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Deuteronomy 15:12-23
New King James Version
Deuteronomy 15:12-23
New King James Version
The Law Concerning Bondservants
12 (A)“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is (B)sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you [a]send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord your God has (C)blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 (D)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 thing today. 16 And (E)if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth (F)a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals
19 (G)“All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall [b]sanctify to the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (H)You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (I)But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You may eat it within your gates; (J)the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Deuteronomy 15:13 set him free
- Deuteronomy 15:19 set apart or consecrate
Deuteronomy 15:12-23
New International Version
Deuteronomy 15:12-23
New International Version
Freeing Servants(A)(B)
12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.(C) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(D) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(E) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(F) That is why I give you this command today.
16 But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
The Firstborn Animals
19 Set apart for the Lord(G) your God every firstborn male(H) of your herds and flocks.(I) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(J) 20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.(K) 21 If an animal has a defect,(L) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(M) 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.(N) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(O)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.