Leviticus

Contains rules and instructions for rituals, offerings, and how to live a holy life.

Chapter 19

1 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.

*Tell everyone from the group of Israel's kids, "Be pure because I, the Lord, your God, am pure."

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

*Respect everyone's parents and follow my special days; I am the Lord who watches over you.

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

*Do not worship false gods; I am the only true God.

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

*If you give a peace offering to God, do it when you feel like it.

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.

*Eat it on the day you offer it and the next day. If any leftovers are left until the third day, burn them in the fire.

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

*If eaten on the third day, it's unacceptable and not liked; don't eat it.

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.

*So, anyone who eats it will be guilty because they have made something holy impure. That person will be disconnected from their community.

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.

*When you harvest your crops, don't completely gather the corners of your fields, and don't collect the leftover bits of your 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.

*And you must not pick all the grapes from your vineyard; leave some for the poor and strangers. I am the Lord, your God.

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

*Do not take things that do not belong to you, be honest in your deals, and don't lie to each other.

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

*Don't lie using my name, and don't disrespect God's name; 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.

*Do not cheat or steal from your neighbor, and make sure the pay of those you hire is returned to them promptly, not kept overnight.

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

*Do not curse those who cannot hear, and do not make things difficult for those who cannot see. Instead, respect and honor God - I am the one speaking to you.

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.

*Do not be unfair when judging others. Do not favor the poor or the powerful. Instead, judge your neighbor fairly.

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.

*Do not spread gossip or take sides in disputes among your people. Do not support wrongdoing. 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.

*Do not harbor hatred for your brother in your heart. You must correct your neighbor when necessary and do not let wrongdoing go unchecked.

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.

*Do not take revenge or hold a grudge against people from your community, but love your neighbor like you love yourself. 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.

*Follow my rules. Don't let your animals breed with different types. Don't mix different seeds in your fields. And don't wear clothes made from mixed materials like linen and wool.

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.

*If someone has sexual relations with a female slave who is promised to a husband but not yet freed or given freedom, both

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.

*He will take his mistake offering to God at the entrance of the meeting place, a ram as the mistake 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.

*The priest will forgive him by sacrificing a ram for his wrongdoing in front of God, and his sin will be forgiven.

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.

*When you enter the land and plant various trees for food, consider their fruit as not yet circumcised for three years - don't eat them during that time.

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

*But in the fourth year, all the fruit must be set aside to thank and praise the Lord.

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.

*In the fifth year, you can eat from its fruits. This will help it grow more for you. I am the Lord, your God.

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

*Do not eat food with blood in it, and don't use magic or follow special time rules.

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

*Don't cut the corners of your head or beard unevenly.

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

*Do not carve anything into your body for the deceased, nor tattoo any symbols on yourself. 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.

*Do not let your daughter become a sex worker, or she might become immoral. This could lead to the whole country becoming corrupt and filled with evil actions.

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

*"Observe my holy days, respect my sacred place; 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.

*Don't pay attention to people with spirits or those who practice magic. Don't try to involve yourself with them, as they can cause impurity. 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.

*You shall respect the gray-haired person and honor the elderly, and fear your God. I am the LORD.

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

*If someone you don't know visits your country, you must not treat them badly.

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.

*But anyone living with you who is not from your family should be treated like a native, and you must love them as yourself because you were once strangers in Egypt; I am the LORD, your God.

35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

*Do not be unfair in judging, measuring, weighing, or measuring things.

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.

*"Use fair scales, fair containers, and be honest: I'm the Lord, your God, who saved you from Egypt."

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

*So, you must follow all my rules and decisions, and obey them: I am the LORD.

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