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.
安息年
1“每逢第七年末，你们要免除他人的债务。 2你们要这样做，所有债主都要免除同胞所欠的债务，不可向他们追讨，因为宣布免除债务的是耶和华。 3你们可以向外族人讨债，但无论同胞欠你什么债务，都要免除。 4-5只要你们听从你们上帝耶和华的话，谨遵我今天吩咐你们的诫命，祂必使你们在这片祂赐给你们作产业的土地上蒙福，你们中间不会有穷人。 6你们的上帝耶和华必照祂的应许赐福给你们，你们必借贷给多国，却不需要向他们借贷。你们必统治多国，却不被他们统治。
7“在进入你们的上帝耶和华将要赐给你们的土地后，如果你们居住的城中有贫穷的同胞，你们不可硬着心肠拒施援手。 8他们所需要的，你们要慷慨地借给他们。 9你们要谨慎，不可因为免除债务的第七年将近，就心怀恶念，对贫穷同胞冷眼相待，拒施援手。否则，他会求告耶和华，那时你们便有罪了。 10你们要慷慨给予，并且无怨无悔，因为耶和华必在你们所做的一切事上赐福给你们。 11你们居住的地方总会有穷人，所以我吩咐你们要慷慨地帮助贫穷或有需要的同胞。
12“如果你们的希伯来同胞，不论男女，卖身给你们做奴隶，他们要服侍你们六年，到第七年，你们要给他们自由。 13你们不可让他们空手离去， 14要慷慨地把你们的上帝耶和华赐给你们的羊、五谷和酒分给他们。 15要记住，你们曾在埃及做奴隶，你们的上帝耶和华拯救了你们。所以，我今天吩咐你们这样做。 16如果你们的奴隶因为爱你们和你们的家人，与你们相处融洽，不愿意离去， 17你们就要让他靠在门上，用锥子在他耳朵上扎个洞，他便终身成为你们的奴隶。对待婢女也要这样。 18你们释放奴隶时，不要不情愿，因为他们服侍你们六年，所做的是普通雇工的两倍。而且，你们的上帝耶和华也会在你们所做的一切事上赐福给你们。
头生的牛羊
19“你们要把头生的公牛和公羊分别出来，献给你们的上帝耶和华。不可用头生的公牛耕田，也不要剪头生公羊的毛。 20每年，你们全家要去你们的上帝耶和华选定的地方，在祂面前吃这些头生的牛羊。 21如果这些牛羊有什么残疾，如瘸腿、瞎眼或其他残疾，就不可献给你们的上帝耶和华。 22要在你们的城里吃这些牛羊。洁净的人和不洁净的人都可以吃，就像吃羚羊和鹿一样。 23但不可吃它们的血，要把血倒在地上，像倒水一样。
