Leviticus 19:36
New International Version
Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Berean Standard Bible
You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Berean Literal Bible
Righteous scales, righteous stones, a righteous ephah, and a righteous hin shall be unto you⁺. I am YHWH your⁺ God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

New American Standard Bible
You shall have accurate balances, accurate weights, an accurate ephah, and an accurate hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

NASB 1995
‘You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

NASB 1977
‘You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

Amplified Bible
You shall have just and accurate balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Berean Annotated Bible
You⁺ shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah <20 qt / 22 l>, and an honest hin <0.97 gal / 3.67 l>. I am the LORD your⁺ God {YHWH Eloheikem}, who brought you⁺ out of the land of Egypt (land of bondage).

Christian Standard Bible
You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

American Standard Version
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt.

Good News Translation
Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am the LORD your God, and I brought you out of Egypt.

International Standard Version
You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

NET Bible
You must have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.

New Heart English Bible
You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Webster's Bible Translation
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

World English Bible
You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
you have righteous balances, righteous weights, a righteous ephah, and a righteous hin; I [am] your God YHWH, who has brought you out from the land of Egypt;

Berean Literal Bible
Righteous scales, righteous stones, a righteous ephah, and a righteous hin shall be unto you⁺. I am YHWH your⁺ God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Young's Literal Translation
righteous balances, righteous weights, a righteous ephah, and a righteous hin ye have; I am Jehovah your God, who hath brought you out from the land of Egypt;

Smith's Literal Translation
Just balances, just stones, a just ephah, and a just hin shall be to you: I Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let the balance be just and the weights equal, the bushel just, and the sextary equal. I am the Lord your God, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Let the scales be just and the weights equal, let the dry measure be just and the liquid measure be equal. I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt.

New American Bible
You shall have a true scale and true weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall have honest balances, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
You shall have a scale of truth and a weight of truth and a measure of truth and a hin of truth. I AM LORD JEHOVAH your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
There shall be among you just balances and just weights and just liquid measure. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Additional Translations ...



Context
Keep My Decrees
35You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. 36You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”…

Cross References
You shall maintain honest scales and weights,

Proverbs 16:11
Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.

Proverbs 11:1
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16
You shall not have two differing weights in your bag, one heavy and one light. / You shall not have two differing measures in your house, one large and one small. / You must maintain accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. …
an honest ephah, and an honest hin.

Ezekiel 45:10
You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.

Ezekiel 46:5
The grain offering with the ram shall be one ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs shall be as much as he is able, along with a hin of oil per ephah.

Exodus 29:40
With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, mixed with a quarter hin of oil from pressed olives, and a drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.
I am the LORD your God,

Leviticus 18:2
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:17
Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

Deuteronomy 29:6
You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 20:2
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Deuteronomy 5:6
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Leviticus 26:13
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk in uprightness.
Proverbs 20:10
Differing weights and unequal measures—both are detestable to the LORD.

Proverbs 20:23
Unequal weights are detestable to the LORD, and dishonest scales are no good.

Amos 8:5
asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.

Micah 6:10-11
Can I forget any longer, O house of the wicked, the treasures of wickedness and the short ephah, which is accursed? / Can I excuse dishonest scales or bags of false weights?


Treasury of Scripture

Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall you have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Just balances

Proverbs 11:1
A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.

weights [heb] stones

Exodus 20:2
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

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Balances Egypt Ephah Hin Honest Measures Scales True. Use Weights
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Leviticus 19
1. A repetition of various laws












You shall maintain honest scales and weights,

God requires integrity in every transaction. Merchants could defraud customers by using false weights or altered measures, taking more than was due while appearing to trade fairly. Israel’s conduct in the marketplace was to reflect the justice of the God they served.

Pro 16:11 Honest scales and balances are from the LORD;…
Pro 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,…
Deu 25:13-16 You shall not have two differing weights in your bag,…

an honest ephah, and an honest hin.

The ephah measured dry goods such as grain, and the hin measured liquids such as oil or wine. Accurate measures protected both buyer and seller and prevented the powerful from exploiting those with fewer resources. Fair dealing was part of Israel’s covenant obedience in ordinary daily life.

Ezk 45:10 You must use honest scales, a just ephah, and a just bath.
Ezk 46:5 The grain offering with the ram shall be one ephah,…
Exo 29:40 With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah…

I am the LORD your God,

The command rests on God’s authority and on His covenant relationship with Israel. Their standards of justice were not to be shaped by convenience, custom, or profit, but by the character and will of the Lord.

Lev 18:2 Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD…
Lev 25:17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God;…
Deu 29:6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or strong drink…

who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Israel had been delivered from oppression and was not to reproduce among its own people the injustice they had known in Egypt. Their commercial practices were to show that they belonged to the God who redeemed them.

Exo 20:2 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out…
Deu 5:6 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out…
Lev 26:13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who commands His people to live righteously and justly, reflecting His holy nature.

2. Israelites
The recipients of the law, called to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests, set apart from other nations by their adherence to God's commandments.

3. Egypt
The land from which God delivered the Israelites, symbolizing bondage and oppression, contrasting with the freedom and justice God desires for His people.

4. Scales and Weights
Tools used in commerce and trade, representing fairness and integrity in business dealings.

5. Ephah and Hin
Ancient units of measurement for dry and liquid goods, respectively, emphasizing the importance of honesty in everyday transactions.
Teaching Points
Integrity in Business
God calls His people to reflect His character through honest and fair business practices. This integrity is a testimony to His righteousness.

Holiness in Everyday Life
Holiness is not confined to religious rituals but extends to everyday actions, including commerce and trade. Our daily conduct should reflect our commitment to God.

God's Deliverance as Motivation
Remembering God's deliverance from Egypt serves as a motivation for obedience. Just as God freed Israel, He calls us to live in freedom from sin, including dishonesty.

Community Impact
Honest dealings build trust and strengthen community relationships. As Christians, our actions should promote justice and peace within our communities.

Accountability to God
Ultimately, our actions are accountable to God, who sees and judges all. Living with this awareness encourages us to maintain integrity in all aspects of life.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Leviticus 19:36?

2. How does Leviticus 19:36 emphasize the importance of honest measurements in business?

3. What does "just balances, just weights" reveal about God's character and expectations?

4. How can we apply the principle of fairness from Leviticus 19:36 today?

5. Which other Bible verses stress honesty and integrity in financial dealings?

6. How does practicing fairness in business reflect our faith in God?

7. How does Leviticus 19:36 relate to ethical business practices today?

8. Why does Leviticus emphasize honest weights and measures?

9. What historical context influenced Leviticus 19:36's focus on fairness?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Leviticus 19?


(36) Just balances, just weights.--That is, they were to be the same for buying as for selling.

Just ephah.--The ephah is the dry measure, and contained ten omers. (See Leviticus 14:10.) It is the same measure as the bath is for liquids.

A just hin.--The hin, which was a measure for liquids, contained as much as seventy-two hen's eggs. These two measures are here used as representative, including all other measures.

Leviticus 19:36 is God’s comprehensive call to integrity. He demands honest devices (scales and weights), honest dry measures (ephah), and honest liquid measures (hin). His authority (“I am the LORD your God”) and His saving work (“who brought you out of the land of Egypt”) anchor the command. Practical honesty is non-negotiable for people rescued by a holy Redeemer, because fairness in commerce showcases His righteousness to a watching world.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You shall maintain
יִהְיֶ֣ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

honest
צֶ֣דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

scales
מֹ֧אזְנֵי (mō·zə·nê)
Noun - mdc
Strong's 3976: A pair of scales

[and]
צֶ֗דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

weights,
אַבְנֵי־ (’aḇ·nê-)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 68: A stone

an honest
צֶ֛דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

ephah,
אֵ֥יפַת (’ê·p̄aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 374: Ephah -- an ephah (a measure of grain)

[and] an honest
צֶ֖דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6664: The right, equity, prosperity

hin.
וְהִ֥ין (wə·hîn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1969: A hin (a liquid measure)

I
אֲנִי֙ (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

am the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God,
אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

who
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

brought
הוֹצֵ֥אתִי (hō·w·ṣê·ṯî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

you
אֶתְכֶ֖ם (’eṯ·ḵem)
Direct object marker | second person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

out of the land
מֵאֶ֥רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Egypt.
מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (miṣ·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa


Additonal Resources
Leviticus 19:36 Blue Letter Bible
Leviticus 19:36 Bible Gateway
Leviticus 19:36 Bible.com

Leviticus 19:36 NIV
Leviticus 19:36 NLT
Leviticus 19:36 ESV
Leviticus 19:36 NASB
Leviticus 19:36 KJV

Leviticus 19:36 Study Bible
Leviticus 19:36 Biblia Paralela
Leviticus 19:36 Chinese Bible
Leviticus 19:36 French Bible
Leviticus 19:36 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Leviticus 19:36 You shall have just balances just weights (Le Lv Lev.)

Leviticus 19:35
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