41 Bible Verses about Servanthood, In Society

"When you acquire a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh he is to go out a free man without paying anything. If he came in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, his wife is to go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and children belong to her master, and he is to go out by himself. read more.
But if the servant, in fact, says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I won't go out a free man,' then his master is to bring him before the judges and he is to bring him to the door or to the doorpost. His master is to pierce his ear with an awl, and he is to serve him permanently.

"When a fellow Hebrew male or female slave is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you are to set them free. But when you set them free, don't send them away empty-handed. Provide for them liberally from your flock, threshing floor, and wine vat. As the LORD your God has blessed you, so give to them. read more.
Don't ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the LORD your God redeemed you. Therefore, I'm giving you these commands today. "Should that slave say to you, "I won't leave you,' because he loves you and your household, and it was good for him to be with you, then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the door. Then he will be your slave forever. You are to do the same for your female slaves. Don't view this as a hardship for yourself when you set him free, for he will have served you for six years twice the time of a paid worker. Then the LORD will bless you in all that you do."

The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant.

though any slave purchased with money may eat it after you have circumcised him.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You are not to do any work neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You are not to do any work neither you, your son, nor your daughter, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys, nor any of your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you, so that your male and female servants may rest as you do.

"If your brother with you becomes so poor that he sells himself to you, you are not to make him serve like a bond slave. Instead, he is to serve with you like a hired servant or a traveler who lives with you, until the year of jubilee. Then he and his children with him may leave to return to his family and his ancestor's inheritance. read more.
Since they're my servants whom I've brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. You are not to rule over them with harshness. You are to fear your God." "As for your male and maid slaves who will be with you, you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations. You may also buy from resident aliens who live among you and their families who are with you, whom they fathered in your land. They may become your property. You may give them as inherited property to your children after you, to own as properties in perpetuity. You may make bond slaves of them, but no one is to rule over his fellow Israeli with harshness. "If a resident alien or traveler becomes rich, but your relative who lives next to him is so poor that he sells himself to that resident alien or traveler among you or to a member of the resident alien's family, he has the right to be redeemed after he sells himself. One of his brothers may redeem him. His uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him or any blood relative from his tribe may redeem him. If he becomes rich, then he may redeem himself. "He is to bring an accounting to the one who bought him, starting from the year he had sold himself until the year of jubilee. The price of his sale is to correspond to the number of years comparable to the time a hired servant stays with him. If there are still many years left, he is to refund the cost of his redemption. But if only a few years are left until the year of jubilee, he is to bring an accounting of the years that he is to refund for his redemption. Like a hired servant, he is to remain with him year after year, but he is not to rule over him with what you see as severity. If he isn't redeemed by these, then he is to be set free in the year of jubilee he and his children with him because the Israelis are my servants. They're my servants, since I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

"If you go to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your control, you may take some prisoners captive. If you see among the prisoners a beautiful woman and you desire her, then you may take her as your wife. Bring her to your house, but shave her head and trim her nails. read more.
Remove her prisoner's clothing and let her remain for a month in your house, mourning her parents. After that, you may become her husband and she is to become your wife. If you aren't pleased with her and you send her away, you must not sell her for money or mistreat her, since you will have dishonored her."

"All of you are standing today in the presence of the LORD your God the heads of your tribes, your elders, your magistrates, all the men of Israel, along with your children, your wives, even the foreigner in your camp, including the woodchopper and the water drawer

Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. However, Sheshan had an Egyptian slave named Jarha. So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his slave Jarha, and she bore him Attai.

David told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

"Are things fine with respect to the young man Absalom?" the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, "I saw a lot of confusion about the time Joab was getting ready to send the king's courier and me, your servant, but I'm not sure what was going on."

He also brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read as follows: ""and now as this letter finds its way to you, look! I've sent my servant Naaman to you so you may heal him of his leprosy."

This is the text of the letter they sent. To: King Artaxerxes From: Your servants, the men of the province beyond the Euphrates River.

The king approves the wise servant, but he is angry at anyone who acts shamefully.

"That is why the kingdom from heaven may be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

So Ahaz sent envoys to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, to tell him, "I am your servant and son. Save me from the king of Aram and the king of Israel, who are attacking me."

When all the kings who were allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sought terms of peace with the Israelis and became subservient to them. Furthermore, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

When Hadadezer's officials saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sought terms of peace with David and became subservient to him. After this, the Arameans were unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.

King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his servant and paid tribute to him.

During his lifetime, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jehoiakim, who became his vassal for three years, after which he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.

"Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in my anger I struck you down, in my favor I have shown you mercy.

A household servant of Saul named Ziba was called to appear before David, and the king asked him, "Are you Ziba?" "I am your servant," Ziba replied.

and said, "Look, my lords! Please come inside your servant's house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and be on your way." But they responded, "No, we would rather spend the night in the town square."

He instructed them, "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: "Your servant Jacob told me to tell you, "I've journeyed to stay with Laban and I've remained there until now.

"I've been a widowed woman ever since my husband died," she answered. "Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him.

As soon as the Guild of Prophets who lived adjacent to Jericho saw Elisha, they began to announce, "The spirit of Elijah is at rest on Elisha!" So they came out to meet him and they greeted him by bowing low to the ground in front of him. Then they asked Elisha, "Look! We have 50 valiant men here with your servant! Please let them go out and search for your master Elijah. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up on a mountain or into a valley." Elisha responded, "Don't bother searching."

Now there happened to be a certain woman who had been the wife of a member of the Guild of Prophets. She cried out to Elisha, "My husband who served you has died, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. But a creditor has come to take away my children into indentured servitude!"

Someone asked, "Would you be willing to come with your servants?"

"Please test your servants for ten days and let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare how we look with the young men who ate the king's rich food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you observe."

The Chaldeans responded to the king in Aramaic: "May the king live forever. Tell the dream to your servants, and we'll reveal its meaning."

Whoever troubles his household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be a servant to the wise.

It's better to be unimportant, yet have a servant, than to pretend to be important, but lack food.

A prudent servant will rule in place of a disgraceful son and will share in the inheritance among brothers.

By mere words a servant will not be corrected; even though he understands, there will be no response.

Don't lie about a servant to his master, or that servant will curse you and you will pay for it.

"But you are not to be called "Rabbi,' because you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers. And don't call anyone on earth "Father,' because you have only one Father, the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called "Teachers,' because you have only one teacher, the Messiah! read more.
The person who is greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

"No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!"

"Suppose a man among you has a servant plowing or watching sheep. Would he say to him when he comes in from the field, "Come at once and have something to eat'? Of course not. Instead, he would say to him, "Get dinner ready for me, and put on your apron and wait on me until I eat and drink. Then you can eat and drink.' He doesn't praise the servant for doing what was commanded, does he? read more.
That's the way it is with you. When you have done everything you were ordered to do, say, "We are worthless servants. We have done only what we ought to have done.'"

Remember what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you. For we have many parts in one body, but these parts do not all have the same function. In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah and individual parts connected to each other. read more.
We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us. So if your gift is prophecy, use your gift in proportion to your faith. If your gift is serving, devote yourself to serving others. If it is teaching, devote yourself to teaching others. If it is encouraging, devote yourself to encouraging others. If it is sharing, share generously. If it is leading, lead enthusiastically. If it is helping, help cheerfully.