Thematic Bible: Slaves or bond
Thematic Bible
Servants » Slaves or bond » To participate in all national rejoicings
But they will be your food before the Lord your God in the place of his selection, where you may make a feast of them, with your son and your daughter, and your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is living with you: and you will have joy before the Lord your God in everything to which you put your hand.
Then you are to be glad before the Lord your God, you and your son and your daughter, your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite who is with you, and the man from a strange country, and the child without a father, and the widow, who are living among you, in the place marked out by the Lord your God as a resting-place for his name.
You are to keep the feast with joy, you and your son and your daughter, your man-servant and your woman-servant, and the Levite, and the man from a strange country, and the child without a father, and the widow, who are living among you.
Servants » Slaves or bond » All israelites sold as, to be free at the jubilee
And let this fiftieth year be kept holy, and say publicly that everyone in the land is free from debt: it is the Jubilee, and every man may go back to his heritage and to his family.
But let him be with you as a servant working for payment, till the year of Jubilee; Then he will go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his family and to the property of his fathers.
And if he is not made free in this way, he will go out in the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Seizing and stealing of men for, condemned and punished by the law
If a man takes by force one of his countrymen, the children of Israel, using him as his property or getting a price for him, that thief is to be put to death: so you are to put away evil from among you.
For those who go after loose women, for those with unnatural desires, for those who take men prisoners, who make false statements and false oaths, and those who do any other things against the right teaching,
Any man who gets another into his power in order to get a price for him is to be put to death, if you take him in the act.
Servants » Slaves or bond » By birth
And Abram, hearing that his brother's son had been made a prisoner, took a band of his trained men, three hundred and eighteen of them, sons of his house, and went after them as far as Dan.
O Lord, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of her who is your servant; by you have my cords been broken.
Is Israel a servant? has he been a house-servant from birth? why has he been made waste?
Servants » Slaves or bond » When israelites not to be treated with rigor
And if your brother becomes poor and gives himself to you for money, do not make use of him like a servant who is your property; But let him be with you as a servant working for payment, till the year of Jubilee;
And they will be your children's heritage after you, to keep as their property; they will be your servants for ever; but you may not be hard masters to your countrymen, the children of Israel.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Persons of distinction had many
And Abram, hearing that his brother's son had been made a prisoner, took a band of his trained men, three hundred and eighteen of them, sons of his house, and went after them as far as Dan.
I got men-servants and women-servants, and they gave birth to sons and daughters in my house. I had great wealth of herds and flocks, more than all who were in Jerusalem before me.
Servants » Slaves or bond » When israelites to have their liberty after six years service
If you get a Hebrew servant for money, he is to be your servant for six years, and in the seventh year you are to let him go free without payment.
If one of your countrymen, a Hebrew man or woman, becomes your servant for a price and does work for you six years, in the seventh year let him go free.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Of others not to be coveted or enticed away
Or let your desire be turned to your neighbour's wife, or his house or his field or his man-servant or his woman-servant or his ox or his ass or anything which is your neighbour's.
Let not your desire be turned to your neighbour's house, or his wife or his man-servant or his woman-servant or his ox or his ass or anything which is his.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Captives taken in war often kept as
Now the Aramaeans had gone out in bands, and taken prisoner from Israel a little girl, who became servant to Naaman's wife.
But the women and the children and the cattle and everything in the town and all its wealth, you may take for yourselves: the wealth of your haters, which the Lord your God has given you, will be your food.
Servants » Slaves or bond » When foreigners to be circumcised
He who comes to birth in your house and he who is made yours for a price, all are to undergo circumcision; so that my agreement may be marked in your flesh, an agreement for all time.
And all the men of his house, those whose birth had taken place in the house and those whom he had got for money from men of other lands, underwent circumcision with him.
Servants » Slaves or bond » By purchase
And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.
And all the men of his house, those whose birth had taken place in the house and those whom he had got for money from men of other lands, underwent circumcision with him.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Persons unable to pay their debts liable to be sold as
Now a certain woman, the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, came crying to Elisha and said, Your servant my husband is dead; and to your knowledge he was a worshipper of the Lord; but now, the creditor has come to take my two children as servants in payment of his debt.
And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children: and now we are giving our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants, and some of our daughters are servants even now: and we have no power to put a stop to it; for other men have our fields and our vine-gardens.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Engaged in the most menial offices
Got up from table, put off his robe and took a cloth and put it round him. Then he put water into a basin and was washing the feet of the disciples and drying them with the cloth which was round him.
And she got up, and going down on her face to the earth, said, See, I am ready to be a servant-girl, washing the feet of the servants of my lord.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Called bondmen
Now the men were full of fear because they had been taken into Joseph's house and they said, It is because of the money which was put back in our bags the first time; he is looking for something against us, so that he may come down on us and take us and our asses for his use.
If it comes to light that any of your servants has done this, let him be put to death, and we will be your lord's servants.
Servants » Slaves or bond » To be furnished liberally, when their servitude expired
And when you make him free, do not let him go away with nothing in his hands: But give him freely from your flock and from your grain and your wine: in the measure of the wealth which the Lord your God has given you, you are to give to him.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Sometimes intermarried with their master's family
Now Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant, whose name was Jarha. And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha, his servant, as a wife; and she had Attai by him.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Israelites sold to strangers as, might be redeemed by their nearest of kin
And if one from another nation living among you gets wealth, and your countryman, at his side, becomes poor and gives himself for money to the man from another nation or to one of his family; After he has given himself he has the right to be made free, for a price, by one of his brothers, Or his father's brother, or the son of his father's brother, or any near relation; or if he gets money, he may make himself free. read more.
And let the years be numbered from the time when he gave himself to his owner till the year of Jubilee, and the price given for him will be in relation to the number of years, on the scale of the payment of a servant. If there is still a long time, he will give back, on account of it, a part of the price which was given for him. And if there is only a short time, he will take account of it with his master, and in relation to the number of years he will give back the price of making him free. And he will be with him as a servant working for payment year by year; his master is not to be cruel to him before your eyes. And if he is not made free in this way, he will go out in the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him. For the children of Israel are servants to me; they are my servants whom I took out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
And let the years be numbered from the time when he gave himself to his owner till the year of Jubilee, and the price given for him will be in relation to the number of years, on the scale of the payment of a servant. If there is still a long time, he will give back, on account of it, a part of the price which was given for him. And if there is only a short time, he will take account of it with his master, and in relation to the number of years he will give back the price of making him free. And he will be with him as a servant working for payment year by year; his master is not to be cruel to him before your eyes. And if he is not made free in this way, he will go out in the year of Jubilee, he and his children with him. For the children of Israel are servants to me; they are my servants whom I took out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Seeking protection not to be delivered up to masters
Do not give back to his master a servant who has gone in flight from his master and come to you:
Servants » Slaves or bond » Sometimes rose to rank and station
Servants » Slaves or bond » More valuable than hired servants
Let it not seem hard to you that you have to send him away free; for he has been working for you for six years, which is twice the regular time for a servant: and the blessing of the Lord your God will be on you in everything you do.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Laws respecting, often violated
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem, to give news in public that servants were to be made free; That every man was to let his Hebrew man-servant and his Hebrew servant-girl go free; so that no one might make use of a Jew, his countryman, as a servant: And this was done by all the rulers and the people who had taken part in the agreement, and every one let his man-servant and his servant-girl go free, not to be used as servants any longer; they did so, and let them go. read more.
But later, they took back again the servants and the servant-girls whom they had let go free, and put them again under the yoke as servants and servant-girls. For this reason the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, The Lord, the God of Israel, has said, I made an agreement with your fathers on the day when I took them out of Egypt, out of the prison-house, saying, At the end of seven years every man is to let go his countryman who is a Hebrew, who has become yours for a price and has been your servant for six years; you are to let him go free: but your fathers gave no attention and did not give ear. And now, turning away from evil, you had done what is right in my eyes, giving a public undertaking for every man to make his neighbour free; and you had made an agreement before me in the house which is named by my name: But again you have put shame on my name, and you have taken back, every one his man-servant and his servant-girl, whom you had sent away free, and you have put them under the yoke again to be your servants and servant-girls.
But later, they took back again the servants and the servant-girls whom they had let go free, and put them again under the yoke as servants and servant-girls. For this reason the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, The Lord, the God of Israel, has said, I made an agreement with your fathers on the day when I took them out of Egypt, out of the prison-house, saying, At the end of seven years every man is to let go his countryman who is a Hebrew, who has become yours for a price and has been your servant for six years; you are to let him go free: but your fathers gave no attention and did not give ear. And now, turning away from evil, you had done what is right in my eyes, giving a public undertaking for every man to make his neighbour free; and you had made an agreement before me in the house which is named by my name: But again you have put shame on my name, and you have taken back, every one his man-servant and his servant-girl, whom you had sent away free, and you have put them under the yoke again to be your servants and servant-girls.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Persons belonging to other nations might be purchased as
But you may get servants as property from among the nations round about; from them you may take men-servants and women-servants.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Strangers sojourning in israel might be purchased as
And in addition, you may get, for money, servants from among the children of other nations who are living with you, and from their families which have come to birth in your land; and these will be your property.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Maimed or injured by masters, to have their freedom
If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant a blow in the eye, causing its destruction, he is to let him go free on account of the damage to his eye. Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Laws respecting the killing of
If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment. But, at the same time, if the servant goes on living for a day or two, the master is not to get punishment, for the servant is his property.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Laws respecting marriage with female
And if a man gives his daughter for a price to be a servant, she is not to go away free as the men-servants do. If she is not pleasing to her master who has taken her for himself, let a payment be made for her so that she may go free; her master has no power to get a price for her and send her to a strange land, because he has been false to her. And if he gives her to his son, he is to do everything for her as if she was his daughter. read more.
And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less. And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.
And if he takes another woman, her food and clothing and her married rights are not to be less. And if he does not do these three things for her, she has the right to go free without payment.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Custom of branding, alluded to
From this time on let no man be a trouble to me; because my body is marked with the marks of Jesus.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Israelites sold as, refusing their liberty, to have their ears bored to the door
But if the servant says clearly, My master and my wife and children are dear to me; I have no desire to be free: Then his master is to take him to the gods of the house, and at the door, or at its framework, he is to make a hole in his ear with a sharp-pointed instrument; and he will be his servant for ever.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Could not when set free demand wives or children procured during servitude
If he comes to you by himself, let him go away by himself: if he is married, let his wife go away with him. If his master gives him a wife, and he gets sons or daughters by her, the wife and her children will be the property of the master, and the servant is to go away by himself.
Servants » Slaves or bond » Masters to be recompensed for injury done to
If the death of a man-servant or of a woman-servant is caused by the ox, the owner is to give their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.
Servants » Slaves or bond » To be allowed to rest on the sabbath
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on that day you are to do no work, you or your son or your daughter, your man-servant or your woman-servant, your cattle or the man from a strange country who is living among you: