“‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you; you shall not make him to serve as a slave. As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee: then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
“‘As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have; of the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. Moreover of the children of the aliens who live among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property. You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them may you take your slaves forever; but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
Leviticus 25:39-46
A few days ago I shared that I read in Leviticus that the Israelites were supposed to treat foreigners living in their land the same. But now the slavery law treats them differently.
Israelite slaves are to be let go in the year of the Jubilee but foreign slaves can be kept forever.
Hmm.
There are many other passages that speak of treating foreigners like you would locals. Other passages that distinguish Israelites from foreigners seem to be because of the faith issue - don't marry foreigners seem to be keyed off if the foreigner is not a Yahweh worshipper, so for example the Bible speaks of Obed marrying Ruth the Moabite in very positive light.
Even other slave passages do not discriminate against foreigners, e.g. Deuteronomy 23:15 says to protect runaway slaves, doesn't make a distinction between Israelite and foreign slaves.
So I've not figured this one out yet.
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