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.’”
Leviticus 19
Amplified Bible
Idolatry Forbidden
19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.(A) 3 Each of you shall [a]respect his mother and his father, and you shall keep My Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods (images cast in metal); I am the Lord your God.
5 ‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it and on the day following; and if anything remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. 7 But if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is repulsive; it will not be accepted [by God as an offering]. 8 Everyone who eats it will bear [the responsibility for] his wickedness, for he has profaned a holy thing of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].
Various Laws
9 ‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings (grain left after reaping) of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather its fallen grapes; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.
11 ‘You shall not steal, nor deal deceptively, nor lie to one another.(B) 12 You shall not swear [an oath] falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.
13 ‘You shall not oppress or exploit your neighbor, nor rob him. You shall not withhold the wages of a hired man overnight until morning. 14 You shall not curse a deaf man nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the Lord.
15 ‘You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor show a preference for the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. 16 You shall not go around as a gossip among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor [with slander or false testimony]; I am the Lord.
17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you may most certainly rebuke your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.(C) 18 You shall not take revenge nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor (acquaintance, associate, companion) as yourself; I am the Lord.(D)
19 ‘You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear clothing of two kinds of material mixed together.
20 ‘Now if a man has intimate relations with a woman who is a slave acquired for [marriage to] another man, but who has not been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment [after an investigation]; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his guilt offering to the Lord to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, a ram as a guilt offering. 22 The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed; and he shall be forgiven for his sin.
23 ‘When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall consider their fruit [b]forbidden. For three years the fruit shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all the fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 In the fifth year you may eat the fruit [of the trees], this is so that their yield may increase for you; I am the Lord your God.
26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination [using omens or witchcraft] or soothsaying. 27 You shall not trim and round off the side-growth of [the hair on] your heads, nor mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuts on your body [in mourning] for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.
29 ‘Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land will not fall to prostitution and become full of wickedness. 30 You shall keep My Sabbaths and revere My sanctuary. I am the Lord.
31 ‘Do not turn to mediums [who pretend to consult the dead] or to spiritists [who have spirits of divination]; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
32 ‘You shall rise before the gray-headed and honor the aged, and you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the Lord.
33 ‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress or mistreat him. 34 But the stranger who resides with you shall be to you like someone native-born among you; and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
35 ‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight or quantity. 36 You shall have just and accurate balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just [c]hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 You shall observe and keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them. I am the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 19:3 Lit fear; the Hebrew can refer to respect or reverence as essentially healthy forms of fear.
- Leviticus 19:23 Lit uncircumcised.
- Leviticus 19:36 Approx one gallon.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
