Leviticus 17-18

Living Bible

17 ^1-2 The Lord gave to Moses these additional instructions for Aaron and the priests and for all the people of Israel:

^3-4 “Any Israelite who sacrifices^[a] an ox, lamb, or goat anywhere except at the Tabernacle is guilty of murder and shall be excommunicated from his nation. ⁵ The purpose of this law is to stop the people of Israel from sacrificing in the open fields, and to cause them to bring their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate and enjoy— ⁶ for in this way the priest will be able to sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and to burn the fat as a savor the Lord will appreciate and enjoy— ⁷ instead of the people’s sacrificing to evil spirits^[b] out in the fields. This shall be a permanent law for you, from generation to generation. ^8-9 I repeat: Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice anywhere other than at the entrance of the Tabernacle, where it will be sacrificed to the Lord, shall be excommunicated.

¹⁰ “And I will turn my face against anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who eats blood in any form. I will excommunicate him from his people. ¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given you the blood to sprinkle upon the altar as an atonement for your souls; it is the blood that makes atonement because it is the life.^{[c] 12} That is the reasoning behind my decree to the people of Israel, that neither they, nor any foreigner living among them, may eat blood. ¹³ Anyone, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you, who goes hunting and kills an animal or bird of a kind permitted for food, must pour out the blood and cover it with dust, ¹⁴ for the blood is the life. That is why I told the people of Israel never to eat it, for the life of every bird and animal^[d] is its blood. Therefore, anyone who eats blood must be excommunicated.

¹⁵ “And anyone—native born or foreigner—who eats the dead body of an animal that dies a natural death, or is killed by wild animals, must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening; after that he shall be declared cleansed. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe, he shall suffer the consequence.”

18 ^1-2 The Lord then told Moses to tell the people of Israel,

“I am Jehovah your God, ³ so don’t act like the heathen—like the people of Egypt where you lived so long, or the people of Canaan where I am going to take you. ^4-5 You must obey only my laws, and you must carry them out in detail, for I am the Lord your God. If you obey them, you shall live.^[e] I am the Lord.

⁶ “None of you shall marry^[f] a near relative, for I am the Lord. ⁷ Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother, ⁸ nor any other of your father’s wives. ⁹ Do not have intercourse with your sister or half sister, whether the daughter of your father or your mother, whether brought up in the same household or elsewhere.

¹⁰ “You shall not have intercourse with your granddaughter—the daughter of either your son or your daughter—for she is a close relative.^{[g] 11} You may not have intercourse with a half sister—your father’s wife’s daughter; ¹² nor your aunt—your father’s sister—because she is so closely related to your father; ¹³ nor your aunt—your mother’s sister—because she is a close relative of your mother; ¹⁴ nor your aunt—the wife of your father’s brother.^[h]

¹⁵ “You may not marry your daughter-in-law—your son’s wife; ¹⁶ nor your brother’s wife, for she is your brother’s.^{[i] 17} You may not marry both a woman and her daughter or granddaughter, for they are near relatives, and to do so is horrible wickedness. ¹⁸ You shall not marry two sisters, for they will be rivals. However, if your wife dies, then it is all right to marry her sister.

¹⁹ “There must be no sexual relationship with a woman who is menstruating; ²⁰ nor with anyone else’s wife, to defile yourself with her.

²¹ “You shall not give any of your children to Molech, burning them upon his altar; never profane the name of your God, for I am Jehovah.

²² “Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous sin. ²³ A man shall have no sexual intercourse with any female animal, thus defiling himself; and a woman must never give herself to a male animal, to mate with it; this is a terrible perversion.

²⁴ “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for these are the things the heathen do; and because they do them, I am going to cast them out from the land into which you are going. ²⁵ That entire country is defiled with this kind of activity; that is why I am punishing the people living there, and will throw them out of the land.^{[j] 26} You must strictly obey all of my laws and ordinances, and you must not do any of these abominable things; these laws apply both to you who are born in the nation of Israel and to foreigners living among you.

²⁷ “Yes, all these abominations have been done continually by the people of the land where I am taking you, and the land is defiled. ²⁸ Do not do these things or I will throw you out of the land, just as I will throw out^[k] the nations that live there now. ^29-30 Whoever does any of these terrible deeds shall be excommunicated from this nation. So be very sure to obey my laws, and do not practice any of these horrible customs. Do not defile yourselves with the evil deeds of those living in the land where you are going. For I am Jehovah your God.”