Deuteronomy 15

¹At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

²And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Jehovah’s release hath been proclaimed.

³Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it: but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release.

⁴Howbeit there shall be no poor with thee (for Jehovah will surely bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it),

⁵if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.

⁶For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.

⁷If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother;

⁸but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.

⁹Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto Jehovah against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

¹⁰Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.

¹¹For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land.

¹²If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

¹³And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty:

¹⁴thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; as Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

¹⁵And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day.

¹⁶And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

¹⁷then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise.

¹⁸It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years: and Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest.

¹⁹All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto Jehovah thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy herd, nor shear the firstling of thy flock.

²⁰Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God year by year in the place which Jehovah shall choose, thou and thy household.

²¹And if it have any blemish, as if it be lame or blind, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Jehovah thy God.

²²Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart.

²³Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.

Deuteronomy 15

¹`At the end of seven years thou dost make a release,

²and this is the matter of the release: Every owner of a loan is to release his hand which he doth lift up against his neighbour, he doth not exact of his neighbour and of his brother, but hath proclaimed a release to Jehovah;

³of the stranger thou mayest exact, and that which is thine with thy brother doth thy hand release;

⁴only when there is no needy one with thee, for Jehovah doth greatly bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to theean inheritance to possess it.

⁵`Only, if thou dost diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this command which I am commanding thee to-day,

⁶for Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee as He hath spoken to thee; and thou hast lent to many nations, and thou hast not borrowed; and thou hast ruled over many nations, and over thee they do not rule.

⁷`When there is with thee any needy one of one of thy brethren, in one of thy cities, in thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;

⁸for thou dost certainly open thy hand to him, and dost certainly lend him sufficient for his lack which he lacketh.

⁹`Take heed to thee lest there be a word in thy heartworthless, saying, Near is the seventh year, the year of release; and thine eye is evil against thy needy brother, and thou dost not give to him, and he hath called concerning thee unto Jehovah, and it hath been in thee sin;

¹⁰thou dost certainly give to him, and thy heart is not sad in thy giving to him, for because of this thing doth Jehovah thy God bless thee in all thy works, and in every putting forth of thy hand;

¹¹because the needy one doth not cease out of the land, therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Thou dost certainly open thy hand to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy one, in thy land.

¹²`When thy brother is sold to thee, a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, and he hath served thee six yearsthen in the seventh year thou dost send him away free from thee.

¹³And when thou dost send him away free from thee, thou dost not send him away empty;

¹⁴thou dost certainly encircle him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-vat; of that which Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou dost give to him,

¹⁵and thou hast remembered that a servant thou hast been in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God doth ransom thee; therefore I am commanding thee this thing to-day.

¹⁶`And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from theebecause he hath loved thee, and thy house, because it is good for him with thee

¹⁷then thou hast taken the awl, and hast put it through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so.

¹⁸`It is not hard in thine eyes, in thy sending him away free from thee; for the double of the hire of an hireling he hath served thee six years, and Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all that thou dost.

¹⁹`Every firstling that is born in thy herd and in thy flockthe male thou dost sanctify to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not work with the firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock;

²⁰before Jehovah thy God thou dost eat it year by year, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, thou and thy house.

²¹`And when there is in it a blemish, lame, or blind, any evil blemish, thou dost not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God;

²²within thy gates thou dost eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as the roe, and as the hart.

²³Only, its blood thou dost not eat; on the earth thou dost pour it as water.