Deuteronomy 15

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

“At the end of every seven years, you must (cancel all debts/tell people who owe you money that they do not need to pay it back).

2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it from his neighbor and his brother, because Jehovah's release has been proclaimed.

Do it like this: Each of you who has lent money to a fellow Israeli must cancel that debt. You must not insist that he pay it back. You must do that because Yahweh has declared that the debts must be canceled [every seven years].

3 From a foreigner thou may exact it, but whatever of thine is with thy brother, thy hand shall release.

[During that year] you may require foreigners [who live among you] to pay what they owe you, but you must not try to require that any fellow Israeli pay you what he owes you.

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

Yahweh our God will bless you in the land that he is giving to you. If you obey Yahweh our God and obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today, there will not be any poor people among you.

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

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

Yahweh our God will bless you like he has promised to do, and you will [be able to] lend money to people of other people-groups, but you will not [need to] borrow from any of them. You will control [the finances of] many people-groups, but they will not control your [finances].

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

“In the towns that Yahweh our God is giving to you, if there are any Israelis who are poor, do not be selfish [IDM] and refuse [IDM] to help them.

8 but thou shall surely open thy hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need which he wants.

Instead, be generous [IDM] and lend to them the money that they need.

9 Beware that there not be 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 nothing, and he cry to Jehovah against thee, and it be sin to thee.

Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, [so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes].’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israeli, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh about you, and [Yahweh will say that] you have sinned [by not helping that person].

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

Give freely to poor people and give generously [IDM].

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

If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people.”

12 If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to thee, and serves thee six years, then in the seventh year thou shall let him go free from thee.

“If any of your fellow Israeli men or women sell themselves to one of you [to become your slave], you must free them after they have worked for you for six years. When the seventh year comes, you must free them.

13 And when thou let him go free from thee, thou shall not let him go empty.

When you free them, do not allow them to go (empty-handed/without giving them anything).

14 Thou shall furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress. As Jehovah thy God has blessed thee thou shall give to him.

Give to them generously from the things with which Yahweh has blessed you—sheep, grain, and wine.

15 And thou shall remember that thou were a bondman in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee. Therefore I command thee this thing today.

Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.

16 And it shall be, if he says to thee, I will not go out from thee, because he loves thee and thy house, because he is well with thee,

“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.

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

If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, [while he stands against the doorway], pierce one of his earlobes with (an awl/a sharp pointed tool). That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave [who does not want to leave you].

18 It shall not seem hard to thee when thou let him go free from thee, for he has been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years. And Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou do.

“Do not complain when you are required to free your slaves. [Keep in mind that] they served you for six years, and you paid them only half as much as you pay the servants that you hire. [If you free them, ] Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”

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

“(Set aside for/Dedicate to) Yahweh our God the firstborn male animals from your cattle and sheep. Do not force them to do any work for you, and do not (shear/cut off) the wool [of the firstborn animals to sell the wool].

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

You and your family may [kill them and] eat their meat in the presence of Yahweh at the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him].

21 And if it has any blemish, as lame or blind, any ill blemish whatever, thou shall not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God.

But if the animals have any defects, if they are lame or blind, or if they have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.

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

You may [kill and] eat [the meat of those animals] at your homes. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done such things are permitted to eat that meat, just like anyone is permitted to eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

23 Only thou shall not eat the blood of it. Thou shall pour it out upon the ground as water.

But you must not eat any of the blood; you must drain all the blood on the ground [when you kill those animals].”