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Deuteronomy 15

Debts Canceled Every Seven Years

1 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lords release.3 Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother,4 except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance5 only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today.6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

Generosity to the Poor

7 If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.9 Beware 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 out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you.10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.

The Law Concerning Bondservants

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.13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed;14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord has blessed you with, you shall give to him.15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.16 And if it happens that he says to you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your house, since he prospers 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.18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

The Law Concerning Firstborn Animals

19 All the firstborn males that come from your herd and 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.20 You and your household shall eat it before the Lord your God year by year in the place which the Lord chooses.21 But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.22 You may eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer.23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.

DEUTERONOMY 15

Loans

(Leviticus 25.1-7)

Moses said:

1-2 Every seven years you must announce, “The [Lord] says loans do not need to be paid back.” Then if you have loaned money to another Israelite, you can no longer ask for payment.t

3 This law applies only to loans you have made to other Israelites. Foreigners will still have to pay back what you have loaned them.

4-6 No one in Israel should ever be poor. The [Lord] your God is giving you this land, and he has promised to make you very successful, if you obey his laws and teachings that I'm giving you today. You will lend money to many nations, but you won't have to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they won't rule you.
7  t After the [Lord] your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. 8 Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. 9 Be careful! Don't say to yourself, “Soon it will be the seventh year, and then I won't be able to get my money back.” It would be horrible for you to think that way and to be so selfish that you refuse to help the poor. They are your relatives, and if you don't help them, they may ask the [Lord] to decide whether you have done wrong. And he will say that you are guilty.

10 You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the [Lord] will make you successful in everything you do.

11  t There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them.

Setting Slaves Free

(Exodus 21.1-11)

Moses said to Israel:


12  t If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. 13 And don't just tell them they are free to leave— 14 give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the [Lord] has given you, the more you should give them. 15 I am commanding you to obey the [Lord] as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. 16 But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.”

17 Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women.

18 Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work.t

First-Born Animals

(Leviticus 27.26,27; Numbers 18.15-18)

Moses said to Israel:


19  t If the first-born animal of a cow or sheep or goat is a male, it must be given to the [Lord]. Don't put first-born cattle to work or cut wool from first-born sheep.

20 Instead, each year you must take the first-born of these animals to the place where the [Lord] your God chooses to be worshiped. You and your family will sacrifice them to the [Lord] and then eat them as part of a sacred meal.
21 But if the animal is lame or blind or has something else wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the [Lord] your God. 22 You can butcher it where you live, and eat it just like the meat of a deer or gazelle that you kill while hunting. Even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some. 23 t But you must never eat the blood of an animal—let it drain out on the ground.