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Holy to Yahweh

27 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(A)When a man makes a difficult vow, he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to Yahweh. If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old, then your valuation shall be [a]fifty shekels of silver, according to (B)the shekel of the sanctuary. Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. If it be from five years even to twenty years old then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels. But if they are from a month even up to five years old, then your valuation shall be (C)five shekels of silver for the male, and for the female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver. If they are from sixty years old and upward, if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be [b]presented before the priest, and the priest shall value him; (D)according to [c]the means of the one who vowed, the priest shall value him.

‘Now if it is an animal of the kind which [d]men can bring near as an offering to Yahweh, any such that one gives to Yahweh shall be holy. 10 (E)He shall not replace it or exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; or if he does exchange animal for animal, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. 11 If, however, it is any unclean animal of the kind which [e]men do not bring near as an offering to Yahweh, then he shall [f]present the animal before the priest. 12 And the priest shall value it [g]as either good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be. 13 But if he should ever wish to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of it to your valuation.

14 ‘Now if a man sets his house apart as holy to Yahweh, then the priest shall value it [h]as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand. 15 Yet if the one who sets it apart as holy should wish to redeem his house, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his.

16 ‘Again, if a man sets apart as holy to Yahweh a portion of the fields of his own possession, then your valuation shall be [i]proportionate to the seed needed for it: a [j]homer of barley seed at [k]fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he sets apart his field as holy from the year of jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. 18 If he sets apart his field as holy after the jubilee, however, then the priest shall calculate the price for [l]him [m]proportionate to the years that are left until the year of jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your valuation. 19 If the one who sets it apart as holy should ever wish to redeem the field, then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it so that it may stand as his own. 20 Yet if he will not redeem the field, [n]but has sold the field to another man, it may no longer be redeemed; 21 and it will be that when it [o]reverts in the jubilee, the field shall be holy to Yahweh, like a field that is [p]devoted; (F)it shall be for the priest as his possession. 22 Or if he sets apart as holy to Yahweh a field which he has bought, which is not a portion of the field of his own possession, 23 then the priest shall calculate for [q]him the amount of your valuation up to the year of jubilee; and he shall on that day give your valuation as holy to Yahweh. 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it, to whom the possession of the land belongs. 25 Every valuation of yours, moreover, shall be according to (G)the shekel of the sanctuary. The shekel shall be twenty [r]gerahs.

26 (H)However, a firstborn among animals, which as a firstborn belongs to Yahweh, no man may set it apart as holy; whether ox or sheep, it is Yahweh’s. 27 But if it is among the unclean animals, then he shall [s]ransom it according to your valuation and add to it one-fifth of it; and if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.

28 ‘Nevertheless, (I)anything which a man [t]devotes to Yahweh out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the fields of his own possession, shall not be sold or redeemed. Anything [u]devoted to destruction is most holy to Yahweh. 29 No [v]one who may have been [w]devoted among men shall be [x]ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

30 ‘Thus (J)all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, belongs to Yahweh; it is holy to Yahweh. 31 If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. 32 For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever (K)passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to Yahweh. 33 (L)He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; or if he does exchange it, then both it and its substitute shall become holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”

34 (M)These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 27:3 Approx. 1.25 lb. or 550 gm, a shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
  2. Leviticus 27:8 Lit made to stand
  3. Leviticus 27:8 Lit what the hand reaches
  4. Leviticus 27:9 Lit they
  5. Leviticus 27:11 Lit they
  6. Leviticus 27:11 Lit make the animal stand
  7. Leviticus 27:12 Lit between
  8. Leviticus 27:14 Lit between
  9. Leviticus 27:16 Lit according to its seed
  10. Leviticus 27:16 A homer was approx. 6.5 bu. or 230 l
  11. Leviticus 27:16 Approx. 1.25 lb. or 0.55 kg
  12. Leviticus 27:18 Or it
  13. Leviticus 27:18 Lit according to the years
  14. Leviticus 27:20 Or if he
  15. Leviticus 27:21 Lit goes out
  16. Leviticus 27:21 Lit possession
  17. Leviticus 27:23 Or it
  18. Leviticus 27:25 A gerah was approx. 0.025 oz. or 0.7 gm
  19. Leviticus 27:27 Or redeem
  20. Leviticus 27:28 Or banned
  21. Leviticus 27:28 Or put under the ban
  22. Leviticus 27:29 Or banned
  23. Leviticus 27:29 Or put under the ban
  24. Leviticus 27:29 Or redeemed

Votive Offerings

27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When a person makes an explicit vow to the Lord concerning the equivalent for a human being, the equivalent for a male shall be: from twenty to sixty years of age the equivalent shall be fifty shekels of silver by the sanctuary shekel.(A) If the person is a female, the equivalent is thirty shekels. If the age is from five to twenty years of age, the equivalent is twenty shekels for a male and ten shekels for a female. If the age is from one month to five years, the equivalent for a male is five shekels of silver, and for a female the equivalent is three shekels of silver.(B) And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the equivalent for a male is fifteen shekels and for a female ten shekels. If any cannot afford the equivalent, they shall be brought before the priest and the priest shall assess them; the priest shall assess them according to what each one making a vow can afford.(C)

“If the vow concerns an animal that may be brought as an offering to the Lord, any such animal that may be given to the Lord shall be holy. 10 Another shall not be exchanged or substituted for it, either good for bad or bad for good, and if one animal is substituted for another, both that one and its substitute shall be holy. 11 If the vow concerns any unclean animal that may not be brought as an offering to the Lord, the animal shall be presented before the priest. 12 The priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, according to the assessment of the priest, so it shall be.(D) 13 But if it is to be redeemed, one-fifth must be added to the assessment.(E)

14 “If a person consecrates a house to the Lord, the priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, as the priest assesses it, so it shall stand. 15 And if the one who consecrates the house wishes to redeem it, one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner.(F)

16 “If a person consecrates to the Lord any inherited landholding, its assessment shall be in accordance with its seed requirements: fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed. 17 If the person consecrates the field as of the year of Jubilee, that assessment shall stand, 18 but if the field is consecrated after the Jubilee, the priest shall compute the price for it according to the years that remain until the year of Jubilee, and the assessment shall be reduced.(G) 19 And if the one who consecrates the field wishes to redeem it, then one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner, 20 but if the field is not redeemed or if it has been sold to someone else, it shall no longer be redeemable. 21 But when the field is released in the Jubilee, it shall be holy to the Lord as a devoted field; it becomes the priest’s holding.(H) 22 If someone consecrates to the Lord a field that has been purchased that is not a part of the inherited landholding, 23 the priest shall compute for it the proportionate assessment up to the year of Jubilee, and the assessment shall be paid as of that day, a sacred donation to the Lord.(I) 24 In the year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought, whose holding the land is.(J) 25 All assessments shall be by the sanctuary shekel: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.(K)

26 “A firstling of animals, however, which as a firstling belongs to the Lord, cannot be consecrated by anyone; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s.(L) 27 If it is an unclean animal, it shall be ransomed at its assessment, with one-fifth added; if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at its assessment.(M)

28 “Nothing that a person owns that has been devoted to destruction for the Lord, be it human or animal or inherited landholding, may be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.(N) 29 No human beings who have been devoted to destruction can be ransomed; they shall be put to death.

30 “All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord.(O) 31 If persons wish to redeem any of their tithes, they must add one-fifth to them.(P) 32 All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that passes under the shepherd’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. 33 Let no one inquire whether it is good or bad or make substitution for it; if one makes substitution for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy and cannot be redeemed.”(Q)

34 These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.(R)

Redeeming What Is the Lord’s

27 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow(A) to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the equivalent value, set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels[a] of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel[b];(B) for a female, set her value at thirty shekels[c]; for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels[d](C) and of a female at ten shekels[e]; for a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels[f](D) of silver and that of a female at three shekels[g] of silver; for a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels[h] and of a female at ten shekels. If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay(E) the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value(F) according to what the one making the vow can afford.

“‘If what they vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the Lord,(G) such an animal given to the Lord becomes holy.(H) 10 They must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one;(I) if they should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy. 11 If what they vowed is a ceremonially unclean animal(J)—one that is not acceptable as an offering to the Lord—the animal must be presented to the priest, 12 who will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, that is what it will be. 13 If the owner wishes to redeem(K) the animal, a fifth must be added to its value.(L)

14 “‘If anyone dedicates their house as something holy to the Lord, the priest will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, so it will remain. 15 If the one who dedicates their house wishes to redeem it,(M) they must add a fifth to its value, and the house will again become theirs.

16 “‘If anyone dedicates to the Lord part of their family land, its value is to be set according to the amount of seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver to a homer[i] of barley seed. 17 If they dedicate a field during the Year of Jubilee, the value that has been set remains. 18 But if they dedicate a field after the Jubilee,(N) the priest will determine the value according to the number of years that remain(O) until the next Year of Jubilee, and its set value will be reduced. 19 If the one who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it,(P) they must add a fifth to its value, and the field will again become theirs. 20 If, however, they do not redeem the field, or if they have sold it to someone else, it can never be redeemed. 21 When the field is released in the Jubilee,(Q) it will become holy,(R) like a field devoted to the Lord;(S) it will become priestly property.

22 “‘If anyone dedicates to the Lord a field they have bought, which is not part of their family land, 23 the priest will determine its value up to the Year of Jubilee,(T) and the owner must pay its value on that day as something holy to the Lord. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought,(U) the one whose land it was. 25 Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel,(V) twenty gerahs(W) to the shekel.

26 “‘No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord;(X) whether an ox[j] or a sheep, it is the Lord’s. 27 If it is one of the unclean animals,(Y) it may be bought back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If it is not redeemed, it is to be sold at its set value.

28 “‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes[k](Z) to the Lord—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy(AA) to the Lord.

29 “‘No person devoted to destruction[l] may be ransomed; they are to be put to death.(AB)

30 “‘A tithe(AC) of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy(AD) to the Lord. 31 Whoever would redeem(AE) any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value(AF) to it. 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod(AG)—will be holy to the Lord. 33 No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.(AH) If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.(AI)’”

34 These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai(AJ) for the Israelites.(AK)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 27:3 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams; also in verse 16
  2. Leviticus 27:3 That is, about 2/5 ounce or about 12 grams; also in verse 25
  3. Leviticus 27:4 That is, about 12 ounces or about 345 grams
  4. Leviticus 27:5 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  5. Leviticus 27:5 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams; also in verse 7
  6. Leviticus 27:6 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
  7. Leviticus 27:6 That is, about 1 1/4 ounces or about 35 grams
  8. Leviticus 27:7 That is, about 6 ounces or about 175 grams
  9. Leviticus 27:16 That is, probably about 300 pounds or about 135 kilograms
  10. Leviticus 27:26 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  11. Leviticus 27:28 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
  12. Leviticus 27:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.