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.
