Deuteronomy 15
Amplified Bible
The Sabbatical Year
15 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release (remission, pardon) from debt. 2 This is the regulation for the release: every [a]creditor shall forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not [b]require repayment from his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. 3 You may require repayment from a foreigner, but whatever of yours is with your brother [Israelite] your hand shall release. 4 However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lord will most certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you will listen to and obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all these commandments which I am commanding you today. 6 When the Lord your God blesses [c]you as He has promised you, then you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “If there is a poor man among you, one of your fellow Israelites, in [d]any of your cities in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not [e]be heartless, nor [f]close-fisted with your poor brother; 8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend to him [g]whatever he needs. 9 Beware that there is no wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release (remission, pardon), is approaching,’ and your eye is hostile (unsympathetic) toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing [since he would not have to repay you]; for he may cry out to the Lord against you, and it will become a sin for you. 10 You shall freely and generously give to him, and your heart shall not be resentful when you give to him, because for this [generous] thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. 11 For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.’
12 “If your fellow Israelite, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you shall set him free [from your service]. 13 When you set him free, you shall not let him go away empty-handed. 14 You shall give him generous provisions from your flock, from your threshing floor and from your wine press; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 And you shall remember and thoughtfully consider that you were [once] a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you these things today. 16 Now if the servant says to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you; 17 then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall [willingly] be your servant always. Also you shall do the same for your maidservant.(A)
18 “It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has served you six years with double the service of a hired man; so the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
19 “You shall consecrate (set apart) to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock. You shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place [for worship] which the Lord chooses. 21 But if it has any defect or injury, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your [city] gates; the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as [if it were] a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 15:2 Lit master of a loan.
- Deuteronomy 15:2 Lit collect.
- Deuteronomy 15:6 Lit according to the word to you.
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit one of your gates.
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit harden your heart.
- Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit close your hand to.
- Deuteronomy 15:8 Lit sufficient for his need.
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.
申命记 15
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
安息年
15 “每逢第七年末，你们要免除他人的债务。 2 你们要这样做，所有债主都要免除同胞所欠的债务，不可向他们追讨，因为宣布免除债务的是耶和华。 3 你们可以向外族人讨债，但无论同胞欠你什么债务，都要免除。 4-5 只要你们听从你们上帝耶和华的话，谨遵我今天吩咐你们的诫命，祂必使你们在这片祂赐给你们作产业的土地上蒙福，你们中间不会有穷人。 6 你们的上帝耶和华必照祂的应许赐福给你们，你们必借贷给多国，却不需要向他们借贷。你们必统治多国，却不被他们统治。
7 “在进入你们的上帝耶和华将要赐给你们的土地后，如果你们居住的城中有贫穷的同胞，你们不可硬着心肠拒施援手。 8 他们所需要的，你们要慷慨地借给他们。 9 你们要谨慎，不可因为免除债务的第七年将近，就心怀恶念，对贫穷同胞冷眼相待，拒施援手。否则，他会求告耶和华，那时你们便有罪了。 10 你们要慷慨给予，并且无怨无悔，因为耶和华必在你们所做的一切事上赐福给你们。 11 你们居住的地方总会有穷人，所以我吩咐你们要慷慨地帮助贫穷或有需要的同胞。
12 “如果你们的希伯来同胞，不论男女，卖身给你们做奴隶，他们要服侍你们六年，到第七年，你们要给他们自由。 13 你们不可让他们空手离去， 14 要慷慨地把你们的上帝耶和华赐给你们的羊、五谷和酒分给他们。 15 要记住，你们曾在埃及做奴隶，你们的上帝耶和华拯救了你们。所以，我今天吩咐你们这样做。 16 如果你们的奴隶因为爱你们和你们的家人，与你们相处融洽，不愿意离去， 17 你们就要让他靠在门上，用锥子在他耳朵上扎个洞，他便终身成为你们的奴隶。对待婢女也要这样。 18 你们释放奴隶时，不要不情愿，因为他们服侍你们六年，所做的是普通雇工的两倍。而且，你们的上帝耶和华也会在你们所做的一切事上赐福给你们。
头生的牛羊
19 “你们要把头生的公牛和公羊分别出来，献给你们的上帝耶和华。不可用头生的公牛耕田，也不要剪头生公羊的毛。 20 每年，你们全家要去你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方，在祂面前吃这些头生的牛羊。 21 如果这些牛羊有什么残疾，如瘸腿、瞎眼或其他残疾，就不可献给你们的上帝耶和华。 22 要在你们的城里吃这些牛羊。洁净的人和不洁净的人都可以吃，就像吃羚羊和鹿一样。 23 但不可吃它们的血，要把血倒在地上，像倒水一样。
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