The Seventh Year (Exodus 23:10–13; Leviticus 25:1–7)
1 WBS At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. BSB BSB: At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
2 WBS And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth aught to his neighbor shall release it ; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release. 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 WBS Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again : but that which 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 WBS 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: 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 WBS Only if thou shalt carefully hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments 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 WBS For the LORD thy God shall bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend to many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign 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 WBS If there shall be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD the God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother: 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 WBS But thou shalt open thy hand wide to him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. BSB BSB: Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
9 WBS Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thy eye shall be evil against thy poor brother, and thou shalt give him naught; and he shall cry to the LORD against thee, and it shall be sin to 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 WBS Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest to him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thy hand to. 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 WBS For the poor shall never cease from the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand wide to 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 WBS And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him depart empty: BSB BSB: And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed.
14 WBS Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy wine-press: of that with which the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give to 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 WBS And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bond-man in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing this 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 WBS And it shall be, if he shall say to thee, I will not leave 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 WBS Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear into the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also to thy maid-servant 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 WBS It shall not seem hard to thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been of double the worth of a hired servant to thee , in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall 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 WBS All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify to the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, 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 WBS Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall 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 WBS And if there is any blemish in it, as if it is lame, or blind, or hath any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it to the LORD 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 WBS Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, 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 WBS Only thou shalt not eat its blood; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water. BSB BSB: But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.