'Slaves' in the Bible

he said:Canaan will be cursed.He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.

He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskin on that very day, just as God had said to him.

And all the men of his household—both slaves born in his house and those purchased with money from a foreigner—were circumcised with him.

Then Abimelech took sheep and cattle and male and female slaves, gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him.

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children,

“The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

He had flocks of sheep, herds of cattle, and many slaves, and the Philistines were envious of him.

The Philistines stopped up all the wells that his father’s slaves had dug in the days of his father Abraham, filling them with dirt.

Then Isaac’s slaves dug in the valley and found a well of spring water there.

So he built an altar there, called on the name of Yahweh, and pitched his tent there. Isaac’s slaves also dug a well there.

On that same day Isaac’s slaves came to tell him about the well they had dug, saying to him, “We have found water!”

And the man became very rich. He had many flocks, male and female slaves, and camels and donkeys.

So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, then Leah’s tent, and then the tents of the two female slaves, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s.

I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’”

He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”

During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his 11 sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok.

Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves.

He put the female slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last.

Then the female slaves and their children approached him and bowed down.

But the men were afraid because they were taken to Joseph’s house. They said, “We have been brought here because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time. They intend to overpower us, seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.”

If any of us is found to have it, he must die, and we also will become my lord’s slaves.”

“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ iniquity. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”

Why should we die here in front of you—both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.”

And they said, “You have saved our lives. We have found favor in our lord’s eyes and will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant.

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

They are not to be sold as slaves, because they are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt.

Your male and female slaves are to be from the nations around you; you may purchase male and female slaves.

You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But concerning your brothers, the Israelites, you must not rule over one another harshly.

For the Israelites are My slaves. They are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.

I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.

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.

tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand.

You will rejoice before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt; carefully follow these statutes.

The Lord will take you back in ships to Egypt by a route that I said you would never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

Therefore you are cursed and will always be slaves—woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters.

But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”

So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath to search for his slaves. He went and brought them back from Gath.

One of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant feared the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.”

But Elisha questioned him, “Wasn’t my spirit there when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves?

But Solomon did not consign the Israelites to be slaves for his work; they were soldiers, commanders of his captains, and commanders of his chariots and his cavalry.

not including their 7,337 male and female slaves, and their 200 male and female singers.

Though we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our slavery. He has extended grace to us in the presence of the Persian kings, giving us new life, so that we can rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

not including their 7,337 male and female slaves, as well as their 245 male and female singers.

Here we are today,slaves in the land You gave our ancestorsso that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness.Here we are—slaves in it!

For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and extermination. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”

I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

I have seen slaves on horses,but princes walking on the ground like slaves.

The nations will escort Israel and bring it to its homeland. Then the house of Israel will possess them as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land. They will make captives of their captors and will rule over their oppressors.

so each man would free his male and female Hebrew slaves and no one would enslave his Judean brother.

All the officials and people who entered into covenant to free their male and female slaves—in order not to enslave them any longer—obeyed and freed them.

Afterward, however, they changed their minds and took back their male and female slaves they had freed and forced them to become slaves again.

But you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been freed to go wherever they wanted, and you have again subjugated them to be your slaves.

Slaves rule over us;no one rescues us from their hands.

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your goods.

I will even pour out My Spiriton the male and female slaves in those days.

“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.

The landowner’s slaves came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this!’ he told them.“‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up?’ the slaves asked him.

For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.

“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!’

When the other slaves saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened.

When the grape harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit.

But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.

Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.

He sent out his slaves to summon those invited to the banquet, but they didn’t want to come.

Again, he sent out other slaves, and said, ‘Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

And the others seized his slaves, treated them outrageously and killed them.

“Then he told his slaves, ‘The banquet is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

So those slaves went out on the roads and gathered everyone they found, both evil and good. The wedding banquet was filled with guests.

and starts to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards,

“For it is just like a man going on a journey. He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them.

“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.

It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his slaves, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert.

Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.

If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed.

But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk,

“But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

No household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”

In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are good-for-nothing slaves; we’ve only done our duty.’”

He called 10 of his slaves, gave them 10 minas, and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’

“At his return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those slaves he had given the money to, so he could find out how much they had made in business.

While he was still going down, his slaves met him saying that his boy was alive.

I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.

Now the slaves and the temple police had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold. They were standing there warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them, warming himself.

One of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”

I will even pour out My Spiriton My male and female slaves in those days,and they will prophesy.

And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness,

I will judge the nationthat they will serve as slaves, God said.After this, they will come outand worship Me in this place.

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him.

As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.”

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to,

I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.