Deuteronomy 15

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 'At the end of every seven years, you must grant remission.	1 “In the seventh year, you shall perform a remission,
2 The nature of the remission is as fol ows: any creditor holding a personal pledge obtained from hisfel ow must release him from it; he must not exploit his fel ow or his brother once the latter has appealed toYahweh for remission.	2 which shall be celebrated according to this order. Anyone to whom anything is owed, by his friend or neighbor or brother, will not be able to request its return, because it is the year of remission of the Lord.
3 A foreigner you may exploit, but you must remit whatever claim you have on your brother.	3 From the sojourner and the new arrival, you may require its return. From your fellow countryman and neighbor, you will not have the power to request its return.
4 There must, then, be no poor among you. For Yahweh wil grant you his blessing in the country whichYahweh your God is giving you to possess as your heritage,	4 And there shall not be anyone indigent or begging among you, so that the Lord your God may bless you in the land which he will deliver to you as a possession.
5 only if you pay careful attention to the voice of Yahweh your God, by keeping and practising al thesecommandments which I am enjoining on you today.	5 But only if you heed the voice of the Lord your God, and keep to all that he has ordered, that which I am entrusting to you this day, will he bless you, just as he has promised.
6 If Yahweh your God blesses you as he has promised, you wil be creditors to many nations butdebtors to none; you wil rule over many nations, and be ruled by none.	6 You shall lend money to many nations, and you yourselves shall borrow in return from no one. You shall rule over very many nations, and no one shall rule over you.
7 'Is there anyone poor among you, one of your brothers, in any town of yours in the country whichYahweh your God is giving you? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against that poor brother of yours,	7 If one of your brothers, who dwells within the gates of your city, in the land which the Lord your God will give to you, falls into poverty, you shall not harden your heart, nor tighten your hand.
8 but be open handed with him and lend him enough for his needs.	8 Instead, you shall open your hand to the poor, and you shall lend to him whatever you perceive him to need.
9 Do not allow this mean thought in your heart, "The seventh year, the year of remission, is near," andscowl at your poor brother and give him nothing; he could appeal against you to Yahweh, and you would incurguilt!	9 Take care, lest perhaps an impious thought might creep within you, and you might say in your heart: ‘The seventh year of remission approaches.’ And so you might turn your eyes away from your poor brother, unwilling to lend to him what he has asked. If so, then he may cry out against you to the Lord, and it will be a sin for you.
10 When you give to him, you must give with an open heart; for this, Yahweh your God wil bless you inal your actions and in al your undertakings.	10 Instead, you shall give to him. Neither shall you do anything craftily while assisting him in his needs, so that the Lord your God may bless you, at all times and in all things to which you will put your hand.
11 Of course, there wil never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving youthis command: Always be open handed with your brother, and with anyone in your country who is in need andpoor.	11 The poor will not be absent from the land of your habitation. For this reason, I instruct you to open your hand to your indigent and poor brother, who lives among you in the land.
12 'If your fel ow Hebrew, man or woman, sells himself to you, he can serve you for six years. In theseventh year you must set him free,	12 When your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, has been sold to you, and has served you for six years, in the seventh year you shall set him free.
13 and in setting him free you must not let him go empty handed.	13 And when you grant his freedom, you shall by no means permit him to go away empty.
14 By way of present, you will load his shoulders with things from your flock, from your threshing-floorand from your winepress; as Yahweh your God has blessed you, so you must give to him.	14 Instead, you shall give to him, for his journey, from your flocks and threshing floor and winepress, with which the Lord your God has blessed you.
15 Remember that you were once a slave in Egypt and that Yahweh your God redeemed you; that iswhy I am giving you this order today.	15 Remember that you yourself also served in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God set you free. And therefore, I now command this of you.
16 'But if he says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your household and ishappy with you,	16 But if he will say, ‘I am not willing to depart,’ because he loves you and your household, and because he feels that it would be good for him to stay with you,
17 you must take an awl and drive it through his ear into the door and he will be your servant for ever.You must do the same to a female slave.	17 then you shall take an awl and pierce his ear, at the door of your house. And he shall serve you even forever. You shall also act similarly toward your woman servant.
18 'Do not think it hard on you to have to give him his freedom; he is worth twice what a paid servantwould cost you, and has served you for six years. And Yahweh your God wil bless you in everything you do.	18 You should not avert your eyes from them when you set them free, because he has served you for six years, in a manner deserving of the pay of a hired hand. So may the Lord your God bless you in all the works that you do.
19 'You must consecrate every first-born male from your herd and flock to Yahweh your God. You mustnot put the first-born of your herd to work, or shear the first-born of your flock.	19 Of the firstborn, those born from your herds and sheep, you shall sanctify to the Lord your God whatever is of the male sex. You shall not put the firstborn of the oxen to work, nor shall you shear the firstborn of the sheep.
20 You must eat it, you and your household, each year, in the presence of Yahweh your God, in theplace which Yahweh chooses.	20 In the sight of the Lord your God, you shall eat these, each year, in the place which the Lord will choose, you and your household.
21 If it has any defect, if it is lame or blind -- any serious defect -- you must not sacrifice it to Yahwehyour God.	21 But if it has a blemish, or is lame, or is blind, or if it is in any part deformed or debilitated, it shall not be immolated to the Lord your God.
22 You wil eat it at home, unclean and clean together, as you would gazel e or deer;	22 Instead, you shall eat it within the gates of your city. The clean as well as the unclean alike shall feed on these, such as the roe deer and the stag.
23 only, you will not eat its blood, but pour that like water on the ground.'	23 This alone shall you observe: that you do not eat their blood, but pour it upon the ground like water.”