The Wilderness Years

Nor the ostrich, nor the nightcrow, nor the semeaw, nor the hawke after her kinde,

Neither the litle owle, nor the great owle, nor the redshanke,

Nor the pellicane, nor the swanne, nor the cormorant:

The storke also, and the heron in his kinde, nor the lapwing, nor the backe.

And euery creeping thing that flieth, shall be vncleane vnto you: it shall not be eaten.

But of all cleane foules ye may eate.

Ye shall eate of nothing that dieth alone, but thou shalt giue it vnto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eate it: or thou maiest sell it vnto a stranger: for thou art an holy people vnto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mothers milke.

Thou shalt giue the tithe of all the increase of thy seede, that commeth foorth of the fielde yeere by yeere.

And thou shalt eate before the Lord thy God (in the place which he shall chose to cause his Name to dwell there) the tithe of thy corne, of thy wine, and of thine oyle, and the first borne of thy kine and of thy sheepe, that thou maiest learne to feare the Lord thy God alway.

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to cary it, because the place is farre from thee, where the Lord thy God shall chose to set his Name, when the Lord thy God shall blesse thee,

Then shalt thou make it in money, and take the money in thine hand, and goe vnto the place which the Lord thy God shall chose.

And thou shalt bestowe the money for whatsoeuer thine heart desireth: whether it be oxe, or sheepe, or wine, or strong drinke, or whatsoeuer thine heart desireth: and shalt eate it there before the Lord thy God, and reioyce, both thou, and thine household.

And the Leuite that is within thy gates, shalt thou not forsake: for he hath neither part nor inheritance with thee.

At the end of three yeere thou shalt bring foorth all the tithes of thine increase of the same yeere, and lay it vp within thy gates.

Then ye Leuite shall come, because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherlesse, and the widowe, which are within thy gates, and shall eate, and be filled, that the Lord thy God may blesse thee in al the worke of thine hand which thou doest.

At the terme of seuen yeeres thou shalt make a freedome.

And this is the maner of the freedome: euery creditour shall quite ye lone of his hand which he hath lent to his neighbour: he shall not aske it againe of his neighbour, nor of his brother: for the yeere of the Lords freedome is proclaimed.

Of a stranger thou mayest require it: but that which thou hast with thy brother, thine hand shall remit:

Saue when there shall be no poore with thee: for the Lord shall blesse thee in the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee, for an inheritance to possesse it:

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.

For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, as he hath promised thee: and thou shalt lend vnto many nations, but thou thy selfe shalt not borow, and thou shalt reigne ouer many nations, and they shall not reigne ouer thee.

If one of thy brethren with thee be poore within any of thy gates in thy land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poore brother:

But thou shalt open thine hand vnto him, and shalt lend him sufficient for his neede which he hath.

Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thine heart, to say, The seuenth yeere, the yeere of freedome is at hand: therefore it grieueth thee to looke on thy poore brother, and thou giuest him nought, and he crie vnto the Lord against thee, so that sinne be in thee:

Thou shalt giue him, and let it not grieue thine heart to giue vnto him: for because of this the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in al thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand to.