The Year for Forgiving People What They Owe
1At the end of every seven years you must forgive people what they owe you. 2Have you made a loan to one of your own people? Then forgive what is owed to you. You can’t require that person to pay you back. The Lord’s time to forgive what is owed has been announced. 3You can require someone from another nation to pay you back. But you must forgive what any of your own people owes you. 4There shouldn’t be any poor people among you. The Lord will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you. You will take it over as your own. 5The Lord your God will bless you if you obey him completely. Be careful to follow all the commands I’m giving you today. 6The Lord your God will bless you, just as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations. But you won’t have to borrow from any of them. You will rule over many nations. But none of them will rule over you.
7Suppose someone is poor among you. And suppose they live in one of the towns in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Then don’t be mean to them. They are poor. So don’t hold back money from them. 8Instead, open your hands and lend them what they need. Do it freely. 9Be careful not to have an evil thought in your mind. Don’t say to yourself, “The seventh year will soon be here. It’s the year for forgiving people what they owe.” If you think like that, you might treat the needy people among you badly. You might not give them anything. Then they might make their appeal to the Lord against you. And he will find you guilty of sin. 10So give freely to needy people. Let your heart be tender toward them. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work. He will bless you in everything you do. 11There will always be poor people in the land. So I’m commanding you to give freely to those who are poor and needy in your land. Open your hands to them.
Set Your Hebrew Servants Free
12Suppose any Hebrew men or women sell themselves to you. If they do, they will serve you for six years. Then in the seventh year you must let them go free. 13But when you set them free, don’t send them away without anything to show for all their work. 14Freely give them some animals from your flock. Also give them some of your grain and wine. The Lord your God has blessed you richly. Give to them as he has given to you. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The Lord your God set you free. That’s why I’m giving you this command today.
16But suppose your servant says to you, “I don’t want to leave you.” He loves you and your family. And you are taking good care of him. 17Then take him to the door of your house. Poke a hole through his earlobe into the doorpost. And he will become your servant for life. Do the same with your female servant.
18Don’t think you are being cheated when you set your servants free. After all, they have served you for six years. The service of each of them has been worth twice as much as the service of a hired worker. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
Male Animals Born First to Their Mothers
19Set apart every male animal among your livestock that was born first to its mother. Set it apart to the Lord your God. Don’t put a firstborn cow to work. Don’t clip the wool from a firstborn sheep. 20Each year you and your family must eat them. Do it in front of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. 21Suppose an animal has something wrong with it. It might not be able to see or walk. Or it might have a bad flaw. Then you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22You must eat it in your own towns. Those who are “clean” and those who are “unclean” can eat it. Eat it as if it were antelope or deer meat. 23But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it. Pour the blood out on the ground like water.
Aka Mu Twa
1Mfirinhyia nson biara awieeɛ, montwa mo aka mu. 2Ɛkwan a ɛsɛ sɛ mofa so nie: Ɛsɛ sɛ boseabɔni biara a wabɔ ne yɔnko Israelni bosea no, ɔde kyɛ no. Ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔdan wɔn yɔnko anaa wɔn busuani ka, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade ɛberɛ a wɔde bosea kyɛ no aduru. 3Saa bosea a wɔtwa mu yi ka mo yɔnkonom Israelfoɔ nko ara. Ahɔhoɔ a wɔte mo mu no nka ho. 4Ɛnsɛ sɛ ahiafoɔ ba mo mu ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo wɔ asase a ɔde rema mo sɛ mo agyapadeɛ sononko no so. 5Sɛ moto mo bo ase di Awurade mo Onyankopɔn mmara a mede rema mo ɛnnɛ yi so a, mobɛnya saa nhyira yi. 6Awurade mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo sɛdeɛ wahyɛ mo bɔ no. Mobɛbɔ aman bebree bosea nanso mo deɛ, morenkɔ aboseabɔ da. Mobɛdi aman bebree so nanso wɔrenni mo so.
7Sɛ moduru nkuro a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo no so na sɛ ahiafoɔ wɔ hɔ a, mommpirim mo akoma anaa mommma mo nsam nyɛ den wɔ wɔn so. 8Mmom, mongo mo nsam na momfɛm wɔn deɛ ɛhia wɔn. 9Monhwɛ na moannya saa adwemmɔne yi wɔ mo tirim sɛ ɛka mu twa berɛ no reyɛ aduru so enti, obi bɛbisa mo bosea a moremma no. Sɛ moammɔ ahiafoɔ no bosea na sɛ wɔsu frɛ Awurade a, wɔbɛbu mo fɔ sɛ moayɛ bɔne. 10Momma no akoma pa mu na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, bɛhyira mo ne biribiara a mobɛyɛ so. 11Ɛberɛ biara, mobɛhunu ahiafoɔ wɔ mo mu. Ɛno enti na merehyɛ mo sɛ, biribiara a mowɔ no, mo ne ahiafoɔ ne mo nuanom Israelfoɔ nkyɛ.
Asomfoɔ Ahofadie
12Sɛ wo nua Hebrini barima anaa ɔbaa tɔn ne ho ma wo na ɔsom wo mfirinhyia nsia a, afe a ɛtɔ so nson no, gya no ɛkwan. 13Na sɛ woregya no ɛkwan a, mma no nkɔ nsapan. 14Fa nsa a emu go gya no ɛkwan na ma no wo nnwan no, wʼayuporebea mu adeɛ ne wo nsakyimena mu adeɛ bi. Wo ne no nkyɛ wʼadonneɛ bi a Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, de ahyira wo no bi. 15Monkae sɛ na moyɛ nkoa wɔ Misraim na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn yii mo firii hɔ. Ɛno enti na mede saa mmara yi rema mo ɛnnɛ yi.
16Na sɛ ɛba sɛ wʼakoa ka kyerɛ wo sɛ, “Merennya wo hɔ nkɔ”, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔpɛ wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ asɛm na ne ho tɔ no wɔ wo nkyɛn a, 17ɛnneɛ, fa fitiiɛ bɔne nʼaso mu na ɔnyɛ wʼakoa daa. Wo mfenaa nso, yɛ wɔn saa ara.
18Mma no nyɛ wo ya sɛ woregyaa wʼasomfoɔ no ama wɔafa wɔn ho akɔdie. Monkae sɛ, mfeɛ nsia ni no, wɔasom wo a sɛ wokɔfaa apaafoɔ sɛ wɔnsom wo a, anka wobɛtua apaafoɔ no sika mmɔho mmienu, na Awurade mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo wɔ biribiara a moyɛ ho.
Mmoa Mmakan
19Mo anantwie ne mo nnwan mmakan anini no, monyi nsi hɔ mma Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn. Mo anantwie mmakan no, mommfa wɔn nkɔ mo mfuo mu nkɔyɛ nnwuma na monntwitwa mo nnwan mmakan ho nwi nso. 20Mmom, mo ne mo abusuafoɔ, afe biara, monnwe saa mmoa yi wɔ baabi a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn bɛyi ama mo no wɔ nʼanim. 21Na sɛ ɛba sɛ abakan no bi adi dɛm, sɛ ebia, ɔtɔ apakye anaa nʼani afira anaa wadi ɛdɛm foforɔ bi a, mommfa no mmɔ afɔdeɛ mma Awurade mo Onyankopɔn. 22Mmom, momfa no nyɛ aduane mma abusuafoɔ wɔ fie. Sɛ obi ho te o, sɛ ne ho nte o, ɔtumi di bi sɛdeɛ obiara tumi we ɔtwe anaa ɔdabɔ nam no. 23Nanso, monnni mogya no. Monhwie ngu fam te sɛ nsuo.
