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Leviticus 17-18
English Standard Version
Leviticus 17-18
English Standard Version
The Place of Sacrifice
17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 3 If any one of the house of Israel (A)kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and (B)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man (C)shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice (D)in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them (E)as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. 6 And the priest shall (F)throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat (G)for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they (H)whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who (I)offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and (J)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, (K)that man shall be cut off from his people.
Laws Against Eating Blood
10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them (L)eats any blood, I will (M)set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 (N)For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar (O)to make atonement for your souls, (P)for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.
13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall (Q)pour out its blood and (R)cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature[a] is its (S)blood: its blood is its life.[b] Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 (T)And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, (U)whether he is a native or a sojourner, (V)shall wash his clothes and (W)bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, (X)he shall bear his iniquity.”
Unlawful Sexual Relations
18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (Y)I am the Lord your God. 3 (Z)You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and (AA)you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 (AB)You shall follow my rules[c] and keep my statutes and walk in them. (AC)I am the Lord your God. 5 (AD)You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; (AE)if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. 7 (AF)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 (AG)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. 9 (AH)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. 10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. 11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, brought up in your father's family, since she is your sister. 12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's relative. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's relative. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 (AI)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 (AJ)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. 18 And you shall not take a woman as a (AK)rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness (AL)while her sister is still alive.
19 (AM)“You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. 20 (AN)And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor's wife and so make yourself unclean with her. 21 You shall not give any of your children to (AO)offer them[d] to (AP)Molech, and so (AQ)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 (AR)You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 (AS)And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is (AT)perversion.
24 (AU)“Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, (AV)for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the (AW)land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land (AX)vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But (AY)you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the (AZ)native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 29 For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 (BA)So keep my charge never to practice (BB)any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: (BC)I am the Lord your God.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew all flesh
- Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life
- Leviticus 18:4 Or my just decrees; also verse 5
- Leviticus 18:21 Hebrew to make them pass through [the fire]
Leviticus 17-18
New International Version
Leviticus 17-18
New International Version
Eating Blood Forbidden
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons(A) and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[a] a lamb(B) or a goat(C) in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting(D) to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord(E)—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.(F) 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.(G) 6 The priest is to splash the blood against the altar(H) of the Lord(I) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(J) 7 They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[b](K) to whom they prostitute themselves.(L) This is to be a lasting ordinance(M) for them and for the generations to come.’(N)
8 “Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent(O) of meeting(P) to sacrifice it to the Lord(Q) must be cut off from the people of Israel.
10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood,(R) and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood,(S) and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.[c](T) 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,(U) 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”(V)
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything(W) found dead or torn by wild animals(X) must wash their clothes and bathe with water,(Y) and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;(Z) then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.(AA)’”
Unlawful Sexual Relations
18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(AB) 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.(AC) 4 You must obey my laws(AD) and be careful to follow my decrees.(AE) I am the Lord your God.(AF) 5 Keep my decrees and laws,(AG) for the person who obeys them will live by them.(AH) I am the Lord.
6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7 “‘Do not dishonor your father(AI) by having sexual relations with your mother.(AJ) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(AK) that would dishonor your father.(AL)
9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,(AM) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.(AN)
10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;(AO) she is your father’s close relative.
13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,(AP) because she is your mother’s close relative.
14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.(AQ)
15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.(AR) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.(AS)
16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;(AT) that would dishonor your brother.
17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.(AU) Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister(AV) as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19 “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness(AW) of her monthly period.(AX)
20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife(AY) and defile yourself with her.
21 “‘Do not give any of your children(AZ) to be sacrificed to Molek,(BA) for you must not profane the name of your God.(BB) I am the Lord.(BC)
22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;(BD) that is detestable.(BE)
23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.(BF)
24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you(BG) became defiled.(BH) 25 Even the land was defiled;(BI) so I punished it for its sin,(BJ) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(BK) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(BL) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land,(BM) it will vomit you out(BN) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements(BO) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.(BP)’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
- Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
- Leviticus 17:11 Or atonement by the life in the blood
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.