Laws of Holiness

19 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy^(A) because I, the Lord your God, am holy.^(B)

³ “Each of you is to respect his mother and father.^(C) You are to keep my Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God. ⁴ Do not turn to worthless idols^(D) or make cast images^(E) of gods for yourselves;^(F) I am the Lord your God.

⁵ “When you offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. ⁶ It is to be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned.^{(G) 7} If any is eaten on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.^{(H) 8} Anyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the Lord. That person is to be cut off from his people.^(I)

⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings^(J) of your harvest. ¹⁰ Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor^(K) and the resident alien;^(L) I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “Do not steal.^(M) Do not act deceptively^(N) or lie^(O) to one another. ¹² Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God;^(P) I am the Lord.

¹³ “Do not oppress^(Q) your neighbor or rob^(R) him. The wages due a hired worker^(S) must not remain with you until morning. ¹⁴ Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,^(T) but you are to fear your God;^(U) I am the Lord.^(V)

¹⁵ “Do not act unjustly^(W) when deciding a case. Do not be partial^(X) to the poor or give preference to the rich;^(Y) judge your neighbor fairly. ¹⁶ Do not go about spreading slander^(Z) among your people; do not jeopardize^[a] your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “Do not harbor hatred against your brother.^[b](AA) Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.^{(AB) 18} Do not take revenge^(AC) or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself;^(AD) I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “You are to keep my statutes. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.^(AE)

²⁰ “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed^(AF) or given her freedom, there must be punishment.^[c] They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ However, he must bring a ram as his guilt^[d] offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(AG) 22} The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.

²³ “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden.^[e] It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit is to be consecrated as a praise offering^(AH) to the Lord. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will increase for you;^(AI) I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “You are not to eat anything with blood in it.^[f](AJ) You are not to practice divination^(AK) or witchcraft.^{(AL) 27} You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.^{(AM) 28} You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead^(AN) or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.

²⁹ “Do not debase^[g](AO) your daughter by making her a prostitute,^(AP) or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. ³⁰ Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary;^(AQ) I am the Lord.

³¹ “Do not turn to mediums^[h](AR) or consult spiritists,^[i](AS) or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.

³² “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old.^(AT) Fear your God; I am the Lord.

³³ “When an alien resides with you in your land, you must not oppress^(AU) him. ³⁴ You will regard the alien who resides with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself,^(AV) for you were aliens in the land of Egypt;^(AW) I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “Do not be unfair^(AX) in measurements of length, weight, or volume. ³⁶ You are to have honest balances,^(AY) honest weights, an honest dry measure,^[j] and an honest liquid measure;^[k](AZ) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ Keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and do them; I am the Lord.”

Psalm 23

The Good Shepherd

A psalm of David.

Psalm 24

The King of Glory

A psalm of David.

The Emptiness of Pleasure

2 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;^(A) enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. ² I said about laughter,^(B) “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” ³ I explored with my mind the pull of wine^(C) on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly,^(D) until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven^[a] during the few days of their lives.^(E)

The Emptiness of Possessions

⁴ I increased my achievements. I built houses^(F) and planted vineyards^(G) for myself. ⁵ I made gardens^(H) and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. ⁶ I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.^{(I) 7} I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.^(J) I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.^{(K) 8} I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.^(L) I gathered male and female singers for myself,^(M) and many concubines, the delights of men.^{[b][c] 9} So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;^(N) my wisdom also remained with me. ¹⁰ All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.^(O) I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.^{(P) 11} When I considered all that I had accomplished^[d] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.^[e](Q) There was nothing to be gained under the sun.^(R)

The Relative Value of Wisdom

¹² Then I turned to consider wisdom,^(S) madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor^[f] be like? He^[g] will do what has already been done.^{(T) 13} And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.^(U)

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.^{(W) 15} So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” ^(X) And I said to myself that this is also futile. ¹⁶ For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise,^(Y) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies just like the fool? ¹⁷ Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The Emptiness of Work

¹⁸ I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun^(Z) because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.^{(AA) 19} And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?^(AB) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. ²⁰ So I began to give myself over^[h] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. ²¹ When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,^(AC) and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. ²² For what does a person get with all his work and all his efforts^(AD) that he labors at under the sun? ²³ For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;^(AE) even at night, his mind does not rest.^(AF) This too is futile.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy^[i][j] his work.^(AG) I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,^{(AH) 25} because who can eat and who can enjoy life^[k] apart from him?^{[l] 26} For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy;^(AI) but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.^(AJ) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.^(AK)

Demonic Influence

4 Now the Spirit^(A) explicitly says that in later times^(B) some will depart from the faith,^(C) paying attention to deceitful spirits^(D) and the teachings of demons,^{(E) 2} through the hypocrisy^(F) of liars whose consciences^(G) are seared. ³ They forbid marriage^(H) and demand abstinence^(I) from foods that God created^(J) to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth. ⁴ For everything created by God is good,^(K) and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,^{(L) 5} since it is sanctified by the word of God^(M) and by prayer.

A Good Servant of Jesus Christ

⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith^(N) and the good teaching that you have followed.^{(O) 7} But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths.^(P) Rather, train yourself in godliness.^{(Q) 8} For the training of the body has limited benefit,^(R) but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.^{(S) 9} This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.^{(T) 10} For this reason we labor and strive,^[a] because we have put our hope in the living God,^(U) who is the Savior^(V) of all people,^(W) especially of those who believe.

Instructions for Ministry

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech,^(X) in conduct,^(Y) in love,^[b](Z) in faith, and in purity.^{(AA) 13} Until I come,^(AB) give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. ¹⁴ Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy,^(AC) with the laying on of hands^(AD) by the council of elders. ¹⁵ Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. ¹⁶ Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save^(AE) both yourself and your hearers.^(AF)