² “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ^(A)You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

⁴⁴ For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and ^(A)be holy, for I am holy. ^(B)You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. ^45 (C)For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. ^(D)You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

^7 (A)Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

¹⁵ but ^(A)as he who called you is holy, you also be holy ^(B)in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, ^(C)“You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The Temple of the Living God

^14 (A)Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For ^(B)what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or ^(C)what fellowship has light with darkness? ^15 (D)What accord has Christ with Belial?^[a] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ^(E)we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

^48 (A)You therefore must be ^(B)perfect, ^(C)as your heavenly Father is perfect.

^26 (A)You shall be holy to me, ^(B)for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

⁶ and you shall be to me a ^(A)kingdom of priests and ^(B)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

⁸ You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for ^(A)I, the Lord, who sanctify you, ^(B)am holy.