The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 God spoke to Moses:
1
The LORD also said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the congregation of Israel. Tell them: Be holy because I, God, your God, am holy.
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“Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3 "Every one of you must respect his mother and father. "Keep my Sabbaths. I am God, your God.
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“Each of you must show great respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest. I am the LORD your God.
4 "Don't take up with no-god idols. Don't make gods of cast metal. I am God, your God.
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“Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God.
5 "When you sacrifice a Peace-Offering to God, do it as you've been taught so it is acceptable.
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“When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, offer it properly so you will be accepted by God.
6 Eat it on the day you sacrifice it and the day following. Whatever is left until the third day is to be burned up.
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The sacrifice must be eaten on the same day you offer it or on the next day. Whatever is left over until the third day must be completely burned up.
7 If it is eaten on the third day it is polluted meat and not acceptable.
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If any of the sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it will be contaminated, and I will not accept it.
8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has violated what is holy to God. That person will be cut off from his people.
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Anyone who eats it on the third day will be punished for defiling what is holy to the LORD and will be cut off from the community.
9 "When you harvest your land, don't harvest right up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings from the harvest.
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“When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop.
10 Don't strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick up the fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am God, your God.
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It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.
11 "Don't steal. "Don't lie. "Don't deceive anyone.
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“Do not steal. “Do not deceive or cheat one another.
12 "Don't swear falsely using my name, violating the name of your God. I am God.
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“Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the LORD .
13 "Don't exploit your friend or rob him. "Don't hold back the wages of a hired hand overnight.
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“Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. “Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.
14 "Don't curse the deaf; don't put a stumbling block in front of the blind; fear your God. I am God.
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“Do not insult the deaf or cause the blind to stumble. You must fear your God; I am the LORD .
15 "Don't pervert justice. Don't show favoritism to either the poor or the great. Judge on the basis of what is right.
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“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
16 "Don't spread gossip and rumors. "Don't just stand by when your neighbor's life is in danger. I am God.
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“Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the LORD .
17 "Don't secretly hate your neighbor. If you have something against him, get it out into the open; otherwise you are an accomplice in his guilt.
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“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.
18 "Don't seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. "Love your neighbor as yourself. I am God.
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“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD .
19 "Keep my decrees. "Don't mate two different kinds of animals. "Don't plant your fields with two kinds of seed. "Don't wear clothes woven of two kinds of material.
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“You must obey all my decrees. “Do not mate two different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread.
20 "If a man has sex with a slave girl who is engaged to another man but has not yet been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be an investigation. But they aren't to be put to death because she wasn't free.
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“If a man has sex with a slave girl whose freedom has never been purchased but who is committed to become another man’s wife, he must pay full compensation to her master. But since she is not a free woman, neither the man nor the woman will be put to death.
21 The man must bring a Compensation-Offering to God at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, a ram of compensation.
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The man, however, must bring a ram as a guilt offering and present it to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
22 The priest will perform the ritual of atonement for him before God with the ram of compensation for the sin he has committed. Then he will stand forgiven of the sin he committed.
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The priest will then purify him before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering, and the man’s sin will be forgiven.
23 "When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, don't eat the fruit for three years; consider it inedible.
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“When you enter the land and plant fruit trees, leave the fruit unharvested for the first three years and consider it forbidden. Do not eat it.
24 By the fourth year its fruit is holy, an offering of praise to God.
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In the fourth year the entire crop must be consecrated to the LORD as a celebration of praise.
25 Beginning in the fifth year you can eat its fruit; you'll have richer harvests this way. I am God, your God.
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Finally, in the fifth year you may eat the fruit. If you follow this pattern, your harvest will increase. I am the LORD your God.
26 "Don't eat meat with blood in it. "Don't practice divination or sorcery.
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“Do not eat meat that has not been drained of its blood. “Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft.
27 "Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard.
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“Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beards.
28 "Don't gash your bodies on behalf of the dead. "Don't tattoo yourselves. I am God.
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“Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the LORD .
29 "Don't violate your daughter by making her a whore - the whole country would soon become a brothel, filled with sordid sex.
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“Do not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
30 "Keep my Sabbaths and revere my Sanctuary: I am God.
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“Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the LORD .
31 "Don't dabble in the occult or traffic with mediums; you'll pollute your souls. I am God, your God.
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“Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the LORD your God.
32 "Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God. I am God.
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“Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the LORD .
33 "When a foreigner lives with you in your land, don't take advantage of him.
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“Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land.
34 Treat the foreigner the same as a native. Love him like one of your own. Remember that you were once foreigners in Egypt. I am God, your God.
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Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 "Don't cheat when measuring length, weight, or quantity.
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“Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume.
36 Use honest scales and weights and measures. I am God, your God. I brought you out of Egypt.
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Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry materials or liquids must be accurate. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 "Keep all my decrees and all my laws. Yes, do them. I am God."
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“You must be careful to keep all of my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice. I am the LORD .”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.