Deuteronomy 15:1-18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year
15 “Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.(A) 2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it,[a] because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. 4 There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, 5 if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.(B) 6 When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.(C)
7 “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor.(D) 8 You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.(E) 9 Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor[b] might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.(F) 10 Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.(G) 11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’(H)
12 “If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold[c] to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free.(I) 13 And when you send a male slave[d] out from you a free person, you shall not send him out empty-handed. 14 Provide for him liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress, thus giving to him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; for this reason I lay this command upon you today.(J) 16 But 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,(K) 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his earlobe into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.
“You shall do the same with regard to your female slave.
18 “Do not consider it a hardship when you send them out from you free persons, because for six years they have given you services worth the wages of hired laborers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.
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Deuteronomy 15:1-18
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]
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- 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”
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