Deuteronomy 15

1 At the terme of seuen yeeres thou shalt make a freedome.

At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.

2 And this is the maner of the freedome: euery creditour shall quite ye lone of his hand which he hath lent to his neighbour: he shall not aske it againe of his neighbour, nor of his brother: for the yeere of the Lords freedome is proclaimed.

This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.

3 Of a stranger thou mayest require it: but that which thou hast with thy brother, thine hand shall remit:

You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.

4 Saue when there shall be no poore with thee: for the Lord shall blesse thee in the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee, for an inheritance to possesse it:

There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,

5 So that thou hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe all these commandements, which I commande thee this day.

if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.

6 For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, as he hath promised thee: and thou shalt lend vnto many nations, but thou thy selfe shalt not borow, and thou shalt reigne ouer many nations, and they shall not reigne ouer thee.

When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.

7 If one of thy brethren with thee be poore within any of thy gates in thy land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother:

If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.

8 But thou shalt open thine hand vnto him, and shalt lend him sufficient for his neede which he hath.

Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

9 Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thine heart, to say, The seuenth yeere, the yeere of freedome is at hand: therefore it grieueth thee to looke on thy poore brother, and thou giuest him nought, and he crie vnto the Lord against thee, so that sinne be in thee:

Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

10 Thou shalt giue him, and let it not grieue thine heart to giue vnto him: for because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in al thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand to.

Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.

11 Because there shall be euer some poore in the land, therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand vnto thy brother, to thy needie, and to thy poore in thy land.

For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

12 If thy brother an Ebrewe sell himselfe to thee, or an Ebrewesse, and serue thee sixe yeere, euen in the seuenth yeere thou shalt let him goe free from thee:

If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.

13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him goe away emptie,

And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed.

14 But shalt giue him a liberall reward of thy sheepe, and of thy corne, and of thy wine: thou shalt giue him of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.

15 And remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God deliuered thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.

Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.

16 And if he say vnto thee, I will not go away from thee, because he loueth thee and thine house, and because he is well with thee,

But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,

17 Then shalt thou take a naule, and perce his eare through against the doore, and he shall be thy seruant for euer: and vnto thy maid seruant thou shall doe likewise.

then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.

18 Let it not grieue thee, when thou lettest him goe out free from thee: for he hath serued thee sixe yeeres, which is the double worth of an hired seruant: and the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all that thou doest.

Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.

19 All the first borne males that come of thy cattell, and of thy sheepe, thou shalt sanctifie vnto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do no worke with thy first borne bullocke, nor sheare thy first borne sheepe.

You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.

20 Thou shalt eate it before the Lord thy God yeere by yeere, in the place which the Lord shall chose, both thou, and thine household.

Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

21 But if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or haue any euill fault, thou shalt not offer it vnto the Lord thy God,

But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

22 But shalt eate it within thy gates: the vncleane, and the cleane shall eate it alike, as the roe bucke, and as the hart.

Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer.

23 Onely thou shalt not eate the blood thereof, but powre it vpon the ground as water.

But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.