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by Larry Burkett.
The specific passages I see
that are about lending with interest are:
Exodus 22:25
[God says] "If you lend money
to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall
not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not
exact interest from him. If ever you take your
neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it
to him before the sun goes down; for that is his
only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in
what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I
will hear, for I am compassionate."
Leviticus 25:35-37
[God said] “And if your
brother becomes poor, and cannot maintain himself
with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and
a sojourner he shall live with you. Take no
interest from him or increase, but fear your
God; that your brother may live beside you. You
shall not lend him your money at interest, nor
give him your food for profit. I am the Lord your
God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt
to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.”
Deuteronomy 23:19-20
You shall not lend upon
interest to your brother, interest on money,
interest on victuals, interest on anything that is
lent for interest. To a foreigner you may lend upon
interest, but to your brother you shall not lend
upon interest; that the Lord your God may bless
you in all that you undertake in the land which you
are entering to take possession it.
Nehemiah 5: 1-13
Now there arose a great outcry
of the people and of their wives against their
Jewish brethren. For there were those who said,
“With our sons and our daughters, we are many; let
us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” There
were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our
fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain
because of the famine.” And there were those who
said, “We have borrowed money for the kin’s tax upon
our fields and our vineyards. Now our flesh is as
the flesh of our brethren, our children are as their
children; yet we are forcing our sons and our
daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters
have already been enslaved; but it is not in our
power to help it, for other men have our fields and
our vineyards.”
I was very angry when I heard
their outcry and these words. I took counsel with
myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and
the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting
interest, each from his brother.” And I held a
great assembly against the, and said to them, “We,
as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish
brethren who have been sold to the nations; but you
even sell your brethren that they may be sold to
us!” They were silent, and could not find a word to
say. So I said, “The thing that you are dong is not
good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God
to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies?
Moreover I and my brethren and my servants are
lending them money and grain. Let us leave off
this interest. Return to them this very day their
fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and
their houses, and the hundredth of money, grain,
wind, and gold which you have been exacting of them.”
Then they said, “We will restore these and
require nothing from them. We will do as you
say.” And I called the priests, and took an oath of
them to do as they had promises. I also shook out my
lap and said, “So may God shake out every man from
his house and from his labor who does not perform
this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.”
And all the assembly said “amen” and praised the
Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
Psalm 15
O Lord, who shall sojourn in
thy tent?
Who shall dwell on thy holy
hill?
He who walks blamelessly, and
does what is right,
And speaks truth from his
heart;
Who does not slander with his
tongue,
And does no evil to his friend,
Nor takes up a reproach against
his neighbor;
In who eyes a reprobate is
despised,
But who honors those who fear
the Lord;
Who swears to his own hurt and
does not change;
Who does not put out his
money at interest,
And does not take a bribe
against the innocent.
He who does these things shall
never be moved.
Proverbs 28: 8
He who augments his wealth
by interest and increase gathers it for him who
is kind to the poor.
Ezekiel 18:5-18
[God says] "If a man is
righteous and does what is lawful and right -- if he
does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel, does not
oppress any one, but restores to the debtor is
pledge, commits no robbery, gives his bread to the
hungry and covers the naked with a garment, does
not lend at interest or take any increase,
withholds his hand from iniquity, executes true
justice between man and man, walks in my statutes,
and is careful to observe my ordinances -- his is
righteous, he shall surely live, says the Lord God."
“If he begets a son who is a
robber, a shedder of blood, who does none of these
duties, but eats upon the mountains, defiles his
neighbor’s wife, oppresses the poor and needy,
commits robbery, does not restore the pledge, lifts
up his eyes to the idols, commits abomination,
lends at interest, and takes increase; shall he
then live? He shall not live. He has done all these
abominable things; he shall surely die; his blood
shall be upon himself.
“But if this man begets a son
who sees all the sins which his father has done, and
fears, and does not do likewise, who does not eat
upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols
of the house of Israel, does not defile his
neighbor’s wife, does not wrong any one, exact no
pledge, commits no robbery, but gives his bread to
the hungry and covers the naked with a garment,
withholds his hand from iniquity, takes no
interest or increase, observes my ordinances,
and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his
father’s iniquity; he shall surely live. As for is
father, because he practiced extortion, robbed is
brother, and did what is not good among his people,
behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
Habakkuk 2:6-7
“Woe to him who heaps up
what is not his own – for how long? – and loads
himself with pledges (loans?)!”
Will not your debtors suddenly
arise, and those awake who will make your tremble?
Then you will be booty for them.
Because you have plundered many
nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall
plunder you, for the blood of men and violence to
the earth, to cities and all who dwell therein.
Luke 6:27-36
[Jesus said] “But I say to you
that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those
who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek,
offer the other also; and from him who takes away
your cloak do not withhold your coat as well. Give
to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes
away your goods, do not ask them again. And as you
wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
“If you love those who love
you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners
love those who love them. And if you do good to
those who do good to you, what credit is that to
you? For even sinners do the same. And if you
lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what
credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners,
to receive as much again. But love your enemies,
and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in
return; and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the
ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as
your Father is merciful.
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