Deuteronomy 15

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

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

2 This is the way of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because the LORD's release has been 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 foreigner you may exact it: but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.

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

4 However there shall be no poor with you; (for the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess 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 if only you diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you 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 your God will bless you, as he promised you: and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

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 a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor 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 you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks.

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

9 Be careful lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand"; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry to the LORD against you, and it be sin to you.

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 You must surely give to him, and your heart is not to be grieved when you give to him; because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your 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 For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command you, saying, You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your 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 your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, and serves you six years; then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.

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 When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty:

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

14 you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress, in proportion as the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

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 You shall remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you: therefore I command you this thing today.

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 It shall be, if he tells you, "I will not go out from you"; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you;

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 you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do 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 It shall not seem hard to you, when you let him go free from you; for to the double of the hire of a hireling has he served you six years: and the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.

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 firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock you shall sanctify to the LORD your God: you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.

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 You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household.

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

21 If it has any blemish, is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your 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 You shall eat it within your gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the deer.

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

23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground as water.

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