|
Chapter 15 |
| 1 |
At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. |
| 2 | And this is the manner of the release:
Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall
not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the
LORD's release. |
| 3 | Of a
foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother
thine hand shall release; |
| 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: |
| 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. |
|
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. |
| 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: |
| 8 |
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him
sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 13 | And when thou sendest him
out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: |
| 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. |
| 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. |
|
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; |
| 17 | Then thou shalt take an
awl, 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. |
| 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. |
|
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 23 | Only thou shalt
not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water. |
