41 Bible Verses about Servanthood, In Society

When thou shalt acquire a servant who is a Hebrew, six years, shall he serve, - but in the seventh shall he go out freely - for nought. If, by himself, he came in, by himself, shall he go out, - if he was married, then shall his wife go out with him. If his lord gave him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her lords, and, he shall go out by himself.read more.
But, if the servant shall plainly say, I love my lord, and my wife and my sons, - I will not go out free, then shall his lord bring him near unto God, and shall bring him near unto the door, or unto the door-post, - and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl, so shall he serve him all his life.

When thy brother a Hebrew man (or a Hebrew woman) selleth himself unto thee, then shall he serve thee six years, - and in the seventh year, shalt thou let him go out free from thee; and when thou lettest him go out free, from thee, thou shalt not let him go out empty: thou shalt, richly load, him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor and out of thy wine-vat, - of that wherewith Yahweh thy God hath blessed thee, shalt thou give unto him;read more.
and thou shalt remember that a servant, thou wast in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God, redeemed thee, - for this cause, am I commanding thee this thing, to-day. And it shall be, if he shall say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, - because he loveth thee, and thy household, because he is well off with thee, then shalt thou take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, so shall he be thy servant all his life. And unto thine handmaid also, shalt thou do thus. It shall not be hard in thine eyes when thou lettest him go out free, from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling, hath he served thee six years, - -so will Yahweh thy God bless thee, in all that thou doest.

He must surely be circumcised, born of thy house or bought with thy silver, - So shall my covenant be in your flesh for an age-abiding covenant.

but, every man's servant bought with silver, - when thou hast circumcised him, then, shall he eat thereof:

but, the seventh day, is a sabbath unto Yahweh thy God, - thou shalt do no work, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter nor thy servant, nor thy handmaid, nor thy beast, nor thy sojourner who is within thy gates,

but, the seventh day, is a sabbath unto Yahweh thy God, - thou shalt do no work - thou nor thy son nor thy daughter nor thy servant nor thy handmaid nor thine ox nor thine ass nor any of thy cattle, nor thy sojourner who is within thy gates, that thy servant and thy handmaid may rest, as well as thou.

And when thy brother waxeth poor with thee, and so selleth himself unto thee, thou shalt not bind him with the bondage of a bondman: as a hired servant, as a settler, shall he remain with thee, - until the year of the jubilee, shall he serve with thee: then shall he go forth from thee, he and his sons with him, - and shall return unto his family, and unto the possession of his fathers, shall he return.read more.
For, my bondmen, they are, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt, - they shall not sell themselves with the sale of a bondman. Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour, - so shalt thou stand in awe of thy God. And as for thy bondman and thy bond-maid which thou shalt have, of the nations that are round about you - from them, may ye buy bondman and bond-maid. Moreover also, of the sons of the settlers who are sojourning with you - of them, may ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land, - so shall they become yours, as a possession; and ye may take them as an inheritance for your sons after you to inherit as a possession, unto times age-abiding, of them, may ye take to be bondmen, - but, over your brethren the sons of Israel - a man over his brother, ye shall not rule, over him with rigour. And, when the hand of the sojourner and settler with thee getteth possessions, and thy brother with him, waxeth poor, - and so he selleth himself to the sojourner who is a settler with thee, or to one who hath taken root, of the family of the sojourner, after that he hath sold himself, a right of redemption, pertaineth to him, - one of his brethren, may redeem him; or, his uncle or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or, a near flesh-relation of his, of his family, may redeem him, or, his own hand may have gotten enough, and, so he may redeem himself. Then shall he reckon with him that bought him, from the year that he was sold to him, unto the year of the jubilee, - and the silver for which he was sold shall be by the number of years, according to the days of a hired servant, shall he be with him. If there is yet a multitude of years, according to them, shall he return, as his redemption price, of the silver of him that bought him. Or, if there is but a small remainder of years, until the year of the jubilee, then shall he reckon to himself, according to the years thereof, shall he return his price of redemption. As a servant hired year by year, shall he be with him, he shall not rule over him with rigour, before thine eyes. But if he be not redeemed in any of these ways, then shall he go out in the jubilee year, he, and his sons with him. For, unto me, are the sons of Israel, bondmen, my bondmen, they are, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I, Yahweh, am your God.

When thou shalt go forth to war against thine enemies, - and Yahweh thy God shall deliver them into thy hand and thou shalt take them captive; and shalt see among the captives a woman of beautiful figure, - and shalt have a desire unto her, and wouldest take her to thee to wife, then shalt thou bring her into the midst of thy house, - and she shall shave her head and pare her nails;read more.
and put away the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother for the space of a month, - and after that, mayest thou go in unto her, and he her husband, and she shall be thy wife. And it shall be, if thou hast no pleasure in her, then shalt thou let her go whither she will but thou shalt not sell, her for silver, - thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

Ye are stationed, to-day, all of you, before Yahweh your God, - your heads your tribes, and your elders and your officers, every man of Israel; your little ones your wives, and thy sojourner that is in the midst of thy camps, - from him that heweth thy wood unto him that draweth thy water:

Now Sheshan had, no sons, but, daughters, - and, Sheshan, had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Jarha; so Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant, to wife, - and she bare him Attai.

Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;

And the king said, Is it, well, with the young man - Absolom? Then said Ahimaaz - I saw a great crowd, when Joab sent the king's servant and me thy servant, but I knew not what it meant .

And he brought in the letter unto the king of Israel, saying, Now, therefore, when this letter cometh in unto thee, lo! I have sent unto thee, Naaman my servant, and thou shalt set him free from his leprosy.

This, is a copy of the letter which they sent unto him - unto Artaxerxes the king, - Thy servants, the men Beyond the River and so forth:

The good-pleasure of a king, is due to a servant who is discreet, but, his indignation, shall be against him that bringeth shame.

For this cause, hath the kingdom of the heavens become like unto a man, a king, who wished to settle an account with his servants;

So Ahaz sent messengers unto Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, Thy servant and thy son, I am, - Come up and save me, out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.

And, when all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them, - and the Syrians feared to give help any more unto the sons of Ammon.

And, when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and served him, - neither would the Syrians help the sons of Ammon any more.

Against him, came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria, - and Hoshea became his servant, and rendered him a present.

In his days, came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, - and Jehoiakim became his servant three years, then turned he and rebelled against him.

So shall the sons of the foreigner, build thy walls, And their kings, shall wait upon thee, - For in my vexation, I smote thee, But in my favour, have I had compassion upon thee.

Now, unto the house of Saul, belonged a servant, whose name, was Ziba, and, when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him - Art, thou, Ziba? And he said - Thy servant!

And he said Behold, I pray you my lords turn aside, I pray you, into the house of your servant, - and tarry the night and bathe your feet, so shall ye rise early, and go on your way. And they said, Nay, but, in the broad way, will we tarry the night.

And he commanded them, saying, Thus, shall ye say to my lord to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, With Laban, have I sojourned, and tarried until now:

Now, thy maidservant, had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, with none to tear them apart, - so the one smote the other, and slew him.

And, when the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, over against him, saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah, resteth, on Elisha. So they came to meet him, and bowed themselves down to him, to the ground. Then said they unto him - Lo! we pray thee, there are with thy servants fifty men, sons of valour - let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy lord, lest the Spirit of Yahweh have borne him away, and cast him on one of the mountains, or into one of the valleys. And he said - Ye shall not send.

Now, a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets, made outcry unto Elisha, saying - Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and, thou, knowest that, thy servant, was one who revered Yahweh, - now, the creditor, hath come to take my two boys to himself as bondmen.

Then said one - Be content, we pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he said - I myself, will go.

I pray thee - prove thy servants, ten days, - and let them give us vegetable food, that we may eat, and water that we may drink: then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenances of the youths who have been eating the delicacies of the king, - and, as thou shalt see, deal thou with thy servants.

Then spake the Chaldeans to the king, in Aramaic, - O king, to the ages, live! Tell the dream to thy servants, and, the interpretation, we will declare.

He that troubleth his own house, shall inherit the wind, but, a servant, shall the foolish be, to the wise in heart.

Better slighted, and have a servant, than to honour oneself, and come short of bread.

A prudent servant, shall rule over a son who causeth shame, and, in the midst of brothers, shall he share the inheritance.

By words, a servant will not be corrected, though he perceiveth, yet is there no answer.

Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he revile thee, and thou be found guilty.

But, ye, - do not be called Rabbi, - for, one, is your Teacher, and, all ye, are brethren; And, father, be none of you called, upon the earth, for, one, is your Father, the Heavenly; Neither be called leaders, for, your leader, is one, the Christ;read more.
And, the greatest of you, shall be to you, a minister; And, whoever shall exalt himself, shall be, abased, and, whoever shall abase himself, shall be, exalted,

No one, unto two masters, can be in service; for either, the one, he will hate, and, the other ,love, or, one, he will hold to, and, the other, despise: Ye cannot be in service, unto God, and, unto Riches.

But, who from among you, having, a servant, plowing or keeping sheep, when he hath come in out of the field, will say to him - Straightway, come, and recline; - on the contrary, will not say to him - Make somewhat ready, that I may dine, - and, girding thyself, be ministering unto me, until I have eaten and drunk; and, after these things, thou, shalt eat and drink? Doth he offer thanks unto the servant, because he hath done the things enjoined?read more.
Thus, ye also, when ye have done all the things enjoined upon you, say - Unprofitable servants, are we, - What we were bound to do, we have done!

Remember the word which, I, spake unto you: A servant is not greater than his lord. If, me, they persecuted, you too, will they persecute, - If, my word, they kept, your own also, will they keep.

For I say, through the favour which hath been given me, unto every one who is among you, - not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but so to think as to think soberly - as, unto each one, God hath dealt a measure of faith. For, just as in one body we have many members, yet, all the members, have not the same office, So, we, the many, are one body in Christ, yet, severally, members one of another.read more.
Now, having gifts of favour, according to the favour given unto us, differing - whether prophesying, let us use it according to the proportion of our faith, Or ministering, use it in our ministering, or he that teacheth, let him use his gift in his teaching, Or he that exhorteth, in his exhorting, he that imparteth, let it be with liberality, he that taketh a lead, with diligence, he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.