jubilee.
After all, the houses in the towns reserved for
the Levites are the only property they own in
all Israel. 34 The open pastureland around the
Levitical towns may never be sold. It is their
permanent possession.
Redemption of the Poor and Enslaved
35 “If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him
as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you. 36 Do not
charge interest or make a profit at his expense.
Instead, show your fear of God by letting him
live with you as your relative. 37 Remember, do
not charge interest on money you lend him or
make a profit on food you sell him. 38 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.
39 “If one of your fellow Israelites falls into
poverty and is forced to sell himself to you, do
not treat him as a slave. 40 Treat him instead as
a hired worker or as a temporary resident who
lives with you, and he will serve you only until
the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time he and his
children will no longer be obligated to you, and
they will return to their clans and go back to
the land originally allotted to their ancestors.
42 The people of Israel are my servants, whom I
brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must
never be sold as slaves. 43 Show your fear of God
by not treating them harshly.
44 “However, you may purchase male and
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female slaves from among the nations around
you. 45 You may also purchase the children
of temporary residents who live among you,
including those who have been born in your
land. You may treat them as your property,
46 passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat them as slaves,
but you must never treat your fellow Israelites
this way.
47 “Suppose a foreigner or temporary resident
becomes rich while living among you. If any of
your fellow Israelites fall into poverty and are
forced to sell themselves to such a foreigner or
to a member of his family, 48 they still retain the
right to be bought back, even after they have
been purchased. They may be bought back by
a brother, 49 an uncle, or a cousin. In fact, anyone from the extended family may buy them
back. They may also redeem themselves if they
have prospered. 50 They will negotiate the price
of their freedom with the person who bought
them. The price will be based on the number of
years from the time they were sold until the next
Year of Jubilee—whatever it would cost to hire a
worker for that period of time. 51 If many years
still remain until the jubilee, they will repay the
proper proportion of what they received when
they sold themselves. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they will repay
a small amount for their redemption. 53 The foreigner must treat them as workers hired on a
yearly basis. You must not allow a foreigner to
treat any of your fellow Israelites harshly. 54 If
any Israelites have not been bought back by the
time the Year of Jubilee arrives, they and their
children must be set free at that time. 55 For the
people of Israel belong to me. They are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.
I am the Lord your God.
Blessings for Obedience
“Do not make idols or set up carved
images, or sacred pillars, or sculptured
stones in your land so you may worship them.
I am the Lord your God. 2 You must keep my
Sabbath days of rest and show reverence for my
sanctuary. I am the Lord.
3 “If you follow my decrees and are careful to
obey my commands, 4 I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops,
and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.
5 Your threshing season will overlap with the
grape harvest, and your grape harvest will overlap with the season of planting grain. You will
eat your fill and live securely in your own land.
6 “I will give you peace in the land, and you
will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will
rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. 7 In fact, you will chase
down your enemies and slaughter them with
your swords. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred,
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