The year for canceling debts

1“At the end of every seven years, you must ◄cancel all debts/tell people who owe you money that they do not need to pay it back►.

2Do it like this: Each of you who has lent money to a fellow Israeli must cancel that debt. You must not insist that he pay it back. You must do that because Yahweh has declared that the debts must be canceled every seven years.

3During that year you may require foreigners who live among you to pay what they owe you, but you must not try to require that any fellow Israeli pay you what he owes you.

4Yahweh our God will bless you in the land that he is giving to you. If you obey Yahweh our God and obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today, there will not be any poor people among you.

6Yahweh our God will bless you like he has promised to do, and you will be able to lend money to people of other people-groups, but you will not need to borrow from any of them. You will control the finances of many people-groups, but they will not control your finances.

7“In the towns that Yahweh our God is giving to you, if there are any Israelis who are poor, do not be selfish [IDM] and refuse [IDM] to help them.

8Instead, be generous [IDM] and lend to them the money that they need.

9Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes.’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israeli, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh about you, and Yahweh will say that you have sinned by not helping that person.

10Give freely to poor people and give generously [IDM].

11If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people.”

Freeing slaves

12“If any of your fellow Israeli men or women sell themselves to one of you to become your slave, you must free them after they have worked for you for six years. When the seventh year comes, you must free them.

13When you free them, do not allow them to go ◄empty-handed/without giving them anything►.

14Give to them generously from the things with which Yahweh has blessed you—sheep, grain, and wine.

15Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.

16“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.

17If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, while he stands against the doorway, pierce one of his earlobes with ◄an awl/a sharp pointed tool►. That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave who does not want to leave you.

18“Do not complain when you are required to free your slaves. Keep in mind that they served you for six years, and you paid them only half as much as you pay the servants that you hire. If you free them, Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”

Rules about sacrificing firstborn animals

19“◄Set aside for/Dedicate to► Yahweh our God the firstborn male animals from your cattle and sheep. Do not force them to do any work for you, and do not ◄shear/cut off► the wool of the firstborn animals to sell the wool.

20You and your family may kill them and eat their meat in the presence of Yahweh at the place that Yahweh chooses for you to worship him.

21But if the animals have any defects, if they are lame or blind, or if they have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.

22You may kill and eat the meat of those animals at your homes. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done such things are permitted to eat that meat, just like anyone is permitted to eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

23But you must not eat any of the blood; you must drain all the blood on the ground when you kill those animals.”