But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack

Paul commended the believers in Macedonia for their willingness to give for the ministry work. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to keep on doing the ministry work and it would also be advantageous to them. Paul explains the principle of sharing such that those who have a lot should contribute more and that those who have little will not be in lack. He is not advocating the same group of people supporting another same group of people. Instead people who can afford to support now may be in need of support in the future and vice versa. Paul also speaks very favourably of Titus and urges the Corinthians to give him full support.

 


2 Corinthians 8
Excel in Giving

1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive[a] the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

Christ Our Pattern

8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

10 And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; 14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. 15 As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”[b]

Collection for the Judean Saints

16 But thanks be to God who puts[c] the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord. 18 And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches, 19 and not only that, but who was also chosen by the churches to travel with us with this gift, which is administered by us to the glory of the Lord Himself and to show your ready mind, 20 avoiding this: that anyone should blame us in this lavish gift which is administered by us— 21 providing honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

22 And we have sent with them our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, because of the great confidence which we have in you. 23 If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore show to them, and[d] before the churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf.

A Woman Who Fears The Lord, She Shall Be Praised

The identity of King Lemuel is not certain but the proverb below is attributed to his mother. Some believe that Lemuel is another name for Solomon, which means the mother is Bathsheba. The first part is like advice from the king mother to his son. It was warning against succumbing to women, which we know Solomon had a weakness in. It also warns against wine as that may impair the king's judgement in making just decision. We know Solomon was quite serious in being a just king, but these could also apply to other kings.

The rest of the proverb describes the virtuous woman who is also the ideal wife. Here are some of her qualities:
- she is virtuous and trustworthy
- she is hard working and organises to provide for her household including her servants
- she cares for the poor and needy
- she takes cares of the household to the degree that her husband can perform his job without worrying about the household
- she is strong, honourable, wise and kind
- her husband and children praises her
- she is a woman who fears God

This can be the qualities to look for in a wife. In this context, it seems like the king mother is advising his son on the qualities of a wife who is fit to be queen. Again, this could apply to various kings, but Solomon may be in need the most out of this advise given his weakness with women.





Proverbs 31
The Words of King Lemuel’s Mother

1 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

2 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?

3 Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;

5 Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.

7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.[a]

9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Virtuous Wife

10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.

15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

There is a Generation that is Pure in its Own Eyes

Most of the proverbs were written by Solomon, but the one in this chapter is stated to be written by Agur. Although the style is different to that of Solomon, the underlying objective is the encouragement of wisdom. Two verses which are prophetic are verses 4 and 6. In verse 4, although the main topic is God the Almighty, there is a reference to His Son - which makes it prophetic if it is written before Christ was born. Verse 6 is almost the same warning as in the last chapter of Revelation.

The proverb describes the sins of the generation as having increased from before. It then describes the characteristic of the generation as follows:
- there are things that are never satisfied
- things that are too wonderful,
- things that causes a disturbance or imbalance to the normal way,
- things which are little yet have a large impact.
- things which are majestic.




Proverbs 30
The Wisdom of Agur

1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 Surely I am more stupid than any man,
And do not have the understanding of a man.

3 I neither learned wisdom
Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.

4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?

5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.

7 Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):

8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;

9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.

10 Do not malign a servant to his master,
Lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.

11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.

12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.

13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.

14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.

15 The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, “Enough!”:

16 The grave,[a]
The barren womb,
The earth that is not satisfied with water—
And the fire never says, “Enough!”

17 The eye that mocks his father,
And scorns obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.

18 There are three things which are too wonderful for me,
Yes, four which I do not understand:

19 The way of an eagle in the air,
The way of a serpent on a rock,
The way of a ship in the midst of the sea,
And the way of a man with a virgin.

20 This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth,
And says, “I have done no wickedness.”

21 For three things the earth is perturbed,
Yes, for four it cannot bear up:

22 For a servant when he reigns,
A fool when he is filled with food,

23 A hateful woman when she is married,
And a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.

24 There are four things which are little on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:

25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;

26 The rock badgers[b] are a feeble folk,
Yet they make their homes in the crags;

27 The locusts have no king,
Yet they all advance in ranks;

28 The spider[c] skillfully grasps with its hands,
And it is in kings’ palaces.

29 There are three things which are majestic in pace,
Yes, four which are stately in walk:

30 A lion, which is mighty among beasts
And does not turn away from any;

31 A greyhound,[d]
A male goat also,
And a king whose troops are with him.[e]

32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.

33 For as the churning of milk produces butter,
And wringing the nose produces blood,
So the forcing of wrath produces strife.

Do Not Rejoice When Your Enemy Falls, And Do Not Let Your Heart Be Glad When He Stumbles;

Much of this chapter deals with doing right and good and avoid evil deeds or wickedness. The former way of life is pleasing to the Lord and brings blessings and favour, while the latter brings sin and condemnation.

In addition of doing the right things, this chapter also teaches not to be self-righteous over evil doers or our enemies. Very importantly, if our enemies who are evil do fall, we are not to rejoice in it. Some verses are:

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.
19 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;


The verse 29 below clearly shows that even before Jesus thought against seeking vengeance, Proverbs in the Old Testament also mentions this. It clearly shows that the "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" is not meant to be a universal principle of vengeance or vigilantism.

29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”


Lazy man - Verse 30 onwards is about not being lazy. It states the seductiveness of being complacent and also describes the consequences that follow.

evil, heart, wisdom, schemer, fool, strength, abomination, wicked, righteous, curse, lazy, slumber, poverty


Proverbs 24
1 Do not be envious of evil men,
Nor desire to be with them;

2 For their heart devises violence,
And their lips talk of troublemaking.

3 Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;

4 By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches.

5 A wise man is strong,
Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;

6 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war,
And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.

7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
He does not open his mouth in the gate.

8 He who plots to do evil
Will be called a schemer.

9 The devising of foolishness is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

13 My son, eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste;

14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
If you have found it, there is a prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.

15 Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous;
Do not plunder his resting place;

16 For a righteous man may fall seven times
And rise again,
But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.

19 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the wicked;

20 For there will be no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;

22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These things also belong to the wise:
It is not good to show partiality in judgment.

24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
Him the people will curse;
Nations will abhor him.

25 But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
And a good blessing will come upon them.

26 He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.

28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
For would you deceive[a] with your lips?

29 Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”

30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;

31 And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.

32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:

33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;

34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

He Who Loves Pleasure Will Be A Poor Man

The sayings cover over broad topics. Here, three topics are chosen with their verses extracted. The first deals with God's sovereignty in which ultimately, it is God who has everything under His control. The second teaches about the difficulty in living with certain women. While the third topic emphasises strongly against being lazy.

The Lord's Sovereignty

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.

Difficult Wife

9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.

Laziness

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

25 The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

Proverbs 21

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,

Like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes.

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,

But the Lord weighs the hearts.

3 To do righteousness and justice

Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

4 A haughty look, a proud heart,

And the plowing[a] of the wicked are sin.

5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,

But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue

Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.[b]

7 The violence of the wicked will destroy them,[c]

Because they refuse to do justice.

8 The way of a guilty man is perverse;[d]

But as for the pure, his work is right.

9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,

Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;

His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.

11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;

But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.

12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,

Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.

13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor

Will also cry himself and not be heard.

14 A gift in secret pacifies anger,

And a bribe behind the back,[e] strong wrath.

15 It is a joy for the just to do justice,

But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding

Will rest in the assembly of the dead.

17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;

He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous,

And the unfaithful for the upright.

19 Better to dwell in the wilderness,

Than with a contentious and angry woman.

20 There is desirable treasure,

And oil in the dwelling of the wise,

But a foolish man squanders it.

21 He who follows righteousness and mercy

Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty,

And brings down the trusted stronghold.

23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue

Keeps his soul from troubles.

24 A proud and haughty man— “Scoffer” is his name;

He acts with arrogant pride.

25 The desire of the lazy man kills him,

For his hands refuse to labor.

26 He covets greedily all day long,

But the righteous gives and does not spare.

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!

28 A false witness shall perish,

But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.

29 A wicked man hardens his face,

But as for the upright, he establishes[f] his way.

30 There is no wisdom or understanding

Or counsel against the Lord.

31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,

But deliverance is of the Lord.

The Ransom of a Man’s Life is his Riches

As previous chapters this proverbs has sayings which contrasts between the righteous and the wicked. But in addition, the other main contrasts is between those who seek riches versus those who don't. It is said that riches can be a ransom to a man. There are also other contrasts between a prudent man, those who follow after the wise, and the hardworking one. The contrasts are those who are wasteful, who despises wisdom and those who covet but do not labour for it.



Proverbs 13

1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.

3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.

6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10 By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13 He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

15 Good understanding gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21 Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is waste.[a]

24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

Year of Jubilee

The Sabbath as most would know it today is the 6 days work and the 7th day rest. That 7th day which we dedicate to the Lord is called the Sabbath. However, God also instituted the Sabbath year in which the 7th year is a year where the land is not used for planting, thus God giving rest to the land to recuperate.

Beyond the Sabbath year, after seven of the Sabbath year, thus 49 years in total, then the next year or 50th year is called the year of Jubilee. This is also the year in which Israel shall not work on the land, people are to return to their families.

On the seventh year that the Israelites are not allowed to work their land, God promised to supply their needs in the sixth year with provisions for the sixth, seventh and eight year.

The year of Jubilee is a kind of year for redemption. Under certain conditions, properties which are bought and sold may be able to be redeemed during the year of Jubilee.

God also stated His principles of lending. If the people are to lend to the poor, then they should not charge any interest. This may include lending money or letting the poor stay in their homes and giving them food for which they must not charge them.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Year of Jubilee is the release from bondage. When one becomes poor, one can sell oneself to be a slave in ancient Israel. However, in the year of Jubilee, such slaves and their families are to be set free. The release of slaves does not apply to slaves who are not Israelites. This is because God considers the Israelites to be brothers of each other who must not rule over one another. However if an Israelite sold themselves to a non-Israelite, then at the Jubilee Year, the Israelite slave may be redeemed at a fair price.

The year of Jubilee involved the freeing up or redemption of land, money and human freedom because God wanted his children to treat each other fairly and to acknowledge that everything belongs to him; v55 "For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Leviticus 25

The Sabbath of the Seventh Year

 1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. 6 And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you, 7 for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food.

The Year of Jubilee
  
8 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. 12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.
13 ‘In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession. 14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another. 15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops. 17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Provisions for the Seventh Year
  
18 ‘So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.
20 ‘And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?” 21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years. 22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

Redemption of Property
  
23 ‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. 24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.
25 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold. 26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it, 27 then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession. 28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.
29 ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee. 31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. 32 Nevertheless the cities of the Lemvites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Lemvites may redeem at any time. 33 And if a man purchases a house from the Lemvites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Lemvites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

Lending to the Poor
  
35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. 36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

The Law Concerning Slavery

  
39 ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. 44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.
47 ‘Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself. 50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him. 51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought. 52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption. 53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. 54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his children with him. 55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.