Deuteronomy 15 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year

15 “Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.(A)2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it,[a] because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. 4 There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, 5 if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.(B)6 When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.(C)

7 “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor.(D)8 You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.(E)9 Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor[b] might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.(F)10 Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.(G)11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’(H)

12 “If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold[c] to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free.(I)13 And when you send a male slave[d] out from you a free person, you shall not send him out empty-handed. 14 Provide for him liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress, thus giving to him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; for this reason I lay this command upon you today.(J)16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,(K)17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his earlobe into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.

“You shall do the same with regard to your female slave.

18 “Do not consider it a hardship when you send them out from you free persons, because for six years they have given you services worth the wages of hired laborers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

The Firstborn of Livestock

19 “Every firstling male born of your herd and flock you shall consecrate to the Lord your God; you shall not do work with your firstling ox nor shear the firstling of your flock.(L)20 You shall eat it, you together with your household, in the presence of the Lord your God year by year at the place that the Lord will choose.(M)21 But if it has any defect—any serious defect, such as lameness or blindness—you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God;(N)22 within your towns you may eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as you would a gazelle or deer.(O)23 Its blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.(P)

Footnotes

  1. 15.2Q ms: MT adds of a neighbor who is a member of the community
  2. 15.9Heb he
  3. 15.12Or sells himself or herself
  4. 15.13Heb him

Cross references

  1. 15.1 : Deut 31.10
  2. 15.5 : Deut 28.1
  3. 15.6 : Deut 28.12, 13
  4. 15.7 : 1 Jn 3.17
  5. 15.8 : Lev 25.35
  6. 15.9 : v 1; Deut 24.15
  7. 15.10 : Deut 24.19; 2 Cor 9.5, 7
  8. 15.11 : Mt 26.11; Mk 14.7; Jn 12.8
  9. 15.12 : Ex 21.2; Lev 25.39
  10. 15.15 : Deut 5.15; 16.12
  11. 15.16 : Ex 21.5, 6
  12. 15.19 : Ex 13.2
  13. 15.20 : Deut 12.5–7, 17
  14. 15.21 : Lev 22.19–25
  15. 15.22 : Deut 12.15, 22
  16. 15.23 : Deut 12.16

You Might Also Like:

Deuteronomy 15 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

15 `At the end of seven years thou dost make a release, 2 and this [is] the matter of the release: Every owner of a loan [is] to release his hand which he doth lift up against his neighbour, he doth not exact of his neighbour and of his brother, but hath proclaimed a release to Jehovah; 3 of the str...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

15 In the seventh year thou shalt make (a) remission, (In the seventh year thou shalt make a forgiveness of debts,) 2 that shall be fulfilled by this order. To whom anything is owed, of his friend, either neighbour, and brother, he shall not be able to ask (for) it, for it is the year of remission, ...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - World English Bible (WEB)

15 At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts. 2 This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you ma...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - The Voice (VOICE)

15 Moses: At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts. 2 This is how it will work: anyone who has made a loan to someone else will just let the debtor keep whatever he’s borrowed. That is, if the loan was made to a fellow citizen, to another Israelite, the lender won’t demand repayment becau...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Shmittah: Cancellation of Debts15 “At the end of every seven years you are to cancel debts. 2 This is how you are to cancel debts: every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbor. He must not force his neighbor or his brother to repay, for Adonai’s debt cancellation has been proclai...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year15 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaime...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year15 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaime...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year15 Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. 2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbour, not exacting it from a neighbour who is a member of the community, because the Lord’s remi...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Laws concerning the Sabbatical Year15 “Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.(A)2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it,[a] because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner yo...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Release for Debtors15 “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money. 2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s ti...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New Life Version (NLV)

The Seventh Year15 “At the end of every seven years you must do away with debts that are owed. 2 This is the way you are to do it: Every man who has loaned money must forget the debt. He cannot make his neighbor and his brother pay it because the Lord has said that all should be forgotten. 3 You m...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Debts Canceled Every Seven Years(A)15 “At the end of (B)every seven years you shall grant a [a]release of debts. 2 And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall [b]release it; he shall not [c]require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is ...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The year for cancelling debts15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for cancelling...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New International Version (NIV)

The Year for Canceling Debts(A)15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(B) 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for cancel...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The Year for Forgiving People What They Owe15 At the end of every seven years you must forgive people what they owe you. 2 Have you made a loan to one of your own people? Then forgive what is owed to you. You can’t require that person to pay you back. The Lord’s time to forgive what is owed has bee...
Read More

Deuteronomy 15 - New English Translation (NET)

The Year of Debt Release15 At the end of every seven years you must declare a cancellation of debts.[a] 2 This is the nature of the cancellation: Every creditor must remit what he has loaned to another person;[b] he must not force payment from his fellow Israelite,[c] for it is to be recognized as ...
Read More