Leviticus 26:6-16

6 "'I will give shalom in the land -you will lie down to sleep unafraid of anyone. I will rid the land of wild animals. The sword will not go through your land.

7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before your sword.

8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand -your enemies will fall before your sword.

9 "'I will turn toward you, make you productive, increase your numbers and uphold my covenant with you.

10 You will eat all you want from last year's harvest and throw out what remains of the old to make room for the new.

11 I will put my tabernacle among you, and I will not reject you,

12 but I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

13 I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would not be their slaves. I have broken the bars of your yoke, so that you can walk upright.

14 "'But if you will not listen to me and obey all these mitzvot,

15 if you loathe my regulations and reject my rulings, in order not to obey all my mitzvot but cancel my covenant;

16 then I, for my part, will do this to you: I will bring terror upon you -wasting disease and chronic fever to dim your sight and sap your strength. You will sow your seed for nothing, because your enemies will eat the crops.

Leviticus 26:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 26

In this chapter, after a repetition of some laws against idolatry, and concerning keeping sabbaths, and reverencing the sanctuary of God, Le 26:1,2; in order to encourage the Israelites to keep the various statutes and commandments in this book, and in the preceding, many promises are made of plenty, and peace, and safety from enemies, and of the presence of God with them, Le 26:3-13; and on the contrary, to such as should despise and break his commandments, the most grievous things are threatened, as diseases of body, destruction by their enemies, barrenness and unfruitfulness of land, the sore judgments of wild beasts, famine, sword, and pestilence, Le 26:14-39; and yet after all, when they should confess their sins, and were humbled for them, the Lord promises to remember the covenant he made with their ancestors, and would deal kindly with them, and not cast them away, and utterly destroy them, Le 26:40-46.