Deuteronomy 15 The year of remission

Deuteronomy 15

The year of remission

1 At the end of the seven years you shall make remission.

2 For this is the way of remission: That every creditor who has lent one thing to his neighbor shall do it: he shall not require it from his neighbor or brother, for the remission of the Lord is proclaimed.

3 You shall demand it from a stranger: but whatsoever thou hast in thy brother's hand thy hand shall repay him:

4 Only so that there may not be poor in you: for the LORD shall bless you abundantly in the land which the LORD your God shall give you for an inheritance, to possess it.

5 If you will only hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, take heed to do all these commandments which I command you this day:

6 For the LORD your God will bless you, as he has said to you, So you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow: and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7 When there is any poor among you among your brothers, in some of your gates, in your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor brother.

8 But thou shalt open them with all thy hand, and freely lend unto him all that is lacking for him, as much as is needed for him.

9 Take heed that there be no word of Belial in your heart, saying, The seventh year is approaching, the year of remission: and let thine eye be evil toward thy poor brother, and give him nothing; and he cry unto thee to the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

10 Thou shalt freely give him, and let not thine heart be evil, when thou shalt give him: for this cause shall the Lord thy God bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou putest thy hand.

11 For the poor from the midst of the earth shall never cease: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand to thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor in thy land.

12 When your Hebrew brother or Hebrew sister sells himself to you, he will serve you six years, but in the seventh year you will send him away from you.

13 And when you send him away from you, you shall not send him away empty.

14 Thou shalt liberally give it of thy flock, and of thy threshing floor, and of thy winepress: wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give it unto him.

15 And you shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you: therefore I command you this thing today.

16 But will he say to you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you:

17 Then shalt thou take an awl, and pierce his ear in the gate, and thy servant shall be for ever: and thou shalt also make thy handmaid.

18 Let not thy thing be hard in thy sight, when thou shalt cast it off from thee; For six years he served you twice the wages of the journeyman: so the Lord your God will bless you in all that you do.

19 And every firstborn that is born among your cows, and between your sheep, the male shall sanctify the LORD your God: with the firstborn of your ox you shall not work nor shear the firstborn of your sheep.

20 Thou shalt eat them before the LORD thy God year by year, in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy house.

21 But if there be any defect in him, if he be lame or blind, or have any defect, thou shalt not sacrifice to the LORD thy God.

22 Thou shalt eat it in thy gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it together, as a deer or a deer.

23 Only thou shalt not eat his blood: and thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.