Laws for Cleansing Houses

33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you (A)for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to be some case of (B)disease in my house.’ 36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. 37 And he shall examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days. 39 And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.

43 “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 44 then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a (C)persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean. 45 And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place. 46 Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening, 47 and whoever sleeps in the house (D)shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed. 49 And for the (E)cleansing of the house he shall take (F)two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop, 50 and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water 51 and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn. 53 And he shall let the live bird go out of the city (G)into the open country. So he shall (H)make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”

54 This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for (I)an itch, 55 for (J)leprous disease in a garment or in (K)a house, 56 and (L)for a swelling or an eruption or a spot, 57 to (M)show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease.

Laws About Bodily Discharges

15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (N)When any man has a discharge from his body,[a] his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean. And anyone who touches his bed (O)shall wash his clothes and (P)bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever sits on anything on which the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches the body of the one with the discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And if the one with the discharge spits on someone who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And any saddle on which the one with the discharge rides shall be unclean. 10 And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries such things shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 11 Anyone whom the one with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 12 And an (Q)earthenware vessel that the one with the discharge touches shall be broken, and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

13 “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then (R)he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean. 14 And on the eighth day he shall take two (S)turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 And the priest shall use them, (T)one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. (U)And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge.

16 (V)“If a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water and be unclean until the evening. 17 And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water and be unclean until the evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water and (W)be unclean until the evening.

19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. 20 (X)And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. 21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 22 And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. 24 And (Y)if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

25 “If (Z)a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her menstrual impurity. 27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. 28 But (AA)if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two (AB)turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 30 And the priest shall use one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for her unclean discharge.

31 “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by (AC)defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”

32 This is the law (AD)for him who has a discharge and (AE)for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; 33 (AF)also for her who is unwell with her menstrual impurity, that is, for anyone, (AG)male or (AH)female, who has a discharge, and for the (AI)man who lies with a woman who is unclean.

The Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after (AJ)the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to (AK)come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For (AL)I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: (AM)with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and (AN)a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on (AO)the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. (AP)He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from (AQ)the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

“Aaron shall (AR)offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall (AS)make atonement for himself and for his house. Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for (AT)Azazel.[b] And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for (AU)Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to (AV)Azazel.

11 “Aaron shall present (AW)the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself. 12 And he shall take (AX)a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil 13 (AY)and put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover (AZ)the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die. 14 And (BA)he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 (BB)“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood (BC)inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16 Thus he shall (BD)make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. 17 (BE)No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is (BF)before the Lord and (BG)make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around. 19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

20 “And when he has made an end of (BH)atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall (BI)put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall (BJ)bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and (BK)he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and (BL)shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and (BM)offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And (BN)the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar. 26 And he who lets the goat go to (BO)Azazel shall wash his clothes and (BP)bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 (BQ)And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp. Their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned up with fire. 28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

29 “And it shall be a statute to you forever that (BR)in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall (BS)afflict yourselves[c] and shall do no work, either (BT)the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you (BU)to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. 31 (BV)It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall (BW)afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. 32 (BX)And the priest who is anointed and (BY)consecrated as priest in his father's place (BZ)shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments. 33 He shall make atonement for (CA)the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for (CB)the altar, and he shall make atonement for (CC)the priests and for (CD)all the people of the assembly. 34 And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel (CE)once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron[d] did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Place of Sacrifice

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “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. If any one of the house of Israel (CF)kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, and (CG)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 (CH)shall be cut off from among his people. This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice (CI)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 (CJ)as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. And the priest shall (CK)throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat (CL)for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they (CM)whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

“And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who (CN)offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and (CO)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, (CP)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 (CQ)eats any blood, I will (CR)set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 (CS)For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar (CT)to make atonement for your souls, (CU)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 (CV)pour out its blood and (CW)cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature[e] is its (CX)blood: its blood is its life.[f] 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 (CY)And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, (CZ)whether he is a native or a sojourner, (DA)shall wash his clothes and (DB)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, (DC)he shall bear his iniquity.”

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (DD)I am the Lord your God. (DE)You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and (DF)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. (DG)You shall follow my rules[g] and keep my statutes and walk in them. (DH)I am the Lord your God. (DI)You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; (DJ)if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

“None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. (DK)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. (DL)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. (DM)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 (DN)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 (DO)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 (DP)rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness (DQ)while her sister is still alive.

19 (DR)“You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. 20 (DS)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 (DT)offer them[h] to (DU)Molech, and so (DV)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 (DW)You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 23 (DX)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 (DY)perversion.

24 (DZ)“Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, (EA)for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the (EB)land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land (EC)vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But (ED)you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the (EE)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 (EF)So keep my charge never to practice (EG)any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: (EH)I am the Lord your God.”

The Lord Is Holy

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, (EI)You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. (EJ)Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and (EK)you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. (EL)Do not turn to idols (EM)or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

(EN)“When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so (EO)that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is (EP)tainted; it will not be accepted, and everyone who eats it shall (EQ)bear his iniquity, because (ER)he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

(ES)“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

11 (ET)“You shall not steal; (EU)you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 (EV)You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so (EW)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 (EX)“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. (EY)The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 (EZ)You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall (FA)fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 (FB)“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 (FC)You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not (FD)stand up against the life[i] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 (FE)“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but (FF)you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you (FG)incur sin because of him. 18 (FH)You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but (FI)you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

You Shall Keep My Statutes

19 (FJ)“You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. (FK)You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.

20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but (FL)he shall bring his compensation to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.

23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.[j] Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God.

26 (FM)“You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. (FN)You shall not interpret omens or (FO)tell fortunes. 27 (FP)You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any (FQ)cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.

29 (FR)“Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of depravity. 30 (FS)You shall keep my Sabbaths and (FT)reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

31 (FU)“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.

32 (FV)“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall (FW)fear your God: I am the Lord.

33 (FX)“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 (FY)You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and (FZ)you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

35 (GA)“You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity. 36 (GB)You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin:[k] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 And (GC)you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.”

Punishment for Child Sacrifice

20 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the people of Israel, (GD)Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. (GE)I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary (GF)unclean and (GG)to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not (GH)put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in (GI)whoring after Molech.

“If (GJ)a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, (GK)I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. (GL)Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. (GM)Keep my statutes and do them; (GN)I am the Lord who sanctifies you. For (GO)anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; (GP)his blood is upon him.

Punishments for Sexual Immorality

10 “If a (GQ)man commits adultery with the wife of[l] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 (GR)If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 (GS)If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed (GT)perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 (GU)If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 (GV)If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 (GW)If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 (GX)If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17 (GY)“If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 (GZ)If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 (HA)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked (HB)one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 (HC)If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 (HD)If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.[m] He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

You Shall Be Holy

22 (HE)“You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not (HF)vomit you out. 23 (HG)And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But (HH)I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land (HI)flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, (HJ)who has separated you from the peoples. 25 (HK)You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 (HL)You shall be holy to me, (HM)for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

27 (HN)“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be (HO)stoned with stones; (HP)their blood shall be upon them.”

Holiness and the Priests

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, (HQ)No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. (HR)They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. They shall be holy to their God and (HS)not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, (HT)the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. (HU)They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman (HV)divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for (HW)I, the Lord, who sanctify you, (HX)am holy. And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; (HY)she shall be burned with fire.

10 (HZ)“The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, (IA)shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not (IB)go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 (IC)He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he (ID)profane the sanctuary of his God, for the (IE)consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.[n] 14 A widow, (IF)or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin[o] of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for (IG)I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may (IH)approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man (II)blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face (IJ)or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a (IK)defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or (IL)crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to (IM)offer the Lord's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of (IN)the most holy and of the (IO)holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not (IP)profane my sanctuaries,[p] (IQ)for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they (IR)abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they (IS)dedicate to me, so that they do not (IT)profane my holy name: I am the Lord. Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while (IU)he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a (IV)discharge may eat of the holy things (IW)until he is clean. (IX)Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or (IY)a man who has had an emission of semen, and (IZ)whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or (JA)a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be— the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has (JB)bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because (JC)they are his food. (JD)He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.’ They shall therefore keep my charge, (JE)lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: (JF)I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10 (JG)“A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slave[q] as his property for money, the slave[r] may eat of it, and (JH)anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and (JI)returns to her father's house, (JJ)as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 (JK)And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add (JL)the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They (JM)shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord, 16 and so cause them (JN)to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: (JO)for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

Acceptable Offerings

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, (JP)When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a (JQ)male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 (JR)You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone (JS)offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord (JT)to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. 22 Animals (JU)blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or (JV)an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food (JW)offering on the altar. 23 You may present a bull or a lamb that has a part (JX)too long or too short for a freewill offering, but for a vow offering it cannot be accepted. 24 Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut you shall not offer to the Lord; you shall not do it within your land,

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:2 Hebrew flesh; also verse 3
  2. Leviticus 16:8 The meaning of Azazel is uncertain; possibly the name of a place or a demon, traditionally a scapegoat; also verses 10, 26
  3. Leviticus 16:29 Or shall fast; also verse 31
  4. Leviticus 16:34 Hebrew he
  5. Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew all flesh
  6. Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life
  7. Leviticus 18:4 Or my just decrees; also verse 5
  8. Leviticus 18:21 Hebrew to make them pass through [the fire]
  9. Leviticus 19:16 Hebrew blood
  10. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew as its uncircumcision
  11. Leviticus 19:36 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters; a hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
  12. Leviticus 20:10 Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of
  13. Leviticus 20:21 Literally menstrual impurity
  14. Leviticus 21:13 Or a young wife
  15. Leviticus 21:14 Hebrew young woman
  16. Leviticus 21:23 Or my holy precincts
  17. Leviticus 22:11 Or servant; twice in this verse
  18. Leviticus 22:11 Hebrew he

Cleansing From Defiling Molds

33 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan,(A) which I am giving you as your possession,(B) and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ 36 The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37 He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish(C) depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.(D) 39 On the seventh day(E) the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, 40 he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.(F) 41 He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42 Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

43 “If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44 the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean.(G) 45 It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

46 “Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.(H) 47 Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.(I)

48 “But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean,(J) because the defiling mold is gone. 49 To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.(K) 50 He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.(L) 51 Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop,(M) the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.(N) 52 He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53 Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields(O) outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.(P)

54 These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease,(Q) for a sore, 55 for defiling molds(R) in fabric or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot,(S) 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean.

These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.(T)

Discharges Causing Uncleanness

15 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has an unusual bodily discharge,(U) such a discharge is unclean. Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:

“‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. Anyone who touches his bed must wash their clothes(V) and bathe with water,(W) and they will be unclean till evening.(X) Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

“‘Whoever touches the man(Y) who has a discharge(Z) must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

“‘If the man with the discharge spits(AA) on anyone who is clean, they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

“‘Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, 10 and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things(AB) must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

11 “‘Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

12 “‘A clay pot(AC) that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article(AD) is to be rinsed with water.

13 “‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days(AE) for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.(AF) 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons(AG) and come before the Lord to the entrance to the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering[a](AH) and the other for a burnt offering.(AI) In this way he will make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.(AJ)

16 “‘When a man has an emission of semen,(AK) he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.(AL) 17 Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. 18 When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen,(AM) both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

19 “‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period(AN) will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

20 “‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.(AO) 22 Anyone who touches anything she sits on will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, they will be unclean till evening.

24 “‘If a man has sexual relations with her and her monthly flow(AP) touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.

25 “‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period(AQ) or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26 Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27 Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

28 “‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons(AR) and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30 The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the Lord for the uncleanness of her discharge.(AS)

31 “‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,[b](AT) which is among them.’”

32 These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen,(AU) 33 for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.(AV)

The Day of Atonement(AW)

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord.(AX) The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses(AY) into the Most Holy Place(AZ) behind the curtain(BA) in front of the atonement cover(BB) on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear(BC) in the cloud(BD) over the atonement cover.

“This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place:(BE) He must first bring a young bull(BF) for a sin offering[c] and a ram for a burnt offering.(BG) He is to put on the sacred linen tunic,(BH) with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.(BI) These are sacred garments;(BJ) so he must bathe himself with water(BK) before he puts them on.(BL) From the Israelite community(BM) he is to take two male goats(BN) for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.(BO) Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots(BP) for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.[d](BQ) Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement(BR) by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household,(BS) and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals(BT) from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense(BU) and take them behind the curtain. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover(BV) above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.(BW) 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood(BX) and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.(BY)

15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people(BZ) and take its blood behind the curtain(CA) and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle(CB) it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement(CC) for the Most Holy Place(CD) because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting,(CE) which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17 No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

18 “Then he shall come out to the altar(CF) that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.(CG) 19 He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.(CH)

20 “When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.(CI) 21 He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat(CJ) and confess(CK) over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins(CL) to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments(CM) he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.(CN) 24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area(CO) and put on his regular garments.(CP) Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people,(CQ) to make atonement for himself and for the people.(CR) 25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat(CS) must wash his clothes(CT) and bathe himself with water;(CU) afterward he may come into the camp. 27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;(CV) their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28 The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.(CW)

29 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(CX) for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month(CY) you must deny yourselves[e](CZ) and not do any work(DA)—whether native-born(DB) or a foreigner residing among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made(DC) for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.(DD) 31 It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves;(DE) it is a lasting ordinance.(DF) 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained(DG) to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments(DH) 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.(DI)

34 “This is to be a lasting ordinance(DJ) for you: Atonement is to be made once a year(DK) for all the sins of the Israelites.”

And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Eating Blood Forbidden

17 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons(DL) and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[f] a lamb(DM) or a goat(DN) in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting(DO) to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord(DP)—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.(DQ) 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.(DR) The priest is to splash the blood against the altar(DS) of the Lord(DT) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(DU) They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[g](DV) to whom they prostitute themselves.(DW) This is to be a lasting ordinance(DX) for them and for the generations to come.’(DY)

“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent(DZ) of meeting(EA) to sacrifice it to the Lord(EB) 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,(EC) and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood,(ED) 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.[h](EE) 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,(EF) 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.”(EG)

15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything(EH) found dead or torn by wild animals(EI) must wash their clothes and bathe with water,(EJ) and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;(EK) then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.(EL)’”

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(EM) 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.(EN) You must obey my laws(EO) and be careful to follow my decrees.(EP) I am the Lord your God.(EQ) Keep my decrees and laws,(ER) for the person who obeys them will live by them.(ES) I am the Lord.

“‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

“‘Do not dishonor your father(ET) by having sexual relations with your mother.(EU) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(EV) that would dishonor your father.(EW)

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,(EX) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.(EY)

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;(EZ) she is your father’s close relative.

13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,(FA) 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.(FB)

15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.(FC) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.(FD)

16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;(FE) that would dishonor your brother.

17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.(FF) 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(FG) 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(FH) of her monthly period.(FI)

20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife(FJ) and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘Do not give any of your children(FK) to be sacrificed to Molek,(FL) for you must not profane the name of your God.(FM) I am the Lord.(FN)

22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;(FO) that is detestable.(FP)

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.(FQ)

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(FR) became defiled.(FS) 25 Even the land was defiled;(FT) so I punished it for its sin,(FU) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(FV) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(FW) 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,(FX) it will vomit you out(FY) 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(FZ) 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.(GA)’”

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(GB) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(GC) am holy.(GD)

“‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,(GE) and you must observe my Sabbaths.(GF) I am the Lord your God.(GG)

“‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.(GH) I am the Lord your God.(GI)

“‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.(GJ) If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(GK) Whoever eats it will be held responsible(GL) because they have desecrated what is holy(GM) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.(GN)

“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges(GO) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(GP) 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time(GQ) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.(GR) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.(GS) I am the Lord your God.

11 “‘Do not steal.(GT)

“‘Do not lie.(GU)

“‘Do not deceive one another.(GV)

12 “‘Do not swear falsely(GW) by my name(GX) and so profane(GY) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘Do not defraud or rob(GZ) your neighbor.(HA)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker(HB) overnight.(HC)

14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(HD) but fear your God.(HE) I am the Lord.

15 “‘Do not pervert justice;(HF) do not show partiality(HG) to the poor or favoritism to the great,(HH) but judge your neighbor fairly.(HI)

16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander(HJ) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.(HK) I am the Lord.

17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.(HL) Rebuke your neighbor frankly(HM) so you will not share in their guilt.

18 “‘Do not seek revenge(HN) or bear a grudge(HO) against anyone among your people,(HP) but love your neighbor(HQ) as yourself.(HR) I am the Lord.

19 “‘Keep my decrees.(HS)

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.(HT)

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.(HU)

20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man(HV) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.[i] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.(HW) 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.(HX)

23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.[j] For three years you are to consider it forbidden[k]; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,(HY) an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

26 “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.(HZ)

“‘Do not practice divination(IA) or seek omens.(IB)

27 “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.(IC)

28 “‘Do not cut(ID) your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

29 “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,(IE) or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.(IF)

30 “‘Observe my Sabbaths(IG) and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.(IH)

31 “‘Do not turn to mediums(II) or seek out spiritists,(IJ) for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

32 “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect(IK) for the elderly(IL) and revere your God.(IM) I am the Lord.(IN)

33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.(IO) Love them as yourself,(IP) for you were foreigners(IQ) in Egypt.(IR) I am the Lord your God.

35 “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.(IS) 36 Use honest scales(IT) and honest weights, an honest ephah[l](IU) and an honest hin.[m](IV) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.(IW)

37 “‘Keep all my decrees(IX) and all my laws(IY) and follow them. I am the Lord.’”

Punishments for Sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.(IZ) The members of the community are to stone him.(JA) I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;(JB) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled(JC) my sanctuary(JD) and profaned my holy name.(JE) If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,(JF) I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

“‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.(JG)

“‘Consecrate yourselves(JH) and be holy,(JI) because I am the Lord your God.(JJ) Keep my decrees(JK) and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(JL)

“‘Anyone who curses their father(JM) or mother(JN) is to be put to death.(JO) Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.(JP)

10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife(JQ)—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.(JR)

11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.(JS) Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.(JT)

12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,(JU) both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.(JV) They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,(JW) it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,(JX) so that no wickedness will be among you.(JY)

15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,(JZ) he is to be put to death,(KA) and you must kill the animal.

16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17 “‘If a man marries his sister(KB), the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed(KC) from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.(KD)

18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,(KE) he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.(KF)

19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,(KG) for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,(KH) he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.(KI)

21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,(KJ) it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.(KK)

22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws(KL) and follow them, so that the land(KM) where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations(KN) I am going to drive out before you.(KO) Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.(KP) 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”(KQ) I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.(KR)

25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.(KS) Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me(KT) because I, the Lord, am holy,(KU) and I have set you apart from the nations(KV) to be my own.

27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium(KW) or spiritist among you must be put to death.(KX) You are to stone them;(KY) their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(KZ) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(LA) for any of his people who die,(LB) except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(LC) his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(LD) He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[n] and so defile himself.

“‘Priests must not shave(LE) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(LF) or cut their bodies.(LG) They must be holy to their God(LH) and must not profane the name of their God.(LI) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(LJ) the food of their God,(LK) they are to be holy.(LL)

“‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(LM) because priests are holy to their God.(LN) Regard them as holy,(LO) because they offer up the food of your God.(LP) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(LQ)

“‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(LR)

10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(LS) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(LT) must not let his hair become unkempt[o] or tear his clothes.(LU) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(LV) He must not make himself unclean,(LW) even for his father or mother,(LX) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(LY) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(LZ) of his God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(MA) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(MB) may come near to offer the food of his God.(MC) 18 No man who has any defect(MD) may come near: no man who is blind(ME) or lame,(MF) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(MG) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(MH) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(MI) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(MJ) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(MK) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(ML) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(MM) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(MN)’”

24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

22 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings(MO) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.(MP) I am the Lord.(MQ)

“Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord,(MR) that person must be cut off from my presence.(MS) I am the Lord.

“‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[p] or a bodily discharge,(MT) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse(MU) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, or if he touches any crawling thing(MV) that makes him unclean, or any person(MW) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. The one who touches any such thing will be unclean(MX) till evening.(MY) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.(MZ) When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.(NA) He must not eat anything found dead(NB) or torn by wild animals,(NC) and so become unclean(ND) through it. I am the Lord.(NE)

“‘The priests are to perform my service(NF) in such a way that they do not become guilty(NG) and die(NH) for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(NI)

10 “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.(NJ) 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.(NK) 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.

14 “‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake(NL) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value(NM) to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings(NN) the Israelites present to the Lord(NO) 16 by allowing them to eat(NP) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt(NQ) requiring payment.(NR) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(NS)’”

Unacceptable Sacrifices

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel(NT)—presents a gift(NU) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow(NV) or as a freewill offering,(NW) 19 you must present a male without defect(NX) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.(NY) 20 Do not bring anything with a defect,(NZ) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.(OA) 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock(OB) a fellowship offering(OC) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,(OD) it must be without defect or blemish(OE) to be acceptable.(OF) 22 Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[q] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.(OG) You must not do this in your own land,

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 15:15 Or purification offering; also in verse 30
  2. Leviticus 15:31 Or my tabernacle
  3. Leviticus 16:3 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  4. Leviticus 16:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 10 and 26.
  5. Leviticus 16:29 Or must fast; also in verse 31
  6. Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  7. Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
  8. Leviticus 17:11 Or atonement by the life in the blood
  9. Leviticus 19:20 Or be an inquiry
  10. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
  11. Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
  12. Leviticus 19:36 An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 of a bushel or about 22 liters.
  13. Leviticus 19:36 A hin was a liquid measure having the capacity of about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters.
  14. Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
  15. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
  16. Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  17. Leviticus 22:23 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.