Bible
(KJV)
Deuteronomy 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
neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, 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 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.
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.