1 ` At the end of seven years thou dost make a release,

At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.

2 a nd this the matter of the release: Every owner of a loan 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;

And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, for the Lord’s release is proclaimed.

3 o f the stranger thou mayest exact, and that which is thine with thy brother doth thy hand release;

Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.

4 o nly when there is no needy one with thee, for Jehovah doth greatly bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee -- an inheritance to possess it.

But there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will surely bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess,

5 ` Only, if thou dost diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this command which I am commanding thee to-day,

If only you carefully listen to the voice of the Lord your God, to do watchfully all these commandments which I command you this day.

6 f or Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee as He hath spoken to thee; and thou hast lent many nations, and thou hast not borrowed; and thou hast ruled over many nations, and over thee they do not rule.

When the Lord your God blesses you as He promised you, then you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

7 ` When there is with thee any needy one of one of thy brethren, in one of thy cities, in thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;

If there is among you a poor man, one of your kinsmen in any of the towns of your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your hearts or close your hands to your poor brother;

8 f or thou dost certainly open thy hand to him, and dost certainly lend him sufficient for his lack which he lacketh.

But you shall open your hands wide to him and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.

9 ` Take heed to thee lest there be a word in thy heart -- worthless, saying, Near the seventh year, the year of release; and thine eye is evil against thy needy brother, and thou dost not give to him, and he hath called concerning thee unto Jehovah, and it hath been in thee sin;

Beware lest there be a base thought in your hearts, and you say, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand, and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and it be sin in you.

10 t hou dost certainly give to him, and thy heart is not sad in thy giving to him, for because of this thing doth Jehovah thy God bless thee in all thy works, and in every putting forth of thy hand;

You shall give to him freely without begrudging it; because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake.

11 b ecause the needy one doth not cease out of the land, therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Thou dost certainly open thy hand to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy one, in thy land.

For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hands to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.

12 ` When thy brother is sold to thee, a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, and he hath served thee six years -- then in the seventh year thou dost send him away free from thee.

And if your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.

13 A nd when thou dost send him away free from thee, thou dost not send him away empty;

And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed.

14 t hou dost certainly encircle him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-vat; that which Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou dost give to him,

You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress; of what the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

15 a nd thou hast remembered that a servant thou hast been in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God doth ransom thee; therefore I am commanding thee this thing to-day.

And you shall remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I give you this command today.

16 ` And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee -- because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because good for him with thee --

But if the servant says to you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your household, since he does well with you,

17 t hen thou hast taken the awl, and hast put through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so.

Then take an awl and pierce his ear through to the door, and he shall be your servant always. And also to your bondwoman you shall do likewise.

18 ` It is not hard in thine eyes, in thy sending him away free from thee; for the double of the hire of an hireling he hath served thee six years, and Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all that thou dost.

It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired servant he has served you six years; and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.

19 ` Every firstling that is born in thy herd and in thy flock -- the male thou dost sanctify to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not work with the firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock;

All the firstling males that are born of your herd and flock you shall set apart for the Lord your God; you shall do no work with the firstling of your herd, nor shear the firstling of your flock.

20 b efore Jehovah thy God thou dost eat it year by year, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, thou and thy house.

You shall eat it before the Lord your God annually in the place which the Lord shall choose, you and your household.

21 ` And when there is in it a blemish, lame, or blind, any evil blemish, thou dost not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God;

But if it has any blemish, if it is lame, blind, or has any bad blemish whatsoever, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.

22 w ithin thy gates thou dost eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as the roe, and as the hart.

You shall eat it within your towns; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a hart.

23 O nly, its blood thou dost not eat; on the earth thou dost pour it as water.

Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water.