Deuteronomy 15
15
The Special Seventh Year
1At the end of every seven years, you must forget about collecting what people owe you. 2This is how you must do it: Everyone who has loaned money must forget the loan. He must not make his neighbor or brother pay it back. This is the Lord’s time for canceling what people owe. 3You may make a foreigner pay what he owes you. But you must not collect what your brother owes you. 4But there should be no poor people among you. The Lord your God will richly bless you in the land he is giving you to own. 5He will bless you if you obey him completely. But you must be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. 6The Lord your God will bless you as he promised. You will lend to other nations. But you will not need to borrow from them. You will rule over many nations. But none will rule over you.
7There might be a poor man among you. He might be in one of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you. Do not be selfish or greedy toward your poor brother. 8But give freely to him. Freely lend him whatever he needs. 9Beware of evil thoughts. Don’t think, “The seventh year is near. It’s the year to forget what people owe.” You might be mean to your needy brother. You might not give him anything. Then he will complain to the Lord about you. And the Lord will find you guilty of sin. 10Give freely to the poor person. Do not wish that you didn’t have to give. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you touch. 11There will always be poor people in the land. So I command you to give freely to your brothers. Give freely to the poor and needy in your land.
Letting Slaves Go Free
12One of your own people might sell himself to you as a slave. It may be a Hebrew man or woman. That person will serve you for six years. The seventh year you must let him go free. 13And when you let him go, don’t send him away without anything. 14Give him some of your sheep, your grain and your wine. Give to him as the Lord has given to you. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. And the Lord your God saved you. That is why I am commanding this to you today.
16But your slave might say to you, “I don’t want to leave you.” He might love you and your family. He might have a good life with you. 17If he does this, stick an awl# A tool like a big needle with a handle at one end. through his ear into the door. He will be your slave for life. Also do this to a woman slave.
18Do not think of it as a hard thing when you let your slave go free. After all, he served you six years. You paid him only half what a hired person would cost. The Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
Rules About Firstborn Animals
19Save all the first male animals born to your herds and flocks. They are for the Lord your God. Do not work the first calf born to your oxen. And do not cut off the wool from the first lamb born to your sheep. 20Each year you and your family are to eat these animals. Eat them in the presence of the Lord your God. Eat them in the place he will choose to be worshiped. 21An animal might have something wrong with it. It might be crippled or blind. It might have some other thing wrong with it. Do not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22But you may eat that animal in your own town. Both clean and unclean people may eat it. It would be like eating a gazelle or a deer. 23But don’t eat its blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.
Currently Selected:
Deuteronomy 15: ICB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Deḇarim (Deuteronomy) 15
15
1“At the end of every seven years you make a release of debts.
2“And this is the word of the release: Every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbour, he does not require it of his neighbour or his brother, because it is called the release of יהוה.
3“Of a foreigner you could require it, but your hand is to release whatever is owed by your brother.
4“Only, there should be no poor among you. For יהוה does greatly bless you in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess as an inheritance,
5only if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all these commands which I am commanding you today.
6“For יהוה your Elohim shall 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 do not rule over you.
7“When there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, within any of the gates in your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, do not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,
8for you shall certainly open your hand to him and certainly lend him enough for his need, whatever he needs.
9“Be on guard lest there be a thought of Beliya‛al in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is near,’ and your eye is evil against your poor brother and you give him naught. And he shall cry out to יהוה against you, and it shall be a sin in you.
10“You shall certainly give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this reason יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.
11Because the poor one does not cease from the land. Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall certainly open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your needy one, in your land.’ ”
12“When your brother is sold to you, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, and shall serve you six years, then let him go free from you in the seventh year.
13“And when you send him away free from you, let him not go away empty-handed.
14“You shall richly supply him from your flock, and from your threshing-floor, and from your winepress. With that which יהוה has blessed you with, give to him.
15“And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and יהוה your Elohim ransomed you. Therefore I am commanding you this word today.
16“And it shall be, when he says to you, ‘I do not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, because it is good for him with you,
17then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Do the same to your female servant.
18“Let it not be hard in your eyes when you send him away free from you, for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. And יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in all that you do.
19“Set apart to יהוה your Elohim all the first-born males that come from your herd and your flock. Do no work with the first-born of your herd, nor shear the first-born of your flock.
20“You and your household are to eat it before יהוה your Elohim year by year in the place which יהוה chooses.
21“But when there is any defect in it, lame or blind, or has any evil defect, do not slaughter it to יהוה your Elohim.
22“Eat it within your gates – the unclean and the clean alike – as the gazelle, and as the deer.
23“Only, do not eat its blood, pour it on the ground like water.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright© 1993 – 2015 by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR). All rights reserved.