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Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Hebrew Names Version

Deuteronomy 15:5

if only you diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all this mitzvah which I command you this day.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blessing;   Lending;   Poor;   Sabbatic Year;   The Topic Concordance - Blessings;   Obedience;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Loans;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Freedom;   Lending;   Sabbatical year;   Wealth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Poor and Poverty, Theology of;   Wealth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   Debt;   Debtor;   Sabbatical Year;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Festivals;   Loan;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Crimes and Punishments;   Debt;   Deuteronomy;   Nations;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Slave, Slavery (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount samaria;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Year sabbatical;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Debts;   Year;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Carefully;   Lend;   Poor;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
if only you obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow every one of these commands I am giving you today.
King James Version
Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
Lexham English Bible
If only you listen well to the voice of Yahweh your God by observing diligently all of these commandments that I am commanding you today.
English Standard Version
if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.
New Century Version
He will bless you if you obey the Lord your God completely, but you must be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today.
New English Translation
if you carefully obey him by keeping all these commandments that I am giving you today.
Amplified Bible
if only you will listen to and obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all these commandments which I am commanding you today.
New American Standard Bible
if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to follow carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So that thou hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and doe all these commandements, which I commande thee this day.
Legacy Standard Bible
if only you listen obediently to the voice of Yahweh your God, to be careful to do all this commandment which I am commanding you today.
Complete Jewish Bible
if only you will listen carefully to what Adonai your God says and take care to obey all these mitzvot I am giving you today.
Darby Translation
if thou only diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to take heed to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.
Easy-to-Read Version
But this will happen only if you obey the Lord your God. You must be careful to obey every command that I have told you today.
George Lamsa Translation
If you hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command you this day.
Good News Translation
if you obey him and carefully observe everything that I command you today.
Literal Translation
only if hearing you listen to the voice of Jehovah your God, to take heed to do all this command which I am commanding you today.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
onely yt thou herke vnto the voyce of the LORDE yi God, & kepe all these comaundemetes which I comaunde the this daye,
American Standard Version
if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.
Bible in Basic English
If only you give ear to the voice of the Lord your God, and take care to keep all these orders which I give you today.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
So that thou hearken vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God, to obserue and do all these commaundementes which I commaunde thee this day:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.
King James Version (1611)
Onely if thou carefully hearken vnto the voice of the Lord thy God, to obserue to doe all these commandedements, which I commaund thee this day.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if ye shall indeed hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, to keep and do all these commandments, as many as I charge thee this day,
English Revised Version
if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day.
Berean Standard Bible
if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If netheles thou schalt here the vois of thi Lord God, and schalt kepe alle thingis whiche he comaundide, and whiche Y comaunde to dai to thee, he schal blesse thee, as he bihiyte.
Young's Literal Translation
`Only, if thou dost diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this command which I am commanding thee to-day,
Update Bible Version
if only you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all [of] this commandment which I command you this day.
Webster's Bible Translation
Only if thou shalt carefully hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
World English Bible
if only you diligently listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you this day.
New King James Version
only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today.
New Living Translation
You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today.
New Life Bible
But you must listen and obey the voice of the Lord your God. Be careful to do all the Law which I am telling you today.
New Revised Standard
if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
only if thou do hearken unto the voice of Yahweh thy God, - to observe to do - all this commandment which I am commanding time to-day.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep all things that he hath ordained, and which I command thee this day, he will bless thee, as he hath promised.
Revised Standard Version
if only you will obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all this commandment which I command you this day.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
if only you listen obediently to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all this commandment which I am commanding you today.

Contextual Overview

1 At the end of every seven years you shall make a release. 2 This is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because the LORD's release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it: but whatever of your is with your brother your hand shall release. 4 However there shall be no poor with you; (for the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it;) 5 if only you diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all this mitzvah which I command you this day. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you: and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you. 7 If there be with you a poor man, one of your brothers, within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother; 8 but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need [in that] which he wants. 9 Beware that there not be a base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry to the LORD against you, and it be sin to you. 10 You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; because that for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 11:13-15, Deuteronomy 28:1-15, Leviticus 26:3-14, Joshua 1:7, Psalms 19:11, Isaiah 1:19, Isaiah 1:20, Philippians 1:27

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 26:17 - hearken 1 Kings 11:38 - if thou wilt

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great. You will be a blessing.
Genesis 13:16
I will make your offspring as the dust of the eretz, so that if a man can number the dust of the eretz, then your seed may also be numbered.
Genesis 15:7
He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Kasdim, to give you this land to inherit it."
Genesis 15:8
He said, "Lord GOD, whereby will I know that I will inherit it?"
Genesis 16:10
The angel of the LORD said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed, that they will not be numbered for multitude."
Genesis 22:17
that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.
Genesis 26:4
I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and will give to your seed all these lands. In your seed will all the nations of the eretz be blessed,
Genesis 28:14
Your seed will be as the dust of the eretz, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the eretz be blessed.
Exodus 32:13
Remember Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yisra'el, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
Deuteronomy 1:10
The LORD your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are this day as the stars of the sky for multitude.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 5 Only if thou carefully hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God,.... In his word, and by his prophets; this being the case, there would be no more poor among them, or however they would be so blessed of God, that they would be capable of releasing the debts of the poor, without hurting themselves and their families:

to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day; a phrase often used to put them in mind of the commands of God, and the necessity of keeping them, their temporal happiness depending thereon.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The year of release is no doubt identical with the sabbatical year of the earlier legislation (Exodus 23:10 ff, and Leviticus 25:2 ff), the command of the older legislation being here amplified. The release was probably for the year, not total and final, and had reference only to loans lent because of poverty (compare Deuteronomy 15:4, Deuteronomy 15:7). Yet even so the law was found to be too stringent for the avarice of the people, because it was one of those which the rabbis “made of none effect by their traditions.”

Deuteronomy 15:2

Because it is called the Lord’s release - Render, because proclamation has been made of the Lord’s release. The verb is impersonal, and implies (compare Deuteronomy 31:10) that “the solemnity of the year of release” has been publicly announced.

Deuteronomy 15:3

The foreigner would not be bound by the restriction of the sabbatical year, and therefore would have no claim to its special remissions and privileges. He could earn his usual income in the seventh as in other years, and therefore is not exonerated from liability to discharge a debt anymore in the one than the others.

Deuteronomy 15:4

There is no inconsistency between this and Deuteronomy 15:11. The meaning seems simply to be, “Thou must release the debt for the year, except when there be no poor person concerned, a contingency which may happen, for the Lord shall greatly bless thee.” The general object of these precepts, as also of the year of Jubilee and the laws respecting inheritance, is to prevent the total ruin of a needy person, and his disappearance from the families of Israel by the sale of his patrimony.

Deuteronomy 15:9

literally: “Beware that there be not in thy heart a word which is worthlessness” (compare Deuteronomy 13:13 note).


 
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