Deuteronomy 15

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

Every seven years you shall 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 ordinance of the release: you shall remit every private debt which your neighbour owes you, and you shall not ask payment of it from your brother; for it has been called a release to the Lord your God.

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

Of a stranger you shall ask again whatever he has of your, but to your brother you shall remit his debt to you.

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:

For [thus] there shall not be a poor person in the midst of you, for the Lord your God will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you by inheritance, that you should inherit 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.

And if you shall indeed listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep and do all these commandments, as many as I charge you 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 your God has blessed you in the way of which he spoke to you, ) then 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.

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;

And if there shall be in the midst of you a poor [man] of your brethren in one of your cities in the land, which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, neither shall you by any means close up your hand from your brother who is in lack.

8 but thou shalt, open, thy hand unto him, —and, lend, him enough to meet the poverty which doth impoverish him.

You shall surely open your hands to him, and shall lend to him as much as he wants according to his need.

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!

Take heed to yourself that there be not a secret thing in your heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws near; and your eye shall be evil to your brother that is in lack, and you shall not give to him, and he shall cry against you to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in you.

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.

You shall surely give to him, and you shall lend him as much as he wants, according as he is in need; and you shall not grudge in your heart as you give to him, because on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your works, and in all things on which you shall lay your hand.

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 not fail off your land, therefore I charge you to do this thing, saying, You shall surely open your hands to your poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon your 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;

And if your brother [or sister], a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, be sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall send him out free from you.

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

And when you shall send him out free from you, you shall not send him out 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;

You shall give him provision for the way from your flock, and from your corn, and from your wine; as the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to 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 you shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you from thence; therefore I charge you to do this thing.

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 if he should say to you, I will not go out from you, because he continues to love you and your house, because he is well with you;

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 you shall take an awl, and bore his ear through to the door, and he shall be your servant for ever; and in like manner shall you do to your maidservant.

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 to you when they are sent out free from you, because [your servant] has served you six years according to the annual hire of a hireling; so the Lord your God shall bless you in all things whatever you may do.

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:

Every firstborn that shall be born amongst your kine and your sheep, you shall sanctify the males to the Lord your God; you shall not work with your firstborn calf, and you shall not shear the firstborn of your sheep.

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

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

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 there be in it a blemish, if it be lame or blind, an evil blemish, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your 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.

You shall eat it in your cities; the unclean in you and the clean shall eat it in like manner, as the doe or the stag.

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

Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth as water.