Deuteronomy, 15

1. At the end of [every] seven years thou shalt make a release.

1. Every seven years you shall pardon debts.

2. And this [is] the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth [ought] unto his neighbour shall release [it]; he shall not exact [it] of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release.

2. You shall do this in the following manner: the creditor shall pardon any debt of his neighbor or brother, and shall stop exacting it of him because Yahweh's pardon has been proclaimed.

3. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact [it again]: but [that] which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

3. You may demand that a foreigner pay back his debts but you shall pardon the debt of your brother.

4. Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to possess it:

4. However you should have no poor in your midst for Yahweh will give you prosperity in the land that you have conquered.

5. Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.

5. If you listen to the voice of Yahweh, your God, and obey all that he has commanded you, which I now remind you of, he will bless you as he promised.

6. For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

6. You shall lend to many nations but you shall not borrow; you shall drive away many nations and they shall not have dominion over you.

7. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

7. If there is anybody poor among your brothers, who lives in your cities in the land that Yahweh gives you, do not harden your heart or close your hand,

8. But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, [in that] which he wanteth.

8. but be open-handed and lend him all that he needs.

9. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

9. Be careful that you do not harbor in your heart these perverse thoughts: "The seventh year, the year of pardon, is near," so you look coldly at your poor brother and lend him nothing. He may cry to Yahweh against you, and you will be guilty.

10. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

10. When you give anything, give it willingly, and Yahweh, your God, will bless you for this in all your work and in all that you undertake.

11. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.

11. The poor will not disappear from this land. Therefore I give you this commandment: you must be open-handed to your brother, to the needy and to the poor in your land.

12. [And] if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

12. If your fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you as a slave, he shall serve you for six years, and in the seventh, you shall set him free.

13. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:

13. When you set him free, do not let him go empty-handed,

14. Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: [of that] wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

14. but give him something from your flock, from your store of wheat and wine, something from the good things that Yahweh has blessed you with.

15. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.

15. Remember that you too were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh, your God, has given you freedom. Because of this, I give you this commandment.

16. And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

16. But if your slave says: "I do not want to leave," because he loves you and your household and knows that he will be well off with you,

17. Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust [it] through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

17. you shall then take an awl and thrust it through his ear into the door of your house, and he will serve you forever. You shall do likewise with your maidservant.

18. It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant [to thee], in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

18. Do not think it hard on you to give him freedom, because for six years you have gained from him twice as much as from a hired servant.

19. All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

19. You shall consecrate to Yahweh all the male firstlings that are born of your cattle or sheep. You shall not use the firstling of your cattle for work, nor shear the firstling of your sheep.

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

20. You shall eat these every three years in the presence of Yahweh with all your family in the place Yahweh has chosen.

21. And if there be [any] blemish therein, [as if it be] lame, or blind, [or have] any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.

21. You shall not sacrifice an animal to Yahweh if it has any defect, if it is lame or blind,

22. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean [person shall eat it] alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

22. but shall eat it in your house; the clean as well as the unclean may eat of it, as you would eat a gazelle or a deer.

23. Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.

23. Only take care that you do not eat the blood, you shall pour it out on the ground like water.