Devarim 15

1At the end of every shevat shanim thou shalt make a shemittah (release).

2And this is the manner of the shemittah: Every creditor that lendeth whatever unto his neighbor shall cancel the debt; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called Hashem's Shemittah.

3Of a nokhri thou mayest require a debt to be repaid; but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release the claim;

4There shall be no evyon (needy, poor) among you; for Hashem shall greatly bless thee in ha'aretz which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee for a nachalah to possess it;

5If only thou carefully give heed unto the voice of Hashem Eloheicha to be shomer to do all these mitzvot which I command thee today.

6For Hashem Eloheicha blesseth thee, as He promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto Goyim rabbim, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over Goyim rabbim, but they shall not reign over thee.

7If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy she'arim in thy land which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine lev, 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 machsor (need), in that which he wanteth.

9Beware that there be not a thought in thy lev beliyaal, saying, The seventh year, the shnat hashemittah (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 Hashem against thee, and it be chet (sin) unto thee.

10Thou shalt surely give him, and thine lev shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Hashem Eloheicha shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.

11For the poor shall never cease out of ha'aretz; 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 Ivri (a Hebrew), or an Ivriyyah (Hebrew woman), be sold unto thee, and serve thee shesh shanim; then in the shanah hashevi'it thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13And when thou sendest him out chafshi (free) from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty-handed:

14Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy tzon, and out of thy threshing floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith Hashem Eloheicha hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15And thou shalt remember that thou wast an eved in Eretz Mitzrayim, and Hashem Eloheicha redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing today.

16And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine bais, because he fares well with thee;

17Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the delet, and he shall be thy eved olam. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away chafshi (free) from thee; for he hath been worth twice that of a hired eved to thee, in serving thee shesh shanim; and Hashem Eloheicha shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

19Kol habechor (all firstling males) that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt set apart as kodesh unto Hashem Eloheicha; thou shalt do no work with the bechor of thy ox, nor shear the bechor of thy sheep.

20Thou shalt eat it before Hashem Eloheicha shanah b'shanah (year by year) in the place which Hashem shall choose, thou and thy household.

21And if there be any mum therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any serious defect, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Hashem Eloheicha.

22Thou shalt eat it within thy she'arim; the tameh (unclean) and the tahor (clean) person shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the deer.

23Only thou shalt not eat the dahm thereof; thou shalt pour it upon ha'aretz as mayim.