If thou
buy an Hebrew servant,
six years
he shall serve:
and
in the seventh
he shall
go out
free
for nothing.
If he
came in
by himself,
he shall go out
by himself:
if he
were married,
then his wife
shall go out
with him.
If his master
have given him
a wife,
and
she have born him sons
or daughters;
the wife and her children
shall be
her master's,
and
he shall go out
by himself.
And
if the servant
shall plainly say,
I love my master,
my wife,
and my children;
I will not
go out free:
Then his master
shall bring him
unto the judges;
he shall also bring him
to the door,
or unto the door post;
and his master
shall
bore
his ear
through
with an aul;
and
he shall serve him
for ever.
If thou
lend money
to any
of my people
that is poor
by thee,
thou shalt not be
to him
as an usurer,
neither shalt
thou lay
upon him usury.
If thou
at all take
thy neighbour's raiment
to pledge,
thou shalt deliver
it unto him by
that the sun
goeth down:
For that is his covering only,
it is his raiment
for his skin:
wherein shall
he sleep?
and it
shall come
to pass,
when
he crieth unto me,
that I
will hear;
for I
am gracious.
And
if thou
sell ought
unto thy neighbour,
or buyest ought
of thy neighbour's hand,
ye shall not oppress one
another:
According to
the number of years
after the jubile thou
shalt buy
of thy neighbour,
and according
unto the number of years
of the fruits
he shall sell
unto thee:
According to the multitude
of years
thou
shalt increase
the price thereof,
and
according to the fewness
of years
thou shalt diminish
the price of it:
for according to
the number
of the years
of the fruits
doth
he sell
unto thee.
Ye shall not therefore oppress one
another;
but
thou shalt fear
thy God:for I
am the LORD
your God.
And
if thy brother
be waxen poor,
and fallen
in decay
with thee;
then
thou shalt relieve him:
yea,
though he
be
a stranger,
or a sojourner;
that he
may live
with thee.
Take
thou no usury
of him,
or increase:
but fear thy God;
that thy brother
may live
with thee.
Thou shalt not give him
thy money
upon usury,
nor lend him
thy victuals
for increase.
And this
is the manner
of the release:
Every creditor that
lendeth
ought
unto his neighbour
shall release it;
he shall not exact it
of his neighbour,
or of his brother;
because
it is called
the LORD's release.
Of a foreigner
thou mayest exact it again:
but that
which is thine
with thy brother
thine hand
shall release;
Thou shalt not lend
upon usury
to thy brother;
usury of money,
usury
of victuals,
usury
of any thing
that is lent
upon usury:
Unto a stranger thou
mayest lend
upon usury;
but unto thy brother thou
shalt not lend
upon usury:
that the LORD
thy God
may bless thee
in all
that thou
settest thine hand to
in the land
whither thou
goest to possess it.
No man
shall take
the nether
or the upper millstone
to pledge:
for he taketh
a man's life
to pledge.
When
thou dost lend
thy brother any thing,
thou shalt not go
into his house
to fetch his pledge.
Thou shalt stand abroad,
and the man
to whom
thou dost lend
shall bring
out the pledge
abroad unto thee.
And
if the man
be poor,
thou shalt not sleep
with his pledge:
In any case thou
shalt deliver him
the pledge
again
when the sun
goeth down,
that he
may sleep
in his own raiment,
and bless thee:
and it
shall be righteousness
unto thee
before the LORD thy God.
Thou shalt not pervert
the judgment
of the stranger,
nor
of the fatherless;
nor take
a widow's raiment
to pledge:
Now there cried
a certain woman
of the wives
of the sons
of the prophets
unto Elisha,
saying,
Thy servant my husband
is dead;
and
thou knowest
that thy servant
did fear
the LORD:
and the creditor
is come to take
unto him my two sons
to be bondmen.
And there was
a great cry
of the people
and of their wives
against their brethren the Jews.
For there were
that said,
We,
our sons,
and our daughters,
are many:
therefore we
take up corn
for them,
that
we may eat,
and live.
Some
also there were
that said,
We have mortgaged
our lands,
vineyards,
and houses,
that we
might buy corn,
because
of the dearth.
There were also
that said,
We have borrowed money
for the king's tribute,
and
that upon our lands
and vineyards.
Yet now
our flesh
is as the flesh
of our brethren,
our children
as their children:
and,
lo,
we bring
into bondage
our sons
and our daughters
to be servants,
and some of
our daughters
are brought
unto bondage already:
neither is it
in our power
to redeem them;
for other men
have our lands
and vineyards.
And
I was very angry
when I
heard
their cry and these words.
Then I
consulted
with myself,
and
I rebuked
the nobles,
and the rulers,
and
said unto them,
Ye exact usury,
every one
of his brother.
And I set
a great
assembly against them.
And
I said unto them,
We after our ability
have redeemed
our brethren the Jews,
which were sold
unto the heathen;
and will
ye even sell
your brethren?
or shall
they
be sold unto us?
Then held
they their peace,
and found nothing
to answer.
Also I said,
It is not good
that
ye do:
ought
ye not
to walk
in the fear
of our God
because
of the reproach
of the heathen our enemies?
I likewise,
and my brethren,
and my servants,
might exact
of them money
and corn:
I pray you,
let us
leave off
this usury.
Restore,
I pray you,
to them,
even this day,
their lands,
their vineyards,
their oliveyards,
and their houses,
also the hundredth part
of the money,
and of the corn,
the wine,
and the oil,
that ye
exact of them.
Then said they,
We will restore them,
and will require nothing
of them;
so will
we do
as thou sayest.
Then
I called
the priests,
and took
an oath
of them,
that they
should do according to
this promise.
Also I
shook my lap,
and said,
So God
shake
out every man
from his house,
and
from his labour,
that performeth not
this promise,
even thus
be he shaken out,
and emptied.
And all
the congregation said,
Amen,
and praised
the LORD.
And the people
did according to
this promise.
For thou
hast taken a pledge
from thy brother
for nought,
and stripped
the naked
of their clothing.
They drive away
the ass
of the fatherless,
they take
the widow's ox
for a pledge.
They pluck
the fatherless
from the breast,
and take
a pledge
of the poor.
They cause him
to go naked
without clothing,
and
they take away
the sheaf
from the hungry;
A good man
sheweth favour,
and lendeth:
he will guide his affairs
with discretion.
Be not
thou one
of them that strike hands,
or of them that
are sureties
for debts.
If thou
hast nothing
to pay,
why should
he take away thy
bed from
under thee?
Agree with thine
adversary quickly,
whiles
thou art
in the way
with him;
lest at any
time the adversary
deliver thee
to the judge,
and the judge
deliver thee
to the officer,
and
thou be cast
into prison.
Verily
I say unto thee,
Thou shalt by no
means
come out thence,
till thou
hast paid
the uttermost farthing.
Give
to him
that asketh thee,
and from him that
would borrow
of thee
turn not thou away.
Therefore is
the kingdom
of heaven
likened
unto a certain king,
which would take account
of his servants.
And
when
he had begun
to reckon,
one
was brought unto him,
which owed him
ten thousand talents.
But forasmuch as he
had not to pay,
his lord
commanded him
to be sold,
and his wife,
and children,
and all that
he had,
and payment
to be made.
The servant
therefore fell down,
and worshipped him,
saying,
Lord,
have patience
with me,
and
I will pay
thee all.
Then the lord
of that servant
was moved
with compassion,
and loosed him,
and forgave him
the debt.
But the same servant went out,
and found one
of his fellowservants,
which owed him
an hundred pence:
and
he laid
hands on him,
and took him
by the throat,
saying,
Pay me
that thou owest.
And his fellowservant
fell down
at his feet,
and besought him,
saying,
Have patience
with me,
and
I will pay
thee all.
And he
would not:
but went
and cast him
into prison,
till he
should pay
the debt.
So when his fellowservants
saw
what was done,
they were very sorry,
and came
and told
unto their lord all
that was done.
Then his lord,
after that
he had called him,
said unto him,
O thou wicked servant,
I forgave thee all
that debt,
because
thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not
thou also have had compassion
on thy fellowservant,
even as
I had
pity on thee?
And his lord
was wroth,
and delivered him
to the tormentors,
till he
should pay
all
that was due
unto him.
So likewise
shall my heavenly Father
do also unto you,
if ye
from your hearts
forgive not every one
his brother
their trespasses.
And
if ye
lend
to them
of whom
ye hope
to receive,
what thank
have ye?
for sinners
also lend
to sinners,
to receive
as much again.
There was
a certain creditor
which had
two debtors:
the one
owed five hundred pence,
and the other fifty.
And
when
they had nothing
to pay,
he frankly forgave them both.
Tell me therefore,
which of them will love him
most?
Simon
answered
and said,
I suppose
that he,
to whom
he forgave most.
And
he said unto him,
Thou hast rightly judged.
When
thou goest
with thine adversary
to the magistrate,
as thou art
in the way,
give diligence
that thou
mayest be delivered from him;
lest
he hale thee
to the judge,
and the judge
deliver thee
to the officer,
and the officer
cast thee
into prison.
I tell thee,
thou shalt not depart
thence,
till thou
hast paid
the very last mite.