Deuteronomy Chapter 15 in Simple English

Read Deuteronomy Chapter 15

1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.

2This is how the cancelling is done. Every lender who has lent anything to his neighbour must let it go. He must not demand it back from his neighbour or his brother, because it is called the LORD's release.

3You may demand it back from a foreigner. But whatever your brother owes you, your hand must let it go.

4Then there will be no poor among you, for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you as your own to possess.

5This will be so only if you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and are careful to keep all these commandments that I give you today.

6For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

7If there is a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in the land which the LORD your God is giving you, do not harden your heart. Do not close your hand against your poor brother.

8Instead, open your hand wide to him. Lend him enough for whatever he needs.

9Be careful that no wicked thought comes into your heart, saying, "The seventh year, the year of release, is near." Do not look with a grudging eye on your poor brother and give him nothing. Then he would cry out to the LORD against you, and it would be sin in you.

10You must give to him, and your heart must not be sorry when you give to him. Because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work, and in everything you put your hand to.

11There will always be poor people in the land. That is why I command you and say, "Open your hand wide to your brother, to the poor and to the needy in your land."

12If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must let him go free.

13And when you send him away free, do not let him go empty-handed.

14Give to him generously from your flock, from your threshing floor and from your winepress. Give him some of what the LORD your God has blessed you with.

15Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God set you free. That is why I command you this today.

16But he may say to you, "I will not go away from you," because he loves you and your household, and he is well off with you.

17Then take an awl and push it through his ear into the door, and he will be your servant for ever. Do the same with your maidservant.

18Do not think it hard when you send him away free, for in serving you six years he has been worth twice as much as a hired servant. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.

19You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male that is born among your cattle and your flock. Do not work the firstborn of your ox, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.

20You and your household must eat it each year before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD will choose.

21But if it has any flaw, if it is lame or blind, or has any bad flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

22You may eat it in your own towns. Both the unclean person and the clean may eat it, as they eat the roebuck and the hart.

23Only you must not eat its blood. Pour it out on the ground like water.

Explanation

Deuteronomy 15

In short

This chapter sets out Israel's obligations every seventh year: to cancel debts owed by fellow Israelites, to give generously to the poor, to free Hebrew slaves with provision for their future, and to dedicate the firstborn animals to the Lord. The underlying principle is that obedience brings blessing, and the poor will always need help.

Context

Moses is addressing the Israelites before they enter the promised land, laying out the laws they must follow. This chapter continues his instructions about how to treat one another and how to worship. The "seventh year" system was central to Israel's way of life: every seventh year was a Sabbath year with special rules.

What the text says

Every seventh year, debts between Israelites are cancelled (verses 1-3). The text calls this "the LORD'S release." Debts to foreigners may still be collected. Verses 4-6 state that if Israel obeys, there will be no poor among them and the Lord will bless them abundantly. However, verses 7-11 acknowledge that poor people will always exist and command open-handed generosity toward them, warning against refusing to lend as the seventh year approaches.

Verses 12-15 require that Hebrew slaves be freed in the seventh year, not sent away empty but given generously from flocks, grain, and wine. The reason given is that Israel itself was enslaved and redeemed by God. Verses 16-18 add that if a slave chooses to stay permanently, an awl pierces his ear at the door, and he serves forever. Sending him free should not seem harsh, since he has worked like a hired servant worth double wages.

Verses 19-23 shift to firstborn male animals: they must be dedicated to the Lord, not used for work. They are eaten as a sacred meal before the Lord each year, though blemished animals are eaten at home. The blood must be poured out, not eaten.

Takeaways

Release of debts and slavery, combined with generous giving to the poor, was meant to prevent permanent poverty in Israel.
Obedience to these laws is tied to God's blessing, and the memory of Israel's own redemption from Egypt is the reason for treating the vulnerable well.
The firstborn animals belong to God in a way that ordinary animals do not, marking them as set apart from ordinary use.

Deuteronomy 15 - Simple English