Deuteronomy 15:7–18

⁷If there are poor among you, in one of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be selfish or greedy toward them. ⁸But give freely to them, and freely lend them whatever they need. ⁹Beware of evil thoughts. Don’t think, “The seventh year is near, the year to cancel what people owe.” You might be mean to the needy and not give them anything. Then they will complain to the Lord about you, and he will find you guilty of sin. ¹⁰Give freely to the poor person, and do not wish that you didn’t have to give. The Lord your God will bless your work and everything you touch. ¹¹There will always be poor people in the land, so I command you to give freely to your neighbors and to the poor and needy in your land.

Letting Slaves Go Free

¹²If one of your own people sells himself to you as a slave, whether it is a Hebrew man or woman, that person will serve you for six years. But in the seventh year you must let the slave go free. ¹³When you let slaves go, don’t send them away without anything. ¹⁴Give them some of your flock, your grain, and your wine, giving to them as the Lord has given to you. ¹⁵Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God saved you. That is why I am commanding this to you today.

¹⁶But if your slave says to you, “I don’t want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you, ¹⁷stick an awl ⁿ through his ear into the door; he will be your slave for life. Also do this to a female slave.

¹⁸Do not think of it as a hard thing when you let your slaves go free. After all, they served you six years and did twice the work of a hired person. The Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.