BIBLICAL PASSAGES ON SLAVERY
OLD TESTAMENT
And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japeth, and he shall dwell in tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant.
Genesis 9:25-27
And when Abraham heard that his brother was taken capitve, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan
Genesis 14:14
And God said unto Abraham . . .And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger which is not of thy seed. He that is born in the house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 17:12-13
Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and the brought Joseph into Egypt
Genesis 37:28
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites
Genesis 39:1
And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall be no strangers eat thereof. But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
Exodus 12:44-45
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever.
Exodus 21:2-6 NLT
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he hall have to right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt faithlessly with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
Exodus 21 7-11 *
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.
Exodus 21:20-21 NAB
As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you, to inherit as a posession forever; you may make slaves of them, but over your brethren the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
Leviticus 25:44-46 *
When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace upon it. And it shall be, if it make the answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, then thou shalt besiege it:
Deuteronomy 20:10-11
If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me, what then shall I do when God riseth up ? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer Him ?
Job 31:13-14
NEW TESTAMENT
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law ? Jesus said unto him Thou Shalt Love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:35-40
The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. “But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given.”
Luke 12:47-48 NLT
Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant ? Care not for it: but if thou mayest be free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.
1 Corinthian 7:21
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom;fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Romans 13:7
Slaves be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ...
Ephesians 6:5 *
Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brethren; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these duties. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching which accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit, he knows nothing; he has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions. . ..
1 Timothy 6:1-5 *
Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
1 Peter 2:17-18
* also cited in Letter to a Christian Nation