Deuteronomy 15:12-18

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Release of Slaves

¹² “If your fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, you must set him free in the seventh year.^{(A) 13} When you set him free, do not send him away empty-handed. ¹⁴ Give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You are to give him whatever the Lord your God has blessed you with. ¹⁵ Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed^(B) you; that is why I am giving you this command today.^{(C) 16} But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you, ¹⁷ take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way. ¹⁸ Do not regard it as a hardship^[a] when you set him free, because he worked for you six years—worth twice the wages of a hired hand. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.^(D)