Old Testament · The Torah · World English Bible
Leviticus
"The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt."
— Leviticus 19:33–34 
The Reading LensEvery verse pulled to the top of a book is chosen by three questions: Where is God’s heart here? Who is He protecting? Who is being saved by the action? It marks the place where those answers come into clearest focus — a “look at this, in this book.”
About the Book
Leviticus is the manual of holiness — offerings, priesthood, clean and unclean, and the Day of Atonement. Beneath the ritual lies a single idea: a holy God making a way to dwell in the midst of an unholy people without consuming them.
Tucked into its laws is one of the most radical commands in the ancient world: love the foreigner as yourself, because you were foreigners once. The God of Leviticus binds holiness to mercy, and roots the treatment of the outsider in Israel's own memory of being outsiders.
27 Chapters
Burnt Offerings
The wholly-consumed offering of devotion.
Grain Offerings
Gifts of flour, oil, and frankincense.
Peace Offerings
The shared meal of fellowship with God.
Sin Offerings
Atonement for unintentional sin.
Guilt Offerings
Restitution for wrongs against God and neighbor.
Offerings for the Priests
Regulations for handling the offerings.
More Offering Laws
The priests' portion and what is holy.
Ordination of Aaron
Aaron and his sons consecrated for the priesthood.
The Priests Begin
Fire from the LORD consumes the first offering.
Nadab and Abihu
Unauthorized fire, and a sobering judgment.
Clean and Unclean Foods
Distinctions that set Israel apart.
After Childbirth
Purification for new mothers.
Skin Diseases
Diagnosis and the priest's role in declaring clean.
Cleansing the Diseased
Restoration to the community.
Bodily Discharges
Laws of purity and washing.
The Day of Atonement
The scapegoat and the once-a-year cleansing of the nation.
Blood Is Life
Why the blood belongs to God alone.
Forbidden Relations
Boundaries that guard the family and the land.
Be Holy — Love Your Neighbor and the Foreigner
The Heart of It“Be holy, for I am holy.” Love your neighbor as yourself — and love the foreigner as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
“You shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt.” — v.34
Penalties for Sin
Consequences for breaking covenant.
Rules for Priests
Higher standards for those who serve.
Holy Offerings
Who may eat what is holy.
The Appointed Feasts
Sabbath, Passover, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Booths.
Lamps, Bread, and Blasphemy
The continual light and an act of blasphemy judged.
Sabbath Year and Jubilee
Rest for the land and freedom for the enslaved and indebted.
Blessings and Curses
The outcomes of obedience and rebellion.
Vows and Dedications
Things voluntarily devoted to the LORD.