Deuteronomy 14:26-15:11

English Standard Version

²⁶ and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And ^(A)you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. ²⁷ And you shall not neglect ^(B)the Levite who is within your towns, for ^(C)he has no portion or inheritance with you.

^28 (D)“At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. ²⁹ And the Levite, because ^(E)he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that ^(F)the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

The Sabbatical Year

15 “At the end of ^(G)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 (H)Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. ^4 (I)But there will be no poor among you; ^(J)for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— ^5 (K)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, ^(L)as he promised you, and ^(M)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and ^(N)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, ^(O)you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, ⁸ but ^(P)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 ^(Q)eye look grudgingly^[a] on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he ^(R)cry to the Lord against you, and ^(S)you be guilty of sin. ¹⁰ You shall give to him freely, and ^(T)your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because ^(U)for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. ¹¹ For ^(V)there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ^(W)‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’