Deuteronomy 15:16

Bible in Basic English

But if he says to you, I have no desire to go away from you; because you and your family are dear to him and he is happy with you;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But if your slave says to you, ‘I don’t want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and is well off with you,

Hebrew Names Version
It shall be, if he tell you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you;

King James Version
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

Lexham English Bible
And then if it will happen that he says to you, ‘I do not want to go out from you,' because he loves you and your family, because it is good for him to be with you;

English Standard Version
But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you,

New Century Version
But if your slave says to you, "I don't want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you,

New English Translation
However, if the servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,

Amplified Bible
"Now if the servant says to you, 'I will not leave you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you;

New American Standard Bible
"But it shall come about, if he says to you, 'I will not leave you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is doing well with you,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And if he say vnto thee, I will not go away from thee, because he loueth thee & thine house, and because he is well with thee,

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that, if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you;

Contemporary English Version
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."

Complete Jewish Bible
But if he says to you, ‘I don't want to leave you,' because he loves you and your household, and because his life with you is a good one;

Darby Translation
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee,—because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee,—

Easy-to-Read Version
"But one of your slaves might say to you, ‘I will not leave you.' He might say this because he loves you and your family and because he has a good life with you.

George Lamsa Translation
But if he says to you. I will not go away from you, because I love you and your household, and because it is better for me to be with you,

Good News Translation
"But your slave may not want to leave; he may love you and your family and be content to stay.

Literal Translation
And it shall be, if he says to you, I will not go out from you, because he loves you and your house, because it was good for him with you;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf he saye vnto the: I wyll not go out awaye from the, for I loue ye and thine house (in so moch as he is well at ease with the)

American Standard Version
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if he say vnto thee, I wyll not go away from thee: because he loueth thee and thine house, and is well at ease with thee:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, if he say unto thee: 'I will not go out from thee'; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he fareth well with thee;

King James Version (1611)
And it shall be if he say vnto thee, I will not goe away from thee, because he loueth thee, and thine house, because he is well with thee:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if he should say to thee, I will not go out from thee, because he continues to love thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

English Revised Version
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

Berean Standard Bible
But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe if `the seruaunt seith, Y nyle go out, for he loueth thee, and thin hows, and feelith that it is wel to hym at thee, thou schalt take `a nal,

Young's Literal Translation
`And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee -- because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because [it is] good for him with thee --

Update Bible Version
And it shall be, if he says to you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be, if he shall say to thee, I will not leave thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

World English Bible
It shall be, if he tell you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you;

New King James Version
And if it happens that he says to you, "I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you,

New Living Translation
"But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,' because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you.

New Life Bible
But he may say to you, ‘I will not leave you,' because he loves you and those of your house and gets along well with you.

New Revised Standard
But if he says to you, "I will not go out from you," because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it shall be, if he shall say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, - because he loveth thee, and thy household, because he is well off with thee,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if he say: I will not depart: because he loveth thee, and thy house, and findeth that he is well with thee:

Revised Standard Version
But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you,

THE MESSAGE
But if your slave, because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you, says, "I don't want to leave you," then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the doorpost, marking him as your slave forever. Do the same with your women slaves who want to stay with you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It shall come about if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he fares well with you;

Contextual Overview

¹² If one of your countrymen, a Hebrew man or woman, becomes your servant for a price and does work for you six years, in the seventh year let him go free. ¹³ And when you make him free, do not let him go away with nothing in his hands: ¹⁴ But give him freely from your flock and from your grain and your wine: in the measure of the wealth which the Lord your God has given you, you are to give to him. ¹⁵ And keep in mind that you yourself were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God made you free: so I give you this order today. ¹⁶ But if he says to you, I have no desire to go away from you; because you and your family are dear to him and he is happy with you; ¹⁷ Then take a sharp-pointed instrument, driving it through his ear into the door, and he will be your servant for ever. And you may do the same for your servant-girl. ¹⁸ Let it not seem hard to you that you have to send him away free; for he has been working for you for six years, which is twice the regular time for a servant: and the blessing of the Lord your God will be on you in everything you do.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 21:5, Exodus 21:6, Psalms 40:6, Psalms 40:8

Cross-References

Genesis 15:5
And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be.

Genesis 15:8
And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?

Genesis 15:9
And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.

Genesis 15:11
And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.

Exodus 12:40
Now the children of Israel had been living in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years.

1 Kings 21:26
He did a very disgusting thing in going after false gods, doing all the things the Amorites did, whom the Lord sent out before the children of Israel.)

Daniel 8:23
And in the later years of their kingdom, when their evil doings have become complete, there will come up a king full of pride and expert in dark sayings.

1 Thessalonians 2:16
Who, to make the measure of their sins complete, kept us from giving the word of salvation to the Gentiles: but the wrath of God is about to come on them in the fullest degree.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee,.... Out of his house, nor quit his service:

because he loveth thee and thine house; his master and his family, and so loath to leave them, but chooses rather to stay with them than have his liberty; hence the Jews say k, if his master has not a wife and children, his ear is not to be bored:

because he is well with thee; lives well with him, is well used by him, wants for nothing, and enjoys peace and quietness, and has everything to make him happy as such a state will admit of, and with the which he is well contented, and highly pleased. This is an emblem of the cheerful and constant obedience of the people of Christ to him their master, flowing from love to him; whom they love above all persons and things, with all their heart and soul, and his house also, the place of his worship, his ordinances, truths, ministers and children; and therefore choose to be where they are, finding that they are there well used, fare well, having bread enough and to spare, spiritual provisions in plenty; are well clothed with the righteousness of Christ, have the good company of the saints and excellent in the earth, in whom is all their delight; and, above all, the presence of their Lord and master, and the smiles of his countenance.

k Maimon. in Misn. Kiddushin, c. 1. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The commands here are repeated from Exodus 21:2-6, with amplifications relative to the maidservant Deuteronomy 15:12 and to the making (Deuteronomy 15:13 ff) liberal provision for launching the freedman on an independent course of life. The release of the servant is connected with the sabbatical principle though not with the sabbatical year. It is noteworthy also that the prospect of a gift of this sort, the amount of which was left to the master’s discretion, would be likely to encourage diligence and faithfulness during the years of servitude.

Deuteronomy 15:18

He hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years - “i. e.” such a servant has earned twice as much as a common hired laborer would have done in the same time.