13 Bible Verses about Creditors

I considered these things carefully and then registered a complaint with the wealthy and the officials. I said to them, "Each one of you is seizing the collateral from your own countrymen!" Because of them I called for a great public assembly. I said to them, "To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, so that we can then buy them back!" They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say. Then I said, "The thing that you are doing is wrong! Should you not conduct yourselves in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies?

They drive away the orphan's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge. They turn the needy from the pathway, and the poor of the land hide themselves together. Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor, seeking diligently for food; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children. read more.
They reap fodder in the field, and glean in the vineyard of the wicked. They spend the night naked because they lack clothing; they have no covering against the cold. They are soaked by mountain rains and huddle in the rocks because they lack shelter. The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge.

After he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe me!' Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will repay you.' But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.

"For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves.

Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison.

So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart."

Even I and my relatives and my associates are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil." They replied, "We will return these things, and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say." Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials swear to do what had been promised.

The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt.

When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants."

The fatherless child is snatched from the breast, the infant of the poor is taken as a pledge.

Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.

Do not be one who strikes hands in pledge or who puts up security for debts. If you do not have enough to pay, your bed will be taken right out from under you!

The one who puts up security for a stranger will surely have trouble, but whoever avoids shaking hands will be secure.

"If you lend money to any of my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender to him; do not charge him interest.

Do not take interest or profit from him, but you must fear your God and your brother must live with you. You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit.

Do not be one who strikes hands in pledge or who puts up security for debts.

My child, if you have made a pledge for your neighbor, and have become a guarantor for a stranger,

Reach agreement quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison.

And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed.

Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.

"If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he will go out free without paying anything.

All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.

So he contacted his master's debtors one by one. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' The man replied, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' The second man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his house to claim what he is offering as security. You must stand outside and the person to whom you are making the loan will bring out to you what he is offering as security.

This is the nature of the cancellation: Every creditor must remit what he has loaned to another person; he must not force payment from his fellow Israelite, for it is to be recognized as "the Lord's cancellation of debts." You may exact payment from a foreigner, but whatever your fellow Israelite owes you, you must remit.

When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you may not go into his house to claim what he is offering as security.

You may lend with interest to a foreigner, but not to your fellow Israelite; if you keep this command the Lord your God will bless you in all you undertake in the land you are about to enter to possess.

One must not take either lower or upper millstones as security on a loan, for that is like taking a life itself as security.

If you do take the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, for it is his only covering -- it is his garment for his body. What else can he sleep in? And when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

Because he was not able to repay it, the lord ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made.

And I testify again to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.

Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes to me.

There were others who said, "We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine."

The man replied, 'A hundred measures of olive oil.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.' Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' The second man replied, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' The manager said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'