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.
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.