Leviticus 19

Be Holy Like God

1 The Lord spoke to Moses.

2 Tell all the Israelites, be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

3 Respect your mother and father, and keep My Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

4 Do not turn to idols or make gods out of metal. I am the Lord your God.

Rules About Sacrifices

5 When you bring a peace offering to the Lord, offer it in a way that will be accepted.

6 It must be eaten the same day or the next day. Anything left on the third day must be burned up.

7 If you eat it on the third day, it is unclean, and the offering will not be accepted.

8 Anyone who eats it will bear the guilt and be cut off from the people.

How to Treat the Poor and Needy

9 When you harvest your fields, do not cut everything to the edges, and do not pick up what falls.

10 The same goes for your vineyards. Leave the leftovers for the poor and the foreigners. I am the Lord your God.

Do Not Cheat or Mistreat Others

11 Do not steal, do not lie, and do not deceive each other.

12 Do not swear falsely using My name, or you will dishonor Me. I am the Lord.

13 Do not cheat or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back a worker’s wages overnight.

14 Do not curse the deaf or trip up the blind. Fear your God. I am the Lord.

Do Not Be Unjust or Show Favoritism

15 Do not be unfair in judgment. Do not favor the poor or the rich. Judge fairly.

16 Do not spread gossip or put someone’s life in danger. I am the Lord.

Love Your Neighbor

17 Do not hold hatred in your heart toward your brother. Confront them directly so you do not share in their guilt.

18 Do not seek revenge or hold grudges against your people. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Keep God’s Laws & Avoid Pagan Practices

19 Obey My laws. Do not mix different kinds of animals, crops, or fabrics.

20 If a man sleeps with a slave woman who was promised to another man but not yet free, they must be punished, but not killed, because she was not yet free.

21 The man must bring a ram as a guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

22 The priest will make atonement for him with the ram, and he will be forgiven.

Respect for Creation and Others

23 When you plant fruit trees in the land, do not eat the fruit for the first three years. It is forbidden.

24 In the fourth year, all the fruit belongs to the Lord as a praise offering.

25 In the fifth year, you may eat the fruit, and your trees will be even more productive. I am the Lord your God.

Avoid Pagan Rituals

26 Do not eat meat with blood in it. Do not practice divination or witchcraft.

27 Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim the edges of your beard.

28 Do not mark your bodies for the dead or get tattoos. I am the Lord.

29 Do not make your daughters prostitutes, or the land will be filled with wickedness.

30 Keep My Sabbaths and respect My sanctuary. I am the Lord.

Stay Away from Witchcraft & Seek God Instead

31 Do not turn to mediums or seek out psychics, or you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

Respect the Elderly & Foreigners

32 Stand up in the presence of the elderly and show them respect. Fear your God. I am the Lord.

33 Do not mistreat foreigners living among you.

34 Treat them like one of your own. Love them as yourself, because you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Fair Business Practices

35 Do not cheat in measurements of length, weight, or volume.

36 Use honest scales and weights. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

Final Command

37 Obey all My laws and rules. I am the Lord.