The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Leviticus 19
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to all the congregation of the
children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall
be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.
3 “ ‘Each one of you shall respect his
mother and his father. You shall keep my
Sabbaths. I am Yahweh your God.
4 “ ‘Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten
gods for yourselves. I am Yahweh your
God.
5 “ ‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace
offerings to Yahweh, you shall offer it so
that you may be accepted.
6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer
it, and on the next day. If anything remains
until the third day, it shall be burned with
fire.
7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is
an abomination. It will not be accepted;
8 but everyone who eats it shall bear his
iniquity, because he has profaned the holy
thing of Yahweh, and that soul shall be cut
off from his people.
9 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your
land, you shall not wholly reap the corners
of your field, neither shall you gather the
gleanings of your harvest.
10 You shall not glean your vineyard,
neither shall you gather the fallen grapes
of your vineyard. You shall leave them
for the poor and for the foreigner. I am
Yahweh your God.
11 “ ‘You shall not steal.
“ ‘You shall not lie.
“ ‘You shall not deceive one another.
12 “ ‘You shall not swear by my name
falsely, and profane the name of your God.
I am Yahweh.
13 “ ‘You shall not oppress your neighbor,
nor rob him.
“ ‘The wages of a hired servant shall not
remain with you all night until the morning.
14 “ ‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put
a stumbling block before the blind; but you
shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
15 “ ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor,
nor show favoritism to the great; but you
shall judge your neighbor in righteousness.
16 “ ‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people.
“ ‘You shall not endanger the life† of your
neighbor. I am Yahweh.
17 “ ‘You shall not hate your brother in
your heart. You shall surely rebuke your
neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18 “ ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor
bear any grudge against the children of
your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.
19 “ ‘You shall keep my statutes.
“ ‘You shall not cross-breed different
kinds of animals.
“ ‘You shall not sow your field with two
kinds of seed;
“ ‘Don’t wear a garment made of two
kinds of material.
20 “ ‘If a man lies carnally with a woman
who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to
another man, and not ransomed or given
her freedom; they shall be punished. They
shall not be put to death, because she was
not free.
21 He shall bring his trespass offering to
Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting,
even a ram for a trespass offering.
22 The priest shall make atonement for
him with the ram of the trespass offering
before Yahweh 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 forbidden.‡ For three years it shall be forbidden
to you. It shall not be eaten.
24 But in the fourth year all its fruit shall
be holy, for giving praise to Yahweh.
25 In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit,
that it may yield its increase to you. I am
Yahweh your God.
26 “ ‘You shall not eat any meat with the
blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practice sorcery.
27 “ ‘You shallnot cutthehair onthe sides
of your head or clip off the edge of your
beard.
28 “ ‘You shall not make any cuttings in
your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any
marks on you. I am Yahweh.
29 “ ‘Don’t profane your daughter, to
make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to
prostitution, and the land become full of
wickedness.
30 “ ‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and
reverence my sanctuary; I am Yahweh.
31 “ ‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them
out, to be defiled by them. I am Yahweh
your God.
32 “ ‘You shall rise up before the gray
head and honor the face ofthe elderly; and
you shall fear your God. I am Yahweh.
33 “ ‘If a stranger lives as a foreigner with
you in your land, you shall not do him
wrong.
34 The stranger who lives as a foreigner
with you shall be to you as the nativeborn among you, and you shall love him as
yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the
land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.