安息年的條例
1耶和華在西奈山上對摩西說： 2「你把以下條例告訴以色列人。
「你們到了我將要賜給你們的土地後，要讓土地每七年在耶和華面前休耕一年。 3六年之內，你們可以耕種田地，修整葡萄園，收穫出產。 4但第七年是安息年，土地要休息，以尊崇耶和華。你們不可耕種，不可修整葡萄園。 5不可收割自生自長的莊稼，也不可摘未經修剪而結的葡萄。這一年土地要休耕。 6但安息年間土地裡自生自長的，你們和你們的僕婢、雇工與住在你們中間的外族人都可以吃， 7你們的牲畜和境內的野獸也可以吃。
禧年的條例
8「你們要計算七個安息年，即七個七年，共四十九年。 9第五十年的七月十日贖罪日那天，你們要在境內各地吹號。 10你們要以這年為聖年，向境內所有居民宣告自由。這年將成為你們的禧年。各人要得回賣掉的祖業，賣身為奴的可以自由回家。 11第五十年是你們的禧年。這一年你們不可耕種，不可收割自生自長的莊稼，也不可摘未經修剪而結的葡萄。 12這是禧年，是你們的聖年，你們可以吃土地裡自生自長的。 13在禧年，各人要得回賣掉的地業。 14因此，你們和同胞買賣田地時，不可彼此虧負。 15買賣雙方要按照距下個禧年的年數多少定價。 16距下個禧年的年數多，價錢就高；年數少，價錢就低。因為賣的是田地收成的次數。 17要敬畏你們的上帝，不可彼此虧負。我是你們的上帝耶和華。 18你們要遵行我的律例，持守我的典章，就可以在那片土地上安居。 19土地會出產豐富，使你們豐衣足食、安然居住。 20你們可能會問，『第七年不種不收，我們吃什麼？』 21我要在第六年賜福給你們，使田地的出產夠你們吃三年。 22第八年開始耕種時，你們仍會吃陳糧，一直吃到第九年的收割季節。
贖回土地的條例
23「你們不可永遠賣掉土地，因為土地是我的，你們只不過是寄居在那片土地上的過客。 24你們購買每一塊土地時，都必須讓原主保留贖回的權利。 25如果有人因貧窮而賣掉土地，他的近親要把賣掉的土地贖回來。 26如果無人為他贖回，而他自己漸漸富裕起來，有能力贖回， 27他要計算賣掉土地的年數，退還距下個禧年所剩年數的地價，便可以贖回自己的土地。 28如果他沒有能力贖回，所賣的土地在禧年之前要屬於買主。到了禧年，買主必須把土地歸還原主。
贖回房屋的條例
29「如果有人賣掉自己城裡的房子，要保留一年贖回權。賣掉房子的一年之內，他可以贖回。 30如果一年之內他沒有贖回，房子便永遠歸買主所有，就是到了禧年也不用歸還。 31如果房子在四圍無牆的鄉村，要視房子為鄉下的土地，原主可以贖回；到了禧年，買主必須將房子歸還。 32在利未人的城邑裡，利未人有權隨時贖回所賣的房子。 33如果他們沒有贖回，到了禧年要把房子歸還他們；因為在利未人的城裡，利未人的房屋是他們在以色列人中所擁有的產業。 34但不可出賣利未人城郊的草場。那是他們永遠擁有的產業。
照顧同胞的條例
35「如果你們的同胞生活日益貧窮，難以維生，你們要像照顧外族人和寄居者一樣照顧他的生活，讓他住在你們當中。 36你們不可從中謀利，要敬畏上帝，讓他住在你們當中。 37你們借錢給他，不可收取利息；借糧給他，不可謀利。 38我是你們的上帝耶和華。我曾經帶領你們離開埃及，為要把迦南賜給你們，並做你們的上帝。
買賣奴隸的條例
39「如果你們的同胞窮得把自己賣給你們，不可把他當作奴隸， 40要待他像雇工和寄居者一樣。他要為你工作到禧年。 41到了禧年，他和孩子們便可以離開你們，回到自己的宗族和祖業。 42因為以色列人是我的僕人，是我從埃及帶出來的，所以他們不可賣身為奴。 43你們也不可苛待他們，要敬畏你們的上帝。 44你們可以從鄰國購買奴隸， 45也可以買居住或出生在你們境內的外族人。這些人可以作你們的產業。 46你們可以將他們作為產業傳給你們的子孫，使他們終身做奴隸。但你們不可苛待自己的同胞。
47「如果你們中間的外族人漸漸富裕，你們同胞中卻有人日益貧窮，把自己賣給外族人或他們的族人， 48他可以保留贖身的權利。他的兄弟、 49叔伯、堂兄弟或其他近親都可以贖回他。如果他富裕起來，也可以贖回自己。 50他要和買主計算從自己賣身為奴到下個禧年之間的年數，然後按雇工的工價，照年數計算贖價。 51如果離禧年還有很多年，他就要按比例償還大部分賣身款為自己贖身。 52如果離禧年只有不多的幾年，他就要按年數償還賣身款為自己贖身。 53買主要待他如按年雇傭的工人。你們要確保買主不會苛待他。 54如果禧年來臨前他沒有被贖回，到了禧年他和孩子們都要獲得自由。 55因為以色列人是我的僕人，是我從埃及領出來的僕人。我是你們的上帝耶和華。
The Sabbath Year
1The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. He said, 2“Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘You will enter the land I am going to give you. When you do, you must honor the Lord every seventh year by not farming the land that year. 3For six years plant your fields. Trim the branches in your vineyards and gather your crops. 4But the seventh year must be a year of sabbath rest for the land. The land must rest during it. It is a sabbath year to honor the Lord. Do not plant your fields. Do not trim the branches in your vineyards. 5Do not gather what grows without being planted. And do not gather the grapes from the vines you have not taken care of. The land must have a year of rest. 6Anything the land produces during the sabbath year will be food for you. It will be for you and your male and female servants. Your hired workers will eat it. So will people who live with you for a while. 7And so will your livestock and the wild animals that are in your land. Anything the land produces can be eaten.
The Year of Jubilee
8“ ‘Count off seven sabbath years. Count off seven times seven years. The seven sabbath years add up to a total of 49 years. 9The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. On that day blow the trumpet all through your land. 10Set the 50th year apart. Announce freedom all over the land to everyone who lives there. The 50th year will be a Year of Jubilee for you. Each of you must return to your own family property. And each of you must return to your own tribe. 11The 50th year will be a Year of Jubilee for you. Do not plant anything. Do not gather what grows without being planted. And do not gather the grapes from the vines you have not taken care of. 12It is a Year of Jubilee. It will be holy for you. Eat only what the fields produce.
13“ ‘In the Year of Jubilee all of you must return to your own property.
14“ ‘Suppose you sell land to any of your own people. Or you buy land from them. Then do not take advantage of each other. 15The price you pay must be based on the number of years since the last Year of Jubilee. Here is how the price you charge must be decided. It must be based on the number of years left for gathering crops before the next Year of Jubilee. 16When there are many years left, you must raise the price. When there are only a few years left, you must lower the price. That is because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops the land will produce. 17Do not take advantage of each other. Instead, have respect for your God. I am the Lord your God.
18“ ‘Follow my rules. Be careful to obey my laws. Then you will live safely in the land. 19The land will produce its fruit. You will eat as much as you want. And you will live there in safety. 20Suppose you say, “In the seventh year we will not plant anything or gather our crops. So what will we eat?” 21I will send you a great blessing in the sixth year. The land will produce enough for three years. 22While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat food from the old crop. You will continue to eat food from it until the crops from the ninth year are gathered.
23“ ‘The land must not be sold without a way of getting it back. That is because it belongs to me. You are only outsiders and strangers in my land. 24You must make sure that you can buy the land back. That applies to all the land that belongs to you.
25“ ‘Suppose one of your own people becomes poor. And suppose they have to sell some of their land. Then their nearest relative must come and buy back what they have sold. 26But suppose they do not have anyone to buy it back for them. And suppose things go well for them and they earn enough money to buy it back themselves. 27Then they must decide how much the crops have become worth since the time they sold the land. They must take that amount off the price the land was sold for. They must give the one selling it back to them the money that is left. Then they can go back to their own property. 28But suppose they have not earned enough money to pay them back. Then the buyer they sold the land to will keep it until the Year of Jubilee. At that time it will be returned to them. Then they can go back to their property.
29“ ‘Suppose someone sells a house in a city that has a wall around it. Then for a full year after they sell it they have the right to buy it back. 30But suppose they do not buy it back before the full year has passed. Then the house in the walled city will continue to belong to the buyer and the buyer’s children. It will not be returned to the seller in the Year of Jubilee. 31But houses in villages that do not have walls around them must be treated like property outside walled cities. Those houses can be bought back at any time. And they must be returned in the Year of Jubilee.
32“ ‘The Levites always have the right to buy back their houses in the towns that belong to them. 33So their property among the Israelites can be bought back. That applies to a house sold in any of their towns. Any house that is sold must be returned to its original owner in the Year of Jubilee. That is because the houses of the Levites will always belong to them. 34But the grasslands around their towns must never be sold. They will belong to them for all time to come.
35“ ‘Suppose any of your own people become poor. And suppose they can’t take care of themselves. Then help them just as you would help an outsider or a stranger. In that way, the poor can continue to live among you. 36Do not charge them interest of any kind. Instead, have respect for God. Then those who have become poor can continue to live among you. 37If you lend them money, you must not charge them interest. And you must not sell them food for more than it cost you. 38I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. I did it to give you the land of Canaan. I wanted to be your God.
39“ ‘Suppose any of your own people become poor. And suppose they sell themselves to you. Then do not make them work as slaves. 40You must treat them like hired workers. Or you must treat them like those living among you for a while. They must work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41Then they and their children must be set free. They will go back to their own tribes. They will go back to the property their people have always owned. 42The Israelites are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. So they must not be sold as slaves. 43Show them pity when you rule over them. Have respect for God.
44“ ‘You must get your male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. You can buy slaves from them. 45You can also buy as slaves some of the people living among you for a while. You can also buy members of their families born among you. They will become your property. 46You can leave them to your children as their share of your property. You can make them slaves for life. But when you rule over your own people, you must be kind to them.
47“ ‘Suppose an outsider living among you for a while becomes rich. Then suppose any of your own people become poor. Then they sell themselves to the outsider living among you. Or they sell themselves to a member of the outsider’s family. 48Then they keep the right to buy themselves back after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives can buy them back. 49An uncle or a cousin can buy them back after they have sold themselves. In fact, any relative in their tribe can do it. Or suppose things go well for them. Then they can buy themselves back. 50They and their buyer must count the number of years from the time of the sale up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their freedom must be based on the amount paid to a hired man for that number of years. 51Suppose there are many years until the Year of Jubilee. Then for their freedom they must pay a larger share of the price paid for them. 52But suppose there are only a few years left until the Year of Jubilee. Then they must count the number of years that are left. The payment for their freedom must be based on that number. 53They must be treated as workers hired from year to year. You must make sure that those they must work for are kind to them when they rule over them.
54“ ‘Suppose they are not bought back in any of those ways. Then they and their children must still be set free in the Year of Jubilee. 55That’s because the Israelites belong to me. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
