54 Bible Verses about slavery
Most Relevant Verses
Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with respect for authority, and with a sincere heart [seeking to please them], as [service] to Christ—
Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?
Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ].
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no desire to conform to God’s will].
For he who was a slave when he was called in the Lord is a freedman of the Lord, likewise he who was free when he was called is a slave of Christ.
The Lord will bring you back to Egypt in ships, by the way about which I said to you, ‘You will never see it again!’ And there you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no one to buy you.
There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are good and kind, but also to those who are unreasonable.
The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
And having been set free from sin, you have become the slaves of righteousness [of conformity to God’s will and purpose].
then his master shall bring him to God [that is, to the judges who act in God’s name], then he shall bring him to the door or doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl (strong needle); and he shall serve him for life.
And this is, in effect, what God spoke [to him]: That his descendants would be aliens (strangers) in a foreign land, and that they would be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.
And you shall remember and thoughtfully consider that you were [once] a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you these things today.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”
As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you.
“If you purchase a Hebrew servant [because of his debt or poverty], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh [year] he shall leave as a free man, paying nothing.
“If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a staff and the servant dies at his hand, he must be punished.
Now what I mean [when I talk about children and their guardians] is this: as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave even though he is the [future owner and] master of all [the estate];
Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, everyone who practices sin habitually is a slave of sin.
“Is Israel a servant? Is he a slave by birth?
Why has he become a captive and a prey?
Were you a slave when you were called? Do not worry about that [since your status as a believer is equal to that of a freeborn believer]; but if you are able to gain your freedom, do that.
So also we [whether Jews or Gentiles], when we were children (spiritually immature), were kept like slaves under the elementary [man-made religious or philosophical] teachings of the world.
Now the slave does not remain in a household forever; the son [of the master] does remain forever.
You masters, do the same [showing goodwill] toward them, and give up threatening and abusive words, knowing that [He who is] both their true Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him [regardless of one’s earthly status].
For we are slaves; yet our God has not abandoned us in our bondage, but has extended lovingkindness to us before the kings of Persia, to revive us to rebuild the house of our God, to repair the site of its ruins and to give us a wall [of protection] in Judah and Jerusalem.
knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether [he is] slave or free.
“You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you.
and [that He] might free all those who through [the haunting] fear of death were held in slavery throughout their lives.
God said to Abram, “Know for sure that your descendants will be strangers [living temporarily] in a land (Egypt) that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.
If, however, the servant survives for a day or two, the offender shall not be punished, for the [injured] servant is his own property.
So he said,
“Cursed be Canaan [the son of Ham];
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”
“For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses [to lead you], Aaron [the high priest], and Miriam [the prophetess].
It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].
Moses said to the people, “Remember [solemnly observe and commemorate] this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage and slavery; for by a strong and powerful hand the Lord brought you out of this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
Under a servant when he reigns,
Under a [spiritually blind] fool when he is filled with food,
But the child of the slave woman was born according to the flesh and had an ordinary birth, while the son of the free woman was born in fulfillment of the promise.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves; and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk upright [with heads held high as free men].
They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity—for by whatever anyone is defeated and overcome, to that [person, thing, philosophy, or concept] he is continually enslaved.
then beware that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Now Hagar is (represents) Mount Sinai in Arabia and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians [as slaves] than to die in the wilderness.”
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God.
Now one of the wives of a man of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the Lord; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan].”
Masters, [on your part] deal with your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
You may even bequeath them as an inheritance to your children after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your fellow countrymen, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with harshness (severity, oppression).
He who pampers his slave from childhood
Will find him to be a son in the end.
He does not thank the servant just because he did what he was ordered to do, does he?
But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].
But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’
I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the ground.
Topics on Slavery
Slavery, In Nt
Acts 16:16-21It happened that as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave-girl who had
Slavery, In Ot
Deuteronomy 20:10-11“When you advance to a city to fight against it, you shall [first] offer it terms of peace.
Slavery, Spiritual
John 8:33-36They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone.
The Law On Slavery
Exodus 21:2“If you purchase a Hebrew servant [because of his debt or poverty], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh [year] he shall leave as a free man, paying nothing.