Leviticus 25:39
““‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you; you shall not make him to serve as a slave.”
What does Leviticus 25:39 mean?
When someone in your community falls into poverty and sells themselves into service to survive, this law protects them from becoming property. They're still a person with dignity, not merchandise to be owned indefinitely or treated harshly. The text goes on to clarify that such a person should work as a hired laborer with the expectation of eventual release, not as a slave stripped of rights. For a community struggling with economic hardship then and now, this speaks to how we should treat those in desperate situations: with respect and a path toward restoration rather than permanent exploitation.