Leviticus Chapter 19
Showing all 37 verses for Leviticus Chapter 19.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses and said:"
Even a simple statement that God spoke to Moses reminds you that He longs to communicate with His people, not leave them guessing. Jesus calls you to trust that the God who speaks is a God who cares enough to guide you closely, in the ordinary details of daily life.
"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 the whole community of Israel this: Be holy, because I, the LORD your God, am holy."
Holiness here isn't cold perfectionism - it's an invitation to reflect the character of the God who loves you, because He is holy and you belong to Him. Jesus calls you to let that relationship, not fear of punishment, be what shapes your integrity and goodness each day.
"Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. "
"Each of you must respect your mother and father, and keep my sabbaths - I am the LORD your God."
Honouring your parents and keeping sacred rhythms of rest are both about respecting the order and care God has built into life. Jesus calls you to value the people who raised you and to trust that rest itself is holy, not a distraction from faithfulness but part of it.
"Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God. "
"Do not turn to worthless idols or make yourselves metal gods - I am the LORD your God."
Turning to idols means trusting something less than God to give you security, meaning, or control. Jesus calls you to notice whatever substitutes you lean on instead of Him, and to bring your trust back to the one God who truly holds your life.
"And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will. "
"When you offer a peace offering to the LORD, offer it in a way that it will be accepted on your behalf."
Offering peace offerings 'at your own will' shows worship was never meant to be forced or grudging, but a free response of gratitude. Jesus calls you to give and worship from a willing heart, because that's what makes an offering meaningful to God.
"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. "
"It must be eaten on the day you offer it, or the next day; anything left until the third day must be burned up."
The command to eat the offering promptly, not let it linger for days, pictures a heart that deals with God freshly rather than going through stale, half-hearted motions. Jesus calls you to bring your worship and gratitude to Him now, with sincerity, rather than let it grow cold and routine.
"And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. "
"If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is spoiled and unacceptable; it will not count in your favour."
Calling delayed, misused worship 'abominable' shows that even sacred things can be spoiled by neglect and disregard. Jesus calls you to treat your relationship with Him as alive and current, not something you let go stale through carelessness.
"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. "
"Anyone who eats it takes on guilt for it, because they have treated something holy to the LORD as ordinary; that person will be cut off from their people."
Bearing the weight of 'profaning the hallowed thing' shows that carelessness with what is sacred has real consequences, not because God is petty, but because it reveals a disregard for Him. Jesus calls you to hold what matters to God with reverence, treating your relationship with Him as precious rather than something to handle carelessly.
"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 land's crops, do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field, and do not go back to gather what was dropped."
Deliberately leaving the edges of your harvest unpicked was a built-in system of generosity, making sure the poor and the outsider were provided for without needing to beg. Jesus calls you to build margins of generosity into your own life, planning ahead to make sure those with less always have a way to be fed and cared for.
"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. "
"Do not strip your vineyard bare or pick up fallen grapes; leave them for the poor and for the foreigner living among you - I am the LORD your God."
Leaving grapes for the poor and the stranger means generosity was to be planned, not just an occasional afterthought. Jesus calls you to intentionally make room in your abundance for those who have less, especially people who don't belong to your usual circle.
"Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. "
"Do not steal, do not deceive one another, and do not lie to each other."
Stealing, dealing falsely, and lying all break the trust that holds relationships together. Jesus calls you to a simple, consistent honesty in every dealing, because truthfulness is what lets love and community actually function.
"And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. "
"Do not swear falsely using my name, and do not treat your God's name as if it means nothing - I am the LORD."
Swearing falsely by God's name treats His name as a tool for your own advantage rather than something sacred. Jesus calls you to let your simple word be trustworthy enough that you never need an oath to be believed.
"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 your neighbour or rob him. Do not hold back a hired worker's wages until morning."
Withholding a hired worker's wages, even overnight, exploits someone who depends on that pay to live. Jesus calls you to deal justly and promptly with anyone who works for you, treating their need for provision as urgent as your own would be.
"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 a deaf person, and do not put an obstacle in front of a blind person that would make them trip - instead, fear your God. I am the LORD."
Cursing the deaf or tripping the blind exploits people precisely because they can't retaliate or even know who wronged them. Jesus calls you to protect and honour the vulnerable, especially when no one would ever find out if you didn't.
"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 unjust when deciding a legal case; do not favour the poor person just because he is poor, and do not favour the powerful person just because he is powerful - judge your neighbour fairly."
True justice doesn't bend to favour either the poor out of pity or the powerful out of fear - it simply judges rightly. Jesus calls you to treat every person with the same fair, honest standard, letting truth rather than status decide.
"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 go around spreading gossip among your people, and do not do anything that endangers your neighbour's life."
Gossip and standing silent while someone's life is endangered are both failures of love - one destroys with words, the other with inaction. Jesus calls you to guard your tongue and to actively stand up for your neighbour's wellbeing rather than staying safely uninvolved.
"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not sin upon him. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Do not hate your brother in your heart. Be willing to honestly confront your neighbour about wrongdoing, rather than letting them carry guilt because you stayed silent."
Hidden hatred is just as dangerous as any exploded feud, so instead of letting resentment fester in silence, God calls for honest, loving confrontation. Jesus calls you to deal with conflict openly and kindly rather than nursing bitterness, because real love cares enough to speak the truth.
"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 anyone among your people; instead, love your neighbour as you love yourself. I am the LORD."
Tucked inside a long list of practical laws is this simple, radical command: let go of grudges, and love your neighbour as you already love and care for yourself. Jesus calls this one of the two greatest commandments for a reason - real love isn't abstract, it is choosing not to hoard resentment, and instead treating others with the same patience and care you naturally give yourself.
"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. "
"Keep my laws. Do not let two different kinds of animals breed together. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different materials, such as linen and wool together."
These mixing laws taught Israel to respect the distinct categories God had made, as a visible daily reminder that they themselves were called to be distinct and undivided in their devotion to Him. Jesus calls you to guard a whole-hearted, undivided loyalty to God rather than mixing His ways carelessly with things that pull against them.
"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 a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave promised in marriage to another man, but who has not yet been bought free or given her freedom, she is to be punished, but neither of them is to be put to death, because she was not a free woman."
This law recognised that an enslaved woman without freedom to consent couldn't be held to the same judgement as someone free, showing that context and vulnerability matter in judging wrongdoing. Jesus calls you to look beneath the surface of a person's circumstances before you judge them, showing mercy to those who had little power over their own situation.
"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. "
"The man must bring his guilt offering to the LORD at the entrance of the meeting tent - a ram as a guilt offering."
Even in a case shaped by another's exploitation, provision was made for making things right before God. Jesus calls you to trust that no failure puts you beyond the reach of forgiveness and restoration when you bring it honestly to Him.
"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 make atonement for him with the ram before the LORD for the sin he committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed."
The priest's atonement fully cleared the guilty person's sin - nothing was left half-forgiven. Jesus calls you to receive His atonement the same way: completely, so that no residue of guilt needs to follow you afterwards.
"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 any kind of fruit tree, treat its fruit as off-limits for the first three years - it must not be eaten."
Waiting patiently before enjoying a tree's fruit taught Israel that good things are worth the discipline of time and restraint. Jesus calls you to trust His timing rather than grabbing at every good thing the moment you want it, knowing that patience often makes the harvest sweeter.
"But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal. "
"In the fourth year, all its fruit is to be set apart as holy, an offering of praise to the LORD."
The fourth year's fruit was set apart entirely to praise the LORD, teaching Israel to give back the first good harvest rather than keep it all for themselves. Jesus calls you to make gratitude and giving back to God a genuine first response to blessing, not an afterthought once you've taken your share.
"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 may eat the fruit, so that it will increase your harvest for you - I am the LORD your God."
Only after this season of patience and dedication did the fruit's abundance become theirs to freely enjoy, showing that blessing often follows faithful waiting. Jesus calls you to trust that the discipline of patience isn't punishment, but the path to a fuller, more lasting increase.
"Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. "
"Do not eat meat with the blood still in it. Do not practise divination or fortune-telling."
Avoiding blood and occult practices both point to respecting the boundary between what belongs to God alone - life itself, and hidden knowledge - and what people try to seize for themselves. Jesus calls you to trust Him rather than reach for shortcuts to power or control that bypass a genuine relationship with God.
"Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. "
"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or trim the edges of your beard."
These grooming customs were tied to pagan mourning rites, so avoiding them was really about not blending Israel's identity with the practices of surrounding idol worship. Jesus calls you to let your outward life reflect an inward loyalty to Him, not conform unthinkingly to whatever culture around you is doing.
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. "
"Do not cut your body for the dead, and do not tattoo yourself. I am the LORD."
Cutting the body for the dead was another pagan mourning custom, and God calls His people instead to grieve with hope rather than practices that treated death as final and hopeless. Jesus calls you to let your grief be real but not despairing, because death does not have the last word for those who trust Him.
"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 degrade your daughter by turning her into a prostitute, or the land will fall into prostitution and become full of depravity."
Protecting a daughter from being forced into prostitution recognises how quickly exploitation spreads once people are treated as things to profit from rather than image-bearers to protect. Jesus calls you to guard the vulnerable people in your care, especially your own family, from being used or exploited for anyone's gain.
"Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. "
"Keep my sabbaths and show reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD."
Keeping sacred rest and reverencing God's sanctuary both protect space in your life for God to actually be met. Jesus calls you to guard time and attention for Him amid a busy life, because reverence needs room to breathe.
"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. "
"Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God."
Turning to mediums and wizards for hidden knowledge is really a search for control and certainty apart from trusting God Himself. Jesus calls you to bring your uncertainty and need for guidance honestly to Him, rather than seeking shortcuts that leave Him out.
"Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD. "
"Stand up in the presence of an elderly person, and honour someone who is older than you; fear your God. I am the LORD."
Rising for the aged and honouring their presence pictures the respect owed to those who have carried life's weight the longest. Jesus calls you to actively honour older people, seeing their years not as a burden to tolerate but as a life to respect.
"And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. "
"If a foreigner is living among you in your land, do not mistreat him."
Being told outright not to mistreat the foreigner living among you closes off a common excuse for cruelty - that someone doesn't 'belong.' Jesus calls you to extend full kindness and safety to anyone unfamiliar or far from home, because they belong to God just as much as you do.
"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. "
"Treat the foreigner living with you as if he were native-born among you, and love him as you love yourself - because you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."
Loving the stranger as yourself is rooted in Israel's own memory of once being strangers in Egypt - shared experience should produce compassion, not indifference. Jesus calls you to let your own past hardships teach you empathy for others facing similar struggles now, rather than forgetting once you're safely through them.
"Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. "
"Do not use dishonest measurements when measuring length, weight, or quantity."
Justice in judgement applies just as much to everyday transactions as to courtrooms - fairness has to run all the way down into ordinary business. Jesus calls you to bring the same integrity to every small dealing, trusting that honesty in little things reflects your true character.
"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 accurate scales, accurate weights, an accurate dry measure, and an accurate liquid measure. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt."
Just weights and measures meant no one could quietly cheat a buyer or seller through rigged scales - honesty had to be built into the tools of daily trade. Jesus calls you to conduct your business and dealings so transparently that no one is ever secretly shortchanged by you.
"Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD. "
"You must observe all my statutes and all my judgements, and put them into practice. I am the LORD."
The call to actually 'do' these statutes, not merely admire or agree with them, is the whole point - obedience that never becomes practice changes nothing. Jesus calls you to let His teaching shape real action in your life, because love is proven in what you do, not just what you believe.