^15:2This is the nature of the cancellation: Every creditor must remit what he has loaned to another person;² he must not force payment from his fellow Israelite,³ for it is to be recognized as “the Lord’s cancellation of debts.” ^15:3You may exact payment from a foreigner, but whatever your fellow Israelite⁴ owes you, you must remit. ^15:4However, there should not be any poor among you, for the Lord⁵ will surely bless⁶ you in the land that he⁷ is giving you as an inheritance,⁸^15:5if you carefully obey⁹ him¹⁰ by keeping¹¹ all these commandments that I am giving¹² you today. ^15:6For the Lord your God will bless you just as he has promised; you will lend to many nations but will not borrow from any, and you will rule over many nations but they will not rule over you.

The Spirit of Liberality

^15:7If a fellow Israelite¹³ from one of your villages¹⁴ in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive¹⁵ to his impoverished condition.¹⁶^15:8Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend¹⁷ him whatever he needs.¹⁸^15:9Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude¹⁹ be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite²⁰ and you do not lend²¹ him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will be regarded as having sinned.²²

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Footnotes

2 Heb “his neighbor,” used idiomatically to refer to another person.
3 Heb “his neighbor and his brother.” The words “his brother” may be a scribal gloss identifying “his neighbor” (on this idiom, see the preceding note) as a fellow Israelite (cf. v. 3). In this case the conjunction before “his brother” does not introduce a second category, but rather has the force of “that is.”
4 Heb “your brother.”
5 After the phrase “the Lord” many and versions add “your God” to complete the usual full epithet.
6 The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “surely.” Note however, that the use is rhetorical, for the next verse attaches a condition.
7 Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
8 The Hebrew text includes “to possess.”
9 Heb “if listening you listen to the voice of.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “carefully.” The idiom “listen to the voice” means “obey.”
10 Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in .
11 Heb “by being careful to do.”
12 Heb “commanding” (so ); “which I enjoin you today.”
13 Heb “one of your brothers” (so ); “one of your kinsmen”; “a member of your community.” See the note at v. .
14 Heb “gates.”
15 Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. “hardhearted or tightfisted” ( and similar).
16 Heb “from your needy brother.”
17 The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before both verbs. The translation indicates the emphasis with the words “be sure to” and “generously,” respectively.
18 Heb “whatever his need that he needs for himself.” This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19 Heb “your eye.”
20 Heb “your needy brother.”
21 Heb “give” (likewise in v. 10).
22 Heb “it will be a sin to you.”