Deuteronomy 15
King James Version
15 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release.
3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:
5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.
7 If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, 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 the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God 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 the land: 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 Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:
14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
17 Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.
19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.
20 Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.
21 And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God.
22 Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.
23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.
Deuteronomy 15
Lexham English Bible
15 “At the end of seven years you shall grant a remission of debt. 2 And this is the manner of the remission of debt: every creditor[a] shall remit his claim that he holds against his neighbor, and he shall not exact payment from his brother because there[b] a remission of debt has been proclaimed unto[c] Yahweh. 3 With respect to the foreigner you may exact payment, but you must remit[d] what shall be owed to you with respect to your brother. 4 Nevertheless, there[e] shall not be among you a poor person, because Yahweh will certainly bless you in the land that Yahweh your God is giving to you as an inheritance, to take possession of it. 5 If only you listen well to the voice of Yahweh your God by observing diligently[f] all of these commandments[g] that I am commanding you today.[h] 6 When Yahweh your God has blessed you, just as he promised[i] to you, then you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow from them, and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you. 7 If there is a poor person among you from among one of your brothers in one of your towns[j] that Yahweh your God is giving to you, you shall not harden your heart, and you shall not shut your hand toward your brother who is poor.[k] 8 But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and you shall willingly lend[l] to him enough to meet his need, whatever it is.[m] 9 Take care[n] so that there[o] will not be a thought of wickedness[p] in your heart, saying,[q] ‘The seventh year, the year of the remission of debt is near,’ and you view your needy neighbor with hostility,[r] and so you do not give to him, and he might cry out against you to Yahweh, and you would incur guilt against yourself.[s] 10 By all means you must give to him, and you must not be discontented[t] at your giving to him, because on account of this very thing, Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.[u] 11 For the poor[v] will not cease to be among you[w] in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying,[x] ‘You shall willingly open your hand to your brother, to your needy and to your poor that are in your land.’
12 If your relative[y] who is a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman is sold to you, and he or she has served you six years, then in the seventh year you shall send that person out free.[z] 13 And when you send him out free from you, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall generously supply him from among your flocks and from your threshing floor and from your press; according to that with which Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding you thus today.[aa] 16 And then if it will happen that he says to you, ‘I do not want to go out[ab] from you,’ because he loves you and your family, because it is good for him to be with you; 17 then you shall take an awl, and you shall thrust it through his earlobe and into the door, and he shall be to you a slave forever;[ac] and you shall also do likewise for your slave woman. 18 It shall not be hard in your eyes when you send him forth free,[ad] because for six years he has served you worth twice the wage of a hired worker; and Yahweh your God will bless you in whatever you will do.[ae]
19 “Every firstling male that is born of your herd and of your flock you shall consecrate to Yahweh your God; you shall not do work with the firstling of your ox, and you shall not shear the firstling of your flock. 20 Rather before Yahweh[af] your God you shall eat it year by year at the place Yahweh will choose, you and your household. 21 But if there is a physical defect in it, such as lameness or blindness, any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to Yahweh your God. 22 In your towns[ag] you shall eat it, the unclean and the clean together may eat it, just as they eat the gazelle and as they eat the deer. 23 But you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 15:2 Literally “owner of the loan of his hand”
- Deuteronomy 15:2 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 15:2 Hebrew “for”
- Deuteronomy 15:3 Literally “your hand shall remit”
- Deuteronomy 15:4 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 15:5 Literally “to observe so as to do”
- Deuteronomy 15:5 Hebrew “commandment”
- Deuteronomy 15:5 Literally “the day”
- Deuteronomy 15:6 Literally “spoke”
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Literally “gates”
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Literally “from among your brothers, the poor one”
- Deuteronomy 15:8 Literally “lending you shall lend”
- Deuteronomy 15:8 Literally “whatever is lacking for him”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Literally “Watch for yourself”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Hebrew “it”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Literally “a thing in your heart wickedness”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Literally “is bad your eye against your brother who is needy”
- Deuteronomy 15:9 Literally “it will be against you a sin”
- Deuteronomy 15:10 Literally “and not shall be bad/evil your heart at/when”
- Deuteronomy 15:10 Literally “in all of the sending/putting forth of your hand”
- Deuteronomy 15:11 Or “the needy person”
- Deuteronomy 15:11 Literally “from the midst of “
- Deuteronomy 15:11 Literally “to say”
- Deuteronomy 15:12 Or “brother”
- Deuteronomy 15:12 Literally “free from with you”
- Deuteronomy 15:15 Literally “the day”
- Deuteronomy 15:16 Literally “I will not go out”
- Deuteronomy 15:17 Literally “a slave of eternity”
- Deuteronomy 15:18 Literally “in/at you to send him forth free from being with you”
- Deuteronomy 15:18 Literally “in all of that you will do”
- Deuteronomy 15:20 Literally “in the face of Yahweh”
- Deuteronomy 15:22 Literally “gates”
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