Leviticus 25 - Lexham English Bible (LEB)

The Sabbath Year

25 Then^[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai,^[b] saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites,^[c] and say to them, ‘When you^[d] come into the land that I am about to give to you,^[e] then^[f] the land shall observe a Sabbath for Yahweh. ³ Six years you^[g] shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and you shall gather its yield. ⁴ But^[h] in the seventh year it shall be a Sabbath of complete rest^[i] for the land—a Sabbath for Yahweh; you^[j] must not sow your field, and you must not prune your vineyard. ⁵ You^[k] must not reap your harvest’s aftergrowth, and you must not harvest the grapes of your unpruned vines—it shall be a year of complete rest^[l] for the land. ⁶ And a Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you:^[m] for you^[n] and for your slave and for your slave woman and for your hired worker and for your temporary residents^[o] who are dwelling as aliens with you; ⁷ and all its yield shall be for your^[p] domestic animal and for the wild animal, which are in your land to eat.

The Year of Jubilee

⁸ “‘And you^[q] shall count for yourself seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and they shall be for you time periods of^[r] years: forty-nine^[s] years. ⁹ And you^[t] shall cause a loud horn blast^[u] to be heard on the seventh month on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement you^[v] shall cause a ram’s horn to be heard in all your^[w] land. ¹⁰ And you^[x] shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and you shall proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. It is a Jubilee; it shall be for you, and you shall return. You must return—everyone to his property and everyone to his clan.^{[y] 11} You^[z] shall have the fiftieth year as a Jubilee;^[aa] you must not reap its aftergrowth, and you must not harvest its unpruned vines. ¹² Because it is a Jubilee, it shall be holy to you. You must eat its^[ab] produce from the field.

¹³ “‘In this Year of Jubilee each of you^[ac] shall return^[ad] to his property. ¹⁴ And when you^[ae] sell something to your^[af] fellow citizen or you buy from your^[ag] neighbor’s hand, you^[ah] must not oppress one another.^{[ai] 15} You^[aj] must buy from your fellow citizen according to the number of years after the Jubilee; he must sell to you according to the number of years of yield. ¹⁶ You^[ak] must increase its price according to a greater number of years,^[al] but^[am] you must decrease its price according to a lesser number of years,^[an] because he is selling its yields to you. ¹⁷ And you^[ao] must not oppress one another,^[ap] but^[aq] you^[ar] shall revere your God, because I am Yahweh, your^[as] God.

¹⁸ “‘And you^[at] shall do my statutes, and you must keep my regulations, and you shall do them, so that^[au] you shall live securely^[av] on the land. ¹⁹ And the land shall give its fruit, and you^[aw] shall eat your fill,^[ax] and you shall live securely^[ay] on it. ²⁰ And if you^[az] should say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, if^[ba] we do not sow and we do not gather its yield?” ²¹ then^[bb] I will command my blessing for you^[bc] in the sixth year, so that^[bd] it will make^[be] the yield for three years. ²² And you^[bf] will sow in the eighth year, and you shall eat from the old yield;^[bg] until the ninth year, until the coming of its yield, you shall eat the old yield.

²³ “‘But^[bh] the land must not be sold in^[bi] perpetuity, because the land is mine, because you^[bj] are aliens and temporary residents with me. ²⁴ And in all your^[bk] property’s land you^[bl] must provide redemption for the land.

²⁵ “‘When your^[bm] brother becomes poor and he sells part of his property, then^[bn] his nearest redeemer^[bo] shall come, and he shall redeem the thing sold by his brother. ²⁶ But^[bp] if^[bq] a man does not have^[br] a redeemer, then^[bs] he prospers^[bt] and he finds enough for his redemption, ²⁷ then^[bu] he shall calculate the years of its selling, and he shall refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and he shall return to his property. ²⁸ But^[bv] if his hand does not find enough to refund to him, then^[bw] what he has sold^[bx] shall be in the buyer’s hand until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall go out of the buyer’s hand^[by] in the Jubilee, and he shall return to his property.

²⁹ “‘And if a man sells a residential house in a walled city,^[bz] then^[ca] it shall be his redemption until completing a year after his selling;^[cb] its redemption shall last^[cc] a year.^{[cd] 30} But^[ce] if it is not redeemed before a full year has passed,^[cf] then^[cg] the house that is in the walled city^[ch] shall belong to the buyer in^[ci] perpetuity throughout his generations; it shall not go out of the buyer’s hand^[cj] in the Jubilee. ³¹ However,^[ck] village houses that have no surrounding wall shall be considered open country;^[cl] there is redemption for it, and in the Jubilee it shall go out of the buyer’s hand.^[cm]

³² “‘As for^[cn] the cities of the Levites, that is, the houses in^[co] their property’s cities, it shall be a lasting redemption^[cp] for the Levites. ³³ And whatever anyone redeems from the Levites then^[cq] must go out of the buyer’s hand^[cr] in the Jubilee, including a house’s selling in his city’s property,^[cs] because the houses in^[ct] the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites.^{[cu] 34} But^[cv] a^[cw] field of their cities’ pastureland must not be sold, because it is their property for all time.^[cx]

³⁵ “‘And if your^[cy] countryman^[cz] becomes poor and if he becomes dependent on you,^[da] then^[db] you shall support him like an alien and like a temporary resident, and he shall live with you. ³⁶ You^[dc] must not take interest or^[dd] usury from him, but^[de] you shall revere your God, and your countryman^[df] shall live with you. ³⁷ You^[dg] must not give your money to him with interest or^[dh] give your food for^[di] profit. ³⁸ I am Yahweh your^[dj] God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you^[dk] the land of Canaan, to be as God for you.

³⁹ “‘And if your^[dl] countryman^[dm] who is with you becomes poor, and he is sold to you, you shall not treat him as a slave.^{[dn] 40} He shall be with you like a hired worker, like a temporary resident; he shall work with you until the Year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ And he and his sons with him shall go out from you, and he shall return to his clan, and to the property of his ancestors^[do] he shall return. ⁴² Because they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they shall not be sold as a slave.^{[dp] 43} You^[dq] shall not rule over him with ruthlessness, but^[dr] you shall revere your God.

⁴⁴ “‘As for^[ds] your^[dt] slave and your^[du] slave woman who are^[dv] yours,^[dw] from the nations that are all around you,^[dx] from them you^[dy] may buy a slave or^[dz] a slave woman. ⁴⁵ And you^[ea] may buy also from the children^[eb] of the temporary residents who are dwelling with you as aliens and from their clan who are with you, who have children in your land; indeed,^[ec] they may be as property for you. ⁴⁶ And you^[ed] may pass them on as an inheritance to your^[ee] sons^[ef] after you^[eg] to take possession of as property for all time^[eh]—you^[ei] may let them work. But^[ej] as for your^[ek] countrymen,^[el] the Israelites,^[em] you^[en] shall not rule with ruthlessness over one another.^[eo]

⁴⁷ “‘And if the alien or^[ep] the temporary resident who are with you^[eq] prosper,^[er] but^[es] your countryman^[et] who is with him becomes poor and he is sold to an alien, a temporary resident who is with you, or to a descendant of an alien’s clan, ⁴⁸ after he is sold redemption shall be for him; one of his brothers may redeem him, ⁴⁹ or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him, or one of^[eu] his close relatives^[ev] from his clan may redeem him; or if he prospers,^[ew] he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰ And he shall calculate with his buyer from the year of his selling himself^[ex] until the Jubilee; and the value of his selling shall be according to the number of years—it shall be with him like^[ey] a hired worker’s days. ⁵¹ If there are still many years, in keeping with them^[ez] he shall restore his redemption in proportion to his purchase price.^{[fa] 52} And if there are a few years left until the Year of Jubilee, then^[fb] he shall calculate for himself; he shall restore his redemption according to the number of his years.^{[fc] 53} He shall be with him as a yearly hired worker;^[fd] he shall not rule over him with ruthlessness in your^[fe] sight.^{[ff] 54} And if he is not redeemed by^[fg] any of these ways,^[fh] then^[fi] he and his sons with him shall go out in the Year of Jubilee. ⁵⁵ Indeed,^[fj] the Israelites^[fk] are servants for me; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your^[fl] God.’”

Footnotes

1. Leviticus 25:1 Or “And”
2. Leviticus 25:1 Literally “the mountain of Sinai”
3. Leviticus 25:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
4. Leviticus 25:2 Plural
5. Leviticus 25:2 Plural
6. Leviticus 25:2 Or “and”
7. Leviticus 25:3 Singular throughout this verse
8. Leviticus 25:4 Or “And”
9. Leviticus 25:4 Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but it is devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase
10. Leviticus 25:4 Singular throughout this verse
11. Leviticus 25:5 Singular throughout this verse
12. Leviticus 25:5 Literally “a year of a rest period”
13. Leviticus 25:6 Plural
14. Leviticus 25:6 Singular here and through the rest of this verse
15. Leviticus 25:6 Collective singular; Hebrew “temporary resident”
16. Leviticus 25:7 Singular throughout this verse
17. Leviticus 25:8 Singular throughout this verse
18. Leviticus 25:8 Literally “days of”
19. Leviticus 25:8 Literally “nine and forty”
20. Leviticus 25:9 Singular
21. Leviticus 25:9 Literally “a ram’s horn of a blast”
22. Leviticus 25:9 Plural
23. Leviticus 25:9 Plural
24. Leviticus 25:10 Plural throughout this verse
25. Leviticus 25:10 Or “each of you must return to his property and to his clan”
26. Leviticus 25:11 Plural throughout this verse
27. Leviticus 25:11 Literally “a Jubilee it the year of the fiftieth year it shall be for you”
28. Leviticus 25:12 That is, the field’s
29. Leviticus 25:13 Plural
30. Leviticus 25:13 Literally “you shall return a man” or “you shall return everyone”
31. Leviticus 25:14 Plural
32. Leviticus 25:14 Singular
33. Leviticus 25:14 Singular
34. Leviticus 25:14 Plural
35. Leviticus 25:14 Literally “a man his brother”
36. Leviticus 25:15 Singular throughout this verse
37. Leviticus 25:16 Singular throughout this verse
38. Leviticus 25:16 Literally “to the mouth of many of the years”
39. Leviticus 25:16 Or “and”
40. Leviticus 25:16 Literally “to the mouth of few of the years”
41. Leviticus 25:17 Plural
42. Leviticus 25:17 Literally “a man his citizen”
43. Leviticus 25:17 Or “and”
44. Leviticus 25:17 Singular
45. Leviticus 25:17 Plural
46. Leviticus 25:18 Plural throughout this verse
47. Leviticus 25:18 Or “and”
48. Leviticus 25:18 Literally “with confidence”
49. Leviticus 25:19 Plural throughout this verse
50. Leviticus 25:19 Literally “to contentment”
51. Leviticus 25:19 Literally “with confidence”
52. Leviticus 25:20 Plural
53. Leviticus 25:20 Literally “look”
54. Leviticus 25:21 Or “and”
55. Leviticus 25:21 Plural
56. Leviticus 25:21 Or “and”
57. Leviticus 25:21 Or “produce”
58. Leviticus 25:22 Plural throughout this verse
59. Leviticus 25:22 The verse divides here
60. Leviticus 25:23 Or “And”
61. Leviticus 25:23 Or “for”
62. Leviticus 25:23 Plural
63. Leviticus 25:24 Plural
64. Leviticus 25:24 Plural
65. Leviticus 25:25 Singular
66. Leviticus 25:25 Or “and”
67. Leviticus 25:25 Literally “his redeemer the nearest to him”
68. Leviticus 25:26 Or “And”
69. Leviticus 25:26 Or “when”
70. Leviticus 25:26 Literally “it is not for him”
71. Leviticus 25:26 Or “and”
72. Leviticus 25:26 Literally “his hand produces”
73. Leviticus 25:27 Or “and”
74. Leviticus 25:28 Or “And”
75. Leviticus 25:28 Or “and”
76. Leviticus 25:28 Literally “his thing sold”
77. Leviticus 25:28 Meaning derived from context; an alternative translation could be “shall not be released” (cf. NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NJPS) or “shall not revert” (NASB, NET)
78. Leviticus 25:29 Literally “a house of a dwelling of a city wall”
79. Leviticus 25:29 Or “and”
80. Leviticus 25:29 Literally “a year of his selling”
81. Leviticus 25:29 Literally “shall be”
82. Leviticus 25:29 Literally “days”
83. Leviticus 25:30 Or “And”
84. Leviticus 25:30 Literally “until the fulfilling of for him/it an entire year”
85. Leviticus 25:30 Or “and”
86. Leviticus 25:30 Literally “in the city that for it a wall”
87. Leviticus 25:30 Hebrew “for”
88. Leviticus 25:30 Meaning derived from context; an alternative translation could be “shall not be released” (cf. NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NJPS) or “shall not revert” (NASB, NET)
89. Leviticus 25:31 Or “And” or “But”
90. Leviticus 25:31 Literally “the field of the land”
91. Leviticus 25:31 Meaning derived from context; an alternative translation could be “shall not be released” (cf. NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NJPS) or “shall not revert” (NASB, NET)
92. Leviticus 25:32 Or “And”
93. Leviticus 25:32 Hebrew “of”
94. Leviticus 25:32 Or “a permanent redemption”; literally “redemption of eternity” or “redemption of long duration”
95. Leviticus 25:33 Or “and”
96. Leviticus 25:33 Meaning derived from context; an alternative translation could be “shall not be released” (cf. NKJV, NRSV, ESV, NJPS) or “shall not revert” (NASB, NET)
97. Leviticus 25:33 Literally “the city of his property”
98. Leviticus 25:33 Hebrew “of”
99. Leviticus 25:33 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
100. Leviticus 25:34 Or “And”
101. Leviticus 25:34 Hebrew “the”
102. Leviticus 25:34 Literally “a property of eternity it is for them” or “a property of long duration it is for them”
103. Leviticus 25:35 Singular throughout this verse
104. Leviticus 25:35 Or “brother”
105. Leviticus 25:35 Literally “and his hand is shaky with you”
106. Leviticus 25:35 Or “and”
107. Leviticus 25:36 Singular throughout this verse
108. Leviticus 25:36 Or “and”
109. Leviticus 25:36 Or “and”
110. Leviticus 25:36 Or “brother”
111. Leviticus 25:37 Singular throughout this verse
112. Leviticus 25:37 Or “and”
113. Leviticus 25:37 Or “in” or “with”
114. Leviticus 25:38 Plural throughout this verse
115. Leviticus 25:38 Literally “to you”
116. Leviticus 25:39 Singular throughout this verse
117. Leviticus 25:39 Or “brother”
118. Leviticus 25:39 Literally “you shall not let him work the work of a slave” or “you shall not enslave him the work of a slave”
119. Leviticus 25:41 Or “fathers”
120. Leviticus 25:42 Literally “a selling of a slave”
121. Leviticus 25:43 Singular throughout this verse
122. Leviticus 25:43 Or “and”
123. Leviticus 25:44 Or “And”
124. Leviticus 25:44 Singular
125. Leviticus 25:44 Singular
126. Leviticus 25:44 Or “may be” (permission; cf. NASU, ESV, NRSV) or “can be” (ability)
127. Leviticus 25:44 Singular
128. Leviticus 25:44 Plural
129. Leviticus 25:44 Plural
130. Leviticus 25:44 Or “and”
131. Leviticus 25:45 Plural throughout this verse
132. Leviticus 25:45 Or “sons”
133. Leviticus 25:45 Or “and”
134. Leviticus 25:46 Plural
135. Leviticus 25:46 Plural
136. Leviticus 25:46 Or “children”
137. Leviticus 25:46 Plural
138. Leviticus 25:46 Literally “to eternity” or “forever” or “for a long duration”
139. Leviticus 25:46 Plural
140. Leviticus 25:46 Or “And”
141. Leviticus 25:46 Plural
142. Leviticus 25:46 Or “brothers”
143. Leviticus 25:46 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
144. Leviticus 25:46 Singular
145. Leviticus 25:46 Literally “a man over his brother”
146. Leviticus 25:47 Or “and”
147. Leviticus 25:47 Singular throughout this verse
148. Leviticus 25:47 Literally “the hand produces”
149. Leviticus 25:47 Or “and”
150. Leviticus 25:47 Or “brother”
151. Leviticus 25:49 Literally “from”
152. Leviticus 25:49 Literally “the direct relative of his flesh”
153. Leviticus 25:49 Literally “his hand produces”
154. Leviticus 25:50 Literally “his being sold for him”
155. Leviticus 25:50 Or “as”
156. Leviticus 25:51 Literally “to the mouth of them”
157. Leviticus 25:51 Literally “from the price of his acquisition”
158. Leviticus 25:52 Or “and”
159. Leviticus 25:52 Literally “according to the mouth of his years”
160. Leviticus 25:53 Literally “as a hired worker of a year in a year”
161. Leviticus 25:53 Singular
162. Leviticus 25:53 Literally “to your eyes” or “for your eyes”
163. Leviticus 25:54 Or “in”
164. Leviticus 25:54 Bracketed words provided from the sense of the context
165. Leviticus 25:54 Or “and”
166. Leviticus 25:55 Emphatic use of כִּי, since there is no indication of direct causation to only what precedes in vv. 47–54; or “Because”
167. Leviticus 25:55 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
168. Leviticus 25:55 Plural