Leviticus 19

"I Am God, Your God"

1-2 God spoke to Moses: "Speak to the congregation of Israel. Tell them, Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.

3  "Every one of you must respect his mother and father. "Keep my Sabbaths. I am God, your God.

4  "Don't take up with no-god idols. Don't make gods of cast metal. I am God, your God.

5-8  "When you sacrifice a Peace-Offering to God, do it as you've been taught so it is acceptable. Eat it on the day you sacrifice it and the day following. Whatever is left until the third day is to be burned up. If it is eaten on the third day it is polluted meat and not acceptable. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has violated what is holy to God. That person will be cut off from his people.

9-10  "When you harvest your land, don't harvest right up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings from the harvest. Don't strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick up the fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am God, your God.

11  "Don't steal.
"Don't lie.
"Don't deceive anyone.

12  "Don't swear falsely using my name, violating the name of your God. I am God.

13  "Don't exploit your friend or rob him.
"Don't hold back the wages of a hired hand overnight.

14  "Don't curse the deaf; don't put a stumbling block in front of the blind; fear your God. I am God.

15  "Don't pervert justice. Don't show favoritism to either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of what is right.

16  "Don't spread gossip and rumors.
"Don't just stand by when your neighbor's life is in danger. I am God.

17  "Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.

18  "Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people.
"Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.

19  "Keep my decrees.
"Don't mate two different kinds of animals.
"Don't plant your fields with two kinds of seed.
"Don't wear clothes woven of two kinds of material.

20-22  "If a man has sex with a slave girl who is engaged to another man but has not yet been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be an investigation. But they aren't to be put to death because she wasn't free. The man must bring a Compensation-Offering to God at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, a ram of compensation. The priest will perform the ritual of atonement for him before God with the ram of compensation for the sin he has committed. Then he will stand forgiven of the sin he committed.

23-25  "When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, don't eat the fruit for three years; consider it inedible. By the fourth year its fruit is holy, an offering of praise to God. Beginning in the fifth year you can eat its fruit; you'll have richer harvests this way. I am God, your God.

26  "Don't eat meat with blood in it.
"Don't practice divination or sorcery.

27  "Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard.

28  "Don't gash your bodies on behalf of the dead.
"Don't tattoo yourselves. I am God.

29  "Don't violate your daughter by making her a whore—the whole country would soon become a brothel, filled with sordid sex.

30  "Keep my Sabbaths and revere my Sanctuary: I am God.

31  "Don't dabble in the occult or traffic with mediums; you'll pollute your souls. I am God, your God.

32  "Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God. I am God.

33-34  "When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don't take advantage of him. Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God.

35-36  "Don't cheat when measuring length, weight, or quantity. Use honest scales and weights and measures. I am God, your God. I brought you out of Egypt.

37  "Keep all my decrees and all my laws. Yes, do them. I am God."

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.’”