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Leviticus 25 · Berean Standard Bible

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¹Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, ²“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD. ³For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. ⁴But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. ⁵You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. ⁶Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you, ⁷and for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. All its growth may serve as food. ⁸And you shall count off seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven Sabbaths of years amount to forty-nine years. ⁹Then you are to sound the horn far and wide on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement. You shall sound it throughout your land. ¹⁰So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan. ¹¹The fiftieth year will be a Jubilee for you; you are not to sow the land or reap its aftergrowth or harvest the untended vines. ¹²For it is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You may eat only the crops taken directly from the field. ¹³In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his own property. ¹⁴If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, you must not take advantage of each other. ¹⁵You are to buy from your neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee; he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years remaining. ¹⁶You shall increase the price in proportion to a greater number of years, or decrease it in proportion to a lesser number of years; for he is selling you a given number of harvests. ¹⁷Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God. ¹⁸You are to keep My statutes and carefully observe My judgments, so that you may dwell securely in the land. ¹⁹Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat your fill and dwell in safety in the land. ²⁰Now you may wonder, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow or gather our produce?’ ²¹But I will send My blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that the land will yield a crop sufficient for three years. ²²While you are sowing in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest, until the ninth year’s harvest comes in. ²³The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me. ²⁴Thus for every piece of property you possess, you must provide for the redemption of the land. ²⁵If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold. ²⁶Or if a man has no one to redeem it for him, but he prospers and acquires enough to redeem his land, ²⁷he shall calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and return to his property. ²⁸But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. In the Jubilee, however, it is to be released, so that he may return to his property. ²⁹If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed. ³⁰If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently transferred to its buyer and his descendants. It is not to be released in the Jubilee. ³¹But houses in villages with no walls around them are to be considered as open fields. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee. ³²As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess. ³³So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites. ³⁴But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession. ³⁵Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. ³⁶Do not take any interest or profit from him, but fear your God, that your countryman may live among you. ³⁷You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit. ³⁸I 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. ³⁹If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. ⁴⁰Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. ⁴¹Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. ⁴²Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. ⁴³You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God. ⁴⁴Your menservants and maidservants shall come from the nations around you, from whom you may purchase them. ⁴⁵You may also purchase them from the foreigners residing among you or their clans living among you who are born in your land. These may become your property. ⁴⁶You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother. ⁴⁷If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan, ⁴⁸he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may redeem him: ⁴⁹either his uncle or cousin or any close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰He and his purchaser will then count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years, based on the daily wages of a hired hand. ⁵¹If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption in proportion to his purchase price. ⁵²If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to calculate and pay his redemption according to his remaining years. ⁵³He shall be treated like a man hired from year to year, but a foreign owner must not rule over him harshly in your sight. ⁵⁴Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children shall be released in the Year of Jubilee. ⁵⁵For the Israelites are My servants. They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

Berean Standard Bible · public domain. More versions and languages in the Reading Plan.

Leviticus

Leviticus 25

The Sacred Rhythm of Rest, Redemption, and Justice

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Objective

To reveal God's divine ordinance for the land and community life among Israel, establishing cycles of rest, release, and restoration that reflect His holiness, justice, and care for all creation.

Overview

Leviticus 25 unfolds the divine command for the Sabbath year and the Jubilee, sacred times for the land and the people. It sets forth laws to ensure the land rests, debts are forgiven, property is restored, and the poor are redeemed. These statutes guard against oppression and remind Israel that the land ultimately belongs to the LORD, who is their God and Redeemer.

Detailed Analysis

Event Description

God commands Moses to instruct Israel that upon entering the promised land, they must observe a Sabbath for the land every seventh year. For six years they sow and reap, but in the seventh year the land must lie fallow, a holy rest dedicated to the LORD. The produce that grows naturally is to be left for the poor, the servants, the strangers, and even the animals. This year of rest is a sacred pause, a trust in God's provision and sovereignty.

Central Themes

Sabbath rest extended to the land

Trust in God's provision

Holiness of time and creation

Inclusion of all—people and beasts—in God's care

Cultural & Historical Context

Ancient agrarian societies depended heavily on the land. This command counters relentless exploitation by instituting a divine rhythm of rest. It also reflects the original Sabbath principle rooted in creation (Genesis 2:2-3) and points forward to God's ultimate rest (Hebrews 4:4-10).

Key Verse

Leviticus 25:4

Vivid Artistic Descriptions

The Sabbath Year: Rest for the Land and All Its Inhabitants

A vast field lying fallow under a golden sun, wild grasses and fruits growing freely, with people and animals gathering the natural bounty in peaceful harmony. The land breathes a holy stillness, a sacred pause in the cycle of toil.

The Jubilee Year: Liberty and Restoration

A jubilant trumpet sounding from a high mountain, echoing over the valleys and towns. Families joyfully returning to ancestral homes, gates opening wide, fields restored green and fruitful. Chains broken, hands raised in praise, liberty proclaimed across the land.

Fairness in Buying and Selling: Respecting Time and Fruitfulness

A marketplace where scales balance not only silver but the years ahead, a scroll with careful calculations, neighbors exchanging goods with respect and trust. The sun marks the passing seasons, reminding all of God’s appointed times.

Redemption of Property and Houses: Safeguarding Family Heritage

A family gathered around a homestead, hands joined in covenant. A city with sturdy walls, houses standing firm, yet with open doors signaling hope for redemption. The Levite’s city glowing softly, a sacred inheritance amid the tribes.

Justice and Compassion for the Poor and Servants

A servant working with dignity in the fields, a compassionate master standing nearby with gentle eyes. Chains lying broken on the ground, a family reunited in embrace. The backdrop of the Exodus, a pillar of cloud and fire reminding all of God’s deliverance.

Song

Leviticus 25 Song

Verse 1

Six years we labor, sow and reap, Yet the land must rest, its harvest deep. A sacred pause, the earth’s own breath, In God’s command, life conquers death.

Verse 2

Fairness guides the price we pay, Counting years till the Jubilee day. No oppression, no greed’s hand, But justice blooms across the land.

Chorus

Rest, restore, the Jubilee calls, Liberty rings through ancient walls. Return, redeem, the land, the kin, In God’s great love, new life begins.

Bridge

For we are servants, freed by grace, Called to mercy, to embrace. The poor, the weak, the stranger’s plea, Bound together, God’s family.

Final Chorus

Rest, restore, the Jubilee calls, Liberty rings through ancient walls. Return, redeem, the land, the kin, In God’s great love, new life begins.

Practical Application

Personal Life

Embrace rhythms of rest as sacred, trusting God’s provision beyond our toil.

Practice fairness and integrity in all economic dealings, honoring God’s justice.

Recognize our identity as redeemed servants of God, called to mercy.

Community & Society

Promote social justice by caring for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized within the church and neighborhood.

Encourage forgiveness and restoration in relationships and community life.

Establish communal rhythms that allow rest, renewal, and equitable sharing of resources.

Global Perspective

Advocate for economic systems that prevent generational poverty and exploitation.

Support land stewardship and environmental care that respects God’s creation cycles.

Engage in global missions with a heart for justice, liberty, and restoration reflecting God’s kingdom.

Conclusion

Leviticus 25 reveals a holy economy ordained by God—one that honors His ownership of the land, calls His people to justice and mercy, and establishes sacred rhythms of rest and restoration. The Sabbath year and Jubilee proclaim God’s heart for freedom, community, and the flourishing of all creation. These statutes challenge us to live in reverent trust, compassionate service, and joyful liberty as God’s redeemed people.