Leviticus 26:1-20

Easy-to-Read Version

Rewards for Obeying God

26 “Don’t make idols for yourselves. Don’t set up statues or memorial stones in your land to bow down to, because I am the Lord your God!

² “Remember my special days of rest^[a] and honor my holy place. I am the Lord.

³ “Remember my laws and commands, and obey them. ⁴ If you do these things, I will give you rains at the time they should come. The land will grow crops and the trees of the field will grow their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing will continue until it is time to gather grapes. And your grape gathering will continue until it is time to plant. Then you will have plenty to eat. And you will live safely in your land. ⁶ I will give peace to your country. You will lie down in peace. No one will come to make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country. And armies will not come through your country.

⁷ “You will chase your enemies and defeat them. You will kill them with your swords. ⁸ Five of you will chase 100 men, and 100 of you will chase 10,000 men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.

⁹ “Then I will turn to you. I will let you have many children. I will keep my agreement with you. ¹⁰ You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. You will harvest the new crops. But then you will have to throw out the old crops to make room for the new crops. ¹¹ Also, I will place my Holy Tent among you. I will not turn away from you. ¹² I will walk with you and be your God. And you will be my people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God. You were slaves in Egypt, but I brought you out of Egypt. You were bent low from the heavy weights you carried as slaves, but I broke the poles that were on your shoulders. I let you walk proudly again.

Punishment for Not Obeying God

¹⁴ “But if you don’t obey me and all my commands, bad things will happen to you. ¹⁵ If you refuse to obey my laws and commands, you have broken my agreement. ¹⁶ If you do that, I will cause terrible things to happen to you. I will cause you to have disease and fever. They will destroy your eyes and take away your life. You will not have success when you plant your seed. And your enemies will eat your crops. ¹⁷ I will be against you, so your enemies will defeat you. These enemies will hate you and rule over you. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.

¹⁸ “After these things, if you still don’t obey me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins. ¹⁹ And I will also destroy the great cities that make you proud. The skies will not give rain, and the earth will not produce crops.^{[b] 20} You will work hard, but it will not help. Your land will not give any crops, and your trees will not grow their fruit.