Like any religious or self help book, take what you think is good out of it, and ignore the rest. The Bible has good teaching and also stupid, outdated, crazy crap in it.
That's what makes it religion! The good mixed in with all kinds of crazy drap... whihc is why we on this site don't bother with religion but just focus on the good.
There was not only slavery but entire nations were put into subserveince. The Jews that wrote the OT were ceratinly victim of this throughout their history.
The Romans ruled Judea for a while and the times when the NT was written actually gives us a good insight into what is was like to live under the yolk of Rome.
To be honest Rome was relatively lenient to the Jews and did not even station a permanent Garrison in Jerusalem. They left the law and order to their puppet Jewish king ,Herod.The Romans only took taxes and this was a big bone of contention at the time. We can see this in the NT gospels where we have Jesus questioned as to whether the Roman tax was legal he answers and also Paul giving similar advise.
Matthew22.21"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." Romans 13:1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God."
It's very useful to use in an argument with a thumper who thinks you can't be moral without god.
Showing them how the bible explains how to beat your slave just enough not to kill him is so morally good.
Matt Dillahunty calls it his "Goto Argument" for dealing with Biblethumpers and morality.