| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1“At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. | 1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. |
| 2And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release. | 2This 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. |
| 3Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, | 3You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you. |
| 4except when there may be no poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance— | 4There 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, |
| 5only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today. | 5if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today. |
| 6For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you. | 6When 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. |
| 7“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, | 7If 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. |
| 8but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. | 8Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs. |
| 9Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you. | 9Be 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. |
| 10You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. | 10Give 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. |
| 11For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’ | 11For 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. |
| 12“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. | 12If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free. |
| 13And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; | 13And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. |
| 14you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him. | 14You 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. |
| 15You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. | 15Remember 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. |
| 16And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, | 16But 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, |
| 17then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. | 17then 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. |
| 18It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do. | 18Do 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. |
| 19“All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the LORD your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. | 19You 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. |
| 20You and your household shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD chooses. | 20Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose. |
| 21But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. | 21But 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. |
| 22You may eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean person alike may eat it, as if it were a gazelle or a deer. | 22Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer. |
| 23Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground like water. | 23But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water. |
|
