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Deuteronomy 15

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Read Deuteronomy Chapter 15

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1At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

2And 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.

3Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

4Save 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:

5Only 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.

6For 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.

7If 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:

8But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

9Beware 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.

10Thou 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.

11For 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.

12And 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.

13And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:

14Thou 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.

15And 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.

16And 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;

17Then 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.

18It 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.

19All 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.

20Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

21And 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.

22Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

23Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Deuteronomy 15

In short

This chapter sets out three rules for Israel: every seven years, debts between Israelites are cancelled; people must give generously to the poor; and Hebrew slaves must be freed after six years of service with gifts to help them start over. The rules assume God will bless obedience with enough that no one needs to stay poor.

What the text says

Verses 1-3 command a release of debts every seventh year for fellow Israelites, though debts to foreigners still stand. Verses 4-6 promise that if Israel obeys God's commands, the land will be so blessed that there need be no poor at all, and Israel will lend to other nations rather than borrow. Verses 7-11 then redirect this thought: since poor will always exist, Israelites must open their hand freely to lend to needy brothers, not holding back because the release year is near. Verses 12-15 command that Hebrew slaves be freed in the seventh year and sent away with livestock, grain, and wine from what God has given, remembering that God freed Israel from Egypt. Verses 16-18 add that if a slave chooses to stay, his ear is marked and he serves forever; the master should not begrudge this, since the slave has earned his keep. Verses 19-23 require the firstborn males of herds and flocks to be set apart for God, eaten before the Lord yearly, though blemished animals may be eaten like regular meat, and the blood must be poured on the ground.

Takeaways

  • God's law assumes both that blessing will reduce poverty and that it will never disappear, so generosity to the poor is required, not optional.
  • Slaves are not property to keep forever; they must be released with help, not sent away empty.
  • The firstborn of livestock belongs to God and must be eaten in a special way, but blemished animals lose this sacred status.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.

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