Sabata gads
(2Moz 21:1–113Moz 25:1–7)
1 Kad paiet septiņi gadi, tad sarīko brīvlaišanu. 2 Šādi lai notiek brīvlaišana – ikviens, kas aizdevis, lai atlaiž to, ko savam tuvākajam devis, lai neatprasa to savam tuvākajam un brālim, jo tas gaida no Kunga brīvlaišanu. 3 Svešzemniekam tu drīksti atprasīt, bet, kas tavam brālim, to atlaid. 4 Pielūko, lai starp jums nebūtu nabagu, jo Kungs tevi svētīdams svētīs tajā zemē, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, tev dod iemantot par mantojumu. 5 Tikai paklausi Kungam, savam Dievam, turi un pildi visus šos baušļus, ko es tev šodien pavēlu, 6 jo Kungs, tavs Dievs, svētīs tevi, kā viņš tev solījis, un tu aizdosi daudzām tautām, bet pats neaizņemsies, un tu valdīsi pār daudzām tautām, bet pār tevi neviens nevaldīs!
7 Ja kāds no taviem brāļiem būs nabags, kad tev būs mājvieta tavā zemē, ko Kungs, tavs Dievs, tev dod, tad nenocietini savu sirdi, neaizžņaudz plaukstu skopulībā pret nabaga brāli! 8 Atver viņam savu plaukstu, aizdod to, kā viņam trūkst, lai ir gana viņa vajadzībai! 9 Sargies, lai tavā sirdī nav nelietības un lai tu nesaki: septītais gads, brīvlaišanas gads, ir tuvu! – neesi ļauns pret savu nabaga brāli, nedodams viņam, tad viņš brēks par tevi uz Kungu, un tas tev būs grēks! 10 Dod viņam, un lai tava sirds nesažņaudzas, kad tu dod viņam, jo par to tevi svētīs Kungs, tavs Dievs, it visā, ko tu dari, un visā, ko tu veic. 11 Zemē nekad netrūks nabagu, tādēļ es tev pavēlu: plaši atdari plaukstu savam brālim, kas trūkumcietējs un nabags tavā zemē.
12 Ja tev tiek pārdots tavs brālis ebrejs vai ebrejiete, tad lai viņš kalpo tev sešus gadus, bet septītajā gadā laid to prom brīvībā. 13 Laizdams to brīvībā, nepalaid viņu tukšā! 14 Dāsni dod viņam no saviem sīklopiem, no sava klona un vīnspaida. Ar ko tevi svētījis Kungs, tavs Dievs, to dod viņam. 15 Atceries, ka tu biji vergs Ēģiptes zemē un Kungs, tavs Dievs, tevi izpirka – tādēļ es tev šodien tā pavēlu. 16 Bet, ja viņš tev saka: es negribu doties projām no tevis! – jo viņš mīl tevi un tavu namu un viņam ir labi pie tevis, 17 tad ņem īlenu un pret durvīm caurdur viņa ausi un lai viņš ir tavs vergs uz mūžiem, tāpat dari ar savu verdzeni. 18 Lai tev nav žēl atlaist vergu brīvībā, jo savu algu viņš tev sešos gados jau divkārt atpelnījis, – tad Kungs, tavs Dievs, tevi svētīs it visā, ko tu dari.
Par lopu pirmdzimtajiem
19 Visus pirmdzimtos tēviņus, kas dzimuši taviem liellopiem un sīklopiem, veltī Kungam, savam Dievam, – nejūdz darbā vērša pirmdzimto un necērp avs pirmdzimto. 20 Gadu no gada ēdiet tos Kunga, sava Dieva, priekšā tajā vietā, ko izvēlēsies Kungs, – tu un tavs nams! 21 Bet, ja tam ir kāda vaina, ja tas ir klibs, akls, ja tam ir kāda nejauka vaina, tad neupurē to Kungam, savam Dievam. 22 Ēd to tur, kur mīti, – nešķīstais un šķīstais lai ēd to kopā, kā mēdz ēst stirnu vai briedi. 23 Taču asinis tu neēd, tās izlej zemē kā ūdeni!
Loans
(Leviticus 25.1-7)
Moses said:
1-2 Every seven years you must announce, “The Lord says loans do not need to be paid back.” Then if you have loaned money to another Israelite, you can no longer ask for payment. 3 This law applies only to loans you have made to other Israelites. Foreigners will still have to pay back what you have loaned them.
4-6 No one in Israel should ever be poor. The Lord your God is giving you this land, and he has promised to make you very successful, if you obey his laws and teachings that I'm giving you today. You will lend money to many nations, but you won't have to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they won't rule you.
7 After the Lord your God gives land to each of you, there may be poor Israelites in the town where you live. If there are, then don't be mean and selfish with your money. 8 Instead, be kind and lend them what they need. 9 Be careful! Don't say to yourself, “Soon it will be the seventh year, and then I won't be able to get my money back.” It would be horrible for you to think that way and to be so selfish that you refuse to help the poor. They are your relatives, and if you don't help them, they may ask the Lord to decide whether you have done wrong. And he will say that you are guilty. 10 You should be happy to give the poor what they need, because then the Lord will make you successful in everything you do.
11 There will always be some Israelites who are poor and needy. That's why I am commanding you to be generous with them.
Setting Slaves Free
(Exodus 21.1-11)
Moses said to Israel:
12 If any of you buy Israelites as slaves, you must set them free after six years. 13 And don't just tell them they are free to leave— 14 give them sheep and goats and a good supply of grain and wine. The more the Lord has given you, the more you should give them. 15 I am commanding you to obey the Lord as a reminder that you were slaves in Egypt before he set you free. 16 But one of your slaves may say, “I love you and your family, and I would be better off staying with you, so please don't make me leave.” 17 Take the slave to the door of your house and push a sharp metal rod through one earlobe and into the door. Such slaves will belong to you for life, whether they are men or women.
18 Don't complain when you have to set a slave free. After all, you got six years of service at half the cost of hiring someone to do the work.
First-Born Animals
(Leviticus 27.26Leviticus 27Numbers 18.15-18)
Moses said to Israel:
19 If the first-born animal of a cow or sheep or goat is a male, it must be given to the Lord. Don't put first-born cattle to work or cut wool from first-born sheep. 20 Instead, each year you must take the first-born of these animals to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. You and your family will sacrifice them to the Lord and then eat them as part of a sacred meal.
21 But if the animal is lame or blind or has something else wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You can butcher it where you live, and eat it just like the meat of a deer or gazelle that you kill while hunting. Even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some. 23 But you must never eat the blood of an animal—let it drain out on the ground.