Bible Verses About Servants

"'No one who is not a cohen may eat anything holy, nor may a tenant or employee of a cohen eat anything holy.

But what the land produces during the year of Shabbat will be food for all of you - you, your servant, your maid, your employee, anyone living near you,

and you are to consecrate the fiftieth year, proclaiming freedom throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It will be a yovel for you; you will return everyone to the land he owns, and everyone is to return to his family.

"'If a member of your people has become poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him do the work of a slave.

Rather, you are to treat him like an employee or a tenant; he will work for you until the year of yovel.

Then he will leave you, he and his children with him, and return to his own family and regain possession of his ancestral land.

"'Concerning the men and women you may have as slaves: you are to buy men- and women-slaves from the nations surrounding you.

You may also buy the children of foreigners living with you and members of their families born in your land; you may own these.

You may also bequeath them to your children to own; from these groups you may take your slaves forever. But as far as your brothers the people of Isra'el are concerned, you are not to treat each other harshly.

"'If a foreigner living with you has grown rich, and a member of your people has become poor and sells himself to this foreigner living with you or to a member of the foreigner's family,

he may be redeemed after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him;

or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him; or any near relative of his may redeem him; or, if he becomes rich, he may redeem himself.

He will calculate with the person who bought him the time from the year he sold himself to him to the year of yovel; and the amount to be paid will be according to the number of years and his time at an employee's wage.

If many years remain, according to them will he refund the amount for his redemption from the amount he was bought for.

If there remain only a few years until the year of yovel, then he will calculate with him; according to his years will he refund the amount for his redemption.

He will be like a worker hired year by year. You will see to it that he is not treated harshly.

"'If he has not been redeemed by any of these procedures, nevertheless he will go free in the year of yovel -he and his children with him.

For to me the people of Isra'el are slaves; they are my slaves whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am ADONAI your God.

"'Do not covet your neighbor's wife; do not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

No, you are to eat these in the presence of ADONAI your God in the place ADONAI your God will choose -you and your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levi who is your guest; and you are to rejoice before ADONAI your God in everything you undertake to do.

"If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, he is to serve you for six years; but in the seventh year, you are to set him free.

Moreover, when you set him free, don't let him leave empty-handed;

but supply him generously from your flock, threshing-floor and winepress; from what ADONAI your God has blessed you with, you are to give to him.

But if he says to you, 'I don't want to leave you,' because he loves you and your household, and because his life with you is a good one;

then take an awl, and pierce his ear through, right into the door; and he will be your slave forever. Do the same with your female slave.