15:1 "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.
15:1 Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts.

15:2 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 proclaimed.
15:2 And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a member of the community, because the LORD's remission has been proclaimed.

15:3 Of a foreigner you may exact it; but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.
15:3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you.

15:4 But there will be no poor among you (for the LORD will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess),
15:4 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,

15:5 if only you will obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all this commandment which I command you this day.
15:5 if only you will obey the LORD your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.

15:6 For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you, and 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.
15:6 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.

15:7 "If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,
15:7 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.

15:8 but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
15:8 You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be.

15:9 Take heed lest there be a base thought in your heart, and you say, `The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye be hostile to your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and it be sin in you.
15:9 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 might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt.

15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.
15:10 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.

15:11 For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.
15:11 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."

15:12 "If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
15:12 If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free.

15:13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed;
15:13 And when you send a male slave out from you a free person, you shall not send him out empty-handed.

15:14 you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press; as the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
15:14 Provide liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your wine press, thus giving to him some of the bounty with which the LORD your God has blessed you.

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

15:16 But if he says to you, `I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you,
15:16 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,

15:17 then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your bondman for ever. And to your bondwoman you shall do likewise.
15:17 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.

15:18 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. So the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.
15:18 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.

15:19 "All the firstling males that are born of your herd and flock you shall consecrate to the LORD your God; you shall do no work with the firstling of your herd, nor shear the firstling of your flock.
15:19 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.

15:20 You shall eat it, you and your household, before the LORD your God year by year at the place which the LORD will choose.
15:20 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.

15:21 But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind, or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
15:21 But if it has any defect--any serious defect, such as lameness or blindness--you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God;

15:22 You shall eat it within your towns; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a hart.
15:22 within your towns you may eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as you would a gazelle or deer.

15:23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
15:23 Its blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.