The Jubilee Year
8 The people must count seven lots of Sabbath years. That is 49 years. 9 In the 50th year they must make loud music. They must blow trumpets on the tenth day of the seventh month. That is the Day of Atonement. They must blow the trumpet through all the country. 10 The year will be special. It is a Jubilee year. It is a time for every one of my people to become free. Everyone can return to his own land and to his family. 11 The 50th year is a Jubilee year. The people must not plant any seed in the fields. They must not harvest anything that grows by itself on the bushes. 12 It is a Jubilee year for the people. And they can eat only food that they take from the fields.
13 In the Jubilee year every person must return to the land of his family.
14 If the people buy and sell land from each other, they must be honest with each other. 15 The person who is selling the land will decide the price. He must count the number of years until the next Jubilee year. 16 When there are many years, the price must be big. When there are few years, the price must be small. The number of years that the land will give food to eat is what is important. 17 Be honest with each other and respect God. I am the Lord your God.
18 The people must obey God's rules. If they do, they will be safe. 19 You will be able to grow food on the land. And the people will have plenty to eat. They will be safe. 20 The people may ask what they will eat in the seventh year. They will not have planted any seeds. 21 God will cause a lot of food to grow in the sixth year. They will have food for three more years. 22 When a person plants seed in the eighth year he will still be eating the crops that he planted in the sixth year. The next time he will harvest the plants from the fields will be in the ninth year.
23 The people must never sell the land for all time. The land belongs to God. He has said that the people can live on it. 24 A person may buy land. But he must remember that he may have to sell it back to the seller.
25 If a man becomes poor, he can sell some of his land. A person from his family must buy the land back for the man. 26 But the man might not have any family. If he stops being poor, he can buy the land back. 27 He must count how many years until the next Jubilee year. He must pay the right amount of money for the land. Then he can live on the land again. 28 If the man is too poor to buy the land back, it will belong to the other person. It will belong to the other person until the next Jubilee year. He must return it to the poor man in the Jubilee year.
29 A man may sell a house in a city with walls. For one year after he sells it, he can buy it back. 30 If the man does not buy back the house, it will belong to the other person and his sons. It will belong to them for all time. They will not have to return it in the Jubilee year. 31 If the house is in a village, a person can buy it back. If he does not buy it back, they will return it to him in the Jubilee year.
32 The Levites (people from the family of Levi) can buy back the houses in their towns. 33 In the Jubilee year, the Levites must get back the houses that they sold. Their towns belong to the Levites. 34 The Levites must not sell the fields that belong to their towns. God gave to them their towns and cities to live in for all time.
