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The Year of Jubilee

“In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year,[a] blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land. 10 Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan. 11 This fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that year you must not plant your fields or store away any of the crops that grow on their own, and don’t gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. 12 It will be a jubilee year for you, and you must keep it holy. But you may eat whatever the land produces on its own. 13 In the Year of Jubilee each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors.

14 “When you make an agreement with your neighbor to buy or sell property, you must not take advantage of each other. 15 When you buy land from your neighbor, the price you pay must be based on the number of years since the last jubilee. The seller must set the price by taking into account the number of years remaining until the next Year of Jubilee. 16 The more years until the next jubilee, the higher the price; the fewer years, the lower the price. After all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of harvests. 17 Show your fear of God by not taking advantage of each other. I am the Lord your God.

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Footnotes

  1. 25:9 Hebrew on the tenth day of the seventh month, on the Day of Atonement; see 23:27a and the note there.

The Year of Jubilee(A)(B)

“‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet(C) sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month;(D) on the Day of Atonement(E) sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty(F) throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee(G) for you; each of you is to return to your family property(H) and to your own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee(I) for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.(J) 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee(K) everyone is to return to their own property.

14 “‘If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other.(L) 15 You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years(M) since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16 When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price,(N) because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. 17 Do not take advantage of each other,(O) but fear your God.(P) I am the Lord your God.(Q)

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