19 A repetition of sundry Laws and Ordinances.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto all the Congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, (A)Ye shall be [a]holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

¶ Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, and shall keep my Sabbath: for I am the Lord your God.

¶ Ye shall not turn unto idols, nor make you molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

¶ And when ye shall offer a peace offering unto the Lord, ye shall offer it [b]freely.

(B)It shall be eaten the day ye offer it, or on the morrow: and that which remaineth until the third day, shall be burnt in the fire.

For if it be eaten the third day, it shall be unclean, it shall not be [c]accepted.

Therefore he that eateth it, shall bear his iniquity, because he hath defiled the hallowed thing of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

(C)When ye reap the harvest of your land, ye shall not reap every corner of your field, neither shalt thou gather the [d]gleanings of thy harvest.

10 Thou shalt not gather the grapes of thy vineyard clean, neither gather every grape of thy vineyard, but thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

11 ¶ Ye shall not steal, neither [e]deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12 (D)Also ye shall not swear by my Name falsely, neither shalt thou defile the Name of thy God: I am the Lord.

13 ¶ Thou shalt not do thy neighbor [f]wrong, neither rob him. (E)The workman’s hire shall not abide with thee until the morning.

14 ¶ Thou shalt not curse the deaf, (F)neither put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.

15 ¶ Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment: (G)Thou shalt not favor the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty, but thou shalt judge thy neighbor justly.

16 ¶ Thou shalt not [g]walk about with tales among thy people: Thou shalt not [h]stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 ¶ Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart, but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbor, [i]and suffer him not to sin.

18 ¶ Thou shalt not avenge, nor be mindful of wrong against the children of thy people, (H)but shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.

19 ¶ Ye shall keep mine ordinances. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with [j]others of divers kinds. Thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed, neither shall a garment of divers things, as of linen and woolen come upon thee.

20 ¶ Whosoever also lieth and meddleth with a woman that is a bondmaid, affianced to a husband, and not redeemed, nor freedom given her, [k]she shall be scourged, but they shall not die, because she is not made free.

21 And he shall bring for his trespass offering unto the Lord, at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, a ram for a trespass offering.

22 Then the Priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord, concerning his sin which he hath done, and pardon shall be given him for his sin which he hath committed.

23 ¶ Also when ye shall come into the land, and have planted every tree for meat, ye [l]shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten:

24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to the praise of the Lord.

25 And the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit of it, that it may [m]yield to you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.

26 ¶ Ye shall not eat the flesh with the [n]blood: ye shall not use witchcraft, nor [o]observe times.

27 (I)Ye shall not [p]cut round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou [q]mar the tufts of thy beard.

28 (J)Ye shall not cut your flesh for the [r]dead, nor make any print of a [s]mark upon you: I am the Lord.

29 ¶ Thou shalt not make thy daughter common, to cause her to be a [t]whore, lest the land also fall to whoredom, and the land be full of wickedness.

30 ¶ Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary: I am the Lord.

31 ¶ Ye shall not regard them that work with spirits, (K)neither Soothsayers: ye shall not seek to them to be defiled by them, I am the Lord your God.

32 ¶ Thou shalt [u]rise up before the hoary head, and honor the person of the old man, and dread thy God: I am the Lord.

33 ¶ And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not [v]vex him.

34 (L)But the stranger that dwelleth with you, shall be as one of yourselves, and thou shalt love him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

35 ¶ Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment, in [w]line, in weight, or in measure.

36 (M)You shall have just balances, true weights, a true [x]Ephah, and a true Hin, I am the Lord your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 Therefore shall ye observe all mine ordinances, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:2 That is, void of all pollution, idolatry, and superstition both of soul and body.
  2. Leviticus 19:5 Of your own accord.
  3. Leviticus 19:7 To wit, of God.
  4. Leviticus 19:9 Or, gatherings and leavings.
  5. Leviticus 19:11 In that which is committed to your credit.
  6. Leviticus 19:13 Or, oppress him by violence.
  7. Leviticus 19:16 As a slanderer, backbiter, or quarrel picker.
  8. Leviticus 19:16 By consenting to his death, or conspiring with the wicked.
  9. Leviticus 19:17 Hebrew, suffer not sin upon him.
  10. Leviticus 19:19 As a horse to leap an ass, or a mule a mare.
  11. Leviticus 19:20 Hebrew, a beating shall be, some read, they shall be beaten.
  12. Leviticus 19:23 It shall be unclean as that thing, which is not circumcised.
  13. Leviticus 19:25 Or, that God may multiply.
  14. Leviticus 19:26 Whether it be strangled, or otherwise.
  15. Leviticus 19:26 To measure lucky or unlucky days.
  16. Leviticus 19:27 As did the Gentiles in sign of mourning.
  17. Leviticus 19:27 Or, cut, or tear.
  18. Leviticus 19:28 Hebrew, soul or person.
  19. Leviticus 19:28 By whipping your bodies or burning marks therein.
  20. Leviticus 19:29 As did the Cyprians, and Locrians.
  21. Leviticus 19:32 In token of reverence.
  22. Leviticus 19:33 Or, do him wrong.
  23. Leviticus 19:35 As in measuring the ground.
  24. Leviticus 19:36 By these two measures he meaneth all others. Of Ephah, read Exod. 16:36, and of Hin, Exod. 29:40.

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(A) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(B) am holy.(C)

“‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,(D) and you must observe my Sabbaths.(E) I am the Lord your God.(F)

“‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.(G) I am the Lord your God.(H)

“‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.(I) If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(J) Whoever eats it will be held responsible(K) because they have desecrated what is holy(L) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.(M)

“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges(N) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(O) 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time(P) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.(Q) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.(R) I am the Lord your God.

11 “‘Do not steal.(S)

“‘Do not lie.(T)

“‘Do not deceive one another.(U)

12 “‘Do not swear falsely(V) by my name(W) and so profane(X) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘Do not defraud or rob(Y) your neighbor.(Z)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker(AA) overnight.(AB)

14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(AC) but fear your God.(AD) I am the Lord.

15 “‘Do not pervert justice;(AE) do not show partiality(AF) to the poor or favoritism to the great,(AG) but judge your neighbor fairly.(AH)

16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander(AI) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.(AJ) I am the Lord.

17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.(AK) Rebuke your neighbor frankly(AL) so you will not share in their guilt.

18 “‘Do not seek revenge(AM) or bear a grudge(AN) against anyone among your people,(AO) but love your neighbor(AP) as yourself.(AQ) I am the Lord.

19 “‘Keep my decrees.(AR)

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.(AS)

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.(AT)

20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man(AU) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.[a] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.(AV) 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.(AW)

23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.[b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden[c]; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,(AX) an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

26 “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.(AY)

“‘Do not practice divination(AZ) or seek omens.(BA)

27 “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.(BB)

28 “‘Do not cut(BC) your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

29 “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,(BD) or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.(BE)

30 “‘Observe my Sabbaths(BF) and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.(BG)

31 “‘Do not turn to mediums(BH) or seek out spiritists,(BI) for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

32 “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect(BJ) for the elderly(BK) and revere your God.(BL) I am the Lord.(BM)

33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.(BN) Love them as yourself,(BO) for you were foreigners(BP) in Egypt.(BQ) I am the Lord your God.

35 “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.(BR) 36 Use honest scales(BS) and honest weights, an honest ephah[d](BT) and an honest hin.[e](BU) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.(BV)

37 “‘Keep all my decrees(BW) and all my laws(BX) and follow them. I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:20 Or be an inquiry
  2. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
  3. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
  4. Leviticus 19:36 An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 of a bushel or about 22 liters.
  5. Leviticus 19:36 A hin was a liquid measure having the capacity of about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters.