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Wednesday, June 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Bible in Basic English

Deuteronomy 15:17

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.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Awl;   Beneficence;   Liberality;   Sabbatic Year;   Servant;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ear, the;   Servants;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Servant;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Sabbatical year;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hear, Hearing;   Old Testament in the New Testament, the;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Awl;   Freedom;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Awl;   Loan;   Slave;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Awl;   Ear;   Freedom;   Slave/servant;   Tools;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Awl;   Crimes and Punishments;   Debt;   Deuteronomy;   Leviticus;   Sabbatical Year;   Slave, Slavery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Ear;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Awl;   Ear;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Door;   Ear;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Awl;   Bore;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Law in the Old Testament;   Oded;   Sabbatical Year;   Slave;   Tools;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Awl;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Slaves and Slavery;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
take an awl and pierce through his ear into the door, and he will become your slave for life. Also treat your female slave the same way.
Hebrew Names Version
then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your maid-servant you shall do likewise.
King James Version
Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
Lexham English Bible
then you shall take an awl, and you shall thrust it through his earlobe and into the door, and he shall be to you a slave forever; and you shall also do likewise for your slave woman.
English Standard Version
then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.
New Century Version
stick an awl through his ear into the door; he will be your slave for life. Also do this to a female slave.
New English Translation
you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door. Then he will become your servant permanently (this applies to your female servant as well).
Amplified Bible
then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall [willingly] be your servant always. Also you shall do the same for your maidservant.
New American Standard Bible
then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant permanently. You shall also do the same to your female slave.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then shalt thou take a naule, and perce his eare through against the doore, and he shall be thy seruant for euer: and vnto thy maid seruant thou shall doe likewise.
Legacy Standard Bible
then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant.
Contemporary English Version
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.
Complete Jewish Bible
then take an awl, and pierce his ear through, right into the door; and he will be your slave forever. Do the same with your female slave.
Darby Translation
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door; and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy handmaid thou shalt do likewise.
Easy-to-Read Version
Make this servant put his ear against your door and use a sharp tool to make a hole in his ear. This will show that he is your slave forever. You must do this even to the women slaves who want to stay with you.
George Lamsa Translation
Then you must take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant for ever. You shall do likewise to your maidservant.
Good News Translation
Then take him to the door of your house and there pierce his ear; he will then be your slave for life. Treat your female slave in the same way.
Literal Translation
then you shall take an awl, and shall put it through his ear, and through the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And you shall do so to your slave-girl also.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
then take a botkyn, and bore him thorow his eare to the dore, and let him be thy seruaunt for euer. And with thy mayde shalt thou do likewyse.
American Standard Version
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shalt thou take an aule, & nayle his eare to the doore therwith, and let hym be thy seruaunt for euer: And vnto thy mayde seruaunt thou shalt do likewise.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door, and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy bondwoman thou shalt do likewise.
King James Version (1611)
Then thou shalt take an aule, and thrust it through his eare vnto the doore, and hee shall be thy seruant for euer: and also vnto thy mayd seruant thou shalt doe likewise.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
then thou shalt take an awl, and bore his ear through to the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever; and in like manner shalt thou do to thy maid-servant.
English Revised Version
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
Berean Standard Bible
then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and thou schalt peerse his eere in the yate of thin hous, and he schal serue thee til in to the world, `that is til to the iubilee, ethir fiftithe yeer; also thou schalt do in lijk maner to the handmayde.
Young's Literal Translation
then thou hast taken the awl, and hast put [it] through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so.
Update Bible Version
then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And also to your female slave you shall do likewise.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust [it] through his ear into the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also to thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise.
World English Bible
then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your maid-servant you shall do likewise.
New King James Version
then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.
New Living Translation
In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
New Life Bible
Then take a sharp tool and put it through his ear into the door. And he will be your servant forever. Do the same with your woman servant.
New Revised Standard
then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his earlobe into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. You shall do the same with regard to your female slave.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
then shalt thou take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, so shall he be thy servant all his life. And unto thine handmaid also, shalt thou do thus.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt take an awl, and bore through his ear in the door of thy house, and he shall serve thee for ever: thou shalt do in like manner to thy womanservant also.
Revised Standard Version
then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your bondman for ever. And to your bondwoman you shall do likewise.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also you shall do likewise to your maidservant.

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

for ever: Leviticus 25:39-42, 1 Samuel 1:22

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:5 - And if Exodus 21:6 - for ever Job 41:4 - a servant

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.
Genesis 15:3
And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.
Genesis 15:18
In that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram, and said, To your seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
Genesis 15:19
The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
Deuteronomy 4:20
But the Lord has taken you out of the flaming fire, out of Egypt, to be to him the people of his heritage, as you are today.
Judges 6:21
Then the angel of the Lord put out the stick which was in his hand, touching the meat and the cakes with the end of it; and a flame came up out of the rock, burning up the meat and the cakes: and the angel of the Lord was seen no longer.
Judges 13:20
And when the flame went up to heaven from the altar, the angel of the Lord went up in the flame of the altar, while Manoah and his wife were looking on; and they went down on their faces to the earth.
2 Samuel 22:9
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: coals were lighted by it.
1 Chronicles 21:26
And David put up an altar there to the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings with prayers to the Lord; and he gave him an answer from heaven, sending fire on the altar of burned offering.
Isaiah 62:1
Because of Zion I will not keep quiet, and because of Jerusalem I will take no rest, till her righteousness goes out like the shining of the sun, and her salvation like a burning light.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then thou shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door,.... Not of his master's house, but of the sanhedrim, or court of judicature, according to the Targum of Jonathan, before whom he was to be brought, and declare his desire to continue with his master; :-,

and he shall be thy servant for ever; that is, unto the jubilee, as the same Targum; for then all servants were released, and so Jarchi calls it the ever of jubilee:

and also unto thy maidservant thou shall do likewise; not bore her ear, for, as both Jarchi and Aben Ezra, and others say, she was not to be bored; though some are of opinion that a maidservant who was willing to continue with her master was to be bored as a manservant; but this respects the manner of dismissing her, or letting her go free, when she was not to go empty, but to be liberally furnished and supplied, as a manservant was.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Deuteronomy 15:17. Thou shalt take an awlExodus 21:6.


 
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