The year for cancelling debts
1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2This is how it is to be done: every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed. 3You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards them. 8Rather, be open-handed and freely lend them whatever they need. 9Be careful not to harbour this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for cancelling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will towards the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open-handed towards your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Freeing servants
12If any of your people – Hebrew men or women – sell themselves to you and serve you for six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. 13And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. 14Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing-floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
16But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
The firstborn animals
19Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep. 20Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. 21If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. 23But you must not eat the blood; pour it 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。
