Deuteronomy Chapter 15
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat;
2
and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you.
3
Of all clean birds ye may eat.
4
But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray,
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and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind,
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and every raven after its kind,
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and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kind,
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the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,
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and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant,
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and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
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And all winged creeping things are unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.
12
Of all clean birds ye may eat.
13
Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou mayest give it unto the sojourner that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto a foreigner: for thou art a holy people unto Jehovah thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
14
Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year.
15
And thou shalt eat before Jehovah thy God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock; that thou mayest learn to fear Jehovah thy God always.
16
And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, because the place is too far from thee, which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to set his name there, when Jehovah thy God shall bless thee;
17
then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thy hand, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose:
18
and thou shalt bestow the money for whatsoever thy soul desireth, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee; and thou shalt eat there before Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thy household.
19
And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee.
20
At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
21
and the Levite, because he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee, and the sojourner, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.
22
At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
23
And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Jehovah’s release hath been proclaimed.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
At the end of seven years thou shalt make a release,
2
and this is the manner of the release: Every creditor shall relax his hand from the loan which he hath lent unto his neighbour; he shall not demand it of his neighbour, or of his brother; for a release to Jehovah hath been proclaimed.
3
Of the foreigner thou mayest demand it; but what is thine with thy brother thy hand shall release;
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save when there shall be no one in need among you; for Jehovah will greatly bless thee in the land that Jehovah thyGod giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it,
5
if thou only diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thyGod, to take heed to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.
6
For Jehovah thyGod will bless thee, as he promised thee; and thou shalt lend on pledge to many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.
7
If there be amongst you a poor man, any one of thy brethren in one of thy gates, in thy land which Jehovah thyGod giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy brother in need;
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but thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto him, and shalt certainly lend him on pledge what is sufficient for his need, [in that] which he lacketh.
9
Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thy 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 against thee to Jehovah, and it be sin in thee.
10
Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thyGod will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand.
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For the needy shall never cease from within the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land.
12
If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, have been sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years, and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
13
And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty;
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thou shalt certainly furnish him from thy sheep, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of what Jehovah thyGod hath blessed thee with shalt thou give unto him.
15
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah thyGod redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
16
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, — because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee, —
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then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door; and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy handmaid thou shalt do likewise.
18
Let it not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for double the worth of a hired servant hath he been to thee, [in] serving thee six years; and Jehovah thyGod will bless thee in all that thou doest.
19
Every firstling that is born among thy kine and among thy sheep that is a male, thou shalt hallow to Jehovah thyGod: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy kine, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.
20
Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thyGod, year by year, in the place which Jehovah will choose, thou and thy household.
21
But if there be a defect therein, [if it be] lame, or blind, [or have] any evil defect, thou shalt not sacrifice it to Jehovah thyGod.
22
In thy gates shalt thou eat it; the unclean and the clean [shall eat it] alike, as the gazelle and as the hart.
23
Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof: thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
Every seven years thou shalt make a release.
2
And this [is] the ordinance of the release: thou shalt remit every private debt which thy neighbour owes thee, and thou shalt not ask payment of it from thy brother; for it has been called a release to the Lord thy God.
3
Of a stranger thou shalt ask again whatsoever he has of thine, but to thy brother thou shalt remit his debt to thee.
4
For [thus] there shall not be a poor person in the midst of thee, for the Lord thy God will surely bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God gives thee by inheritance, that thou shouldest inherit it.
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And if ye shall indeed hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep and do all these commandments, as many as I charge thee this day,
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(for the Lord thy God has blessed thee in the way of which he spoke to thee,) then thou shalt lend to many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee.
7
And if there shall be in the midst of thee a poor [man] of thy brethren in one of thy cities in the land, which the Lord thy God gives thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, neither shalt thou by any means close up thine hand from thy brother who is in want.
8
Thou shalt surely open thine hands to him, and shalt lend to him as much as he wants according to his need.
9
Take heed to thyself that there be not a secret thing in thine heart, an iniquity, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, draws nigh; and thine eye shall be evil to thy brother that is in want, and thou shalt not give to him, and he shall cry against thee to the Lord, and there shall be great sin in thee.
10
Thou shalt surely give to him, and thou shalt lend him as much as he wants, according as he is in need; and thou shalt not grudge in thine heart as thou givest to him, because on this account the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all things on which thou shalt lay thine hand.
11
For the poor shall not fail off thy land, therefore I charge thee to do this thing, saying, Thou shalt surely open thine hands to thy poor brother, and to him that is distressed upon thy land.
12
And if thy brother [or sister], a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, be sold to thee, he shall serve thee six years, and in the seventh year thou shalt send him out free from thee.
13
And when thou shalt send him out free from thee, thou shalt not send him out empty.
14
Thou shalt give him provision for the way from thy flock, and from thy corn, and from thy wine; as the Lord thy God has blessed thee, thou shalt give to him.
15
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee from thence; therefore I charge thee to do this thing.
16
And if he should say to thee, I will not go out from thee, because he continues to love thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;
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then thou shalt take an awl, and bore his ear through to the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever; and in like manner shalt thou do to thy maid-servant.
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It shall not seem hard to thee when they are sent out free from thee, because [thy servant] has served thee six years according to the annual hire of a hireling; so the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all things whatsoever thou mayest do.
19
Every first-born that shall be born among thy kine and thy sheep, thou shalt sanctify the males to the Lord thy God; thou shalt not work with thy first-born calf, and thou shalt not shear the first-born of thy sheep.
20
Thou shalt eat it before the Lord year by year in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou and thy house.
21
And if there be in it a blemish, if it be lame or blind, an evil blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it to the Lord thy God.
22
Thou shalt eat it in thy cities; the unclean in thee and the clean shall eat it in like manner, as the doe or the stag.
23
Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out on the earth as water.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
Septimo anno facies remissionem,
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quæ hoc ordine celebrabitur. Cui debetur aliquid ab amico vel proximo ac fratre suo, repetere non poterit, quia annus remissionis est Domini.
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A peregrino et advena exiges: civem et propinquum repetendi non habebis potestatem.
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Et omnino indigens et mendicus non erit inter vos: ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in terra, quam traditurus est tibi in possessionem.
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Si tamen audieris vocem Domini Dei tui, et custodieris universa quæ iussit, et quæ ego hodie præcipio tibi, benedicet tibi, ut pollicitus est.
6
Fœnerabis gentibus multis, et ipse a nullo accipies mutuum. Dominaberis nationibus plurimis, et tui nemo dominabitur.
7
Si unus de fratribus tuis, qui morantur intra portas civitatis tuæ in terra, quam Dominus Deus tuus daturus est tibi, ad paupertatem venerit: non obdurabis cor tuum, nec contrahes manum,
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sed aperies eam pauperi, et dabis mutuum, quo eum indigere perspexeris.
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Cave ne forte subrepat tibi impia cogitatio, et dicas in corde tuo: Appropinquat septimus annus remissionis; et avertas oculos tuos a paupere fratre tuo, nolens ei quod postulat mutuum commodare: ne clamet contra te ad Dominum, et fiat tibi in peccatum.
10
Sed dabis ei: nec ages quippiam callide in eius necessitatibus sublevandis: ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in omni tempore, et in cunctis ad quæ manum miseris.
11
Non deerunt pauperes in terra habitationis tuæ: idcirco ego præcipio tibi ut aperias manum fratri tuo egeno et pauperi, qui tecum versatur in terra.
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Cum tibi venditus fuerit frater tuus Hebræus, aut Hebræa, et sex annis servierit tibi, in septimo anno dimittes eum liberum:
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et quem libertate donaveris, nequaquam vacuum abire patieris:
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sed dabis viaticum de gregibus, et de area, et torculari tuo, quibus Dominus Deus tuus benedixerit tibi.
15
Memento quod et ipse servieris in Terra Ægypti, et liberaverit te Dominus Deus tuus, et idcirco ego nunc præcipio tibi.
16
Sin autem dixerit: Nolo egredi: eo quod diligat te, et domum tuam, et bene sibi apud te esse sentiat:
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assumes subulam, et perforabis aurem eius in ianua domus tuæ, et serviet tibi usque in æternum. ancillæ quoque similiter facies.
18
Non avertas ab eis oculos tuos, quando dimiseris eos liberos: quoniam iuxta mercedem mercenarii per sex annos servivit tibi: ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in cunctis operibus quæ agis.
19
De primogenitis, quæ nascuntur in armentis, et in ovibus tuis, quidquid est sexus masculini, sanctificabis Domino Deo tuo. Non operaberis in primogenito bovis, et non tondebis primogenita ovium.
20
In conspectu Domini Dei tui comedes ea per annos singulos in loco, quem elegerit Dominus, tu et domus tua.
21
Sin autem habuerit maculam, vel claudum fuerit, vel cæcum, aut in aliqua parte deforme vel debile, non immolabitur Domino Deo tuo.
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sed intra portas urbis tuæ comedes illud: tam mundus quam immundus similiter vescentur eis quasi caprea, et cervo.
23
Hoc solum observabis, ut sanguinem eorum non comedas, sed effundes in terram quasi aquam.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts.
2
This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’s release has been proclaimed.
3
Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release.
4
However there will be no poor with you (for the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess)
5
if only you diligently listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you today.
6
For 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.
7
If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother;
8
but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks.
9
Beware that there not 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 to the LORD against you, and it be sin to you.
10
You shall surely give, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because it is for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to.
11
For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, 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.
13
When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty.
14
You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
15
You 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.
16
It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you,
17
then 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.
18
It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for he has been double the value of a hired hand as he served you six years. The LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.
19
You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to the LORD your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.
20
You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household.
21
If it has any defect—is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
22
You shall eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle and as the deer.
23
Only you shall not eat its blood. You shall pour it out on the ground like water.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
`At the end of seven years thou dost make a release,
2
and this <FI>is<Fi> the matter of the release: Every owner of a loan <FI>is<Fi> to release his hand which he doth lift up against his neighbour, he doth not exact of his neighbour and of his brother, but hath proclaimed a release to Jehovah;
3
of the stranger thou mayest exact, and that which is thine with thy brother doth thy hand release;
4
only when there is no needy one with thee, for Jehovah doth greatly bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee--an inheritance to possess it.
5
`Only, if thou dost diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this command which I am commanding thee to-day,
6
for Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee as He hath spoken to thee; and thou hast lent <FI>to<Fi> many nations, and thou hast not borrowed; and thou hast ruled over many nations, and over thee they do not rule.
7
`When there is with thee any needy one of one of thy brethren, in one of thy cities, in thy land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother;
8
for thou dost certainly open thy hand to him, and dost certainly lend him sufficient for his lack which he lacketh.
9
`Take heed to thee lest there be a word in thy heart--worthless, saying, Near <FI>is<Fi> the seventh year, the year of release; and thine eye is evil against thy needy brother, and thou dost not give to him, and he hath called concerning thee unto Jehovah, and it hath been in thee sin;
10
thou dost certainly give to him, and thy heart is not sad in thy giving to him, for because of this thing doth Jehovah thy God bless thee in all thy works, and in every putting forth of thy hand;
11
because the needy one doth not cease out of the land, therefore I am commanding thee, saying, Thou dost certainly open thy hand to thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy one, in thy land.
12
`When thy brother is sold to thee, a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, and he hath served thee six years--then in the seventh year thou dost send him away free from thee.
13
And when thou dost send him away free from thee, thou dost not send him away empty;
14
thou dost certainly encircle him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-vat; <FI>of<Fi> that which Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou dost give to him,
15
and thou hast remembered that a servant thou hast been in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God doth ransom thee; therefore I am commanding thee this thing to-day.
16
`And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee--because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because <FI>it is<Fi> good for him with thee--
17
then thou hast taken the awl, and hast put <FI>it<Fi> through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so.
18
`It is not hard in thine eyes, in thy sending him away free from thee; for the double of the hire of an hireling he hath served thee six years, and Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all that thou dost.
19
`Every firstling that is born in thy herd and in thy flock--the male thou dost sanctify to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not work with the firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock;
20
before Jehovah thy God thou dost eat it year by year, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, thou and thy house.
21
`And when there is in it a blemish, lame, or blind, any evil blemish, thou dost not sacrifice it to Jehovah thy God;
22
within thy gates thou dost eat it, the unclean and the clean alike, as the roe, and as the hart.
23
Only, its blood thou dost not eat; on the earth thou dost pour it as water.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).