Leviticus

Contains rules and instructions for rituals, offerings, and how to live a holy life.

Chapter 25

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

*And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,

2 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.

*Tell the people of Israel: When you enter the land I give you, the land will have a rest for the Lord.

3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

*For six years, plant your field and take care of your grape garden, then harvest its fruits.

4 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 every seventh year, the land should rest and it's a special day for God; during this time, you can't plant your fields or trim your grape vines.

5 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.

*You cannot pick plants that grew on their own from your harvest, nor collect grapes from your vines without dressing them - this year is a time of rest for the land.

6 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,

*The land's rest time will provide food for you. It's for you, your servant, your female helper, your paid worker, and even the foreigner living with you.

7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

*For your animals and the wild animals in your land, all their growth will be food.

8 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.

*You must count seven sets of seven-year periods. This will total forty-nine years. The time for these seven sets of seven years is forty-nine years.

9 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 you must have the jubilee trumpet sounded on the tenth day of the seventh month during the day of atonement. You should sound the trumpet everywhere in your land.

10 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 must celebrate the 50th year and announce freedom for everyone in the land. This is called a "jubilee." During this time, each person should go back to their own property and be with their family.

11 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 will be a special year for you; during that time, you cannot plant or harvest anything that grows on its own, and you must not pick the grapes from your vines unless they are already dressed."

12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

*Because it's a special celebration, it's sacred to you: you can enjoy the extra food from the fields.

13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

*In this special year, everyone must go back to their own land.

14 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 a neighbor or buy something from them, don't be unfair to each other.

15 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:

*Based on the years past since the jubilee, you will purchase from your neighbor, and the price will be determined by the years of fruit production, which your neighbor will sell to you.

16 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 there are, the higher the price will be, and the fewer years, the lower the price. This is because the fruit's value is based on how many years it takes to grow.

17 Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God:for I am the LORD your God.

*Don't mistreat each other, but fear God because I am the LORD your God.

18 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

*So, you must follow my rules and obey my decisions, and you will live safely in the land.

19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.

*The land will give its fruits, you can eat as much as you want, and live safely there.

20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:

*If you ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year?" the answer is that we won't plant or harvest our food.

21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

*In the sixth year, I'll give you my blessing, and it will produce fruits for three years.

22 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.

*In the eighth year, you will plant seeds. You'll still eat food from the previous harvest until the ninth year. During this time, you'll rely on your stored food until the new crops grow.

23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

*The land cannot be permanently sold; it belongs to me because you are just visitors and temporary residents.

24 And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

*In all the land you own, you must allow a way to redeem it.

25 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 your brother becomes poor and sells some of his things, and a family member comes to buy it back, then they can redeem what the brother sold.

26 And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;

*If the person doesn't have anyone to buy it back for them and can afford to do so themselves.

27 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, calculate the years since the purchase and give back any extra amount to the original seller, so they can regain their ownership.

28 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 he can't give it back, then the one who bought it gets to keep it until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee, it will be returned, and he will get his original possession back.

29 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 a person sells a home in a city with walls, they can buy it back within one year after the sale; they have one year to reclaim it.

30 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 not redeemed within a year, the house in the city will belong forever to the buyer and be passed down through their family; it cannot be returned during the jubilee.

31 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 will be treated like open farmland. They can be bought back and their owners can return during the year of jubilee.

32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.

*Even though the Levite cities and their properties can be bought back by the Levites at any time.

33 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 a person buys property from the Levites, the sold house and city will be returned in the year of jubilee because Levite's properties are their designated areas within Israel's children.

34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

*But the land around their towns can't be sold; it belongs to them forever.

35 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 your brother runs out of money and struggles together with you, help him. Even if he's a stranger or just visiting, you should support him so he can live with you.

36 Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

*Do not charge interest or extra money from your fellow; instead, respect God so both of you can coexist peacefully.

37 Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

*Do not lend your money at high interest rates or your food for profit.

38 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 your God, who saved you from Egypt. I brought you here to give you the land of Canaan, and I will always be your God.

39 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 your neighbor who lives nearby has no money and must sell himself to you, you should not force him to work as a slave.

40 But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

*But like a paid worker and a temporary guest, he will stay with you and work for you until the year of celebration comes.

41 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 he will leave you, along with his children, and go back to his own family. He will return to his ancestors' possessions.

42 For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

*Because they are my people, whom I freed from Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves.

43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

*Do not be harsh to him; instead, respect and honor God.

44 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.

*Your servants and maidservants, whom you own, should come from nearby non-believers. You can buy servants and maidservants from them.

45 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.

*In addition, you can buy the children of the visitors living with you, along with their families they have in your land, and they will belong to you.

46 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 will give these lands to your children after you, for them to own. They will serve you forever, but don't be harsh with your fellow Israelites.

47 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 visitor becomes wealthy because of you, and your brother living nearby becomes poor, and that brother then sells himself to the visitor or the visitor's family as a servant,

48 After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:

*After being sold, he can be bought back by one of his family members.

49 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.

*His uncle, his uncle's son, or a close relative can save him. If he can afford it, he can save himself.

50 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.

*And he will calculate the time from when he bought him after he was sold, until the year of jubilee. The price for selling him will be based on the years he was owned, just like with a hired worker's wages.

51 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 there are still many years left, he will return the cost of being saved using the money he was originally bought for.

52 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 there are just a few years left until the Jubilee year, then he should add those years to the price and give the person back the money for their redemption based on the new total.

53 And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.

*As a yearly worker, he will serve alongside him; the other should not be harshly in control while you watch.

54 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 he isn't saved during those years, then at the time of jubilee, he and his kids will leave.

55 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 me, the Israelites are like helpers; they are my people that I saved from Egypt's land. I am your God.

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