15. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
16. But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family and is well off with you,
17. then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
18. Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
19. Set apart for the Lord your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.