Deuteronomy 15:17
New International Version
then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.

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.

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.

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.

King James Bible
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.

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 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.

NASB 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.

NASB 1977
then you shall take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your servant forever. And also you shall do likewise to your maidservant.

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.

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.

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.

Holman 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.

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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Take an awl and pierce his ear on the door and he will be a Servant to you for life; also you shall do so to your Maid.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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.

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.

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.

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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then take an awl and pierce it through his ear lobe into a door, and he will be your slave for life. Do the same to a female slave [if she doesn't want to leave].

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.

International Standard Version
then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the door. Then he will be your slave forever. You are to do the same for your female slaves.

JPS Tanakh 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.

Literal Standard Version
then you have taken the awl, and have put [it] through his ear, and through the door, and he has been a perpetual servant to you; and you also do so to your handmaid.

Majority 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.

New American Bible
you shall take an awl and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. Your female slave, also, you shall treat in the same way.

NET Bible
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).

New Revised Standard Version
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.

New Heart 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 female servant 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 female servant you shall do likewise.

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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Release of Hebrew Servants
16But 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, 17then 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. 18Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.…

Cross References
Exodus 21:5
But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,'

Exodus 21:6
then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.

Deuteronomy 15:16
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,

Deuteronomy 15:18
Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.


Treasury of Scripture

Then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant for ever. And also to your maidservant you shall do likewise.

for ever

Leviticus 25:39-42
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: …

1 Samuel 1:22
But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.

Jump to Previous
Age-During Awl Bondman Bondwoman Door Driving Ear Handmaid Instrument Likewise Maidservant Maid-Servant Pierce Push Servant Sharp-Pointed Thrust
Jump to Next
Age-During Awl Bondman Bondwoman Door Driving Ear Handmaid Instrument Likewise Maidservant Maid-Servant Pierce Push Servant Sharp-Pointed Thrust
Deuteronomy 15
1. The seventh year a year of release for the poor
7. one must be generous in lending or giving
12. A Hebrew servant, except by choice, must be freed in the seventh year
19. All firstborn males of the cattle are to be sanctified unto the Lord.














(17) And unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise--i.e., "in furnishing her liberally" (Rashi), and "possibly also in retaining her if she will."

It must not be supposed that this contradicts Exodus 21:7, "She shall not go out as the menservants do." She shall not go out according to the going of the men-servants (i.e., on the same principle). It is not said, She shall not go out at all. The exceptions are given in Exodus 21:8-11, which see. The general right of release is stated here. One difference (as stated by Rashi) is that women were not liable to be sold for theft like men, but might be sold by their parents in infancy. If the girl were not marriageable when the first Sabbatical year arrived, she would obtain her freedom absolutely, because the case contemplated in Exodus 21:8-10 could not possibly arise. And, generally, we may suppose that the rights of an unmarried female slave would be the same as those of a man, to go out free in the seventh year. (See Jeremiah 34:9.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
take
וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ (wə·lā·qaḥ·tā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

an awl
הַמַּרְצֵ֗עַ (ham·mar·ṣê·a‘)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4836: A boring instrument, awl

and pierce [it]
וְנָתַתָּ֤ה (wə·nā·ṯat·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

through his ear
בְאָזְנוֹ֙ (ḇə·’ā·zə·nōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear

into the door,
וּבַדֶּ֔לֶת (ū·ḇad·de·leṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1817: Something swinging, the valve of a, door

and he will become
וְהָיָ֥ה (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

your
לְךָ֖ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

servant
עֶ֣בֶד (‘e·ḇeḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

for life.
עוֹלָ֑ם (‘ō·w·lām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

And
וְאַ֥ף (wə·’ap̄)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

treat
תַּעֲשֶׂה־ (ta·‘ă·śeh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

your maidservant
לַאֲמָתְךָ֖ (la·’ă·mā·ṯə·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 519: A maidservant, female slave

the same way.
כֵּֽן׃ (kên)
Adverb
Strong's 3651: So -- thus


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 15:17 Then you shall take an awl (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 15:16
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