The Sabbatical Year

15 “At the end of (A)every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed. (B)Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. (C)But there will be no poor among you; (D)for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— (E)if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. For the Lord your God will bless you, (F)as he promised you, and (G)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and (H)you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

“If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, (I)you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but (J)you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your (K)eye look grudgingly[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he (L)cry to the Lord against you, and (M)you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and (N)your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because (O)for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For (P)there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, (Q)‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

12 (R)“If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold[b] to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. (S)As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 (T)You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 But (U)if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave[c] forever. And to your female slave[d] you shall do the same. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

19 (V)“All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the Lord your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (W)You shall eat it, you and your household, before the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose. 21 (X)But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your towns. (Y)The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 (Z)Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 15:9 Or be evil; also verse 10
  2. Deuteronomy 15:12 Or sells himself
  3. Deuteronomy 15:17 Or servant; the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles (see Preface)
  4. Deuteronomy 15:17 Or servant

15 At the end of every shevat shanim thou shalt make a shemittah (release).

And this is the manner of the shemittah: Every creditor that lendeth whatever unto his neighbor shall cancel the debt; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called Hashem’s Shemittah.

Of a nokhri thou mayest require a debt to be repaid; but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release the claim;

There shall be no evyon (needy, poor) among you; for Hashem shall greatly bless thee in ha’aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee for a nachalah to possess it;

If only thou carefully give heed unto the voice of Hashem Eloheicha to be shomer to do all these mitzvot which I command thee today.

For Hashem Eloheicha blesseth thee, as He promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto Goyim rabbim, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over Goyim rabbim, but they shall not reign over thee.

If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy she’arim in thy land which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine lev, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his machsor (need), in that which he wanteth.

Beware that there be not a thought in thy lev beliyaal, saying, The seventh year, the shnat hashemittah (the year of release), is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto Hashem against thee, and it be chet (sin) unto thee.

10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine lev shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Hashem Eloheicha shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of ha’aretz; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

12 And if thy brother, an Ivri (a Hebrew), or an Ivriyyah (Hebrew woman), be sold unto thee, and serve thee shesh shanim; then in the shanah hashevi’it thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13 And when thou sendest him out chafshi (free) from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty-handed:

14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy tzon, and out of thy threshing floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith Hashem Eloheicha hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast an eved in Eretz Mitzrayim, and Hashem Eloheicha redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing today.

16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine bais, because he fares well with thee;

17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the delet, and he shall be thy eved olam. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away chafshi (free) from thee; for he hath been worth twice that of a hired eved to thee, in serving thee shesh shanim; and Hashem Eloheicha shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

19 Kol habechor (all firstling males) that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt set apart as kodesh unto Hashem Eloheicha; thou shalt do no work with the bechor of thy ox, nor shear the bechor of thy sheep.

20 Thou shalt eat it before Hashem Eloheicha shanah b’shanah (year by year) in the place which Hashem shall choose, thou and thy household.

21 And if there be any mum therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any serious defect, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Hashem Eloheicha.

22 Thou shalt eat it within thy she’arim; the tameh (unclean) and the tahor (clean) person shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the deer.

23 Only thou shalt not eat the dahm thereof; thou shalt pour it upon ha’aretz as mayim.