Ifa countrymanof yours becomesso poorwith regardto you that he sellshimself to you, you shall not subjecthim to a slave'sservice.
But Solomondid not makeslavesof the sonsof Israel;for they were menof war,his servants,his princes,his captains,his chariotcommanders,and his horsemen.
Now a certainwomanof the wivesof the sonsof the prophetscriedout to Elisha,"Your servantmy husbandis dead,and you knowthat your servantfearedthe LORD;and the creditorhas cometo takemy twochildrento be his slaves."
"Nowyou are proposingto subjugatefor yourselves the peopleof Judahand Jerusalemfor maleand femaleslaves.Surely,[do] you not [have] transgressionsof your ownagainst the LORDyour God?
"Nowour fleshis like the fleshof our brothers,our childrenlike their children.Yet behold,we are forcingour sonsand our daughtersto be slaves,and someof our daughtersare forcedinto bondage[already], and we are helplessbecause our fieldsand vineyardsbelong to others."
and they madetheir livesbitterwith hardlaborin mortarand bricksand at all[kinds] of laborin the field,alltheir laborswhichthey rigorouslyimposedon them.
"Ifyou buya Hebrewslave,he shall servefor sixyears;but on the seventhhe shall goout as a freemanwithoutpayment.
"[But] ifthe sunhas risenon him, there will be bloodguiltinesson his account. He shall surelymakerestitution;ifhe owns nothing,then he shall be soldfor his theft.
(For manynationsand greatkingswill makeslavesof them, eventhem; and I will recompensethem according to their deedsand according to the workof their hands.)'"
"Allthe nationsshall servehim and his sonand his grandsonuntilthe timeof his own landcomes;then manynationsand greatkingswill makehim their servant.
It shall comeabout on that day,'declaresthe LORDof hosts,that I will breakhis yokefrom offtheir neckand will tearofftheir bonds;and strangerswill nolongermakethem their slaves.
"At the endof sevenyearseachof you shall setfreehis Hebrewbrotherwhohas been soldto you and has servedyou sixyears,you shall sendhim out freefrom you; but your forefathersdid not obeyMe or inclinetheir earto Me.
The wordwhichcameto Jeremiahfrom the LORDafterKingZedekiahhad madea covenantwith allthe peoplewhowere in Jerusalemto proclaimreleaseto them:
that eachmanshould setfreehis maleservantand eachmanhis femaleservant,a Hebrewmanor a Hebrewwoman;so that nooneshould keepthem, a Jewhis brother,in bondage.
You may even bequeaththem to your sonsafteryou, to receiveas a possession;you can usethem as permanentslaves.But in respect to your countrymen,the sonsof Israel,you shall not rulewith severityover oneanother.
"But since he did not have[the means] to repay,his lordcommandedhim to be sold,alongwith his wifeand childrenand allthat he had,and repayment to be made.
