Leviticus 19

1 The Lord told Moses,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Tell all the Israelites: You must be holy because I am holy; I am the Lord your God.

“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘You shall be holy; for I, the LORD your God, am holy.

3 Show respect for your mother and father, and keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

“‘Each one of you shall respect his mother and his father. You shall keep my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

4 Don't turn to idols for help or make for metal images of gods. I am the Lord your God.

“‘Don’t turn to idols, nor make molten gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.

5 When you sacrifice a peace offering to the Lord, make sure you do it correctly so God will accept you.

“‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.

6 It needs to be eaten the day you sacrifice it, or the next day. Whatever is left over on the third day must be burned.

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 burnt with fire.

7 If you do eat some of it on the third day, the sacrifice becomes repulsive and won't be accepted.

If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It will not be accepted;

8 Anyone who eats it eats it will bear responsibility for their guilt, for they have made unclean what is holy to the Lord. They must be expelled from their people.

but everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the holy thing of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from his people.

9 When you harvest the crops grown on your land, don't harvest right up to the edges of your field, or collect what has been missed.

“‘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 Don't take every last grape from your vineyard or pick up the ones that have fallen. Leave them for the poor people and foreigners. I am the Lord your God.

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 the LORD your God.

11 Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't deceive each other.

“‘You shall not steal. “‘You shall not lie. “‘You shall not deceive one another.

12 Don't swear oaths in my name that are not true, otherwise you defame the character of your God. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

13 Don't cheat others or rob them. Don't refuse to pay wages due to workers until the morning.

“‘You shall not oppress your neighbour, nor rob him. “‘The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

14 Don't speak badly about deaf people. Don't put objects in the way of blind people to trip them up. Instead show respect to your God. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.

15 Don't be a corrupt judge. Don't show favoritism to the poor or to the rich. Judge others fairly.

“‘You shall do no injustice in judgement. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favouritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbour in righteousness.

16 Don't go around spreading false rumors about people. Don't keep quiet when the lives of others are at risk. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall not go around as a slanderer amongst your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbour. I am the LORD.

17 Don't hold onto hateful feelings towards others. Talk honestly with your neighbors, so that you don't sin because of them.

“‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbour, and not bear sin because of him.

18 Don't look for revenge or hold a grudge against anybody, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.

19 Do what I tell you! Don't make different kinds of livestock breed together. Don't sow your fields with two different kinds of seed. Don't wear clothes made of two different kinds of material.

“‘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 has sex with a servant girl promised to become another man's wife, but who hasn't yet been bought or set free, then compensation has to be paid. However, they are not to be killed, because she hadn't been set free.

“‘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 But the man must bring a ram as his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

He shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.

22 The priest will set things right for him before the Lord using the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

The priest shall make 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 enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, treat the fruit at first as unclean. For three years you are forbidden to eat it.

“‘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 The fourth year all the fruit must be dedicated to the Lord as a praise offering.

But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, for giving praise to the LORD.

25 However, the fifth year you may eat the fruit and in this way you will have an even greater harvest. I am the Lord your God.

In the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield its increase to you. I am the LORD your God.

26 Don't eat meat with blood in it. Don't use fortune-telling or witchcraft.

“‘You shall not eat any meat with the blood still in it. You shall not use enchantments, nor practise sorcery.

27 Don't cut your hair on the sides of your head or trim the sides of your beard,

“‘You shall not cut the hair on the sides of your head or clip off the edge of your beard.

28 don't cut your bodies in some pagan ritual for the dead, and don't get yourselves tattoos. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am the LORD.

29 Don't bring shame on your daughter by making her a prostitute, otherwise the land will become morally and spiritually depraved.

“‘Don’t profane your daughter, to make her a prostitute; lest the land fall to prostitution, and the land become full of wickedness.

30 Keep my Sabbaths and show respect for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary; I am the LORD.

31 Don't try and find help from mediums or spiritists—don't even go looking for them, otherwise they will corrupt you. I am the Lord your God.

“‘Don’t turn to those who are mediums, nor to the wizards. Don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

32 Stand up and be respectful of older people. Show reverence for your God. I am the Lord.

“‘You shall rise up before the grey head and honour the face of the elderly; and you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.

33 Don't mistreat foreigners who live in your country.

“‘If a stranger lives as a foreigner with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

34 Treat them in the same way as a fellow citizen, and love them as you love yourself, because you were once foreigners living in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born amongst you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

35 Don't use dishonest weights and measures.

“‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgement, in measures of length, of weight, or of quantity.

36 Make sure your scales and weights are accurate, that your measures of ephah and hin are correct. I am the Lord your God who led you out of Egypt.

You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

37 Keep all my rules and regulations, and make sure you follow them. I am the Lord.”

“‘You shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them. I am the LORD.’”