Leviticus 19
Expanded Bible
Other Laws
19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell all the ·people [L congregation/community of the sons/T children] of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must be holy because I am holy.
3 “‘You must ·respect [fear; revere] your mother and father [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16], and you must keep my Sabbaths [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15]. I am the Lord your God.
4 “‘Do not ·worship [L turn to] idols or make ·statues of gods [cast images] for yourselves [Ex. 20:4–6; Deut. 5:8–10]. I am the Lord your God.
5 “‘When you sacrifice a ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [3:1] to the Lord, offer it in such a way that will be accepted. 6 You may eat it the same day you offer it or on the next day. But if any is left on the third day, you must burn it ·up [L with fire]. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is unclean, and it will not be accepted. 8 Anyone who eats it then will ·be guilty of sin [bear iniquity], because he ·did not respect [profaned] the holy things that belong to the Lord. He must be cut off from the people.
9 “‘When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your fields. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. 10 Don’t pick all the grapes in your vineyards, and don’t pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for poor people and for ·people traveling through your country [resident aliens; Deut. 24:19–22; Ruth 2]. I am the Lord your God.
11 “‘You must not steal [Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19]. You must not cheat people, and you must not lie to each other [Ex. 20:16; Deut. 5:20]. 12 You must not make a false promise by my name, or you will ·show that you don’t respect [L profane the name of] your God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘You must not ·cheat [L oppress] your neighbor or rob him. You must not keep a hired worker’s salary all night until morning [Deut. 24:14–15; Jer. 22:13]. 14 You must not ·curse [or belittle] a deaf person or put ·something [a stumbling block] in front of a blind person to make him fall [Deut. 27:18]. But you must ·respect [fear; Prov. 1:7] your God. I am the Lord.
15 “‘·Be fair in your judging [L Do not render perverted judgment]. You must not show ·special favor [partiality] to poor people or great people, but ·be fair when you [L with righteousness] judge your ·neighbor [countryman; James 2:1, 9]. 16 You must not spread ·false stories [slander] against other people, and you must not do anything that would ·put your neighbor’s life in danger [L stand against the blood of your neighbor]. I am the Lord.
17 “‘You must not hate your ·fellow citizen [brother] in your heart. ·If your ·neighbor [countryman] does something wrong, tell him about it [L You must reprove your brother], or you will be partly to blame. 18 ·Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even [You should not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people]. Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Matt. 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27]. I am the Lord.
19 “‘·Obey [Keep; Guard] my ·laws [L statutes; ordinances; requirements]. You must not ·mate [breed] two different kinds of ·cattle [animals] or sow your field with two different kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two different kinds of material mixed together.
20 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with a slave girl ·of [L betrothed to] another man, but this slave girl has not been ·bought [ransomed] or given her freedom, there must be ·punishment [L an inquiry]. But they are not to be put to death, because the woman was not free. 21 The man must bring a ·male sheep [ram] as his ·penalty [guilt; reparation; 5:14–6:7] offering to the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 22 The priest will offer the ·sheep [ram] as a ·penalty [guilt; reparation; 5:14–6:7] offering before the Lord for the man’s sin, ·to remove the sins of the man so he will belong to the Lord [L …and make atonement for him]. Then he will be forgiven for his sin.
23 “‘In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. ·After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit [L You should regard its fruit as uncircumcised for three years; do not eat it]. 24 In the fourth year the fruit from the tree will be the Lord’s, a holy offering of praise to him. 25 Then in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit from the tree. The tree will then produce more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.
26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood in it [3:17].
“‘You must not try to tell the future by signs or ·black magic [divination; Deut. 18:9–12].
27 “‘You must not cut the hair on ·the sides of your heads [your temples] or cut the edges of your beard. 28 You must not cut your body for the dead [C a pagan sign of mourning; Deut. 14:1; Jer. 16:6; 41:5] or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
29 “‘Do not ·dishonor [profane] your daughter by making her become a prostitute. If you do this, the country will be ·filled [L prostituted] with all kinds of sin.
30 “‘·Obey [Keep; Guard] ·the laws about Sabbaths [L my Sabbaths], and ·respect [reverence] my ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary]. I am the Lord.
31 “‘Do not ·go [L turn] to mediums or ·fortune-tellers [wizards] ·for advice [L and do not seek them], or you will become unclean [C in a ritual sense]. I am the Lord your God.
32 “‘Show respect to old people; stand up in their presence [Prov. 16:31; 20:29]. ·Show respect also to [Fear] your God. I am the Lord.
33 “‘Do not mistreat ·foreigners living [resident aliens] in your country, 34 but treat them just as you treat your own ·citizens [natives]. Love ·foreigners [resident aliens] as you love yourselves, because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens; Ex. 22:21; Jer. 22:3] one time in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
35 “‘Do not ·cheat [do injustice] when you measure the length or weight or ·amount of something [quantity; capacity; Deut. 25:13–16; Prov. 11:1; Ezek. 45:10–12]. 36 Your weights and balances should weigh ·correctly [honestly], with your weighing baskets the right size and your jars holding the right amount of liquid. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 “‘·Remember [Keep; Guard] all my ·laws [statutes; regulations; requirements] and ·rules [regulations], and obey them. I am the Lord.’”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
