New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Leviticus 19
1
The Lord spoke to Moses. He said,
2
"Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them, 'Be holy, because I am holy. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Holy
Leviticus 20:7
Leviticus 20:26
Exodus 19:6
Leviticus 21:8
2 Corinthians 7:1
Parallel theme
Matthew 5:48
3
" 'All of you must have respect for your mother and father. You must always keep my Sabbath days. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 20:8
Hebrews 12:9
Proverbs 30:17
Proverbs 23:22
Proverbs 30:11
Exodus 21:17
References God
Exodus 20:12
Leviticus 11:44
References Lord
Isaiah 58:13
Exodus 16:29
4
" 'Do not turn away from me to worship statues of gods. Do not make gods out of metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 John 5:21
1 Corinthians 10:14
References God
Leviticus 26:1
Exodus 20:23
Exodus 34:17
Psalm 96:5
Exodus 32:4
References Lord
Deuteronomy 27:15
5
" 'Suppose you sacrifice a friendship offering to me. Then do it in the right way. And I will accept it from you.
Reference
6
You must eat it on the same day you sacrifice it or on the next day. Anything that is left over until the third day must be burned up.
7
" 'If you eat any of it on the third day, it is not pure. I will not accept it.
8
If you eat it, you will be held accountable. You have misused what is holy to me. You will be cut off from your people.
Reference
References Lord
Leviticus 22:15
9
" 'Suppose you are harvesting your crops. Then do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field. And do not pick up the grain you missed.
Reference
10
Do not go over your vineyard a second time. Do not pick up the grapes that have fallen to the ground. Leave them for poor people and outsiders. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
12
" 'Do not take an oath and give false witness in my name. That would be treating it as if it were not holy. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Parallel theme
James 5:12
Leviticus 6:3
References God
Exodus 20:7
Deuteronomy 5:11
Leviticus 18:21
References Lord
Leviticus 24:11
13
" 'Do not cheat your neighbor. Do not rob him. " 'Do not hold back the pay of a hired worker until morning.
Reference
14
" 'Do not call a curse down on deaf people. Do not put anything in front of blind people that will make them trip. Instead, have respect for me. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Curse
Deuteronomy 27:18
Parallel theme
Romans 14:13
Revelation 2:14
References God
Leviticus 19:32
Leviticus 25:17
1 Peter 2:17
Nehemiah 5:15
15
" 'Do not make something that is wrong appear to be right. Treat poor people and rich people in the same way. Do not favor one person over another. Instead, judge everyone fairly.
Reference
Judgment
Deuteronomy 1:17
Proverbs 24:23
Deuteronomy 27:19
Parallel theme
Exodus 18:21
Righteousness
Leviticus 19:35
Psalm 82:2
Proverbs 18:5
Deuteronomy 16:19
16
" 'Do not go around spreading lies among your people. " 'Do not do anything that puts your neighbor's life in danger. I am the Lord.
Reference
Blood
Ezekiel 22:9
Parallel theme
Exodus 23:1
Exodus 23:7
Proverbs 20:19
Proverbs 11:13
Jeremiah 9:4
Jeremiah 6:28
Psalm 15:3
Exodus 20:16
1 Peter 2:1
17
" 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Correct your neighbor boldly when he does something wrong. Then you will not share his guilt.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 John 2:9
1 John 2:11
Luke 17:3
Galatians 6:1
Proverbs 9:8
Ephesians 5:11
Romans 1:32
18
" 'Do not try to get even. Do not hold anything against one of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.
Reference
Love
Romans 13:9
Galatians 5:14
James 2:8
Matthew 19:19
Romans 12:19
Parallel theme
Colossians 3:8
Ephesians 4:31
Romans 12:17
Matthew 19:16
References Lord
Proverbs 20:22
19
" 'Obey my rules. " 'Do not let different kinds of animals mate with each other. " 'Do not mix two kinds of seeds and then plant them in your field. " 'Do not wear clothes that are made out of two kinds of cloth.
20
" 'Suppose a man has sex with a female slave. But she and another man have promised to get married to each other. And her freedom has not yet been paid for or given to her. Then she and the man who had sex with her must be punished. But they must not be put to death, because she had not been set free.
21
" 'The man must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. It is for a guilt offering to me.
22
The priest must take the ram for the guilt offering. He must sacrifice it to pay for the man's sin in my sight. Then his sin will be forgiven.
23
" 'When you enter the land, suppose you plant a fruit tree. Then do not eat its fruit for the first three years. The fruit is not "clean."
Reference
24
In the fourth year all of the fruit will be holy. Offer it as a way of showing praise to me.
Reference
25
But in the fifth year you can eat the fruit. Then you will gather more and more fruit. I am the Lord your God.
26
" 'Do not eat any meat that still has blood in it. " 'Do not practice any kind of evil magic at all.
Reference
Blood
Deuteronomy 12:23
Leviticus 7:26
Leviticus 3:17
Parallel theme
2 Kings 17:17
2 Chronicles 33:6
2 Kings 21:6
Jeremiah 10:2
27
" 'Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head. Do not clip off the edges of your beard.
Reference
28
" 'Do not make cuts on your bodies when someone dies. Do not put marks on your skin. I am the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Kings 18:28
Leviticus 21:5
Jeremiah 16:6
Jeremiah 48:37
Mark 5:5
Revelation 20:4
References Lord
Deuteronomy 14:1
Leviticus 21:1
29
" 'Do not dishonor your daughter's body by making a prostitute out of her. If you do, the people of Israel will start using prostitutes. The land will be filled with evil.
30
" 'You must always keep my Sabbath days. Have respect for my sacred tent. I am the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ecclesiastes 5:1
Psalm 89:7
Exodus 20:8
Matthew 21:13
References Lord
Leviticus 19:3
Leviticus 16:2
Temple
Leviticus 26:2
2 Corinthians 6:16
31
" 'Do not look for advice from people who get messages from those who have died. Do not go to people who talk to the spirits of the dead. If you do, they will make you "unclean." I am the Lord your God.
Reference
32
" 'Stand up in order to show your respect for old people. Also have respect for me. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Timothy 5:1
Proverbs 16:31
Lamentations 5:12
Job 32:6
Job 32:4
Proverbs 20:29
Romans 13:7
Isaiah 3:5
References God
1 Peter 2:17
Leviticus 19:14
34
Treat him as if he were one of your own people. Love him as you love yourself. Remember that all of you were outsiders in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Reference
36
Use honest scales and honest weights. Use honest dry measures. And use honest liquid measures. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt.
Reference
Summary of Leviticus 19
Leviticus chapter 19 contains many of God's laws in respect to everyday living, and a reminder to the Israelites that they were to be a holy people. The instructions included those relating to worship, family life, honesty, justice, kindness to the poor, dealings with neighbors, business practices, and many other aspects of life. Rather than a focus only on worship, this chapter reveals that holiness was to reach into all areas of life, and the way people treated each other.
The Lord spoke to Moses concerning all the congregation of the children of Israel and delivered His commandments to them, saying, "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." Holiness was to be a characteristic of Israel since they were God's possession. They had to be set apart in their lives.
The first two commandments were the ones most Israelites knew. They were to fear their parents and keep the Lord's sabbaths. The Israelites were also warned against turning to idols. They could not make themselves gods.
The Lord then spoke of sacrifices, and told the Israelites that any peace offering brought by them was to be eaten according to the directions specified. Any flesh which should be left till the third day was to be thrown away and not received as an offering any longer. The Israelites were to treat whatever was dedicated to the Lord with care and respect.
The law concerning the poor is next. When the Israelites reaped their fields, they were not to reap the corners of their fields all around, and they were not to gather the sheaves. They were to leave what was needed so that the poor could come and collect it. The law allowed the poor to provide for themselves with dignity; it did not require the Israelites to give freely, but to leave behind a portion that the poor could take freely.
The Israelites were also warned not to steal, deal falsely, or lie to one another. They were not to swear in the name of the Lord to pervert the right of the innocent. Workers were not to withhold wages from their employees, but to pay them on the day the work was completed.
The Israelites were also to refrain from cursing the deaf or putting a stumblingblock before the blind, for these things were done despite the possibility that they might not be seen of men, but they would be observed by God. Justice was to be rendered, and they were to judge their neighbors righteously, and not to favor the poor or the rich above others. They were forbidden to bring false accusations or to stand by in idleness when they could save a life.
One of the oft-quoted commands follows, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart" but were to rebuke their neighbor if they did wrong, rather than keeping silent and nursing resentment. The Israelites were not to take revenge, or bear a grudge, against the children of their people.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," is the great admonition of the Torah, and is included here as one of the laws. In addition to loving their neighbor, they were to avoid revenge and the feeling of resentment. They were commanded to be honest and to deal justly with everyone.
The Israelites were forbidden to make a mixture of two different kinds of things. They could not breed cattle of two different kinds, or sow the field with two different kinds of seed, nor could they wear a garment that was made of two different kinds of material. This was among the laws of distinctions that are included in Leviticus.
They were also forbidden to lie with a woman that is a servant and betrothed to another man, yet unbought and unredeemed. This law called for making an offering and for atonement, rather than considering it an ordinary case of adultery.
They were further warned not to eat anything with blood, nor practice enchantments to observe the times of any superstitious signs, nor to round their corners of their heads, nor to make baldness on the corners of their beards.
The people were not to cut themselves for the dead, or make any marks on their flesh. Another command was that they were not to prostitute themselves with a daughter of their people so that the land would not be full of abominations. They were to keep the sabbaths, and reverence the Sanctuary of the Lord.
The Israelites were warned against consulting any familiar spirits or wizards, and were commanded always to be faithful to the Lord.
They were to rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man. They were to fear their parents, and to keep the sabbaths of the Lord. They were also warned concerning strangers with whom they dwelt, "the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself."
The Israelites were to observe all the commandments, and to do that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, so that they might have long life in the land which He had promised to give them. In addition to the command to love thy neighbor as thyself, they were cautioned to avoid any unjust dealing in the business transactions, and to have just balances and honest weights.
Leviticus chapter 19 reveals that God was concerned not only with the worship that took place at the altar of the tabernacle, but also with the daily lives of His people. Holiness was to be manifested not only in the sacrifices, but in their work, dealings with neighbors, their families, treatment of the poor and elderly. God's commands were not limited to actions, but also included thoughts and attitudes. Not only were the people forbidden to steal, cheat, or lie, but they were also forbidden to hate, or revenge. The Israelites were not to bear a grudge or seek a revenge, but deal honestly with everyone, and love their fellow citizens.
The commands also include those that seem most mundane in modern language, but were of great importance to the people of Israel in their daily lives. The reaper was to leave some of the crops for the poor, the employer was to pay his employee on time, the judge was to be just in judgment, and the businessman was to have honest weights and measures. The Israelites were to be considerate of the old and the stranger, which led to a more thoughtful society.
Leviticus chapter 19 thus reveals a general law of holiness. It is concerned with how people worshipped and conducted themselves in everyday life. It also makes it clear that the holiness was to be manifested in every aspect of life, including in worship, family and business dealings, treatment of others, including strangers, the poor, the elderly, and their neighbors. This chapter shows that devotion to God cannot be separated from how His people treated the people around them.
The Lord spoke to Moses concerning all the congregation of the children of Israel and delivered His commandments to them, saying, "Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." Holiness was to be a characteristic of Israel since they were God's possession. They had to be set apart in their lives.
The first two commandments were the ones most Israelites knew. They were to fear their parents and keep the Lord's sabbaths. The Israelites were also warned against turning to idols. They could not make themselves gods.
The Lord then spoke of sacrifices, and told the Israelites that any peace offering brought by them was to be eaten according to the directions specified. Any flesh which should be left till the third day was to be thrown away and not received as an offering any longer. The Israelites were to treat whatever was dedicated to the Lord with care and respect.
The law concerning the poor is next. When the Israelites reaped their fields, they were not to reap the corners of their fields all around, and they were not to gather the sheaves. They were to leave what was needed so that the poor could come and collect it. The law allowed the poor to provide for themselves with dignity; it did not require the Israelites to give freely, but to leave behind a portion that the poor could take freely.
The Israelites were also warned not to steal, deal falsely, or lie to one another. They were not to swear in the name of the Lord to pervert the right of the innocent. Workers were not to withhold wages from their employees, but to pay them on the day the work was completed.
The Israelites were also to refrain from cursing the deaf or putting a stumblingblock before the blind, for these things were done despite the possibility that they might not be seen of men, but they would be observed by God. Justice was to be rendered, and they were to judge their neighbors righteously, and not to favor the poor or the rich above others. They were forbidden to bring false accusations or to stand by in idleness when they could save a life.
One of the oft-quoted commands follows, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart" but were to rebuke their neighbor if they did wrong, rather than keeping silent and nursing resentment. The Israelites were not to take revenge, or bear a grudge, against the children of their people.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," is the great admonition of the Torah, and is included here as one of the laws. In addition to loving their neighbor, they were to avoid revenge and the feeling of resentment. They were commanded to be honest and to deal justly with everyone.
The Israelites were forbidden to make a mixture of two different kinds of things. They could not breed cattle of two different kinds, or sow the field with two different kinds of seed, nor could they wear a garment that was made of two different kinds of material. This was among the laws of distinctions that are included in Leviticus.
They were also forbidden to lie with a woman that is a servant and betrothed to another man, yet unbought and unredeemed. This law called for making an offering and for atonement, rather than considering it an ordinary case of adultery.
They were further warned not to eat anything with blood, nor practice enchantments to observe the times of any superstitious signs, nor to round their corners of their heads, nor to make baldness on the corners of their beards.
The people were not to cut themselves for the dead, or make any marks on their flesh. Another command was that they were not to prostitute themselves with a daughter of their people so that the land would not be full of abominations. They were to keep the sabbaths, and reverence the Sanctuary of the Lord.
The Israelites were warned against consulting any familiar spirits or wizards, and were commanded always to be faithful to the Lord.
They were to rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man. They were to fear their parents, and to keep the sabbaths of the Lord. They were also warned concerning strangers with whom they dwelt, "the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself."
The Israelites were to observe all the commandments, and to do that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, so that they might have long life in the land which He had promised to give them. In addition to the command to love thy neighbor as thyself, they were cautioned to avoid any unjust dealing in the business transactions, and to have just balances and honest weights.
Leviticus chapter 19 reveals that God was concerned not only with the worship that took place at the altar of the tabernacle, but also with the daily lives of His people. Holiness was to be manifested not only in the sacrifices, but in their work, dealings with neighbors, their families, treatment of the poor and elderly. God's commands were not limited to actions, but also included thoughts and attitudes. Not only were the people forbidden to steal, cheat, or lie, but they were also forbidden to hate, or revenge. The Israelites were not to bear a grudge or seek a revenge, but deal honestly with everyone, and love their fellow citizens.
The commands also include those that seem most mundane in modern language, but were of great importance to the people of Israel in their daily lives. The reaper was to leave some of the crops for the poor, the employer was to pay his employee on time, the judge was to be just in judgment, and the businessman was to have honest weights and measures. The Israelites were to be considerate of the old and the stranger, which led to a more thoughtful society.
Leviticus chapter 19 thus reveals a general law of holiness. It is concerned with how people worshipped and conducted themselves in everyday life. It also makes it clear that the holiness was to be manifested in every aspect of life, including in worship, family and business dealings, treatment of others, including strangers, the poor, the elderly, and their neighbors. This chapter shows that devotion to God cannot be separated from how His people treated the people around them.