The Seventh Year (Exodus 23:10–13; Leviticus 25:1–7)
1 DBY At the end of seven years thou shalt make a release, BSB BSB: At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
2 DBY and this is the manner of the release: Every creditor shall relax his hand from the loan which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not demand it of his neighbour, or of his brother; for a release to Jehovah hath been proclaimed. BSB BSB: This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.
3 DBY Of the foreigner thou mayest demand it; but what is thine with thy brother thy hand shall release; BSB BSB: You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.
4 DBY save when there shall be no one in need among you; for Jehovah will greatly bless thee in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, BSB BSB: There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,
5 DBY if thou only diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to take heed to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. BSB BSB: if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.
6 DBY For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee; and thou shalt lend on pledge to many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. BSB BSB: When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.
Generosity in Lending and Giving (Matthew 6:1–4)
7 DBY If there be amongst you a poor man, any one of thy brethren in one of thy gates, in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy brother in need; BSB BSB: If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.
8 DBY but thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto him, and shalt certainly lend him on pledge what is sufficient for his need, in that which he lacketh. BSB BSB: Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
9 DBY Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thy 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 against thee to Jehovah, and it be sin in thee. BSB BSB: Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
10 DBY Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand. BSB BSB: Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.
11 DBY For the needy shall never cease from within the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land. BSB BSB: For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
Hebrew Servants (Exodus 21:1–11)
13 DBY And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty; BSB BSB: And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed.
14 DBY thou shalt certainly furnish him from thy sheep, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of what Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee with shalt thou give unto him. BSB BSB: You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
15 DBY And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day. BSB BSB: Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.
16 DBY And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, — because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee, — BSB BSB: But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,
17 DBY then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door; and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy handmaid thou shalt do likewise. BSB BSB: then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.
18 DBY Let it not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for double the worth of a hired servant hath he been to thee, in serving thee six years; and Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest. BSB BSB: Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
Firstborn Animals (Exodus 13:1–16)
19 DBY Every firstling that is born among thy kine and among thy sheep that is a male, thou shalt hallow to Jehovah thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy kine, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. BSB BSB: You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.
20 DBY Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God, year by year, in the place which Jehovah will choose, thou and thy household. BSB BSB: Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.
21 DBY But if there be a defect therein, if it be lame, or blind, or have any evil defect, thou shalt not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God. BSB BSB: But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
22 DBY In thy gates shalt thou eat it; the unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle and as the hart. BSB BSB: Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer.
23 DBY Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof: thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. BSB BSB: But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.