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Deuteronomy 15-16
New American Standard Bible

The Sabbatical Year

15 “(A)At the end of every seven years you shall [a]grant a release of debts. 2 And this is the regulation for the release of debts: every creditor is to forgive what he has loaned to his neighbor; he shall not require it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed. 3 (B)From a foreigner you may require it, but your hand shall [b]forgive whatever of yours is with your brother. 4 However, there will be no poor among you, since (C)the Lord will certainly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, 5 if only you listen obediently to the voice of the Lord your God, to [c]follow carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today. 6 (D)For the Lord your God will have blessed you just as He has promised you, and 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 (E)a poor person among you, one of your brothers, in any of your [d]towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, (F)you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8 but (G)you shall fully open your hand to him, and generously lend him enough for his need in whatever he lacks. 9 Be careful that there is no mean-spirited [e]thought in your heart, [f]such as, ‘(H)The seventh year, the year of release of debts, is near,’ and (I)your eye is malicious toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he (J)may cry out to the Lord against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10 You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be [g]grudging when you give to him, because (K)for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your work, and in all [h]your undertakings. 11 (L)For the poor will not cease [i]to exist in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall fully open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

12 “(M)If your fellow countryman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, then he shall serve you for six years, but in the seventh year you shall set him [j]free. 13 And when you set him [k]free, you shall not send him away empty-handed. 14 You shall give generously to him from your flock, your threshing floor, and from your wine vat; you shall give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 And you are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I am commanding [l]this of you today. 16 But it shall come about, (N)if he says to you, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you, 17 then you shall take an [m]awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant permanently. You shall also do the same to your female slave.

18 “It shall not seem difficult for you when you set him [n]free, because he has given you six years with double the [o]service of a hired worker; so the Lord your God will bless you in whatever you do.

19 “(O)You shall consecrate to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born in your herd and in your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (P)You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (Q)But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your gates; (R)the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (S)a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only (T)you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

The Feasts of Passover, of Weeks, and of Booths

16 “Observe (U)the month of Abib and [p](V)celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. 3 (W)You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt (X)all the days of your life. 4 For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in your entire territory, and (Y)none of the meat which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall be left overnight until the morning. 5 You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your [q]towns which the Lord your God is giving you; 6 but only (Z)at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. 7 You shall (AA)cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents. 8 For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and (AB)on the seventh day there shall be (AC)a festive assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it.

9 “(AD)You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall [r]celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a [s]voluntary offering of your hand in a proportional amount, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall (AE)rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and (AF)the Levite who is in your [t]town, and (AG)the stranger, the [u]orphan, and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 (AH)You shall also remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful and [v]comply with these statutes.

13 “(AI)You shall [w]celebrate the Feast of [x]Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall (AJ)rejoice in your feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the [y]orphan, and the widow who are in your [z]towns. 15 For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 “(AK)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and (AL)they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Everyone [aa]shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

18 “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your [ab]towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. 19 (AM)You shall not distort justice, (AN)you shall not [ac]show partiality; and (AO)you shall not accept a bribe, because a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and distorts the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that (AP)you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

21 “(AQ)You shall not plant for yourself an [ad]Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 And (AR)you shall not set up for yourself a memorial stone, which the Lord your God hates.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 15:1 Lit make
  2. Deuteronomy 15:3 Lit release
  3. Deuteronomy 15:5 Lit perform
  4. Deuteronomy 15:7 Lit gates
  5. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit word
  6. Deuteronomy 15:9 Lit saying
  7. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit evil
  8. Deuteronomy 15:10 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  9. Deuteronomy 15:11 Lit from the midst of
  10. Deuteronomy 15:12 Lit free from you
  11. Deuteronomy 15:13 Lit free from you
  12. Deuteronomy 15:15 Lit this thing
  13. Deuteronomy 15:17 I.e., a pointed tool
  14. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit free from you
  15. Deuteronomy 15:18 Lit wages
  16. Deuteronomy 16:1 Lit perform
  17. Deuteronomy 16:5 Lit gates
  18. Deuteronomy 16:10 Lit perform
  19. Deuteronomy 16:10 Or freewill offering
  20. Deuteronomy 16:11 Lit gates
  21. Deuteronomy 16:11 Or fatherless
  22. Deuteronomy 16:12 Lit perform these
  23. Deuteronomy 16:13 Lit perform
  24. Deuteronomy 16:13 Or Tabernacles
  25. Deuteronomy 16:14 Or fatherless
  26. Deuteronomy 16:14 Lit gates
  27. Deuteronomy 16:17 Lit according to the gift of his hand
  28. Deuteronomy 16:18 Lit gates
  29. Deuteronomy 16:19 Lit recognize faces
  30. Deuteronomy 16:21 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity
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Deuteronomy 15-16
New International Version

The Year for Canceling Debts(A)

15 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.(B) 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner,(C) but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless(D) you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow(E) all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.(F)

7 If anyone is poor(G) among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted(H) toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded(I) and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts,(J) is near,” so that you do not show ill will(K) toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.(L) 10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart;(M) then because of this the Lord your God will bless(N) you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people(O) in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.(P)

Freeing Servants(Q)(R)

12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.(S) 13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor(T) and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves(U) in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.(V) That is why I give you this command today.

16 But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.

18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

The Firstborn Animals

19 Set apart for the Lord(W) your God every firstborn male(X) of your herds and flocks.(Y) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(Z) 20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.(AA) 21 If an animal has a defect,(AB) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(AC) 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.(AD) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(AE)

The Passover(AF)

16 Observe the month of Aviv(AG) and celebrate the Passover(AH) of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.(AI) 3 Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,(AJ) because you left Egypt in haste(AK)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.(AL) 4 Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening(AM) of the first day remain until morning.(AN)

5 You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you 6 except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a](AO) of your departure from Egypt. 7 Roast(AP) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. 8 For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly(AQ) to the Lord your God and do no work.(AR)

The Festival of Weeks(AS)

9 Count off seven weeks(AT) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.(AU) 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice(AV) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name(AW)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites(AX) in your towns, and the foreigners,(AY) the fatherless and the widows living among you.(AZ) 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,(BA) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles(BB)

13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor(BC) and your winepress.(BD) 14 Be joyful(BE) at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy(BF) will be complete.

16 Three times a year all your men must appear(BG) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(BH) the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.(BI) No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:(BJ) 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Judges

18 Appoint judges(BK) and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.(BL) 19 Do not pervert justice(BM) or show partiality.(BN) Do not accept a bribe,(BO) for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Worshiping Other Gods

21 Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole(BP) beside the altar you build to the Lord your God,(BQ) 22 and do not erect a sacred stone,(BR) for these the Lord your God hates.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:6 Or down, at the time of day
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Deuteronomy 15-16
King James Version

15 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.

16 Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the Lord thy God: for in the month of Abib the Lord thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.

2 Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the passover unto the Lord thy God, of the flock and the herd, in the place which the Lord shall choose to place his name there.

3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.

4 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy coast seven days; neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the morning.

5 Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee:

6 But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.

7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go unto thy tents.

8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread: and on the seventh day shall be a solemn assembly to the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work therein.

9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:

11 And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to place his name there.

12 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt: and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.

13 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine:

14 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates.

15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord shall choose: because the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.

16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:

17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.

19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

20 That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.

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