Chapter summary

Deuteronomy 15 outlines the laws regarding the seventh-year release of debts, the treatment of the poor, the liberation of Hebrew servants, and the consecration of firstborn livestock. Every creditor must cancel loans made to fellow Israelites every seven years, though debts from foreigners may still be collected. Israelites are instructed to lend generously to the poor within their towns, knowing that poverty will persist in the land. Additionally, a Hebrew servant who has served for six years must be set free in the seventh year and provided generously with provisions from the flock, threshing floor, and winepress, recalling their own past slavery in Egypt. If a servant chooses to remain because of affection for the master's household, an awl is pierced through their ear into the door, making them a servant for life. Finally, every firstborn male of the herds and flocks must be set apart for the Lord, eaten annually before Him, and kept free of serious defects, while the blood must be poured out on the ground and not eaten.

Summary automatically generated from the Bible text.