The Sabbatical Year
1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release (remission, pardon)from debt.
2 This is the regulation for the release: everycreditor shall forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall notrequire repayment from his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’srelease has been proclaimed.
3 You may require repayment from a foreigner, but whatever of yours is with your brother [Israelite] your hand shall release.
4 However, there will be no poor among you, since the Lordwill most certainly bless you in the land which the Lordyour God is giving you as an inheritance to possess,
5 if only you will listen toandobey the voice of the Lordyour God, to observe carefully all these commandments which I am commanding you today.
6 When the Lordyour God blessesyou as He has promised you, then 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 “If there is a poor man among you, one of your fellow Israelites, inany of your cities in the land that the Lordyour God is giving you, you shall notbe heartless, norclose-fisted with your poor brother;
8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend to himwhatever he needs.
9 Beware that there is no wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release (remission, pardon), is approaching,’ and your eye is hostile (unsympathetic) toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing [since he would not have to repay you]; for he may cry out to the Lordagainst you, and it will become a sin for you.
10 You shall freelyandgenerously give to him, and your heart shall not be resentful when you give to him, because for this [generous] thing the Lordyour God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.
11 For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor in your land.’
12 “If your fellow Israelite, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you shall set him free [from your service].
13 When you set him free, you shall not let him go away empty-handed.
14 You shall give him generous provisions from your flock, from your threshing floor and from your wine press; you shall give to him as the Lordyour God has blessed you.
15 And you shall rememberandthoughtfully consider that you were [once] a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lordyour God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you these things today.
16 Now if the servant says to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you;
17 then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall [willingly] be your servant always. Also you shall do the same for your maidservant.
18 “It shall not seem hard to you when you set him free, for he has served you six yearswithdouble the service of a hired man; so the Lordyour God will bless you in everything you do.
19 “You shall consecrate (set apart) to the Lordyour God all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock. You shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
20 You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lordyour God in the place [for worship] which the Lordchooses.
21 But if it has any defectorinjury,such aslameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lordyour God.
22 You shall eat it within your [city] gates; the [ceremonially] unclean and the clean alikemay eat it, as [if it were] a gazelle or a deer.
23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.