1. The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. He said,
2. “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘I will give you land. When you enter it, let it have a special time of rest. This will be to honor the Lord.
3. You may plant seed in your field for six years. You may trim your vineyards for six years and bring in their fruits.
4. But during the seventh year, you must let the land rest. This will be a special time to honor the Lord. You must not plant seed in your field or trim your vineyards.
5. You must not cut the crops that grow by themselves after harvest. You must not gather the grapes from your vines that are not trimmed. The land will have a year of rest.
6. “‘You may eat whatever the land produces during that year of rest. It will be food for your men and women servants. It will be food for your hired workers and the foreigners living in your country.
7. It will also be food for your cattle and the wild animals of your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.
8. “‘Count off seven groups of 7 years. This will be 49 years. During that time there will be 7 years of rest for the land.
9. On the Day of Cleansing, you must blow the horn of a male sheep. This will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. You must blow the horn through the whole country.
10. Make the fiftieth year a special year. Announce freedom for all the people living in your country. This time will be called Jubilee. Each of you will go back to his own property. And each of you will go back to his own family and family group.
11. The fiftieth year will be a special time for you to celebrate. Don’t plant seeds. Don’t harvest the crops that grow by themselves. Don’t gather grapes from the vines that are not trimmed.
12. That year is Jubilee. It will be a holy time for you. You may eat the crops that come from the field.
13. In the year of Jubilee each person will go back to his own property.
14. “‘Don’t cheat your neighbor when you sell your land to him. And don’t let him cheat you when you buy land from him.
15. You might want to buy your neighbor’s land. If you do, count the number of years since the last Jubilee. Use that number to decide the right price. If he sells the land to you, count the number of years left for harvesting crops. Use that number to decide the right price.
16. If there are many years, the price will be high. If there are only a few years, lower the price. This is because your neighbor is really selling only a few crops to you. At the next Jubilee the land will again belong to his family.
17. You must not cheat each other. You respect your God. I am the Lord your God.
18. “‘Remember my laws and rules, and obey them. Then you will live safely in the land.
19. The land will give good crops to you. You will eat as much as you want. And you will live safely in the land.