Deuteronomy 15

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

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

2 And, this, shall be the manner of the release, Every creditor who lendeth aught to his neighbour, his hand shall release it, —he shall not exact it of his neighbour or his brother, because there hath been proclaimed a release unto Yahweh.

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

3 Of a foreigner, thou mayest exact it, —but, what thou hast with thy brother, thy hand shall release;

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

4 save, when there shall be among you no needy person, —for Yahweh will indeed bless, thee, in the land which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee as an inheritance to possess it:

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

5 only if thou do hearken unto the voice of Yahweh thy God, —to observe to do—all this commandment which I am commanding thee to-day.

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

6 When, Yahweh thy God, hath blessed thee, as he spake unto thee, then shalt thou lend unto many nations but thou, shalt not borrow, and, thou shalt rule over many nations but over thee, shall they not rule.

For the LORD 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.

7 When there cometh to be among you a needy person any one of thy brethren within any one of thy gates, in thy land, which Yahweh thy God is giving unto thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;

If there be with thee a poor man, 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, thy hand unto him, —and, lend, him enough to meet the poverty which doth impoverish him.

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

9 Take thou heed to thyself lest there be something near thine abandoned heart, saying—Drawing nigh, is the seventh year the year of release, and so thine eye be evil, against thy needy brother, and thou give not unto him, —and he cry out against thee unto Yahweh, and it become in thee a sin!

Beware that there be not a base thought in thine 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 the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

10 Thou shalt, give, unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil when thou givest unto him, —for on account of this very thing, will Yahweh thy God bless thee, in all that thou doest and in all whereunto thou puttest thy hand.

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 work, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11 For the needy will not cease out of the midst of the land—for this cause, am I commanding thee, saying, Thou shalt open, thy hand unto thy brother to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land.

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

12 When thy brother a Hebrew man (or a Hebrew woman) selleth himself unto thee, then shall he serve thee six years, —and in the seventh year, shalt thou let him go out free from thee;

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 lettest him go out free, from thee, thou shalt not let him go out empty:

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

14 thou shalt, richly load, him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor and out of thy wine-vat, —of that wherewith Yahweh thy God hath blessed thee, shalt thou give unto him;

thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress: as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15 and thou shalt remember that a servant, thou wast in the land of Egypt, and that Yahweh thy God, redeemed thee, —for this cause, am I commanding thee this thing, to-day.

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 today.

16 And it shall be, if he shall say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, —because he loveth thee, and thy household, because he is well off with thee,

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

17 then shalt thou take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, so shall he be thy servant all his life. And unto thine handmaid also, shalt thou do thus.

then 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 maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18 It shall not be hard in thine eyes when thou lettest him go out free, from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling, hath he served thee six years, —so will Yahweh thy God bless thee, in all that thou doest.

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

19 Every firstling that is brought forth in thy herd and in thy flock that is a male, shalt thou hallow unto Yahweh thy God, —thou shalt not work with a firstling of thine oxen, neither shalt thou shear a firstling of thy flock:

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

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

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 But, when there is in it any blemish, lameness or blindness, any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Yahweh thy God:

And if it have any blemish, [as if it be] lame or blind, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.

22 within thine own gates, mayest thou eat it, —the unclean of you and the clean alike, as the gazelle and as the hart.

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

23 Only the blood thereof, shalt thou not eat, —on the earth, shalt thou pour it out like water.

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