Leviticus 19

Duties of the People Toward God

1 The Lord spoke to Moses,

2 “Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 “Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of worship. I am the Lord your God.4 “Don’t turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never make any gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.5 “When you bring a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted.6 Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over.7 If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted.

8 Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to the Lord. They must be excluded from the people.

Duties of the People Toward Each Other

9 “When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished.

10 Don’t harvest your vineyard a second time or pick up fallen grapes. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am the Lord your God.
11 “Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor.12 “Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your God. I am the Lord.13 “Never oppress or rob your neighbor. Never keep the pay you owe a hired worker overnight.

14 Never curse deaf people or put anything in the way of blind people to make them stumble. Instead, fear your God. I am the Lord.
15 “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly.

16 Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
17 “Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him.

18 Never get revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

Other Duties

19 “Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Never plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material.20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave.21 He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

22 In the Lord’s presence the priest will use them to make peace with the Lord for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.
23 “When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for the first three years.24 In the fourth year all the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to the Lord.

25 In the fifth year you may eat the fruit. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am the Lord your God.
26 “Never eat any meat with blood still in it.“Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.27 “Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard.

28 Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am the Lord.
29 “Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted.30 “Observe my days of worship and respect my holy tent. I am the Lord.31 “Don’t turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am the Lord your God.32 “Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the Lord.33 “Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land.

34 Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
35 “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid.

36 Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt.
37 “Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 19

Religious and Social Regulations

1 The Lord spoke to Moses:2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father,t and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

4 Do not turn to idols,s and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.

Eating the Peace Offering

5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you.t6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day,t but what is left over until the third day must be burned up.t7 If, however, it is eatent on the third day, it is spoiled,t it will not be accepted,

8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquityt because he has profaneds what is holy to the Lord.t That person will be cut off from his people.s

Leaving the Gleanings

9 “‘When you gather in the harvestt of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field,t and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest.

10 You must not pick your vineyard bare,t and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.

Dealing Honestly

11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen.t12 You must not swear falselyt in my name, so that you do not profanet the name of your God. I am the Lord.13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against him.t You must not withholdt the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning.

14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person.t You must feart your God; I am the Lord.

Justice, Love, and Propriety

15 “‘Yous must not deal unjustly in judgment:t you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich.t You must judge your fellow citizen fairly.t16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people.t You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake.t I am the Lord.17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him.t18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudget against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself.s I am the Lord.

19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed,t you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not weart a garment made of two different kinds of fabric.s

Lying with a Slave Woman

20 “‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman,t although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation.s They must not be put to death, because she was not free.21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram,s

22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed,t and he will be forgivent of his sint that he has committed.

The Produce of Fruit Trees

23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree,t you must consider its fruit to be forbidden.t Three years it will be forbidden to you;t it must not be eaten.24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offeringst to the Lord.

25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest.t I am the Lord your God.

Blood, Hair, and Body

26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it.t You must not practice either divination or soothsaying.t27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard.s28 You must not slash your body for a dead persont or incise a tattoo on yourself.t I am the Lord.

29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute,t so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness.t

Purity, Honor, Respect, and Honesty

30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord.31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spiritss to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God.32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord.33 When a foreigner residest with you in your land, you must not oppress him.34 The foreigner who resides with you must be to you like a native citizen among you; sot you must love him as yourself, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume.t36 You must have honest balances,t honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.s I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations.t I am the Lord.’”