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Leviticus 19
New English Translation

Religious and Social Regulations

19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father,[a] and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols,[b] and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.

Eating the Peace Offering

5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you.[c] 6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day,[d] but what is left over until the third day must be burned up.[e] 7 If, however, it is eaten[f] on the third day, it is spoiled;[g] it will not be accepted, 8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity[h] because he has profaned[i] what is holy to the Lord.[j] That person will be cut off from his people.[k]

Leaving the Gleanings

9 “‘When you gather in the harvest[l] of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field,[m] and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You must not pick your vineyard bare,[n] and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the resident foreigner.[o] I am the Lord your God.

Dealing Honestly

11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen.[p] 12 You must not swear falsely[q] in my name, so that you do not profane[r] the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against your neighbor.[s] You must not withhold[t] the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person.[u] You must fear[v] your God; I am the Lord.

Justice, Love, and Propriety

15 “‘You[w] must not deal unjustly in judgment:[x] You must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich.[y] You must judge your fellow citizen fairly.[z] 16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people.[aa] You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake.[ab] I am the Lord. 17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him.[ac] 18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against[ad] any of your people,[ae] but you must love your neighbor as yourself.[af] I am the Lord. 19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed together,[ag] you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not wear[ah] a garment made of two different kinds of material.[ai]

Lying with a Slave Woman

20 “‘When a man goes to bed with a woman for intercourse,[aj] although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation.[ak] They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram,[al] 22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed,[am] and he will be forgiven[an] of his sin[ao] that he has committed.

The Produce of Fruit Trees

23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree,[ap] you must consider its fruit to be forbidden.[aq] Three years it will be forbidden to you;[ar] it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings[as] to the Lord. 25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest.[at] I am the Lord your God.

Blood, Hair, Body, and Prostitution

26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it.[au] You must not practice either divination or soothsaying.[av] 27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard.[aw] 28 You must not slash your body for a dead person[ax] or incise a tattoo on yourself.[ay] I am the Lord. 29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute,[az] so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness.[ba]

Sabbaths, Purity, Honor, Respect, and Honesty

30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits[bb] to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. 32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord. 33 When a resident foreigner[bc] lives with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 The resident foreigner[bd] who lives with you must be to you as a native citizen among you; so[be] you must love the foreigner as yourself, because you were foreigners[bf] in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume.[bg] 36 You must have honest balances,[bh] honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.[bi] I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations.[bj] I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:3 tn Heb “A man his mother and his father you [plural] shall fear.” The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and certain Targum mss reverse the order, “his father and his mother.” The term “fear” is subject to misunderstanding by the modern reader, so “respect” has been used in the translation. Cf. NAB, NRSV “revere”; NASB “reverence.”
  2. Leviticus 19:4 sn Regarding the difficult etymology and meaning of the term for “idols” (אֱלִילִים, ʾelilim), see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 126; J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 304; N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NBC), 89; and Judith M. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:411. It appears to be a diminutive play on words with אֵל (ʾel, “god; God”) and, perhaps at the same time, recalls a common Semitic word for “worthless; weak; powerless; nothingness.” Snaith suggests a rendering of “worthless godlings.”
  3. Leviticus 19:5 tn Heb “for your acceptance”; cf. NIV, NLT “it will be accepted on your behalf.”
  4. Leviticus 19:6 tn Heb “from the following day” (HALOT 572 s.v. מָחֳרָת 2.b).
  5. Leviticus 19:6 tn Heb “shall be burned with fire”; KJV “shall be burnt in the fire.” Because “to burn with fire” is redundant in contemporary English the present translation simply has “must be burned up.”
  6. Leviticus 19:7 tn Heb “And if being eaten [infinitive absolute] it is eaten [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.
  7. Leviticus 19:7 tn Or “desecrated,” or “defiled,” or “forbidden.” For this difficult term see J. Milgrom, Leviticus (AB), 1:422, on Lev 7:18.
  8. Leviticus 19:8 tn See the note on Lev 17:16 above.
  9. Leviticus 19:8 sn Regarding “profaned,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above.
  10. Leviticus 19:8 tn Heb “the holiness of the Lord.”
  11. Leviticus 19:8 sn On the “cut off” penalty see the note on Lev 7:20.
  12. Leviticus 19:9 tn Heb “And in your harvesting the harvest.”
  13. Leviticus 19:9 tn Heb “you shall not complete the corner of your field to harvest.”
  14. Leviticus 19:10 tn Heb “And you shall not deal severely with your vineyard.”
  15. Leviticus 19:10 sn On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11. On the privilege of gleaning see also Lev 23:22; Deut 14:29; 24:19-21.
  16. Leviticus 19:11 tn Heb “you shall not deal falsely a man with his fellow citizen.”
  17. Leviticus 19:12 tn Heb “And you shall not swear to the falsehood.”
  18. Leviticus 19:12 tn Heb “and you shall not profane”; NAB “thus profaning.”
  19. Leviticus 19:13 tn Heb “You shall not oppress your neighbor and you shall not rob.”
  20. Leviticus 19:13 tn Heb “hold back with you”; perhaps “hold back for yourself” (cf. NRSV “keep for yourself”).
  21. Leviticus 19:14 tn Heb “You shall not curse a deaf [person] and before a blind [person] you shall not put a stumbling block.”
  22. Leviticus 19:14 tn Heb “And you shall fear.” Many English versions (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV) regard the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) as adversative in force here (“but”).
  23. Leviticus 19:15 tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.
  24. Leviticus 19:15 tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”
  25. Leviticus 19:15 tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”
  26. Leviticus 19:15 tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”
  27. Leviticus 19:16 tn The term רָכִיל (rakhil) is traditionally rendered “slanderer” here (so NASB, NIV, NRSV; see also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 304, 316), but the exact meaning is uncertain (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129). It is sometimes related to I רָכַל (rakhal, “to go about as a trader [or “merchant”]”; BDB 940 s.v. רָכַל), and taken to refer to cutthroat business dealings, but there may be a II רָכַל, the meaning of which is dubious (HALOT 1237 s.v. II *רכל). Some would render it “to go about as a spy.”
  28. Leviticus 19:16 tn Heb “You shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor.” This part of the verse is also difficult to interpret. The rendering here suggests that one will not allow a neighbor to be victimized, whether in court (cf. v. 15) or in any other situation (see the discussion in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129).
  29. Leviticus 19:17 tn Heb “and you will not lift up on him sin.” The meaning of the line is somewhat obscure. It means either (1) that one should rebuke one’s neighbor when he sins lest one also becomes guilty, which is the way it is rendered here (see NIV, NRSV, NEB, JB; see also B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 129-30, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 303, and the discussion on pp. 316-17), or (2) one may rebuke one’s neighbor without incurring sin just as long as he does not hate him in his heart (see the first part of the verse; cf. NASB, NAB).
  30. Leviticus 19:18 tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).
  31. Leviticus 19:18 tn Heb “the sons of your people.”
  32. Leviticus 19:18 sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition ל (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).
  33. Leviticus 19:19 tn Heb “Your animals, you shall not cross-breed two different kinds.”
  34. Leviticus 19:19 tn Heb “you shall not cause to go up on you.”
  35. Leviticus 19:19 sn Cf. Deut 22:11 where the Hebrew term translated “two different kinds” (כִּלְאַיִם, kilʾayim) refers to a mixture of linen and wool woven together in a garment.
  36. Leviticus 19:20 tn Heb “And a man when he lies with a woman, the lying of seed.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” acts as a euphemism, implying going to bed for sexual relations. In this case, the phrase “lying for (a man’s) seed” specifies that it refers to sexual intercourse.
  37. Leviticus 19:20 sn That is, the woman had previously been assigned for marriage to another man but the marriage deal had not yet been consummated. In the meantime, the woman has lost her virginity and has, therefore, lost part of her value to the master in the sale to the man for whom she had been designated. Compensation was, therefore, required (see the explanation in B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 130-31).
  38. Leviticus 19:21 sn On the guilt offering see the note on Lev 5:15 above.
  39. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “on his sin which he has sinned.”
  40. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “there shall be forgiveness to him” or “it shall be forgiven to him.”
  41. Leviticus 19:22 tn Heb “from his sin.”
  42. Leviticus 19:23 tn Heb “tree of food”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “trees for food.”
  43. Leviticus 19:23 tn Heb “you shall circumcise its fruit [as] its foreskin,” taking the fruit to be that which is to be removed and, therefore, forbidden. Since the fruit is uncircumcised it is forbidden (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306, and esp. B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 131-32).
  44. Leviticus 19:23 tn Heb “it shall be to you uncircumcised.”
  45. Leviticus 19:24 tn See B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132, where the translation reads “set aside for jubilation”; a special celebration before the Lord.
  46. Leviticus 19:25 tn Heb “to add to you its produce.” The rendering here assumes that the point of this clause is simply that finally being allowed to eat the fruit in the fifth year adds the fruit of the tree to their harvest. Some take the verb to be from אָסַף (ʾasaf, “to gather”) rather than יָסַף (yasaf, “to add; to increase”), rendering the verse, “to gather to you the produce” (E. S. Gerstenberger, Leviticus [OTL], 260, and see the versions referenced in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 306). Others take it to mean that by following the regulations given previously they will honor the Lord so that the Lord will cause the trees to increase the amount of fruit they would normally produce (Hartley, 303, 306; cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  47. Leviticus 19:26 tn Heb “You shall not eat on the blood.” See the extensive remarks in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 319-20, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 132-33. The LXX has “on the mountains,” suggesting that this is a prohibition against illegitimate places and occasions of worship, not the eating of blood.
  48. Leviticus 19:26 tn Heb “You shall not practice divination and you shall not practice soothsaying”; cf. NRSV “practice augury or witchcraft.” For suggestions regarding the practices involved see B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 133, and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 320.
  49. Leviticus 19:27 tc Heb “and you [singular] shall not ruin the corner of your [singular] beard.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Tg. Ps.-J. have the plural pronouns (i.e., “you” and “your” plural) rather than the singular of the MT.
  50. Leviticus 19:28 tn Heb “And slash for the soul you shall not give.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, person, life”) can sometimes refer to a “dead person” (cf. Lev 21:1, 5; 22:5). See J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 306, 320-21.
  51. Leviticus 19:28 tn Heb “and a writing of incision you shall not give in you.”
  52. Leviticus 19:29 tn Heb “to make her practice harlotry.” Some recent English versions regard this as religious or temple prostitution (cf. TEV, CEV).
  53. Leviticus 19:29 tn Heb “and the land become full of lewdness.” Regarding the term “lewdness,” see the note on Lev 18:17 above.
  54. Leviticus 19:31 sn The prohibition here concerns those who would seek special knowledge through the spirits of the dead, whether the dead in general or dead relatives in particular (i.e., familiar spirits; see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 321, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 134). Cf. Lev 20:6 below.
  55. Leviticus 19:33 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.” On the Hebrew ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” see notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11. On not oppressing the ger, see also Exod 22:21; Deut 24:14, 17; 27:19.
  56. Leviticus 19:34 tn The noun “foreigner” (גֵּר; ger) is based on the same verbal root as “lives” (גּוּר; gur), which means “to sojourn, to dwell as an alien.”
  57. Leviticus 19:34 tn Heb “and.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have resultative force here.
  58. Leviticus 19:34 sn The same term ger (גֵּר) is used for the resident foreigner living in Israel and of the Israelite who lived in Israel, despite the very different social conditions of each. A foreign resident has differing status in different countries. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, but the resident foreigner in Israel was under the same laws (civil and religious) as the Israelite and could worship the Lord as part of the covenant community. Several passages emphasize equal standing under Mosaic Law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16) or similar obligations (Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14). For more on the ger (גֵּר), see the notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  59. Leviticus 19:35 tn That is, liquid capacity (HALOT 640 s.v. מְשׂוּרָה). Cf. ASV, NIV, NRSV, TEV “quantity”; NAB, NASB “capacity.”
  60. Leviticus 19:36 tn Heb “balances of righteousness,” and so throughout this sentence.
  61. Leviticus 19:36 sn An ephah is a dry measure which measures about four gallons, or perhaps one third of a bushel, while a hin is a liquid measure of about 3.6 liters (= approximately 1 gallon).
  62. Leviticus 19:37 tn Heb “And you shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations and you shall do them.” This appears to be a kind of verbal hendiadys, where the first verb is a modifier of the action of the second verb (see GKC 386 §120.d, although שָׁמַר [shamar, “to keep”] is not cited there; cf. Lev 22:31).
Close LEB

Leviticus 19
Lexham English Bible

Yahweh Is Holy

19 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the community of the Israelites,[b] and say to them, ‘You[c] must be holy, because I, Yahweh your[d] God, am holy. 3 Each of you must revere your mother[e] and your father,[f] and you[g] must keep my Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your[h] God. 4 You[i] must not turn to idols, and you[j] must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal; I am Yahweh your[k] God.

5 “‘And when you[l] sacrifice a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh, you[m] must sacrifice it for your[n] acceptance. 6 It must be eaten on the day of your[o] sacrifice and the next day; but[p] the remainder must be burned up in the fire by the third day. 7 And if it is indeed eaten on the third day, it is unclean meat; it shall not be regarded as accepted. 8 And the one who eats it shall bear his guilt, because he has profaned Yahweh’s holiness, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

9 “‘And at your[q] reaping the harvest of your[r] land you[s] must not finish reaping the edge of your[t] field, and you[u] must not glean the remnants of your[v] harvest. 10 And you[w] must not glean your[x] vineyard, and you[y] must not gather your[z] vineyard’s fallen grapes; you[aa] must leave them behind for the needy and for the alien; I am Yahweh your[ab] God.

11 “‘You[ac] shall not steal, and you[ad] shall not deceive, and you[ae] shall not lie to one another;[af] 12 and you[ag] shall not swear falsely[ah] in my name, and so one of you[ai] profane[aj] the name of your[ak] God; I am Yahweh.

13 “‘You[al] shall not exploit your[am] neighbor, and you[an] shall not rob him; a hired worker’s wage you[ao] shall not withhold[ap] overnight until morning. 14 You[aq] shall not curse the deaf, and you[ar] shall not put a stumbling block before[as] a blind person, but[at] you[au] shall revere your[av] God; I am Yahweh.

15 “‘You[aw] shall not do injustice in judgment; you[ax] shall not show partiality to the powerless;[ay] you[az] shall not give preference to the powerful;[ba] you[bb] shall judge your[bc] fellow citizen with justice. 16 You[bd] shall not go about with slander among your[be] people; you[bf] shall not endanger your[bg] neighbor’s life;[bh] I am Yahweh.

17 “‘You[bi] shall not hate your[bj] brother in your[bk] heart; you[bl] shall surely rebuke your[bm] fellow citizen, so that you[bn] do not incur sin along with[bo] him. 18 You[bp] shall not seek vengeance, and you[bq] shall not harbor a grudge against your[br] fellow citizens;[bs] and you[bt] shall love your[bu] neighbor like yourself; [bv] I am Yahweh.

You Shall Keep My Statutes

19 “‘You[bw] must keep my statutes: as for your[bx] domestic animals, you[by] shall not cause two differing kinds to breed; as for your[bz] field, you[ca] shall not sow two differing kinds of seed; and, a garment of two differing kinds of woven material should not be worn on you.[cb]

20 “‘And when a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen and she is a female slave promised to a man, but[cc] she indeed has not been ransomed or freedom has not be given to her, there shall be an obligation to compensate; they shall not be put to death, because she has not been freed. 21 And he shall bring his guilt offering to Yahweh at the tent of assembly’s entrance: a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him before[cd] Yahweh with the ram of the guilt offering for his sin that he committed,[ce] and so his sin that he committed[cf] shall be forgiven him.

23 “‘And when you[cg] have come into the land and you[ch] plant any tree for[ci] food, you[cj] shall regard its fruit as unharvestable;[ck] for three years it shall be forbidden for you; [cl] it shall not be eaten. 24 But[cm] in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, offerings of praise for Yahweh. 25 And in the fifth year you[cn] shall eat its fruit to increase its yield for you; [co] I am Yahweh your[cp] God.

26 “‘You[cq] must not eat anything with the blood; you[cr] shall not practice divination, nor shall you[cs] interpret signs. 27 You[ct] shall not round off the corner hair of your[cu] head, and you[cv] shall not trim the corner of your[cw] beard. 28 And you[cx] shall not make a slash in your[cy] body for a dead person, nor shall you[cz] make on yourselves a tattoo’s mark; I am Yahweh.

29 “‘You[da] shall not profane your[db] daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land be prostituted and the land fill up with depravity.[dc] 30 You[dd] shall keep my Sabbaths, and you[de] shall revere my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.

31 “‘You[df] shall not turn to the mediums and to the soothsayers; you[dg] shall not seek them to become unclean with them; I am Yahweh your[dh] God.

32 “‘Before[di] old age you[dj] shall get up, and you[dk] shall show respect for an old person; and you[dl] shall revere your God; I am Yahweh.

33 “‘And when an alien dwells with you[dm] in your[dn] land, you[do] shall not oppress him. 34 The alien who is dwelling with you[dp] shall be like a native among you,[dq] and you[dr] shall love him like yourself, [ds] because you[dt] were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your[du] God.

35 “‘You[dv] shall not commit injustice in regulation, in measurement, in weight, or[dw] volume. 36 You[dx] must have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin; I am Yahweh your[dy] God who brought you[dz] out from the land of Egypt.

37 “‘Thus you[ea] shall keep all my statutes and all my regulations, and you[eb] shall do them; I am Yahweh.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 19:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 19:2 Plural
  4. Leviticus 19:2 Plural
  5. Leviticus 19:3 Hebrew “his mother”
  6. Leviticus 19:3 Hebrew “his father”
  7. Leviticus 19:3 Plural
  8. Leviticus 19:3 Plural
  9. Leviticus 19:4 Plural
  10. Leviticus 19:4 Plural
  11. Leviticus 19:4 Plural
  12. Leviticus 19:5 Plural
  13. Leviticus 19:5 Plural
  14. Leviticus 19:5 Plural
  15. Leviticus 19:6 Plural
  16. Leviticus 19:6 Or “and”
  17. Leviticus 19:9 Plural
  18. Leviticus 19:9 Plural
  19. Leviticus 19:9 Singular
  20. Leviticus 19:9 Singular
  21. Leviticus 19:9 Singular
  22. Leviticus 19:9 Singular
  23. Leviticus 19:10 Singular
  24. Leviticus 19:10 Singular
  25. Leviticus 19:10 Singular
  26. Leviticus 19:10 Singular
  27. Leviticus 19:10 Singular
  28. Leviticus 19:10 Plural
  29. Leviticus 19:11 Plural
  30. Leviticus 19:11 Plural
  31. Leviticus 19:11 Plural
  32. Leviticus 19:11 Literally “a man to his fellow citizen”
  33. Leviticus 19:12 Plural
  34. Leviticus 19:12 Literally “to the deception”
  35. Leviticus 19:12 Singular
  36. Leviticus 19:12 Or “you shall profane”
  37. Leviticus 19:12 Singular
  38. Leviticus 19:13 Singular
  39. Leviticus 19:13 Singular
  40. Leviticus 19:13 Singular
  41. Leviticus 19:13 Singular
  42. Leviticus 19:13 Literally “leave with you”
  43. Leviticus 19:14 Singular
  44. Leviticus 19:14 Singular
  45. Leviticus 19:14 Literally “to the faces of”
  46. Leviticus 19:14 Or “and”
  47. Leviticus 19:14 Singular
  48. Leviticus 19:14 Singular
  49. Leviticus 19:15 Plural
  50. Leviticus 19:15 Singular
  51. Leviticus 19:15 Literally “you shall not lift up the faces of the poor/powerless”
  52. Leviticus 19:15 Singular
  53. Leviticus 19:15 Literally “faces of the great”
  54. Leviticus 19:15 Singular
  55. Leviticus 19:15 Singular
  56. Leviticus 19:16 Singular
  57. Leviticus 19:16 Singular
  58. Leviticus 19:16 Singular
  59. Leviticus 19:16 Singular
  60. Leviticus 19:16 Literally “you shall not stand on the blood of your neighbor”
  61. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  62. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  63. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  64. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  65. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  66. Leviticus 19:17 Singular
  67. Leviticus 19:17 Or “in addition to him”; literally “upon him”
  68. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  69. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  70. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  71. Leviticus 19:18 Literally “the sons of your people”
  72. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  73. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  74. Leviticus 19:18 Singular
  75. Leviticus 19:19 Plural
  76. Leviticus 19:19 Singular
  77. Leviticus 19:19 Singular
  78. Leviticus 19:19 Singular
  79. Leviticus 19:19 Singular
  80. Leviticus 19:19 Singular
  81. Leviticus 19:20 Or “and”
  82. Leviticus 19:22 Literally “to the faces of”
  83. Leviticus 19:22 Literally “sinned”
  84. Leviticus 19:22 Literally “sinned”
  85. Leviticus 19:23 Plural
  86. Leviticus 19:23 Plural
  87. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew “of”
  88. Leviticus 19:23 Plural
  89. Leviticus 19:23 Literally “and you shall regard its foreskin as uncircumcised its fruit”
  90. Leviticus 19:23 Plural
  91. Leviticus 19:24 Or “And”
  92. Leviticus 19:25 Plural
  93. Leviticus 19:25 Plural
  94. Leviticus 19:25 Plural
  95. Leviticus 19:26 Plural
  96. Leviticus 19:26 Plural
  97. Leviticus 19:26 Plural
  98. Leviticus 19:27 Plural
  99. Leviticus 19:27 Plural
  100. Leviticus 19:27 Singular
  101. Leviticus 19:27 Singular
  102. Leviticus 19:28 Plural
  103. Leviticus 19:28 Plural
  104. Leviticus 19:28 Plural
  105. Leviticus 19:29 Singular
  106. Leviticus 19:29 Singular
  107. Leviticus 19:29 Literally “and the land does not prostitute and the land fills up depravity” or “so that the land does not prostitute and the land fills up depravity”
  108. Leviticus 19:30 Plural
  109. Leviticus 19:30 Plural
  110. Leviticus 19:31 Plural
  111. Leviticus 19:31 Plural
  112. Leviticus 19:31 Plural
  113. Leviticus 19:32 Literally “from the faces of”
  114. Leviticus 19:32 Singular
  115. Leviticus 19:32 Singular
  116. Leviticus 19:32 Singular
  117. Leviticus 19:33 Singular
  118. Leviticus 19:33 Plural
  119. Leviticus 19:33 Plural
  120. Leviticus 19:34 Plural
  121. Leviticus 19:34 Plural
  122. Leviticus 19:34 Singular
  123. Leviticus 19:34 Singular
  124. Leviticus 19:34 Plural
  125. Leviticus 19:34 Plural
  126. Leviticus 19:35 Plural
  127. Leviticus 19:35 Or “and”
  128. Leviticus 19:36 Plural
  129. Leviticus 19:36 Plural
  130. Leviticus 19:36 Plural
  131. Leviticus 19:37 Plural
  132. Leviticus 19:37 Plural
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Leviticus 19
New International Version

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(A) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(B) am holy.(C)

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

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

5 “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 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) 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(J) 8 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)

9 “‘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.
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Leviticus 19
King James Version

19 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.

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

4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.

5 And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own will.

6 It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

7 And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

8 Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the Lord: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.

11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.

15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.

17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

20 And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

21 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

22 And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

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

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

26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

29 Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.

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

34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, 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 do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

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

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Leviticus 19
New King James Version

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: (A)‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

3 (B)‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and (C)keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.

4 (D)‘Do not turn to idols, (E)nor make for yourselves [a]molded gods: I am the Lord your God.

5 ‘And (F)if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. 7 And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. 8 Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people.

9 (G)‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.

11 (H)‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, (I)nor lie to one another. 12 And you shall not (J)swear by My name falsely, (K)nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 (L)‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. (M)The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf, (N)nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 ‘You shall do no injustice in (O)judgment. You shall not (P)be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go about as a (Q)talebearer among your people; nor shall you (R)take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 (S)‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. (T)You shall surely [b]rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 (U)You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, (V)but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

19 ‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.

20 ‘Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is (W)betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be [c]scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. 22 The priest shall make [d]atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

23 ‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as [e]uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. 25 And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.

26 ‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. 27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not (X)make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.

29 (Y)‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 ‘You shall [f]keep My Sabbaths and (Z)reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.

31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after (AA)them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

32 (AB)‘You shall [g]rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and (AC)fear your God: I am the Lord.

33 ‘And (AD)if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 (AE)The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as [h]one born among you, and (AF)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 injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have (AG)honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 (AH)‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 19:4 molten
  2. Leviticus 19:17 reprove
  3. Leviticus 19:20 punishment
  4. Leviticus 19:22 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 19:23 unclean
  6. Leviticus 19:30 observe
  7. Leviticus 19:32 rise to give honor
  8. Leviticus 19:34 native among you
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