Leviticus 17:1-25:16

International Standard Version

Ritual Animal Slaughter

17 The Lord told Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelis and tell them that this is what the Lord has commanded: ³ When a person from the house of Israel slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat (whether in the camp or outside the camp), ⁴ but fails to bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as an offering in the presence of the tent of the Lord, that person will incur bloodguilt. Because he has shed blood, that person is to be eliminated from contact with^[a] his people.”

Centralized Sacrificial Slaughter

⁵ “This statute is required so that^[b] the Israelis may bring their sacrifices that they have been sacrificing to the Lord in the open field to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, where they are to slaughter their peace offering to the Lord. ⁶ The priest is to sprinkle the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and incinerate the fat, making a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ⁷ They are no longer to slaughter their sacrifices to the goat demons, with whom they have been committing prostitution. This will be a perpetual statute for you throughout your generations. ⁸ Tell them that if a person from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you brings a whole burnt offering or a sacrifice ⁹ to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, but fails to bring it to offer^[c] it to the Lord, that person^[d] is to be eliminated from contact with^[e] his people.”

Prohibitions against Eating Blood

¹⁰ “If anyone from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you eats any form of blood, I’ll oppose^[f] that person who ate the blood and eliminate him from his people, ¹¹ because the life of the flesh is in the blood itself, and I myself have given it to you all so that atonement may be made for your souls on the altar, since the blood itself makes atonement through the life that is in it. ¹² This is why I’ve told the Israelis that no person^[g] among you is to eat blood. Even the resident alien who lives among you is not to eat blood.

¹³ “If a person from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you has hunted live game or a bird that may be eaten, he is to extract its blood and cover it with soil, ¹⁴ because the life of any flesh is the blood itself. Therefore, I’m saying to the Israelis that the blood of any flesh is not to be eaten, because the life of any flesh is in its blood. Anyone who eats of it is to be eliminated from contact with his people.^[h]

¹⁵ “Any person who eats a carcass or an animal that was torn by beasts (whether that person is native born or is a resident alien), is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will remain unclean until evening, and then he’ll become clean. ¹⁶ But if he doesn’t wash or bathe his body, then he is to bear the punishment of his iniquity.”

Sexual Relations with Relatives Prohibited

18 The Lord told Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that I am the Lord your God. ³ You are not to do what you used to do in the land of Egypt where you lived. You are not to do what Canaan does, where I’m about to bring you, so that you live according to their statutes. ⁴ Obey^[i] my ordinances and keep my statutes by living by them. I am the Lord your God. ⁵ Keep my statutes and my ordinances, which a person^[j] is to obey in order to live in them. I am the Lord.

⁶ “A person is not to approach a near blood relative for sexual relations.^[k] I am the Lord.

⁷ “Neither your father’s nakedness nor your mother’s nakedness is to be exposed. She’s your mother, so you are not to have sexual relations with her.

⁸ “You are not to have sexual relations with your father’s wife. It’s your own father’s nakedness.

⁹ “You are not to have sexual relations with your sister, whether she’s your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she’s born in your home or outside your home. You are not to have sexual relations with her.

¹⁰ “You are not to have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter. You are not to have sexual relations with them, because their nakedness is your own nakedness.

¹¹ “You are not to have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife. Born of your father, she’s your sister, so you are not to have sexual relations with her.

¹² “You are not to have sexual relations with your father’s sister. She’s your father’s near blood relative.

¹³ “You are not to have sexual relations with your mother’s sister. She’s your mother’s near blood relative.

¹⁴ “You are not to expose the nakedness of your father’s brother by having sexual relations with his wife. She’s your aunt.

¹⁵ “You are not to expose the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She’s the wife of your son. You are not to have sexual relations with her.

¹⁶ “You are not to have sexual relations with your brother’s wife. She’s the nakedness of your brother.

¹⁷ “You are not to have sexual relations with a woman and her daughter.

“You are not to have sexual relations with her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They’re near blood relatives. It’s wickedness.

¹⁸ “You are not to marry a woman and then have sexual relations with her sister as a rival when your wife^[l] is still alive.

¹⁹ “You are not to approach a menstruating woman to have sexual relations with her.^[m]

²⁰ “You are not to have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and thereby become ceremonially unclean with her.”

Child Sacrifice Prohibited

²¹ “You are not to present any of your children to Molech as a sacrifice.^[n] That way, you won’t defile the name of your God.”

Same Sex Unions Prohibited

“I am the Lord. ²² You are not to have sexual relations^[o] with a male as you would with a woman. It’s detestable.”

Sexual Relations with Animals Prohibited

²³ “You are not to present yourself to an animal in order to have sexual relations with it and by doing so to defile yourself. A woman is not to present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It’s detestable.

²⁴ “You are not to defile yourselves by doing any of these things, since all of these nations that I’m casting out before you have defiled themselves this way. ²⁵ The land has been defiled, so I brought the punishment of its iniquity to it. As a result, the land is vomiting out its inhabitants.

²⁶ “Therefore, keep my statutes and ordinances. You are not to do any of these detestable things—this applies to the native born and the resident alien who lives among you— ²⁷ because the inhabitants^[p] of the land did all of these detestable things and by doing so defiled the land before you. ²⁸ So you are not to let the land vomit you up because of your uncleanness as it is vomiting the nations that were here before you. ²⁹ Anyone who does any of these detestable things—whoever the person^[q] may be—is to be eliminated from contact with his people.^{[r] 30} Therefore, keep my injunctions so that you won’t practice these detestable things that have been done before you, and so that you won’t be defiled in them. I am the Lord.”

Ritual Purity

19 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the entire assembly of Israel that they are to be holy, since I, the Lord your God, am holy.

³ “Each of you is to fear his mother and father.

“Observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ “You are not to turn to their idols or cast gods out of melted metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ “When you offer a peace offering to the Lord, you are to offer it for your acceptance. ⁶ Your sacrifice is to be eaten on that day and the next day. Anything that remains to the third day is to be incinerated. ⁷ If it is eaten on the third day, it’s unclean. It won’t be accepted. ⁸ Anyone who eats it will bear the punishment of his sin, since he will have defiled himself regarding the Lord’s holy things. That person^[s] is to be eliminated from contact with his people.”^[t]

Harvesting and Gleaning

⁹ “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to completely finish harvesting the corners of the field—that is, you are not to pick what remains after you have reaped your harvest. ¹⁰ You are not to gather your vineyard or pick up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Leave something for the poor and the resident alien who lives among you. I am the Lord your God.”

Just Dealings

¹¹ “You are not to steal or lie or deal falsely with your neighbor.

¹² “You are not to use my name to deceive, thereby defiling the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him.^[u]

“The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning.

¹⁴ “You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind.

“You are to fear God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness.”

Social Responsibility

¹⁶ “You are not to go around slandering your people.

“You are not to stand idle^[v] when your neighbor’s life is at stake.^[w] I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “You are not to hate your relative in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor if you must, but you are not to incur guilt on account of him.

¹⁸ “You are not to seek vengeance or hold a grudge against the descendants of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

On Preserving Distinctiveness

¹⁹ “Observe my statutes.

“You are not to let your cattle breed with a different species.^[x]

“You are not to sow your fields with two different kinds of seeds.^[y]

“You are not to wear clothing made from two different kinds of material.

²⁰ “When a person has sexual relations^[z] with a woman servant who is engaged to another man, but she has not been completely redeemed nor has her freedom been granted to her, there is to be an inquiry, but they won’t be put to death, since she has not been freed. ²¹ The perpetrator^[aa] is to bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting—that is, a ram as a guilt offering. ²² Then the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering in the Lord’s presence on account of his sin which he has committed, but which will be forgiven him.”

Restrictions on Initial Harvests

²³ “When you have entered the land and planted all sorts of trees for food, regard its fruit as uncircumcised for the first three years for you. It is not to be eaten. ²⁴ During the fourth year, all its fruit is to be offered as a holy token of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ But on the fifth year, you may eat its fruits to increase its produce for you.”

Prohibited Practices

²⁶ “You are not to eat anything containing blood, engage in occult practices,^[ab] or practice fortune telling.^[ac]

²⁷ “You are not to cut your hair in ritualistic patterns^[ad] on your head or deface the edges of your beard.

²⁸ “You are not to make incisions in your flesh on account of the dead nor submit to cuts or tattoos. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “You are not to defile your daughter by engaging her in prostitution so the land won’t become filled with wickedness.

³⁰ “Observe my Sabbath and stand in awe of my sanctuary. I am the Lord.

³¹ “You are to consult neither mediums nor familiar spirits. You are never to seek them—you’ll just be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³² “Rise in the presence of the aged^[ae] and honor the elderly face-to-face.

“Fear your God. I am the Lord.

³³ “If a resident alien lives with you in your land, you are not to mistreat him. ³⁴ You are to treat the resident alien the same way you treat the native born among you—love him like yourself, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

³⁵ “You are not to act unjustly in deciding a case^[af] or when measuring weight and quantity. ³⁶ You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes.^[ag] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ Observe all my statutes and all my ordinances in order to practice them. I am the Lord.”

Prohibiting Child Sacrifice

20 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that when an Israeli or a resident alien^[ah] who lives in Israel offers^[ai] his child to Molech, he is certainly to be put to death.^[aj] The people who live in the land are to stone him with stones. ³ As for me, I’ll oppose that man. I’ll eliminate him from contact with his people^[ak] for sacrificing his children to Molech, thereby defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. ⁴ If the people avoid dealing^[al] with that man when he offers his child to Molech—that is, if they fail to execute him— ⁵ then I’ll oppose that man and his family and eliminate him from contact with his people,^[am] along with all the prostitutes who accompany him and who have committed prostitution with Molech.”

Consulting the Dead Prohibited

⁶ “I’ll oppose and eliminate from contact with his people^[an] whoever consults mediums or familiar spirits, thereby committing spiritual prostitution with them. ⁷ Therefore, separate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ Keep my statutes and observe them. I am the Lord, who has set you apart.”

Honoring Parents

⁹ “Anyone who curses his father or mother is certainly to be put to death.^[ao] He has cursed his father or mother, so his guilt will remain his responsibility.”

Honoring the Seventh Commandment

¹⁰ “If anyone commits adultery with another man’s wife, including when someone commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to die.

¹¹ “If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness, so both of them are to be put to death. Their guilt will remain their responsibility.

¹² “If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, the two are to be put to death. They’ve committed a repulsive act. Their guilt^[ap] will remain their responsibility.

¹³ “If a man has sexual relations with another male as he would with a woman, both have committed a repulsive act. They are certainly to be put to death.

¹⁴ “If a man takes a wife along with her mother, that’s wickedness. They are to be burned with fire—that is, both him and them, so that there will be no wickedness in your midst.

¹⁵ “If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you are also to kill the animal.

¹⁶ “If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual relations with it, both the woman and the animal are to be put to death. Their guilt^[aq] will remain their responsibility.

¹⁷ “If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, so that he exposes her nakedness and she exposes his nakedness, it’s a shameful thing. They are to be eliminated from contact with their people^[ar] in front of their people’s children. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness. He’ll continue to bear responsibility for^[as] his iniquity.

¹⁸ “If a man has sexual relations with a menstruating woman, he has exposed her nakedness, laying bare her fountain. He has exposed the source of her blood. Both are to be eliminated from contact with their people.^[at]

¹⁹ “You are not to have sexual relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that is laying bare the nakedness of his close relative. They’ll continue to bear responsibility for^[au] their iniquity.

²⁰ “If a man has sexual relations with his uncle’s wife, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness. They are to bear responsibility for^[av] punishment of their sin. They’ll die childless.

²¹ “If a man takes his brother’s wife, it’s immoral.^[aw] He has exposed his brother’s nakedness. They’ll be childless.”

Living Distinctively in Holiness

²² “Be sure to keep all my statutes and observe all my ordinances, so that the land where I’m about to bring you to live won’t vomit you out. ²³ You are not to live^[ax] by the customs of the nations, whom I’ve cast away right in front of you. Because they did all of these things, I detested them. ²⁴ But I’ve promised^[ay] you that you’ll inherit the land that I’m about to give you as your permanent possession^[az]—a land flowing with milk and honey.

“I am your God. I’ve separated you from the people. ²⁵ You are to differentiate between the clean animal and the unclean and between the unclean bird and the clean. You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any animal, bird, or any creeping creature of the ground that I’ve separated for you as unclean.

²⁶ “You are to be holy toward me, because I, the Lord, am holy. I’ve separated you from among the people to be mine.

²⁷ “Moreover, a man or a woman who has a ritual spirit or a familiar spirit is certainly to die. They are to be stoned to death with boulders. They will continue to bear responsibility for their guilt.”^[ba]

Priestly Holiness

21 The Lord told Moses, “Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and tell them that no priest is to defile himself on account of the dead among his people, ² except his close relatives—his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or ³ virgin sister (who is a near relative of him and did not have a husband—^[bb] he may defile himself for her). ⁴ Because he is a husband among his people, he is not to defile himself, thereby polluting himself.

⁵ “They are not to cut their hair in ritualistic patterns^[bc] on their heads, deface the edges of their beards, or make incisions in their flesh. ⁶ They are to be holy to their God. They are not to defile the name of their God, because they’re the ones who bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire—the food of their God—so they are to be holy.

⁷ “They are not to marry^[bd] a prostitute or a woman who has been dishonored or who was divorced from her husband, because the priest^[be] is holy to his God. ⁸ Consecrate him, because he’s the one who offers the food of your God. He is to be holy for you, because I, the Lord, the one who sanctifies you, am holy.

⁹ “Now if the daughter of any priest defiles herself by being a prostitute, she defiles her father. She is to be incinerated.

¹⁰ “The high priest among his relatives—whose head has been anointed with oil and who has been consecrated to put on the priestly clothing—is not to let his hair hang loose or to tear his clothes. ¹¹ He is not to come near any dead body—whether the deceased^[bf] is his father or his mother—so as not to defile himself. ¹² He is not to go out of the sanctuary or defile the sanctuary of his God, because his God’s consecrating oil of anointing rests on him. I am the Lord.

¹³ “Furthermore, he is to marry a true virgin.^{[bg] 14} He is not to marry a widow or one who has been divorced, has been defiled, or has been a prostitute. Instead, he is to take a virgin from among his people as his wife.

¹⁵ “He is not to defile his children^[bh] among his people, because I am the Lord, who sets him apart.”

On Physical Defects

¹⁶ The Lord told Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron that whoever of your descendants throughout their generations has a bodily defect is not to approach to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting—^[bi] the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face or who has a very long limb, ¹⁹ or a person who has a fractured foot or hand, ²⁰ has scoliosis,^[bj] is a dwarf, or has an eye defect, an itching disease, scabs, or a crushed testicle. ²¹ None of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to approach to bring offerings of the Lord made by fire, since he has a defect. He is not to approach to offer the food of his God. ²² However, he may eat the food of his God, including the most holy and the holy offerings, ²³ but he is not to enter through the curtain nor approach the altar, since he has a defect. That way, he won’t defile my sanctuary, since I am the Lord, who sets you apart.”

²⁴ Moses told all of this^[bk] to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the Israelis.

Holy Offerings

22 Later on, the Lord told Moses, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to separate themselves for the sacred things of the Israelis and that they are not to defile my holy name. I am the Lord. ³ Tell them that whoever among your descendants throughout your generations approaches the sacred things that the Israelis had consecrated to the Lord while still remaining unclean is to be eliminated from my presence. I am the Lord. ⁴ If one of Aaron’s descendants has an infectious skin disease or a discharge, he is not to eat anything sacred until he has been cleansed. Anyone who touches an unclean thing on account of the dead, or who has a seminal discharge, ⁵ or who becomes unclean by touching a creeping creature or another human being, whatever the uncleanness may be— ⁶ such a person^[bl] who comes in contact with anything like this will become unclean until evening. As a result, he is not to eat the sacred things unless he has bathed himself^[bm] with water. ⁷ When the sun has gone down and he has been cleansed, he may eat of the sacred things, since that’s his food. ⁸ He is not to eat the carcass of an animal that was torn by animals,^[bn] thereby defiling himself with it. I am the Lord. ⁹ They are to keep my charge. By doing so, they won’t bear the punishment of sin because of it and therefore die if they’ve been defiled by it. I am the Lord, who sets them apart.”

Other Prohibitions

¹⁰ “No resident alien is to eat anything sacred. Neither the visitor^[bo] of the priest nor a hired laborer is to eat anything sacred. ¹¹ If a priest acquires a slave as property with his own money, he may eat with him. Those who were born in his house may eat his food. ¹² If a priest’s daughter marries a resident alien, she is not to eat the sacred raised offerings. ¹³ If the priest’s daughter is a widow, or is divorced and childless,^[bp] so that she has to return to her father’s house as in her younger days,^[bq] she may eat her father’s food, but no resident alien may eat it. ¹⁴ If a person eats anything sacred inadvertently, he is to add a fifth part to it and then give the sacred thing to the priest. ¹⁵ They are not to defile the sacred things of the Israelis that they have offered^[br] to the Lord, ¹⁶ thereby causing them to bear the punishment of their iniquity for wrongdoing when they eat their sacred things, because I am the Lord, who sets them apart.”

Acceptable Offerings

¹⁷ The Lord told Moses, ¹⁸ “Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelis that when a person from the house of Israel or from the resident aliens living in Israel brings his offering to the Lord as a whole burnt offering (whether in fulfillment of a promise or a free will offerings), ¹⁹ so that he’ll be sure to be accepted,^[bs] he is to offer^[bt] a male without defect from the bulls, the lambs, and the goats. ²⁰ However, whatever has a defect is not to be offered, because it won’t be acceptable for you.

²¹ “If a person brings a peace offering sacrifice to the Lord to fulfill a vow or a free will offering from the herd or the flock, it is to be sound in order to be accepted, without any defect in it. ²² You are not to bring to the Lord an offering that is blind, fractured, mutilated, or infected with ulcers, scurvy, or scales. You are not to present any of them as an offering made by fire on the altar for the Lord.

²³ “You may offer a bull or lamb that has one limb longer than the other or that is stunted as a free will offering, but it’s not acceptable in fulfillment of a promise. ²⁴ You are not to bring to the Lord an animal^[bu] that has been emasculated, crushed, torn, or cut apart. You are not to practice this in your land. ²⁵ A resident alien is not to offer as food to your God any of these items, because they are afflicted with ritual corruption due to their defects. They’re not acceptable for you.”

²⁶ The Lord told Moses, ²⁷ “Whenever a bull, a sheep, or a goat is born, it is to remain for seven days under the care of its mother. But on the eighth day onwards, it may be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord. ²⁸ However, you are not to slaughter a bull or a ewe along with its offspring on the same day. ²⁹ When you offer^[bv] a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, bring it so that it’s acceptable for you. ³⁰ It is to be eaten that same day. You are not to leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

³¹ “Keep my commands and observe them. I am the Lord.

³² “You are not to defile my sacred name, because I’ve been set apart in the midst of the Israelis. Furthermore, I am the Lord, who sets you apart— ³³ who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

Scheduled Festivals

23 The Lord told Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that these are my festival times appointed by the Lord^[bw] that you are to declare as sacred assemblies: ³ Six days you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work. It’s a Sabbath to the Lord wherever you live.^{[bx] 4} These are the Lord’s appointed festivals and sacred assemblies that you are to declare at their appointed time.

⁵ “The Lord’s Passover is to begin on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight.^{[by] 6} On the fifteenth day of that month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread. ⁷ On the first day that you hold the sacred assembly, you are to do no servile work. ⁸ Instead, you are to bring an offering made by fire to the Lord daily for seven days. On the seventh day, you are also to hold a sacred assembly during which you are to do no servile work.”

First Fruit Offerings

⁹ The Lord told Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I’m about to give you and gather its produce, you are to bring a sheaf from the first portion of your harvest to the priest, ¹¹ who will offer the sheaf in the Lord’s presence for your acceptance. The priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a one year old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering in the Lord’s presence. ¹³ Also present a meal offering of two tenths of a measure of^[bz] fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the Lord, a pleasing aroma. Now as to a drink offering, you are to present a fourth of a hin^[ca] of wine. ¹⁴ You are not to eat bread, parched grain, or fresh grain until that day^[cb] when you’ve brought the offering of your God. This is to be^[cc] an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live.”

New Meal Offerings

¹⁵ “Starting the day after the Sabbath, count for yourselves seven weeks from the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. They are to be complete. ¹⁶ Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath, then bring a new meal offering to the Lord. ¹⁷ Bring two loaves^[cd] of bread from home as wave offerings made from two tenths of fine flour baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. ¹⁸ Along with the loaves of bread, bring seven lambs (each of them^[ce] one year old and without defect), one young bull as an offering, and two rams as offerings to the Lord—along with your gift and drink offerings—and present them as an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁹ Prepare one male goat for a sin offering and two one year old rams for peace offerings. ²⁰ Then the priest is to wave them—the two lambs with the bread of first fruits—as raised offerings in the Lord’s presence. They’ll be sacred to the Lord on account of the priest.

²¹ “On the same day, proclaim a sacred assembly for yourselves. You are not to do any servile work—and this is to be an eternal ordinance wherever you live throughout your generations. ²² Furthermore, when you harvest the produce of your land, you are not to harvest all the way to the corners of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and resident alien. I am the Lord your God.”

Offerings in the Seventh Month^(A)

²³ The Lord told Moses, ²⁴ “Tell the Israelis that on the first day of the seventh month you are to have a Sabbath of rest for you—a memorial announced by a loud blast of trumpets. It is to be a sacred assembly. ²⁵ You are not to do any servile work. Instead, bring an offering made by fire to the Lord.”

Day of Atonement

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses, ²⁷ “However, on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It’s a sacred assembly for you. Humble yourselves^[cf] and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. ²⁸ You are not to do any work that same day. It’s the Day of Atonement, because your atonement is made in the presence of the Lord your God. ²⁹ Anyone who doesn’t humble himself that same day is to be eliminated from contact with his people.^{[cg] 30} I’ll eliminate anyone who does work that day from among his people. ³¹ You are not to do any work. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations, wherever you live. ³² It’s a Sabbath of rest^[ch] for you on which you are to humble yourselves starting the evening of the ninth day of the month. You are to observe your Sabbath from evening to evening.”

Festival of Tents

³³ The Lord spoke to Moses, ³⁴ “Tell the Israelis that starting the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the week-long Festival of Tents to the Lord. ³⁵ On the first day, you are to hold a sacred assembly, when you are not to do any servile work. ³⁶ For seven days, bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. The eighth day is also to be a sacred assembly for you. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. It’s a sacred assembly. You are not to do any servile work.

³⁷ “These are the Lord’s appointed festivals that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies. Bring offerings made by fire to the Lord—a whole burnt offering, a meal offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings. Do this every day on its assigned date ³⁸ in addition to the Lord’s Sabbath—regarding your gifts, your offerings in fulfillment of vows, and your freely given offerings that you will bring to the Lord.

³⁹ “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you’ve harvested the produce of the land, you are to observe the festival of the Lord for seven days. The first day is to be a Sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is to be a Sabbath rest.

⁴⁰ “On the first day, take branches from impressive fruit trees,^[ci] branches from palm trees, boughs from thick trees, and poplars from the brooks. Then you are to rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Observe it as a pilgrimage festival in the presence of the Lord for seven days of the year. This is to be an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. Observe the festival during the seventh month. ⁴² You are to live in tents for seven days. Every native born of Israel is to live in tents ⁴³ in order for your future^[cj] generations to know that the Israelis lived in tents when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

⁴⁴ This is what Moses spoke about to the Israelis regarding the Lord’s appointed festivals.

The Lamp

24 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that they are to bring to you pure oil made from beaten olives in order to keep the lamp burning continuously. ³ Outside the Canopy of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to arrange it continually in the Lord’s presence from evening until morning as an eternal ordinance throughout your generations. ⁴ He is to arrange the lamps so that they burn continuously on a ceremonially pure lamp stand in the Lord’s presence. ⁵ Take fine flour and bake twelve cakes using two tenths of a measure^[ck] for each cake. ⁶ Arrange them in two rows—six in each row—on a ceremonially pure table in the Lord’s presence. ⁷ Put pure frankincense on each row for a memorial offering. It will serve as an offering made by fire to the Lord. ⁸ They are to be arranged every Sabbath day^[cl] in the Lord’s presence as a gift^[cm] from the Israelis—an eternal covenant. ⁹ This gift^[cn] will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they are to eat it in a sacred place, because it’s the most holy thing for him of all the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is to be an eternal ordinance.”

A Case History of Blasphemy

¹⁰ Now a son of an Israeli woman and an Egyptian man^[co] went out among the Israelis. The Israeli woman’s son got into a fight with an Israeli man in the camp. ¹¹ Then the Israeli woman’s son blasphemed the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. ¹² They placed him in custody until a decision would be made^[cp] to them according to the word^[cq] of the Lord. ¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹⁴ “Take the one who cursed outside the camp. Everyone who heard him is to lay their hands on his head. Then the entire congregation is to stone him to death. ¹⁵ Moreover, tell the Israelis that anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his own sin, ¹⁶ because the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord is certainly to be put to death. The entire congregation is to stone him to death. As it is for the resident alien, so it is to be with the native born: when he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death.

¹⁷ “If a man beats a human being^[cr] to death,^[cs] he is certainly to be executed, ¹⁸ but whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it—life for life. ¹⁹ If a man disfigures his fellow, whatever he did is to be done to him also. ²⁰ Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he had caused a disfigurement against another man, so it is to be done against him. ²¹ Whoever beats an animal to death is to replace it, but whoever beats a human being to death^[ct] is to be put to death. ²² You are to have for yourselves consistent^[cu] procedures in deciding a case. As it is for the resident alien, so it is for the native born. I am the Lord your God.”

²³ So Moses spoke to the Israelis and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death with boulders. The Israelis did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Sabbatical Years

25 The Lord told Moses on Mount Sinai, ² “Tell the Israelis that when you enter the land that I’m about to give you, you are to let the land observe a Sabbath to the Lord. ³ For six years you may plant your fields, and for six years you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce. ⁴ But the seventh year is to be a Sabbath of rest for the land—a Sabbath for the Lord. You are not to plant your field or prune your vineyard. ⁵ You are not to gather what grows from the spilled kernels of your crops. You are not to pick the grapes of your untrimmed vines. Let it be a year of Sabbath for the land. ⁶ You may take the Sabbath produce^[cv] of the land for your food—you, your male and maid servants, your hired laborers, and the resident alien with you. ⁷ The cattle and the wild animals in your land—everything it produces—are for your food.

⁸ “Count for yourselves seven years of Sabbaths—seven times seven years. This set of seven weeks of years total 49 years for you. ⁹ Sound a horn on the tenth day of the seventh month of this fiftieth year.^[cw] Likewise, on the Day of Atonement, sound the horn throughout your land. ¹⁰ Set aside and consecrate the fiftieth year to declare liberty throughout the land for all of its inhabitants. It is to be a jubilee for you. Every person^[cx] is to return to his own land that he has inherited. Likewise, every person is to return to his tribe. ¹¹ The fiftieth year is to be a year of jubilee for you. You are not to sow or harvest the spilled kernels that grow of themselves or pick grapes from the untrimmed vines ¹² because it’s the jubilee—it’s sacred for you. But you may eat its produce from the field.

¹³ “During this year of jubilee, each person is to return to his own land that he has inherited. ¹⁴ So if you had sold property^[cy] to a neighbor or had acquired land from your neighbor, you are not to cheat one another. ¹⁵ According to the number of years after the jubilee, you may buy from your neighbor. And according to the number of years with crops, he may sell to you. ¹⁶ If the number of years after the jubilee^[cz] is more, increase the selling price. If the number of years after the jubilee^[da] is few, decrease its selling price, because he’s selling to you according to the potential production volume^[db] of the land.^[dc]