New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Leviticus 25
1
The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. He said,
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"Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, 'You will enter the land I am going to give you. When you do, you must honor me every seventh year by not farming the land that year.
Reference
3
" 'For six years plant your fields. Trim the branches in your vineyards and gather your crops.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 23:10
4
" 'But the seventh year must be a sabbath for the land. The land must rest during it. It is a sabbath year in my honor. Do not plant your fields. Do not trim the branches in your vineyards.
Reference
References Lord
2 Chronicles 36:21
5
Do 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.
Reference
6
" 'Anything 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.
7
And so will your livestock and the wild animals that are in your land. Anything the land produces can be eaten.
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" 'Count off seven sabbaths of years. Count off seven times seven years. The seven sabbaths of years add up to a total of 49 years.
Reference
9
The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. On that day blow the trumpet all through your land.
Reference
10
" 'Set 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.
Reference
11
" 'The 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.
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It is a Year of Jubilee. It will be holy for you. Eat only what the fields produce.
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" 'In the Year of Jubilee all of you must return to your own property.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 25:10
14
" 'Suppose you sell land to one of your own people. Or you buy land from him. Then do not take advantage of each other.
Reference
15
The price you pay must be based on the number of years since the last Year of Jubilee. And the price you charge must be based on the number of years left for gathering crops before the next Year of Jubilee.
Reference
Parallel theme
Philippians 4:5
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" 'When 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 the man is really selling you is the number of crops the land will produce.
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Do not take advantage of each other. Instead, have respect for me. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
19
The land will produce its fruit. You will eat as much as you want. And you will live there in safety.
Reference
20
" 'Suppose you say, "In the seventh year we will not plant anything or gather our crops. So what will we eat?"
Reference
21
I will send you a great blessing in the sixth year. The land will produce enough for three years.
Reference
Blessing
Deuteronomy 28:3
Genesis 26:12
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 9:10
Exodus 16:29
Genesis 41:47
Leviticus 25:4
Sin
Deuteronomy 28:8
Proverbs 10:22
Psalm 133:3
22
While 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.
Reference
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 who rent my land.
Reference
24
You must make sure that you can buy the land back. That applies to all of the land that belongs to you.
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" 'Suppose one of your own people becomes poor. And suppose he has to sell some of his land. Then his nearest relative must come and buy back what he has sold.
Reference
26
" 'But suppose he does not have anyone to buy it back for him. And suppose things go well for him and he earns enough money to buy it back himself.
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Then he must decide how much the crops have become worth since the time he sold the land. He must take that amount off the price the land was sold for. He must give the man who is selling it back to him the money that is left. Then he can go back to his own property.
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" 'But suppose he has not earned enough money to pay the man back. Then the buyer he sold the land to will keep it until the Year of Jubilee. At that time it will be returned to him. Then he can go back to his property.
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" 'Suppose a man sells a house in a city that has a wall around it. Then for a full year after he sells it he has the right to buy it back.
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" 'But suppose he does 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 his children after him. It will not be returned to the seller in the Year of Jubilee.
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" 'But 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.
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" 'The Levites always have the right to buy back their houses in the towns that belong to them.
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So their property among the people of Israel can be bought back. That applies to a house that is 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.
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" 'But the grasslands around their towns must never be sold. They will belong to them for all time to come.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 25:23
35
" 'Suppose one of your own people becomes poor. And suppose he can't take care of himself. Then help him just as you would help an outsider or someone who is living among you for a while. In that way, the man who is poor can continue to live among you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 6:35
Acts 11:29
Psalm 112:5
Psalm 41:1
Psalm 112:9
Psalm 37:26
Proverbs 14:31
1 John 3:17
36
" 'Do not charge him interest of any kind. Instead, have respect for me. Then the man who has become poor can continue to live among you.
Reference
37
If you lend him money, you must not charge him interest. And you must not sell him food for more than it cost you.
38
" 'I 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.
Reference
39
" 'Suppose one of your own people becomes poor. And suppose he sells himself to you. Then do not make him work as a slave.
Reference
40
You must treat him like a hired worker. Or you must treat him like someone who is living among you for a while. " 'He must work for you until the Year of Jubilee.
41
Then he and his children must be set free. He will go back to his own tribe. He will go back to the property his people have always owned.
Reference
42
" 'The people of Israel are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. So they must not be sold as slaves.
Reference
43
Show them pity when you rule over them. Have respect for me.
Reference
Parallel theme
Colossians 4:1
Leviticus 25:46
Ephesians 6:9
Ezekiel 34:4
Leviticus 25:53
References God
Leviticus 25:17
44
" 'You must get your male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. You can buy slaves from them.
45
You can buy as slaves some of the people who are living among you for a while. You can also buy members of their families who were born among you. They will become your property.
46
You 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.
Reference
References Israel
Isaiah 14:2
47
" 'Suppose an outsider or someone who is living among you for a while becomes rich. Then suppose one of your own people becomes poor. He sells himself to the outsider who is living among you. Or he sells himself to a member of the outsider's family.
48
Then he keeps the right to buy himself back after he has sold himself. One of his relatives can buy him back.
Reference
Redemption
Nehemiah 5:5
49
An uncle or a cousin can buy himself back after he has sold himself. In fact, any relative in his tribe can do it. Or suppose things go well for him. Then he can buy himself back.
Reference
Redemption
Leviticus 25:26
50
" 'He and his buyer must count the number of years from the time of the sale up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for his freedom must be based on the amount that is paid to a hired man for that number of years.
Reference
51
" 'Suppose there are many years until the Year of Jubilee. Then for his freedom he must pay a larger share of the price that was paid for him.
52
But suppose there are only a few years left until the Year of Jubilee. Then he must count the number of years that are left. The payment for his freedom must be based on that number.
53
" 'He must be treated as if he had been hired from year to year. You must make sure that his owner is kind to him when he rules over him.
54
" 'Suppose he is not bought back in any of those ways. Then he and his children must still be set free in the Year of Jubilee.
55
That is because the people of Israel belong to me. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord their God.
Reference
References Egypt
Leviticus 25:42
Summary of Leviticus 25
Leviticus 25 describes the Sabbath year and the Jubilee year. The Israelites received these regulations before they completely settled in the land God promised to give them. They provided for regular rest for the land, set limits on permanent loss of family property, and addressed matters of buying and selling land, helping the poor, and caring for servants and fellow Israelites. Throughout the chapter, God reminds the Israelites that the land belonged to Him, and that they dwelt in it as His people.
The passage begins with instructions concerning the land of Canaan. When the Israelites entered the land, they were to till their fields and prune their vineyards each year for six years, and then allow the land to rest during the seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-4). The seventh year was different from the other years because the Israelites were to let the land lie fallow. However, the people were to be allowed to eat whatever the land produced, and they were to let the servants and outsiders do the same.
The Jubilee was a special year that occurred after thirty-three years of Israelites living in the land (Leviticus 25:8-9). The Jubilee year was announced when the people heard a trumpet sound on the tenth day of the seventh month on the Day of Atonement. The Jubilee year was to be treated as a holy time. The people were to proclaim liberty throughout the land and return every man to his possession and his family (Leviticus 25:10). Israelites who had sold themselves because of poverty were also to be freed. The Jubilee year, therefore, had a regular opportunity for families and individuals to regain what had been lost.
In the Jubilee year, the Israelites were not to sow their fields or bring in the normal harvest. Just as with the Sabbath year, the land was to rest. The people were to trust that God would provide enough food from the natural produce of the land. God promised that the harvest of the sixth year would be enough to feed the people during the Sabbath year, the next year, until the next harvest could be brought in (Leviticus 25:20-22).
Leviticus 25 then instructs on how lands were to be valued and sold. God makes an important statement in verse 23 that "the land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." The Israelites could use the land, but they were not its ultimate owners. God had given it to them, and therefore the land was not to become permanently separated from the families to whom He had assigned it.
If an Israelite became poor and had to sell part of his land, a close relative could redeem it by buying it back. If the original owner later became able to redeem the land himself, he could also buy it back. The price was determined according to the number of years remaining until the Jubilee. A larger number of years meant a higher value, while fewer remaining years meant a lower value because the buyer would receive fewer harvests before the land returned to its original family.
The Jubilee provided the ultimate restoration. If a family could not recover its property before then, the land was to return to its original owner in the Jubilee year. If a family lived in a city with walls around it, the house and its surrounding land could return to its original owner in the Jubilee year. However, houses within walled cities had specific rules concerning redemption and the passage of time. The houses belonging to the Levites also received special protection because the Levites did not receive a tribal inheritance in the same way as the other tribes.
Leviticus 25 then addresses the matter of people who became poor. If an Israelite became poor and could no longer support himself, the people were commanded to help him. They were not to charge him interest or increase when lending money to him. Instead, they were to fear God and allow their fellow Israelite to live among them (Leviticus 25:35-37).
An Israelite who became so poor that he sold himself to another Israelite was not to be treated like a slave. He was to be treated as a hired servant and could serve until the Jubilee, when he and his children would be released. The Israelites were reminded that they themselves were servants of God because He had brought them out of Egypt. Therefore, one Israelite was not to be treated as a permanent slave belonging to another Israelite.
Leviticus 25 describes rules for Israelites who became servants to foreigners living in the land. If an Israelite became a servant to a foreigner, relatives could redeem them. The value of the redemption was calculated according to the number of years remaining until the Jubilee. The person's service was not to be treated as permanent ownership over an Israelite life. The Jubilee remained an important point of freedom and restoration.
The final section is concerning property and the Levites. If a Levite sold a house in a city belonging to the Levites, it could be redeemed at any time. The fields surrounding their cities were not to be sold permanently because they were part of their inheritance.
At the end of the passage, Leviticus reminds Israel that the land and the people belonged to God. "For unto me the children of Israel are servants," the LORD says because He brought them out of Egypt. The people were, therefore, to fear their God and not treat one another as permanent possessions.
Leviticus 25 presents a system that is based on rest, restoration, and responsibility. The Sabbath year gave the land a regular period of rest, while the Jubilee provided a larger cycle in which property and freedom could be restored. Families were protected from permanently losing their inheritance, poor Israelites were to receive help rather than exploitation, and servants were given a path toward freedom.
At the center of these laws is the reminder that neither the land nor the people ultimately belonged to individual Israelites. God was the owner of the land, and the Israelites were His servants. Therefore, their economic decisions were to reflect that relationship. The chapter connects worship with everyday life by showing that faithfulness to God included how people treated land, money, property, poverty, work, and one another.
The passage begins with instructions concerning the land of Canaan. When the Israelites entered the land, they were to till their fields and prune their vineyards each year for six years, and then allow the land to rest during the seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-4). The seventh year was different from the other years because the Israelites were to let the land lie fallow. However, the people were to be allowed to eat whatever the land produced, and they were to let the servants and outsiders do the same.
The Jubilee was a special year that occurred after thirty-three years of Israelites living in the land (Leviticus 25:8-9). The Jubilee year was announced when the people heard a trumpet sound on the tenth day of the seventh month on the Day of Atonement. The Jubilee year was to be treated as a holy time. The people were to proclaim liberty throughout the land and return every man to his possession and his family (Leviticus 25:10). Israelites who had sold themselves because of poverty were also to be freed. The Jubilee year, therefore, had a regular opportunity for families and individuals to regain what had been lost.
In the Jubilee year, the Israelites were not to sow their fields or bring in the normal harvest. Just as with the Sabbath year, the land was to rest. The people were to trust that God would provide enough food from the natural produce of the land. God promised that the harvest of the sixth year would be enough to feed the people during the Sabbath year, the next year, until the next harvest could be brought in (Leviticus 25:20-22).
Leviticus 25 then instructs on how lands were to be valued and sold. God makes an important statement in verse 23 that "the land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." The Israelites could use the land, but they were not its ultimate owners. God had given it to them, and therefore the land was not to become permanently separated from the families to whom He had assigned it.
If an Israelite became poor and had to sell part of his land, a close relative could redeem it by buying it back. If the original owner later became able to redeem the land himself, he could also buy it back. The price was determined according to the number of years remaining until the Jubilee. A larger number of years meant a higher value, while fewer remaining years meant a lower value because the buyer would receive fewer harvests before the land returned to its original family.
The Jubilee provided the ultimate restoration. If a family could not recover its property before then, the land was to return to its original owner in the Jubilee year. If a family lived in a city with walls around it, the house and its surrounding land could return to its original owner in the Jubilee year. However, houses within walled cities had specific rules concerning redemption and the passage of time. The houses belonging to the Levites also received special protection because the Levites did not receive a tribal inheritance in the same way as the other tribes.
Leviticus 25 then addresses the matter of people who became poor. If an Israelite became poor and could no longer support himself, the people were commanded to help him. They were not to charge him interest or increase when lending money to him. Instead, they were to fear God and allow their fellow Israelite to live among them (Leviticus 25:35-37).
An Israelite who became so poor that he sold himself to another Israelite was not to be treated like a slave. He was to be treated as a hired servant and could serve until the Jubilee, when he and his children would be released. The Israelites were reminded that they themselves were servants of God because He had brought them out of Egypt. Therefore, one Israelite was not to be treated as a permanent slave belonging to another Israelite.
Leviticus 25 describes rules for Israelites who became servants to foreigners living in the land. If an Israelite became a servant to a foreigner, relatives could redeem them. The value of the redemption was calculated according to the number of years remaining until the Jubilee. The person's service was not to be treated as permanent ownership over an Israelite life. The Jubilee remained an important point of freedom and restoration.
The final section is concerning property and the Levites. If a Levite sold a house in a city belonging to the Levites, it could be redeemed at any time. The fields surrounding their cities were not to be sold permanently because they were part of their inheritance.
At the end of the passage, Leviticus reminds Israel that the land and the people belonged to God. "For unto me the children of Israel are servants," the LORD says because He brought them out of Egypt. The people were, therefore, to fear their God and not treat one another as permanent possessions.
Leviticus 25 presents a system that is based on rest, restoration, and responsibility. The Sabbath year gave the land a regular period of rest, while the Jubilee provided a larger cycle in which property and freedom could be restored. Families were protected from permanently losing their inheritance, poor Israelites were to receive help rather than exploitation, and servants were given a path toward freedom.
At the center of these laws is the reminder that neither the land nor the people ultimately belonged to individual Israelites. God was the owner of the land, and the Israelites were His servants. Therefore, their economic decisions were to reflect that relationship. The chapter connects worship with everyday life by showing that faithfulness to God included how people treated land, money, property, poverty, work, and one another.