Deuteronomy 15
New King James Version
Debts Canceled Every Seven Years(A)
15 “At the end of (B)every seven years you shall grant a [a]release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall [b]release it; he shall not [c]require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord’s release. 3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, 4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly (C)bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— 5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; (D)you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.
Generosity to the Poor
7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the [d]gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (E)you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but (F)you shall [e]open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your (G)eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and (H)he cry out to the Lord against you, and (I)it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and (J)your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because (K)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For (L)the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall [f]open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
The Law Concerning Bondservants
12 (M)“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is (N)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 [g]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 (O)blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 (P)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 (Q)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 (R)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 (S)“All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall [h]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 (T)You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (U)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; (V)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.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 15:1 remission
- Deuteronomy 15:2 cancel the debt
- Deuteronomy 15:2 exact it
- Deuteronomy 15:7 towns
- Deuteronomy 15:8 freely open
- Deuteronomy 15:11 freely open
- Deuteronomy 15:13 set him free
- Deuteronomy 15:19 set apart or consecrate
Deteronòm 15
Haitian Creole Version
15 ¶ Chak sètan n'a annile dèt tout moun ki dwe nou, n'a kite lajan an pou yo.
2 Men ki jan n'a fè l': Tout moun ki te prete yon moun pèp Izrayèl parèy li lajan va kite lajan an pou li. Depi lè a rive pou yo annile tout dèt pou Seyè a, li p'ap ka egzije pou lòt la renmèt li lajan an ankò.
3 N'a gen dwa egzije pou moun lòt nasyon yo peye nou sa yo dwe nou. Men, nenpòt kisa yon moun pèp Izrayèl parèy nou dwe nou, n'a kite l' pou li.
4 Konsa, p'ap gen moun pòv nan mitan nou, paske Seyè a, Bondye nou an, va beni nou nan peyi l'ap ban nou pou byen eritaj nou an, nan peyi nou pral pran pou nou an.
5 Men, se pou nou toujou obeyi Seyè a, se pou nou swiv pwen pa pwen tout kòmandman m'ap ban nou jòdi a.
6 Wi, Seyè a, Bondye nou an, va beni nou, jan li te pwomèt nou an, konsa n'a gen lajan pou prete anpil lòt nasyon. Men, nou menm nou p'ap janm bezwen prete nan men pesonn. N'a donminen sou anpil lòt pèp. Men, yo yonn p'ap gen pye sou kou nou.
7 Si ta gen yon pòv nan mitan moun pèp Izrayèl parèy nou yo k'ap viv nan yonn nan lavil nan peyi Seyè a te ban nou an, pa fèmen kè nou, pa refize lonje men bay frè nou ki nan nesesite.
8 Okontrè, se pou nou lonje men ba li, n'a prete l' lajan pou l' achte tou sa li bezwen.
9 Pa kite ankenn move lide pase nan tèt nou pou nou ta di: Nou toupre setyèm lanne a, lanne pou nou annile dèt tout moun ki dwe nou, epi pou nou fè move jan ak frè parèy nou ki nan nesesite, pou nou derefize prete l' anyen. Paske lè sa a, l'a rele Seyè a, l'a pale l' pou nou, epi n'a gen tò.
10 Non. Se pou nou prete l' epi lè n'ap prete l', se pou ou fè l' ak tout kè ou. Konsa, poutèt sa, Seyè a, Bondye nou an, va beni nou nan tout travay nou, nan tou sa n'ap fè.
11 Va toujou gen kèk moun nan pèp Izrayèl la k'ap nan nesesite. Se poutèt sa mwen mande nou pou nou aprann louvri men nou bay frè parèy nou ki pòv osinon ki nan nesesite nan peyi nou an.
12 ¶ Si yon moun menm ras ak nou, kit se gason, kit se fanm, vin vann tèt li ban nou pou li sèvi nou esklav, li va sèvi nou sizan. Lè setyèm lanne a va rive, se pou nou kite l' al fè wout li.
13 Lè n'ap ranvwaye l' la, pa kite l' ale san nou pa ba li anyen.
14 Men, n'a fè l' kado nan bèt nou yo, nan rekòt jaden nou, nan diven nou ak lwil nou, ki vle di n'a separe avè l' byen Seyè a, Bondye nou an, te ban nou pou benediksyon.
15 Pa bliye se esklav nou te ye tou nan peyi Lejip la, epi se Seyè a, Bondye nou an, ki te delivre nou. Se poutèt sa mwen ban nou lòd sa a jòdi a.
16 Men, si yon esklav konsa di nou li p'ap kite nou, paske li renmen nou ansanm ak tout moun lakay nou, paske nou aji byen avè l',
17 lè sa a, n'a pran yon bagay pwenti, n'a fè l' pwoche bò pòt devan lakay nou, n'a pèse zòrèy li. Konsa, l'a rete ap sèvi nou pou tout tan jouk li mouri. N'a fè menm bagay la tou pou fanm ki esklav lakay nou.
18 Piga nou janm wè sa twò rèd pou nou voye yon esklav tounen lakay li, paske li te sèvi nou pandan sizan pou mwatye pri nou ta peye yon moun k'ap travay pou lajan lakay nou. Se konsa, Seyè a, Bondye nou an, va beni nou nan tou sa n'ap fè.
19 ¶ Tout premye pitit mal fenmèl bèf nou osinon fenmèl mouton nou va fè, n'a mete yo apa pou Bondye, Seyè a. Piga nou janm fè premye ti towo fenmèl bèf nou fè a travay pou nou. Ni nou pa dwe janm taye lenn ki sou premye ti belye mouton fenmèl mouton nou yo fè a.
20 Chak lanne, nou menm ak tout fanmi nou, n'a manje yo devan Seyè a, kote Seyè a, Bondye nou an, te chwazi a.
21 Men, si l'ap bwete, osinon si li pèdi yon je, oswa si li gen nenpòt lòt enfimite ki konsekan, se pa pou nou touye l' pou Seyè a, Bondye nou an.
22 N'a manje l' lakay nou, tout moun va manje ladan l', kit yo nan kondisyon pou sèvi Bondye, kit yo pa nan kondisyon pou fè l', menm jan yo konn manje vyann gazèl ak vyann towo bèf.
23 Tansèlman, piga nou manje san l'. Se pou nou vide tout san an atè tankou dlo.
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
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

