Appendix III — Bible Passages Condemning Practices Related to Chattel Slavery and Modern-Day Slavery/Human Trafficking

Old Testament

• Exodus 21:16 commands that anyone who kidnaps and sells a person, and anyone found in possession of the kidnapped person, is to be put to death. This law underscores the seriousness with which God views the crime of human trafficking and abduction, ensuring severe consequences for those involved.

¹⁶ “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

• Leviticus 19:18 instructs to avoid seeking revenge or holding grudges against fellow Israelites but instead to love them as oneself, emphasizing the principle of love and justice grounded in reverence for the Lord.

¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

• Leviticus 24:17-22 establishes principles of justice and accountability for both Israelites and foreigners. It mandates capital punishment for murder and restitution for harm caused, following the principle of “life for life” and “eye for eye.” This passage emphasizes the equality of law and justice before God, ensuring fairness and protection for all within the community.

¹⁷ “Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸ Whoever takes an animal’s life shall make it good, life for life. ¹⁹ If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. ²¹ Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person shall be put to death. ²² You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”

• Deuteronomy 22:25-29 outlines laws concerning sexual assault and rape in ancient Israel. If a man rapes a betrothed woman in the open country, he is to be put to death, and the woman is not held responsible. This law emphasizes the severity of the crime and protects the victim’s innocence. If the woman is not betrothed, and she is raped, the perpetrator is required to marry her, pay her father compensation, and is prohibited from divorcing her. This law aims to ensure the victim’s welfare and dignity in a society where women’s security and honor were paramount concerns.

²⁵ “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. ²⁶ But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, ²⁷ because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her.

²⁸ “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, ²⁹ then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.

• Deuteronomy 24:7 specifies that anyone found kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating them as a slave or selling them is to be put to death. This severe punishment is mandated to remove such evil from the community, underscoring the value of human life and the prohibition against human trafficking or slavery among the Israelites.

⁷ “If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

• Job 31:13-15 reflects Job’s commitment to justice and fairness towards his servants. He declares that if he has ever denied the rights or mistreated his male or female servants when they brought a complaint against him, he would have no defense when God judges him. Job acknowledges that both he and his servants were created by the same God, implying that they deserve equal respect and fair treatment.

¹³ “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, ¹⁴ what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? ¹⁵ Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?

• Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that the Lord hates and considers an abomination: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are quick to run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and someone who causes strife among brothers. This passage highlights behaviors and attitudes that are contrary to God’s righteousness and promote harm and discord among people.

¹⁶ There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: ¹⁷ haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, ¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, ¹⁹ a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.

• Micah 2:1-2 pronounces a woe upon those who plot evil and carry out wicked deeds, particularly those who covet and seize property, oppressing individuals and their families. The passage condemns those who exploit their power and wealth to unjustly take away the possessions and inheritance of others, highlighting God’s judgment against such actions.

¹ Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. ² They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

New Testament

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 warns that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. It lists several behaviors that are incompatible with God’s kingdom, including sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, and swindling. This passage underscores the importance of living a life that aligns with God’s standards of righteousness and warns against practices that lead away from His kingdom.

⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

• Galatians 3:27-29 teaches that those who have been baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. It emphasizes that in Christ, distinctions such as Jew or Greek, slave or free, and male and female do not define one’s standing before God, for all believers are united as one in Christ Jesus. Furthermore, it affirms that if believers belong to Christ, they are also considered heirs according to God’s promises made to Abraham, highlighting the unity and inheritance shared among all who are in Christ.

²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

• Galatians 5:19-21 outlines the works of the flesh, which are evident and include various immoral behaviors and attitudes such as sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and similar actions. The passage warns that those who persist in such behaviors will not inherit the kingdom of God, underscoring the importance of living a life characterized by the Spirit rather than indulging in sinful desires.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

• Ephesians 5:3-5 instructs believers to avoid sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness, emphasizing that such behaviors should not even be mentioned among them, as befits those who are holy. The passage further warns against filthiness, foolish talk, and crude joking, which are inappropriate for followers of Christ. It emphasizes that those who persist in such sins, including covetousness (which is equated with idolatry), will not inherit the kingdom of Christ and God, underscoring the seriousness of maintaining moral purity and reverence in one’s conduct.

³ But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴ Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. ⁵ For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

• 1 Timothy 1:8-11 affirms the goodness of the law when used rightly, emphasizing that it is intended for those who are lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, and profane. He lists various specific sins that the law addresses, including those who strike their parents, murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and others who act contrary to sound doctrine. This is aligned with the gospel of the glory of God entrusted to Paul, highlighting the law’s role in addressing sinful behaviors and upholding righteousness in accordance with God’s standards.

⁸ Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, ¹¹ in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

• James 5:1-6 delivers a scathing rebuke to the rich who have amassed wealth through unjust means. He warns them of impending judgment and calls them to repentance, highlighting how their ill-gotten gains have led to the oppression of the poor and deprived laborers of their just wages. He condemns their luxurious and self-indulgent lifestyles, contrasting it with the righteous who suffer under their unjust actions, noting that their actions bring condemnation upon themselves.

¹ Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

• Revelation 18:11-13 depicts the lament of the merchants over the fall of Babylon, a symbolic representation of a corrupt and oppressive worldly system. The list of goods they mourn includes luxurious items and commodities, notably including “slaves, that is, human souls,” highlighting the extent of exploitation and commerce in human lives within this condemned system.

¹¹ And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, ¹² cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, ¹³ cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.