Deuteronomy 15
English Standard Version
The Sabbatical Year
15 “At the end of (A)every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 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. 3 (B)Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. 4 (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— 5 (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. 6 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.
7 “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, 8 but (J)you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 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
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Or be evil; also verse 10
- Deuteronomy 15:12 Or sells himself
- Deuteronomy 15:17 Or servant; the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles (see Preface)
- Deuteronomy 15:17 Or servant
Deuteronomy 15
International Standard Version
The Lord’s Remission
15 “You must cancel your debts at the end of every seventh year. 2 This is the way to conduct remission: every creditor must cancel the loan that his friend borrowed, and he must not pressure his friend or brother to repay it,[a] because remission to the Lord will be proclaimed. 3 You may exact payment from a foreigner, but cancel whatever your brother owes you. 4 Moreover, there will be no poor person among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land that he[b] is about to give you to possess. 5 Only be certain to obey the voice of the Lord your God. Carefully observe all of these commands that I’m commanding you today, 6 because the Lord your God will bless you just as he promised. You are to lend to many nations, but not to borrow. Also, you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.”
Care for the Poor
7 “If there should be a poor man among your relatives[c] in one of the cities of the land that the Lord your God is about to give you, don’t be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor relative.[d] 8 Instead, be sure to open your hand to him and lend him enough to lessen his need. 9 Be careful not to think this wicked thought to yourselves: ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is drawing near…’ and you show ill will[e] toward your poor relative[f] and not give to him. He may then call to the Lord on account of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 10 You must certainly give to him and not feel regret for doing so.[g] Because of this, the Lord your God will bless all your works and everything you do. 11 Since poor people won’t cease to exist in the land, I’m commanding you: Be sure to display generosity[h] to your poor and needy relatives in your land.”
Releasing Slaves
12 “When a fellow Hebrew male or female slave is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you are to set them[i] free. 13 But when you set them free, don’t send them away empty-handed. 14 Provide for them liberally from your flock, threshing floor, and wine vat. As the Lord your God has blessed you, so give to them. 15 Don’t ever forget that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, yet the Lord your God redeemed you. Therefore, I’m giving you these commands today.
16 “If that slave[j] should say to you, ‘I won’t leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, and it was good for him to be with you, 17 then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the door. He then will be your slave forever. You are to do the same for your female slaves. 18 Don’t view this as a hardship for yourself when you set him free, for he will have served you for six years—twice the time of a paid worker. Then the Lord will bless you in all that you do.”
Offering the Firstborn Male Animals
19 “Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male among your herd and flock. You are not to put the firstborn of your ox to work or shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 Instead, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your household are to eat them every year at the place the Lord will choose. 21 If it has a blemish—lameness, blindness, or any kind of defect—you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 In your cities,[k] both the unclean and the clean together are to eat it together,[l] as the gazelle and the deer, 23 but you are not to eat its blood. Pour it on the ground like water.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 15:2 The Heb. lacks to repay it
- Deuteronomy 15:4 Lit. the Lord
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit. brothers
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit. brother
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit. and your eyes are evil
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit. brother
- Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit. for giving to him
- Deuteronomy 15:11 Lit. to open your hand
- Deuteronomy 15:12 Lit. him; and so throughout the chapter
- Deuteronomy 15:16 Lit. he
- Deuteronomy 15:22 Lit. gates
- Deuteronomy 15:22 Or completely
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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