Leviticus 25:44
Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
Leviticus 25:44 stands among the injunctions in Leviticus and Deuteronomy concerning duties to one another, and those duties are actual practical missionary work, the principles of Christianity, the gospel of the Old Testament. Its chapter is communication from heaven with the Lord over the whole earth, teaching that God is the Householder and owner of the land while the people are only His tenants. The chapter institutes a sabbatical year every seventh year and a jubilee every fiftieth year, forbidding cultivation, leaving spontaneous growth with free access for the poor, strangers, flocks and herds, invigorating worn-out soil, encouraging liberality, and overcoming stinginess and selfishness. Provision for the poor in that arrangement comes by special divine interposition, with the sixth year made to yield enough for three years under God's blessing upon obedience. The chapter therefore calls for a practical life of compassion and help toward brethren working in hard fields.