29. “‘Someone may sell a home in a walled city. But, for a full year after he sold it, he has the right to buy it back.
30. But the owner might not buy back the house before a full year is over. If he doesn’t, the house in the walled city will belong to the one who bought it. It will belong to his future sons. The house will not go back to the first owner at Jubilee.
31. But houses in small towns without walls are like open country. They can be bought back. And they must be returned to their first owner at Jubilee.
32. “‘The Levites may always buy back their houses. This is true in the cities which belong to them.
33. Someone might buy a house from a Levite. But that house in the Levites’ city will again belong to the Levites in the Jubilee. This is because houses in Levite cities belong to the people of Levi. The people of Israel gave these cities to the Levites.
34. Also the fields and pastures around the Levites’ cities cannot be sold. Those fields belong to the Levites forever.
35. “‘Someone from your country might become too poor to support himself. Help him to live among you as you would a stranger or foreigner.
36. Do not charge him any interest on money you loan to him. Respect your God. And let the poor man live among you.
37. Don’t lend him money for interest. Don’t try to make a profit from the food he buys.
38. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. I did it to give the land of Canaan to you and to become your God.
39. “‘Someone from your country might become very poor. He might even sell himself as a slave to you. If he does, you must not make him work like a slave.
40. He will be like a hired worker. And he will be like a visitor with you until the year of Jubilee.
41. Then he may leave you. He may take his children and go back to his family and the land of his ancestors.
42. This is because the Israelites are my servants. I brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They must not become slaves again.
43. You must not rule this person cruelly. You must respect your God.
44. “‘You may buy men and women slaves from other nations around you.
45. Also you may buy children as slaves. These children must come from the families of foreigners living in your land. These child slaves will belong to you.
46. You may even pass these foreign slaves on to your children after you die. You can make them slaves forever. But you must not rule cruelly over your own brothers, the Israelites.
47. “‘A foreigner or visitor among you might become rich. And someone in your country might become poor. The poor man might sell himself as a slave to a foreigner living among you. Or he might sell himself to a member of a foreigner’s family.
48. The poor man has the right to be bought back and become free. One of his relatives may buy him back.
49. His uncle or his uncle’s son may buy him back. One of his close relatives may buy him back. Or if he gets enough money, he may pay the money himself. Then he will be free again.