Leviticus Chapter 25
Showing all 55 verses for Leviticus Chapter 25.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai."
This law was given at Sinai, in the heart of God's covenant with His people, showing that even how they used the land was meant to flow from relationship with Him. Jesus calls you to see that every part of your life, even the practical and economic parts, belongs within your relationship with God, not separate from it.
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. "
"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: once you enter the land I'm giving you, the land itself is to observe a sabbath rest for the LORD."
Even the land itself was given a sabbath, a built-in rhythm of rest woven into creation. Jesus calls you to trust that rest is not laziness but part of how God designed life to work - you were never meant to grind without ceasing.
"Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; "
"For six years you may sow your fields, prune your vineyards, and gather in the harvest."
Six years of steady, faithful labour were expected and good - working the field was not the problem, it was simply not meant to be endless. Jesus calls you to work with diligence and care, knowing that honest effort honours God just as much as rest does.
"But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. "
"But in the seventh year, the land is to have a complete rest, a sabbath for the LORD: you must not sow your field or prune your vineyard."
The seventh year of complete rest for the land pictured trusting God's provision instead of relying purely on your own effort to survive. Jesus calls you to loosen your grip on constant control and striving, and to trust that God can provide even when you deliberately step back.
"That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. "
"Don't harvest whatever grows by itself from your last crop, and don't gather grapes from your untended vines - it's a year of rest for the land."
Letting the land rest meant restraining the impulse to grab every last bit of harvest, even what grew unplanted. Jesus calls you to practise that same restraint in your own life - not squeezing every advantage out of every situation, but leaving room for grace.
"And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, "
"Whatever the land produces on its own during its sabbath year is there for everyone to eat from - you, your male and female servants, your hired workers, and the foreigners living among you."
The rest of that year fed everyone equally - owner, servant, hired hand, and foreigner alike - showing that God's provision was never meant to be hoarded by the powerful. Jesus calls you to share generously so that everyone around you, regardless of status, has enough.
"And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. "
"And your livestock and the wild animals in your land may also eat from whatever the land produces that year."
Even the animals shared in the year's rest and provision, showing that God's care extends beyond just human concerns to the whole of creation under our stewardship. Jesus calls you to treat creation, and the creatures in your care, with the same gentleness God shows.
"And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. "
"Count off seven sabbath years - seven times seven years - which adds up to forty-nine years."
Counting seven sabbaths of years shows how deliberately God built long-term rhythms of rest and renewal into His people's lives, not just occasional pauses. Jesus calls you to plan for renewal in your own life too, rather than assuming you can run at full speed indefinitely.
"Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. "
"Then sound the trumpet loudly on the tenth day of the seventh month - the Day of Atonement - blow the trumpet throughout the whole land."
The jubilee was announced with a trumpet on the Day of Atonement, tying freedom directly to forgiveness - liberty for the land and its people flowed out of being made right with God. Jesus calls you to see your own freedom the same way: it flows from being reconciled to God, not from anything you achieved yourself.
"And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. "
"You are to set apart the fiftieth year as holy, and announce freedom throughout the land for everyone living there. This is the Jubilee: each person is to return to their own property, and each person is to return to their own family."
Proclaiming liberty and restoring everyone to their family and land meant no debt or mistake could permanently trap a person in poverty or exile. Jesus calls you to believe that no failure defines you forever - restoration and a fresh start are always part of God's plan for you.
"A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. "
"That fiftieth year is to be a Jubilee for you: don't sow, don't harvest what grows by itself, and don't gather grapes from untended vines."
Like the sabbath year, the jubilee year meant stepping back from harvesting and trusting God's provision over an even longer stretch. Jesus calls you to keep trusting Him even when the season of rest or waiting stretches longer than feels comfortable.
"For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. "
"It is the Jubilee; it is to be treated as holy. You are to eat only what the field produces directly, straight from it."
Calling the jubilee holy meant treating this season of release and rest as sacred, not merely practical. Jesus calls you to see moments of rest and restoration in your own life as sacred too, worth protecting rather than sacrificing to busyness.
"In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession. "
"In this year of Jubilee, everyone is to return to their own property."
Every fiftieth year, people returned to what was originally theirs, meaning no one could be permanently dispossessed by hardship or misfortune. Jesus calls you to trust that whatever you've lost - dignity, standing, a fresh start - can be restored, because God's heart is for restoration, not permanent loss.
"And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another: "
"If you sell something to your neighbour, or buy something from them, don't take advantage of each other."
Ordinary buying and selling was still governed by a command not to take advantage of each other. Jesus calls you to bring honesty and fairness into every transaction and negotiation in your life, refusing to profit by exploiting someone else's weaker position.
"According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: "
"When you buy from your neighbour, base the price on the number of years remaining until the next Jubilee - in effect, on how many harvests are left."
Pricing land according to the years remaining until jubilee meant the value reflected real, tangible use rather than an inflated or arbitrary number. Jesus calls you to be honest in how you value things and deal with others, letting fairness rather than greed set the terms.
"According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. "
"The more years remaining, the higher the price; the fewer years remaining, the lower the price - because what's really being sold is a certain number of harvests."
Adjusting the price based on the number of harvests left protected the buyer from being overcharged and the seller from being shortchanged - fairness ran both directions. Jesus calls you to care about fairness for everyone in a deal, not just protecting your own interest.
"Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God:for I am the LORD your God. "
"So don't take advantage of one another, but stand in awe of your God - I am the LORD your God."
The command not to oppress one another is grounded in fearing God - how you treat people economically is directly tied to your reverence for Him. Jesus calls you to let your respect for God show up concretely in how fairly and gently you treat others, especially where money is involved.
"Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. "
"So carry out my rules and keep my laws, putting them into practice - and you will live securely in the land."
Obedience to God's ways was tied to living securely in the land - not as a reward system, but because His instructions were designed for a flourishing life together. Jesus calls you to trust that His way of living, however countercultural, actually leads to real peace and security.
"And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. "
"The land will produce its fruit, and you will eat as much as you need and live there securely."
The promise of eating your fill and dwelling safely reflects God's desire for His people's genuine, everyday wellbeing, not just religious performance. Jesus calls you to trust that God cares about your practical, ordinary needs being met, not only your spiritual life.
"And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: "
"You might ask, 'What will we eat in the seventh year, since we won't be sowing or gathering our crops?'"
God anticipates the fear behind the question 'what will we eat?' and answers it before it becomes a crisis of trust. Jesus calls you to bring your anxious 'what if' questions honestly to God, believing He already knows and cares about them.
"Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. "
"I will send my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it produces enough for three years."
God promises a blessing that overflows across multiple years from a single season, showing His provision is never stingy or exactly measured out. Jesus calls you to expect generosity from God that goes beyond what strict math would predict.
"And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store. "
"You will sow in the eighth year but still be eating the old harvest; you will keep eating from the old store until the ninth year's crop comes in."
Eating from old stored fruit while new crops grew required real patience and trust that the earlier provision would last. Jesus calls you to trust what God has already given you to carry you through a season, even when the new supply hasn't arrived yet.
"The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. "
"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land belongs to me - you are only guests and tenants with me."
The land ultimately belonged to God, not to any individual family forever, reminding His people they were only ever stewards and guests, not absolute owners. Jesus calls you to hold your possessions loosely, remembering that everything you have is on loan from a generous God.
"And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. "
"Throughout the land you hold, you must allow for the right of redemption on the land."
Building in a right of redemption meant land could always be bought back, protecting families from permanent loss due to a hard season. Jesus calls you to be someone who helps others get back what they've lost, rather than profiting permanently from their misfortune.
"If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. "
"If one of your people becomes poor and has to sell some of their land, their nearest relative has the right to come and buy it back on their behalf."
A kinsman stepping in to redeem a relative's lost land shows family loyalty expressed through real, costly action. Jesus calls you to step in for the people you love when they've fallen on hard times, using what you have to lift them back up.
"And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; "
"But if a person has no one to redeem it for them, and they themselves later come into enough money to redeem it -"
Provision was made for someone to redeem their own situation once they had the means, respecting their dignity and agency rather than keeping them permanently dependent. Jesus calls you to support people's own efforts to rebuild, not just hand them a permanent label of need.
"Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. "
"Then they are to work out the value for the years since the sale, repay the balance to the person they sold it to, and return to their own property."
Calculating and returning the fair overplus when land was redeemed early kept the whole system honest instead of letting the buyer profit unfairly. Jesus calls you to be scrupulously fair even in the fine print of a deal, giving back what genuinely isn't yours to keep.
"But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession. "
"But if they can't afford to buy it back, the land stays with the buyer until the Jubilee year - at which point it's released, and the original owner returns to their property."
Even when a family couldn't afford to redeem their land early, the jubilee guaranteed it would return eventually - hardship was never meant to be the final word. Jesus calls you to hold onto hope that hard circumstances are not permanent, and that restoration is coming even when you can't force it yourself.
"And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. "
"If someone sells a house in a walled city, they have a full year from the sale to buy it back."
A house in a walled city had different rules than farmland because it functioned differently in daily life, showing God's laws paid attention to real, practical differences rather than applying one rigid rule everywhere. Jesus calls you to bring the same thoughtfulness to how you apply principles - caring about the real situation people are in, not just the letter of a rule.
"And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile. "
"If it isn't redeemed within that full year, the house in the walled city becomes the permanent property of the buyer and their descendants - it does not return at the Jubilee."
A house city-dweller couldn't redeem within a year stayed with the buyer permanently, showing that some structures functioned more like ordinary property than ancestral land. Jesus calls you to accept that not every loss can be reversed, but even then, God's care for you doesn't depend on what you own.
"But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile. "
"But houses in villages without walls are treated like farmland - they can be redeemed, and they do return at the Jubilee."
Village houses without walls were treated like farmland, still eligible for jubilee return, protecting rural families from permanent landlessness the same way fields were protected. Jesus calls you to make sure protections and fairness extend to everyone, not just those with power or a fortified position.
"Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time. "
"As for the cities belonging to the Levites, they may redeem their houses at any time."
The Levites, who depended on these city properties rather than farmland for their livelihood, were given a permanent right of redemption, since they had no other inheritance to fall back on. Jesus calls you to notice who has fewer resources to protect themselves and to make sure fairness reaches them too.
"And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. "
"If someone buys a house from the Levites, that house and its city are to be released at the Jubilee, because Levite city-property belongs permanently to them among the Israelites."
Even a house purchased from a Levite still returned in the jubilee, because their claim to it was tied to their unique calling, not ordinary property rights. Jesus calls you to respect that some people's needs and vulnerabilities are different from your own, and to honour that difference rather than flattening everyone into the same rule.
"But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession. "
"The open pastureland around their cities must never be sold, because it is their permanent possession."
The open pasture land around Levite cities could never be sold at all, protecting a permanent common resource for their community's livestock and livelihood. Jesus calls you to protect shared resources that a whole community depends on, rather than letting them be sold off for private gain.
"And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. "
"If one of your people becomes poor and can't support themselves, help them - even if they are a foreigner or temporary resident - so that they can go on living alongside you."
When a brother fell into poverty, the command was simple and direct: help him, even if he was a stranger, so he could keep living among you. Jesus calls you to actively relieve people in need around you, treating outsiders with the same care you'd give family.
"Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. "
"Don't charge them interest of any kind - respect your God, so that they can keep living among you."
Charging interest on a loan to someone already struggling was forbidden, because profiting from a brother's hardship contradicts fearing God. Jesus calls you to help people in need without looking for a way to gain from their difficulty.
"Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. "
"Don't lend them money at interest, or sell them food for profit off their need."
Lending food without charging extra for it reinforced that basic survival shouldn't become a source of profit at someone else's expense. Jesus calls you to make sure that when you help someone survive a hard patch, you do it out of love, not leverage.
"I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. "
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God."
God reminds His people that He is the one who brought them out of slavery in Egypt - their own history of rescue is the reason they must not exploit others now. Jesus calls you to let your own experience of being rescued and forgiven shape how mercifully you treat people who are struggling.
"And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: "
"If one of your people becomes poor and sells themselves to you to pay off debt, don't make them work like an owned slave."
Even in hard economic straits, a fellow Israelite could not be treated as a slave but had to be treated with dignity as a hired worker. Jesus calls you to honour the dignity of anyone working for you or dependent on you, never treating a person as less than fully human because of their circumstances.
"But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile: "
"Instead, they are to be treated like a hired worker or a temporary resident, serving you only until the Jubilee year."
Being treated 'as an hired servant' rather than owned outright preserved this person's dignity and eventual freedom, even while they worked off a debt. Jesus calls you to always leave room for someone's dignity and future, even when they currently depend on you or owe you something.
"And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. "
"Then they are to be released - both they and their children - and return to their own family and to their ancestral property."
Freedom in the jubilee wasn't partial - it included returning fully to family and inheritance, restoring everything that had been lost. Jesus calls you to believe that the freedom He offers is complete, not partial, restoring you fully to belonging and identity.
"For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen. "
"They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt - they are not to be sold as slaves."
God calls His people 'my servants' whom He rescued from Egypt, meaning ultimately they belonged to Him, not to each other as permanent property. Jesus calls you to remember that your ultimate belonging is to God, which should shape how you treat anyone who might otherwise feel owned or controlled by you.
"Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God. "
"Don't rule over them harshly - respect your God."
Ruling 'with rigour' - harshly, without mercy - is explicitly forbidden, again tied to the fear of God. Jesus calls you to lead and manage others gently, never using power to crush or humiliate someone under your authority.
"Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. "
"As for slaves you own, they are to come from the surrounding nations - buy male and female slaves from them."
This verse reflects the harsh economic realities of the ancient world rather than God's ideal for how people should treat each other; Scripture's own arc keeps moving towards full human dignity and freedom for all. Jesus calls you to hold onto that fuller trajectory - that every single person, whatever their origin, is equally precious to God and never rightly reduced to property.
"Moreover of the children of the strangers that do 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. "
"You may also buy from among the children of foreigners living among you, including those born to them in your land - they become your property."
As with the previous verse, this reflects an ancient economic system rather than a timeless endorsement, and Scripture's fuller revelation in Christ moves decisively away from it. Jesus calls you to measure any practice, ancient or modern, against His own standard of loving your neighbour as yourself - a standard that never permits treating a person as mere possession.
"And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour. "
"You may leave them to your children as an inheritance, to own permanently - but you must not rule harshly over your fellow Israelites."
Even within this hard ancient system, Israelites themselves were protected from harsh rule over each other - a boundary that hints at where the fuller revelation in Christ was heading, towards protecting everyone from oppression. Jesus calls you to extend that same protection you'd want for your own family to every person, without exception.
"And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family: "
"If a foreigner or temporary resident living among you becomes wealthy, and one of your own people becomes poor and sells themselves to that foreigner or to their family -"
Even when a foreigner grew wealthy and an Israelite fell into servitude to them, the door to redemption stayed open - poverty never had to be a permanent trap. Jesus calls you to keep believing that no one's hard circumstances are the final word, and to be part of opening a door back to dignity for them.
"After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him: "
"After being sold, they can still be redeemed - one of their relatives may buy back their freedom."
Redemption remained available immediately, even after being sold - family or kin could step in at any time to free their relative. Jesus calls you to be ready to step in for someone at any moment, not waiting for a convenient season to help set them free.
"Either his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself. "
"An uncle, a cousin, or any close relative may redeem them - or, if they're able, they may redeem themselves."
A wide circle of relatives - uncle, cousin, or the person themself - could act as redeemer, showing that responsibility for each other's freedom was shared broadly across a family. Jesus calls you to see freeing and helping others as everyone's shared responsibility, not just one designated person's job.
"And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him. "
"They and the buyer are to work out the price together, counting from the year they were sold to the year of Jubilee - calculated as if it were the wage of a hired worker for that time."
The price of redemption was calculated fairly based on time actually served, preventing exploitation even in a hard financial arrangement. Jesus calls you to keep fairness alive even in the most transactional parts of life, never letting someone's vulnerability become your unfair gain.
"If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. "
"If many years remain until the Jubilee, they must pay back a larger share of the original purchase price, based on that."
The math of redemption scaled fairly to however much time remained, always keeping the door to freedom realistically open rather than symbolic only. Jesus calls you to make sure the help and forgiveness you offer others is real and practical, not just a gesture.
"And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption. "
"If only a few years remain until the Jubilee, they are to work it out together and pay a correspondingly smaller price."
Whether many years remained or few, the same fair principle applied - no one was shortchanged based on their particular timing or circumstance. Jesus calls you to apply fairness consistently, not letting someone's specific situation become an excuse to treat them worse.
"And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. "
"They are to be treated the same as a worker hired year by year, and you must not let anyone rule over them harshly while you're watching."
Being watched over - 'in thy sight' - as protection against harsh treatment shows that a community had a role in guarding against abuse of the vulnerable. Jesus calls you to be someone who watches out for others being mistreated, and to speak up rather than look away.
"And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him. "
"If they are not redeemed by any of these means, they are still to go free at the Jubilee - both they and their children."
Even without a family redeemer stepping in, the jubilee itself guaranteed eventual freedom - God's own timing became the final safeguard against permanent bondage. Jesus calls you to trust that even when no one else steps in to help you, God's faithfulness will ultimately bring you to freedom.
"For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. "
"For the Israelites belong to me as my servants - they are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
The whole chapter closes on this reminder: ultimately, everyone belongs to God, who rescued them - a truth that undercuts any claim of permanent ownership over another person. Jesus calls you to remember that you belong to God first, and let that truth shape how you value and treat every other person who also belongs to Him.