Leviticus 19

King James Version

Full text for Leviticus Chapter 19

1¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Speak 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.

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

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

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

6It 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.

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

8Therefore [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.

9And 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.

10And 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.

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

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

13Thou 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.

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

15Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: [but] in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

16Thou 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.

17Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

18Thou 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.

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.

20And 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.

21And 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.

22And 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.

23And 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.

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

25And 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.

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

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

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

29Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

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

31Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.

32Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I [am] the LORD.

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

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.

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

36Just 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.

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

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Leviticus 19 outlines God's commands for Israel to be holy, reflecting His own character. It details various ethical and ritual laws, emphasizing reverence for parents, keeping Sabbaths, and avoiding idolatry. The chapter also stresses social justice, including provisions for the poor, fair dealings, and the paramount command to love one's neighbour as oneself. These statutes cover personal conduct, community relations, and proper worship.

Medium Summary

Leviticus 19 begins with the divine imperative for Israel to be holy, mirroring the holiness of the LORD their God. This chapter presents a comprehensive code of conduct encompassing both ritual purity and ethical living. It includes commands to honor parents, observe Sabbaths, and abstain from idolatry and false oaths. Practical social laws are given, such as leaving gleanings for the poor and strangers, ensuring timely payment of wages, and showing respect for the disabled. Furthermore, the chapter prohibits slander, hatred, and vengeance, culminating in the foundational command to "love thy neighbour as thyself." Regulations also address mixed breeding, mixed seeds, proper use of fruit trees, and avoiding pagan practices like divination and body mutilation. The chapter concludes by reiterating the importance of just weights and measures, underscoring that all these statutes are to be observed because the LORD is their God who brought them out of Egypt.

Long Summary

Leviticus chapter 19 commences with a direct command from the LORD to Moses, instructing him to tell the entire congregation of Israel that they "shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy." This foundational principle underpins the diverse array of statutes that follow, which are presented as practical expressions of holiness in daily life. The chapter first addresses core religious duties, including fearing parents, observing the Sabbaths, and strictly avoiding idols and molten gods. Regulations for peace offerings are detailed, specifying that they must be eaten within two days to prevent profanation. Social justice is a prominent theme, with laws mandating that corners of fields and gleanings of vineyards be left for the poor and the stranger. Ethical conduct is emphasized through prohibitions against stealing, lying, false dealing, and swearing falsely by God's name. The text further instructs against defrauding neighbors, withholding wages, cursing the deaf, or placing stumbling blocks before the blind. Impartiality in judgment is commanded, forbidding respect for persons based on wealth or status. Interpersonal relationships are governed by injunctions against talebearing, hatred, vengeance, and bearing grudges, culminating in the pivotal command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The chapter also includes specific purity laws, such as prohibitions against mixing different kinds of cattle, seeds, or fabrics. A unique law addresses sexual relations with a betrothed bondmaid, prescribing scourging and a trespass offering. Agricultural laws are given concerning newly planted fruit trees, specifying that their fruit is not to be eaten for three years, dedicated to the LORD in the fourth, and consumed in the fifth. Further prohibitions target pagan practices, including eating with blood, enchantment, observing times, specific haircuts, body cuttings for the dead, and tattooing. The chapter also forbids prostituting one's daughter and reiterates the importance of keeping Sabbaths and reverencing the sanctuary. Finally, it commands honoring the elderly, treating sojourning strangers as native-born, and maintaining just measures and weights in all commercial dealings, all grounded in the declaration, "I am the LORD your God."

Core Concepts

  • Holiness of God and IsraelThe fundamental principle that Israel is called to be holy because the LORD their God is holy, serving as the basis for all subsequent commands in the chapter.
  • Love of NeighborA central ethical command explicitly stated as 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,' encompassing various directives such as not hating, not avenging, and not bearing grudges.
  • Social Justice and Care for the VulnerableLaws mandating provisions for the poor and strangers through gleaning, ensuring timely payment of wages, and protecting the deaf and blind from harm or exploitation.
  • Integrity in Conduct and CommerceProhibitions against stealing, lying, false swearing, and defrauding, alongside strict requirements for just balances, weights, and measures in all transactions.
  • Rejection of Pagan PracticesCommands against idolatry, divination, enchantment, specific body modifications (cuttings for the dead, tattoos), and prostituting daughters, distinguishing Israel from surrounding nations.
  • Reverence for Divine InstitutionsDirectives to keep the Sabbaths, reverence the sanctuary, and properly handle peace offerings, underscoring the importance of proper worship and respect for sacred things.