'Slave' in the Bible

He also said:Praise the Lord, the God of Shem;Canaan will be his slave.

God will extend Japheth;he will dwell in the tents of Shem;Canaan will be his slave.

Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.”

Abram’s wife Sarai had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

So Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years.

Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you.”

Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your hands; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.

He said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.”

Throughout your generations, every male among you at eight days old is to be circumcised. This includes a slave born in your house and one purchased with money from any foreigner. The one who is not your offspring,

a slave born in your house, as well as one purchased with money, must be circumcised. My covenant will be marked in your flesh as an everlasting covenant.

So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!”

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be concerned about the boy and your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac.

These are the family records of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham.

And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave.

And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave.

Then she said, “Here is my slave Bilhah. Go sleep with her, and she’ll bear children for me so that through her I too can build a family.”

So Rachel gave her slave Bilhah to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.

Rachel’s slave Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her slave Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.

Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

When Leah’s slave Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,

Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my slave to my husband,” and she named him Issachar.

The sons of Rachel’s slave Bilhahwere Dan and Naphtali.

The sons of Leah’s slave Zilpahwere Gad and Asher.These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me,

When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious

Now a young Hebrew, a slave of the captain of the guards, was with us there. We told him our dreams, he interpreted our dreams for us, and each had its own interpretation.

The steward replied, “What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless.”

Then Joseph said, “I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father.”

Now please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers.

Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave girl to get it.

Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked, “Why haven’t you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”

But any slave a man has purchased may eat it, after you have circumcised him.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates.

Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

“When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything.

“But if the slave declares: ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,’

“When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do.

“When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse, the owner must be punished.

However, if the slave can stand up after a day or two, the owner should not be punished because he is his owner’s property.

“When a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his eye.

If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his tooth.

If the ox gores a male or female slave, he must give 30 shekels of silver to the slave’s master, and the ox must be stoned.

“Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the foreign resident may be refreshed.

“If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment. They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.

Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you.

“If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him to do slave labor.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the foreigner who lives within your gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

You must eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God chooses—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do,

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.

But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you,

take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.

Rejoice before Yahweh your God in the place where He chooses to have His name dwell—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow among you.

Rejoice during your festival—you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, as well as the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates.

“Do not return a slave to his master when he has escaped from his master to you.

“If a man is discovered kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from you.

Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.

The Lord will indeed vindicate His peopleand have compassion on His servantswhen He sees that their strength is goneand no one is left—slave or free.

and now you have attacked my father’s house today, killed his 70 sons on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave, king over the lords of Shechem ‘because he is your brother’—

“My lord,” she said, “you have been so kind to me, for you have comforted and encouraged your slave, although I am not like one of your female servants.”

So he asked, “Who are you?”“I am Ruth, your slave,” she replied. “Spread your cloak over me, for you are a family redeemer.”

Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from?”“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.

When David returned home to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel honored himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself today in the sight of the slave girls of his subjects like a vulgar person would expose himself.”

and I will humble myself even more and humiliate myself. I will be honored by the slave girls you spoke about.”

Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam:I will eliminate all of Jeroboam’s males,both slave and free, in Israel;I will sweep away the house of Jeroboamas one sweeps away dung until it is all gone!

This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will sweep away your descendants:I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males,both slave and free, in Israel;

The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will eliminate all of Ahab’s males, both slave and free, in Israel.

Both small and great are there,and the slave is set free from his master.

Like a slave he longs for shade;like a hired man he waits for his pay.

Will he make a covenant with youso that you can take him as a slave forever?

He had sent a man ahead of them—Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

The one who brings ruin on his householdwill inherit the wind,and a fool will be a slaveto someone whose heart is wise.

Luxury is not appropriate for a fool—how much less for a slave to rule over princes!

The rich rule over the poor,and the borrower is a slave to the lender.

A slave pampered from his youthwill become arrogant later on.

Is Israel a slave?Was he born into slavery?Why else has he become a prey?

How she sits alone,the city once crowded with people!She who was great among the nationshas become like a widow.The princess among the provinceshas been put to forced labor.

“No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money.

For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”

A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.

It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!

“At this, the slave fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything!’

Then the master of that slave had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

“But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him 100 denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’

“At this, his fellow slave fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

“Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’

and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;

“Who then is a faithful and sensible slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?

That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded.

But if that wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’

“But his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered,

And throw this good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

At that moment one of those with Jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword. He struck the high priest’s slave and cut off his ear.