26 1 Idolatry forbidden. 3 A blessing to them that keep the commandments. 14 The curse to them that break them. 42 God promiseth to remember his covenant.

Ye shall make you none idols nor graven image, neither rear you up any (A)pillar, neither shall ye set [a]any image of stone in your land to bow down to it: for I am the Lord your God.

Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and (B)reverence my Sanctuary: I am the Lord.

(C)If ye walk in mine ordinances, and keep my commandments, and do them,

I will then send you [b]rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall give their fruit.

And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto sowing time, and you shall eat your bread in plenteousness, and dwell in your land safely.

And I will send peace in the land, and ye shall sleep, and none (D)shall make you afraid: also I [c]will rid evil beasts out of the land, and the [d]sword shall not go through your land.

Also ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you upon the sword.

(E)And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight, and your enemies shall fall before you upon the sword.

For [e]I will have respect unto you, and make you increase, and multiply you, and [f]stablish my covenant with you.

10 Ye shall eat also old store, and carry out old because of the new.

11 (F)And I will set my [g]Tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not loathe you.

12 Also I will walk among you, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

13 I am the Lord your God which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen, and I have broken the [h]bonds of your yoke, and made you go upright.

14 (G)But if ye will not obey me, nor do all these commandments,

15 And if ye shall despise mine ordinances, either if your soul abhor my laws, so that ye will not do all my Commandments, but break my [i]Covenant,

16 Then will I also do this unto you, I will appoint over you [j]fearfulness, a consumption, and the burning ague to consume the eyes, and make the heart heavy, and you shall sow your seed in vain: for your enemies shall eat it:

17 And I will set [k]my face against you, and ye shall fall before your enemies, and they that hate you, shall reign over you, (H)and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.

18 And if ye will not for these things obey me, then will I punish you [l]seven times more, according to your sins,

19 And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heaven as [m]iron, and your earth as brass:

20 And your [n]strength shall be spent in vain: neither shall your land give her increase, neither shall the trees of the land give their fruit.

21 ¶ And if ye walk [o]stubbornly against me, and will not obey me, I will then bring seven times more plagues upon you, according to your sins.

22 I will also send wild beasts upon you, which shall [p]spoil you, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number: so your [q]highways shall be desolate.

23 Yet if by these ye will not be reformed by me, but walk stubbornly against me,

24 Then will I also walk (I)stubbornly against you, and I will smite you yet seven times for your sins:

25 And I will send a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my Covenant: and when ye are gathered in your cities, I will send the pestilence among you, and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.

26 When I shall break the [r]staff of your bread, then ten women shall bake your bread in one [s]oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight, and ye shall eat, but not be satisfied.

27 Yet if ye will not for this obey me, but walk against me stubbornly,

28 Then will I walk stubbornly in mine anger against you, and I will also chastise you seven times more according to your sins.

29 (J)And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye devour.

30 I will also destroy your high places, and (K)cut away your images, and cast your carcasses upon the [t]bodies of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.

31 And I will make your cities desolate, and bring your Sanctuary unto naught, and [u]will not smell the savor of your sweet odors.

32 I will also bring the land unto a wilderness, and your enemies which dwell therein, shall be astonished thereat.

33 Also I will scatter you among the heathen, and [v]will draw out a sword after you, and your land shall be waste, and your cities shall be desolate.

34 Then shall the land enjoy her (L)Sabbaths, as long as it lieth void, and ye shall be in your enemies’ land: then shall the land rest, and enjoy her Sabbaths.

35 All the days that it lieth void, it shall rest, because it did not rest in your [w]Sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

36 And upon them that are left of you, I will send even a [x]faintness into their hearts in the land of your enemies, and the sound of a leaf shaken shall chase them, and they shall [y]flee as fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall, no man pursuing them.

37 They shall fall also one upon another, as before a sword, though none pursue them, and ye shall not be able to stand before your enemies:

38 And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

39 And they that are left of you, shall pine away for their iniquity, in your enemies’ lands, and for the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with [z]them also.

40 Then they shall confess their iniquity, and the wickedness of their fathers for their trespass, which they have trespassed against me, and also because they have walked stubbornly against me.

41 Therefore I will walk stubbornly against them, and bring them into the land of their enemies: so then their uncircumcised hearts shall be humbled, and then they shall [aa]willingly bear the punishment of their iniquity.

42 Then I will remember my Covenant with Jacob, and my Covenant also with Isaac, and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember, and will remember the land.

43 [ab]The land also in the mean season shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her Sabbaths while she lieth waste without them, but they shall willingly suffer the punishment of their iniquity, because they despised my Laws, and because their soul abhorred mine ordinances.

44 Yet notwithstanding this, when they shall be in the land of their enemies, (M)I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, nor to break my Covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God:

45 But I will remember for them the [ac]Covenant of old, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.

46 These are the Ordinances, and the Judgments, and the Laws, which the Lord made between him, and the children of Israel, in mount [ad]Sinai by the hand of Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 26:1 Or, stone having any imagery.
  2. Leviticus 26:4 By promising abundance of earthly things, he stirreth the mind to consider the rich treasures of the spiritual blessings.
  3. Leviticus 26:6 Hebrew, will cause the evil beast to cease.
  4. Leviticus 26:6 Ye shall have no war.
  5. Leviticus 26:9 Hebrew, I will turn unto you.
  6. Leviticus 26:9 Perform that which I have promised.
  7. Leviticus 26:11 I will be daily present with you.
  8. Leviticus 26:13 I have set you at full liberty, whereas before ye were as beasts tied in bands.
  9. Leviticus 26:15 Which I made with you in choosing you to be my people.
  10. Leviticus 26:16 Or, an hasty plague.
  11. Leviticus 26:17 Read Lev.17:10.
  12. Leviticus 26:18 That is, more extremely.
  13. Leviticus 26:19 Ye shall have drought and barrenness, Hag. 1:10.
  14. Leviticus 26:20 Or, labor.
  15. Leviticus 26:21 Or as some read, by fortune, imputing my plagues to chance and fortune.
  16. Leviticus 26:22 Of your children, 2 Kings 17:25.
  17. Leviticus 26:22 Because none dare pass thereby for fear of beasts.
  18. Leviticus 26:26 That is, the strength, whereby the life is sustained, Ezek. 4:16 and 5:16.
  19. Leviticus 26:26 One oven shall be sufficient for ten families.
  20. Leviticus 26:30 Or, carrions.
  21. Leviticus 26:31 I will not accept your sacrifices.
  22. Leviticus 26:33 Signifying that no enemy can come without God’s sending.
  23. Leviticus 26:35 Which I commanded you to keep.
  24. Leviticus 26:36 Or, cowardness.
  25. Leviticus 26:36 As if their enemies did chase them.
  26. Leviticus 26:39 Forasmuch as they are culpable of their fathers’ faults, they shall be punished as well as their fathers.
  27. Leviticus 26:41 Or, pray for their sin.
  28. Leviticus 26:43 While they are captives, and without repentance.
  29. Leviticus 26:45 Made to their forefathers.
  30. Leviticus 26:46 Fifty days after they came out of Egypt.

Reward for Obedience

26 “‘Do not make idols(A) or set up an image(B) or a sacred stone(C) for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone(D) in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.

“‘Observe my Sabbaths(E) and have reverence for my sanctuary.(F) I am the Lord.

“‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey(G) my commands, I will send you rain(H) in its season,(I) and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.(J) Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want(K) and live in safety in your land.(L)

“‘I will grant peace in the land,(M) and you will lie down(N) and no one will make you afraid.(O) I will remove wild beasts(P) from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies,(Q) and they will fall by the sword before you. Five(R) of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.(S)

“‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers,(T) and I will keep my covenant(U) with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.(V) 11 I will put my dwelling place[a](W) among you, and I will not abhor you.(X) 12 I will walk(Y) among you and be your God,(Z) and you will be my people.(AA) 13 I am the Lord your God,(AB) who brought you out of Egypt(AC) so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke(AD) and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Punishment for Disobedience

14 “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,(AE) 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws(AF) and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant,(AG) 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever(AH) that will destroy your sight and sap your strength.(AI) You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.(AJ) 17 I will set my face(AK) against you so that you will be defeated(AL) by your enemies;(AM) those who hate you will rule over you,(AN) and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.(AO)

18 “‘If after all this you will not listen to me,(AP) I will punish(AQ) you for your sins seven times over.(AR) 19 I will break down your stubborn pride(AS) and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.(AT) 20 Your strength will be spent in vain,(AU) because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.(AV)

21 “‘If you remain hostile(AW) toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over,(AX) as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals(AY) against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few(AZ) in number that your roads will be deserted.(BA)

23 “‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction(BB) but continue to be hostile toward me, 24 I myself will be hostile(BC) toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. 25 And I will bring the sword(BD) on you to avenge(BE) the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague(BF) among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. 26 When I cut off your supply of bread,(BG) ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

27 “‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me(BH) but continue to be hostile toward me, 28 then in my anger(BI) I will be hostile(BJ) toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over.(BK) 29 You will eat(BL) the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.(BM) 30 I will destroy your high places,(BN) cut down your incense altars(BO) and pile your dead bodies[b] on the lifeless forms of your idols,(BP) and I will abhor(BQ) you. 31 I will turn your cities into ruins(BR) and lay waste(BS) your sanctuaries,(BT) and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.(BU) 32 I myself will lay waste the land,(BV) so that your enemies who live there will be appalled.(BW) 33 I will scatter(BX) you among the nations(BY) and will draw out my sword(BZ) and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste,(CA) and your cities will lie in ruins.(CB) 34 Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate(CC) and you are in the country of your enemies;(CD) then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest(CE) it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

36 “‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf(CF) will put them to flight.(CG) They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them.(CH) 37 They will stumble over one another(CI) as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.(CJ) 38 You will perish(CK) among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you.(CL) 39 Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their ancestors’(CM) sins they will waste away.(CN)

40 “‘But if they will confess(CO) their sins(CP) and the sins of their ancestors(CQ)—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile(CR) toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts(CS) are humbled(CT) and they pay(CU) for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant with Jacob(CV) and my covenant with Isaac(CW) and my covenant with Abraham,(CX) and I will remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted(CY) by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected(CZ) my laws and abhorred my decrees.(DA) 44 Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies,(DB) I will not reject them or abhor(DC) them so as to destroy them completely,(DD) breaking my covenant(DE) with them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will remember(DF) the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt(DG) in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”

46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord established at Mount Sinai(DH) between himself and the Israelites through Moses.(DI)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 26:11 Or my tabernacle
  2. Leviticus 26:30 Or your funeral offerings