Bible in 90 Days
Cleansing of Contaminated Objects
33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan(A) that I am giving you as a possession,(B) and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,[a] 35 the owner of the house is to come and tell the priest: Something like mildew contamination has appeared[b] in my house. 36 The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterward the priest will come to examine the house. 37 He will examine it, and if the contamination in the walls of the house consists of green or red indentations[c] that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, 38 the priest is to go outside the house to its doorway and quarantine the house for seven days. 39 The priest is to return on the seventh day and examine it. If the contamination has spread on the walls of the house, 40 the priest must order that the stones with the contamination be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. 41 He is to have the inside of the house completely scraped, and the plaster[d] that is scraped off must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. 42 Then they must take different stones to replace the former ones and take additional plaster[e] to replaster the house.
43 “If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered, 44 the priest must come and examine it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is harmful mildew; the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down with its stones, its beams, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. 46 Whoever enters the house during any of the days the priest quarantines it will be unclean until evening. 47 Whoever lies down in the house is to wash his clothes, and whoever eats in it is to wash his clothes.
48 “But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.[f] 49 He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house, 50 and he is to slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot containing fresh water. 51 He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. 53 Then he is to release the live bird into the open countryside(C) outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54 “This is the law for any skin disease or mildew, for a scaly outbreak,[g] 55 for mildew in clothing or on a house, 56 and for a swelling, scab, or spot, 57 to determine when something is unclean or clean. This is the law regarding skin disease and mildew.”
Bodily Discharges
15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any man has a discharge(D) from his body, he is unclean. 3 This is uncleanness of his discharge: Whether his body secretes the discharge or retains it, he is unclean. All the days that his body secretes or retains anything because of his discharge,[h] he is unclean.[i] 4 Any bed the man with the discharge lies on will be unclean, and any furniture he sits on will be unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits on furniture that the man with the discharge was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 7 Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 8 If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, he is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 9 Any saddle the man with the discharge rides on will be unclean.(E) 10 Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 11 If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands in water,(F) the person who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 12 Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, while any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.(G)
13 “When the man with the discharge has been cured of it, he is to count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; he will be clean. 14 He must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons on the eighth day, come before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.(H) In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.
16 “When a man has an emission of semen,(I) he is to bathe himself completely with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 17 Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18 If a man sleeps with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them are to bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.(J)
19 “When a woman has a discharge, and it consists of blood from her body, she will be unclean because of her menstruation(K) for seven days. Everyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything she lies on during her menstruation will become unclean, and anything she sits on will become unclean. 21 Everyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 22 Everyone who touches any furniture she was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 23 If discharge is on the bed or the furniture she was sitting on, when he touches it he will be unclean until evening. 24 If a man sleeps with her, and blood from her menstruation gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days, and every bed he lies on will become unclean.(L)
25 “When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation. 26 Any bed she lies on during the days of her discharge will be like her bed during menstrual impurity; any furniture she sits on will be unclean as in her menstrual period. 27 Everyone who touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. 28 When she is cured of her discharge, she is to count seven days, and after that she will be clean.(M) 29 On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30 The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the Lord because of her unclean discharge.
31 “You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle(N) that is among them. 32 This is the law for someone with a discharge: a man who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean by it; 33 a woman who is in her menstrual period; anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female; and a man who sleeps with an unclean woman.”
The Day of Atonement
16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence(O) of[j] the Lord and died.(P) 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place(Q) behind the veil(R) in front of the mercy seat(S) on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud(T) above the mercy seat.(U)
3 “Aaron is to enter the most holy place(V) in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.(W) 4 He is to wear a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body. He must tie a linen sash around him and wrap his head with a linen turban.(X) These are holy garments; he must bathe his body with water before he wears them. 5 He is to take from the Israelite community two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.(Y)
6 “Aaron will present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Next he will take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 After Aaron casts lots(Z) for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for azazel,[k](AA) 9 he is to present the goat chosen by lot for the Lord and sacrifice it as a sin offering.(AB) 10 But the goat chosen by lot for azazel[l] is to be presented alive before the Lord to make purification with it by sending it into the wilderness(AC) for azazel.
11 “When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he will slaughter the bull for his sin offering. 12 Then he must take a firepan full of fiery coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense,(AD) and bring them inside the veil.(AE) 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud(AF) of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony,(AG) or else he will die.(AH) 14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood(AI) and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times.(AJ)
15 “When he slaughters the male goat for the people’s sin offering and brings its blood inside the veil, he must do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood: he is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. 16 He will purify the most holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites’ impurities and rebellious acts.(AK) He will do the same for the tent of meeting that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. 17 No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the most holy place until he leaves after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.(AL) 18 Then he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns on all sides of the altar. 19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse and set it apart(AM) from the Israelites’ impurities.(AN)
20 “When he has finished purifying the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live male goat. 21 Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess(AO) over it all the Israelites’ wrongdoings(AP) and rebellious acts—all their sins.(AQ) He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness(AR) by the man appointed for the task.[m] 22 The goat will carry on it all their wrongdoings into a desolate land,(AS) and he will release it there.
23 “Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments(AT) he wore when he entered the most holy place, and leave them there. 24 He will bathe his body with water in a holy place(AU) and put on his clothes.(AV) Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering; he will make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26 The man who released the goat for azazel[n] is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterward he may reenter the camp. 27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the most holy place to make atonement, must be brought outside the camp(AW) and their hide,(AX) flesh, and dung burned up.(AY) 28 The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
29 “This is to be a permanent statute(AZ) for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you are to practice self-denial[o](BA) and do no work,(BB) both the native and the foreigner(BC) who resides among you. 30 Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you,(BD) and you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It is a Sabbath(BE) of complete rest for you,(BF) and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute. 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained[p](BG) to serve as high priest(BH) in place of his father will make atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and purify the most holy place. He will purify the tent of meeting and the altar and will make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34 This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement for the Israelites once a year(BI) because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the Lord commanded Moses.
Forbidden Sacrifices
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters(BJ) an ox, sheep, or goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp, 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before His tabernacle—that person will be considered guilty.[q](BK) He has shed blood(BL) and must be cut off from his people.(BM) 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices(BN) they have been offering in the open country. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting and offer them as fellowship sacrifices(BO) to the Lord. 6 The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons(BP) that they have prostituted(BQ) themselves with. This will be a permanent statute(BR) for them throughout their generations.
8 “Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners(BS) who live among them who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.
Eating Blood and Carcasses Prohibited
10 “Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who live among them who eats any blood,(BT) I will turn[r] against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for[s] your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.(BU) 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites: None of you and no foreigner who lives among you may eat blood.
13 “Any Israelite or foreigner living among them, who hunts(BV) down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten must drain its blood(BW) and cover it with dirt. 14 Since the life of every creature is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any creature,(BX) because the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.
15 “Every person, whether the native or the foreigner,(BY) who eats an animal that died a natural death or was mauled by wild beasts(BZ) is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will bear his punishment.”
Prohibited Pagan Practices
18 Yahweh spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am Yahweh your God.(CA) 3 Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt,(CB) where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan,(CC) where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs.(CD) 4 You are to practice My ordinances(CE) and you are to keep My statutes(CF) by following them; I am Yahweh your God. 5 Keep My statutes and ordinances; a person will live(CG) if he does them.(CH) I am Yahweh.
6 “You are not to come near(CI) any close relative[t] for sexual intercourse;(CJ) I am Yahweh. 7 You are not to shame your father(CK) by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her. 8 You are not to have sex with your father’s wife;(CL) it will shame your father.(CM) 9 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s,(CN) whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her. 10 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because it will shame your family.[u] 11 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife’s daughter,[v] who is adopted by[w] your father; she is your sister. 12 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister;(CO) she is your father’s close relative. 13 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister,(CP) for she is your mother’s close relative. 14 You are not to shame your father’s brother by coming near his wife to have sexual intercourse; she is your aunt.(CQ) 15 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law.(CR) She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her. 16 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; it will shame your brother.(CS) 17 You are not to have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter.(CT) You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sex with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.(CU) 18 You are not to marry a woman as a rival to her sister and have sexual intercourse with her during her sister’s lifetime.(CV)
19 “You are not to come near(CW) a woman during her menstrual impurity to have sexual intercourse with her.(CX) 20 You are not to have sexual intercourse with[x] your neighbor’s wife, defiling yourself with her.(CY)
21 “You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech.(CZ) Do not profane the name(DA) of your God; I am Yahweh. 22 You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman;(DB) it is detestable.(DC) 23 You are not to have sexual intercourse with[y] any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it;(DD) it is a perversion.
24 “Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things. 25 The land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.(DE) 26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable things—not the native or the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For the men who were in the land prior to you have committed all these detestable things, and the land has become defiled. 28 If you defile the land, it will vomit(DF) you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 Any person who does any of these detestable practices must be cut off from his people. 30 You must keep My instruction to not do any of the detestable customs(DG) that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them; I am Yahweh your God.”
Laws of Holiness
19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holy(DH) because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.(DI)
3 “Each of you is to respect his mother and father.(DJ) You are to keep My Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your God. 4 Do not turn to idols(DK) or make cast images(DL) of gods for yourselves;(DM) I am Yahweh your God.
5 “When you offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 6 It is to be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned up.(DN) 7 If any is eaten on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.(DO) 8 Anyone who eats it will bear his punishment, for he has profaned what is holy to the Lord. That person must be cut off from his people.(DP)
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings(DQ) of your harvest. 10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor(DR) and the foreign resident;(DS) I am Yahweh your God.
11 “You must not steal.(DT) You must not act deceptively(DU) or lie(DV) to one another. 12 You must not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God;(DW) I am Yahweh.
13 “You must not oppress(DX) your neighbor or rob(DY) him. The wages due a hired hand(DZ) must not remain with you until morning. 14 You must not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(EA) but you are to fear your God;(EB) I am Yahweh.(EC)
15 “You must not act unjustly(ED) when deciding a case. Do not be partial(EE) to the poor or give preference to the rich;(EF) judge your neighbor fairly. 16 You must not go about spreading slander(EG) among your people; you must not jeopardize[z] your neighbor’s life; I am Yahweh.
17 “You must not harbor hatred against your brother.[aa](EH) Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.(EI) 18 Do not take revenge(EJ) or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself;(EK) I am Yahweh.
19 “You are to keep My statutes. You must not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.(EL)
20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed(EM) or given her freedom, there must be punishment.[ab] They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 However, he must bring a ram as his restitution offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(EN) 22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the restitution offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden.[ac] It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering(EO) to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will increase for you;(EP) I am Yahweh your God.
26 “You are not to eat anything with blood in it.[ad](EQ) You are not to practice divination(ER) or sorcery.(ES) 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.(ET) 28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead(EU) or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am Yahweh.
29 “Do not debase[ae](EV) your daughter by making her a prostitute,(EW) or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 30 You must keep My Sabbaths and revere My sanctuary;(EX) I am Yahweh.
31 “Do not turn to mediums[af](EY) or consult spiritists,[ag](EZ) or you will be defiled by them; I am Yahweh your God.
32 “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old.(FA) Fear your God; I am Yahweh.
33 “When a foreigner lives with you in your land, you must not oppress(FB) him. 34 You must regard the foreigner who lives with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself,(FC) for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt;(FD) I am Yahweh your God.
35 “You must not be unfair(FE) in measurements of length, weight, or volume. 36 You are to have honest balances,(FF) honest weights, an honest dry measure,[ah] and an honest liquid measure;[ai](FG) I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am Yahweh.”
Molech Worship and Spiritism
20 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech(FH) must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.(FI) 3 I will turn[aj] against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his offspring to Molech, defiling My sanctuary(FJ) and profaning My holy name.(FK) 4 But if the people of the country look the other way when that man[ak] gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will turn[al] against that man and his family, and cut off from their people both him and all who follow[am] him in prostituting(FL) themselves with Molech.
6 “Whoever turns to mediums[an](FM) or spiritists[ao] and prostitutes himself with them, I will turn[ap] against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am Yahweh your God. 8 Keep My statutes and do them; I am Yahweh who sets you apart.
Family and Sexual Offenses
9 “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death.(FN) He has cursed his father or mother; his blood is on his own hands.[aq]
10 If a man commits adultery(FO) with a married woman—if he commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 If a man sleeps with his father’s wife, he has shamed his father.(FP) Both of them must be put to death; their blood is on their own hands.[ar] 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law,(FQ) both of them must be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is on their own hands.[as] 13 If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman,(FR) they have both committed a detestable thing.(FS) They must be put to death; their blood is on their own hands.[at] 14 If a man marries a woman and her mother,(FT) it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned with fire,(FU) so that there will be no depravity among you. 15 If a man has sexual intercourse with[au] an animal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the animal. 16 If a woman comes near any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal.(FV) They must be put to death; their own blood is on them. 17 If a man marries his sister,(FW) whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and they have sexual relations,[av](FX) it is a disgrace.(FY) They must be cut off publicly from their people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister; he will bear his punishment. 18 If a man sleeps with a menstruating woman and has sexual intercourse with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood.(FZ) Both of them must be cut off from their people. 19 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister,(GA) for it is exposing one’s own blood relative; both people will bear their punishment. 20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has shamed his uncle;(GB) they will bear their guilt and die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity.(GC) He has shamed his brother;(GD) they will be childless.
Holiness in the Land
22 “You are to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out.(GE) 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them.(GF) 24 And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.(GG) I am Yahweh your God who set you apart from the peoples. 25 Therefore you must distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated(GH) by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.(GI) 26 You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine.(GJ)
27 A man or a woman who is[aw] a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their blood is on their own hands.”[ax]
The Holiness of the Priests
21 The Lord said to Moses: “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,(GK) 2 except for his immediate family: his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother. 3 He may make himself unclean for his young unmarried sister in his immediate family. 4 He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage[ay] and so defile himself.
5 “Priests may not make bald spots on their heads, shave the edge of their beards, or make gashes on their bodies.(GL) 6 They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God.(GM) For they present the fire offerings to Yahweh, the food of their God, and they must be holy. 7 They are not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution.[az](GN) They are not to marry one divorced(GO) by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, Yahweh who sets you apart, am holy. 9 If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity,[ba](GP) she defiles her father; she must be burned up.(GQ)
10 “The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained[bb] to wear the garments, must not dishevel his hair[bc] or tear his garments.(GR) 11 He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.(GS) 12 He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him;(GT) I am Yahweh.
13 “He is to marry a woman who is a virgin. 14 He is not to marry a widow,(GU) a divorced woman,(GV) or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he does not corrupt his bloodline[bd] among his people, for I am Yahweh who sets him apart.”
Physical Defects and Priests
16 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17 “Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect(GW) is to come near to present the food(GX) of his God. 18 No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; 19 no man who has a broken foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf,[be](GY) or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs,(GZ) or a crushed testicle.(HA) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to present the fire offerings to the Lord. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God. 22 He may eat the food of his God from what is especially holy as well as from what is holy. 23 But because he has a defect, he must not go near the curtain(HB) or approach the altar. He is not to desecrate My sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sets them apart.”(HC) 24 Moses said this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Priests and Their Food
22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to Me, so they do not profane My holy name;(HD) I am Yahweh. 3 Say to them: If any man from any of your descendants throughout your generations is in a state of uncleanness yet approaches the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person will be cut off from My presence; I am Yahweh. 4 No man of Aaron’s descendants who has a skin disease[bf] or a discharge is to eat from the holy offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a dead person or by a man who has an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches any swarming creature that makes him unclean or any person who makes him unclean—whatever his uncleanness— 6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening(HE) and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water. 7 When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the holy offerings, for that is his food.(HF) 8 He must not eat an animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts,[bg](HG) making himself unclean by it; I am Yahweh. 9 They must keep My instruction,(HH) or they will be guilty and die because they profane it; I am Yahweh who sets them apart.
10 “No one outside a priest’s family[bh](HI) is to eat the holy offering. A foreigner staying with a priest or a hired hand is not to eat the holy offering. 11 But if a priest purchases someone with his money, that person may eat it, and those born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter is married to a man outside a priest’s family,[bi] she is not to eat from the holy contributions.[bj] 13 But if the priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, has no children, and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may share her father’s food. But no outsider may share it. 14 If anyone eats a holy offering in error,(HJ) he must add a fifth to its value and give the holy offering to the priest.(HK) 15 The priests must not profane the holy offerings the Israelites give to the Lord 16 by letting the people eat their holy offerings and having them bear the penalty of restitution.(HL) For I am Yahweh who sets them apart.”
Acceptable Sacrifices
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: Any man of the house of Israel or of the foreign residents(HM) in Israel who presents his offering(HN)—whether they present freewill gifts or payment of vows to the Lord as burnt offerings— 19 must offer an unblemished male(HO) from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for you to be accepted. 20 You are not to present anything that has a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.
21 “When a man presents a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or flock, it has to be unblemished to be acceptable; there must be no defect in it. 22 You are not to present any animal to the Lord that is blind, injured, maimed, or has a running sore, festering rash,(HP) or scabs; you may not put any of them on the altar as a fire offering to the Lord.(HQ) 23 You may sacrifice as a freewill offering any animal from the herd or flock that has an elongated or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable as a vow offering. 24 You are not to present to the Lord anything that has bruised, crushed, torn, or severed testicles;(HR) you must not sacrifice them in your land. 25 Neither you nor[bk] a foreigner are to present food to your God from any of these animals. They will not be accepted for you because they are deformed and have a defect.”(HS)
26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 27 “When an ox, sheep, or goat is born, it must remain with[bl] its mother for seven days; from the eighth day(HT) on, it will be acceptable as a gift, a fire offering to the Lord. 28 But you are not to slaughter an animal from the herd or flock on the same day as its young.(HU) 29 When you sacrifice a thank offering(HV) to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It is to be eaten on the same day.(HW) Do not let any of it remain until morning; I am Yahweh.
31 “You are to keep My commands and do them; I am Yahweh. 32 You must not profane My holy name; I must be treated as holy(HX) among the Israelites. I am Yahweh who sets you apart, 33 the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am Yahweh.”
Holy Days
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times,(HY) the times of the Lord that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.(HZ)
3 “Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest,(IA) a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath(IB) to the Lord wherever you live.
4 “These are the Lord’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The Passover(IC) to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. 6 The Festival of Unleavened Bread(ID) to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. 8 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.”
9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest,[bm] you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; 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 year-old male lamb[bn] without blemish(IE) as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering is to be four quarts[bo] of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart[bp] of wine. 14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain[bq] until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.
15 “You are to count seven[br] complete weeks[bs](IF) starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering.(IG) 16 You are to count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain[bt] to the Lord. 17 Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts[bu] of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits(IH) to the Lord. 18 You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice. 20 The priest will wave the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before the Lord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident;(II) I am Yahweh your God.”
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and joyful shouting[bv](IJ)—a sacred assembly.(IK) 25 You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to the Lord.”
26 The Lord again spoke to Moses: 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.(IL) You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial;[bw](IM) you are to present a fire offering to the Lord. 28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. 29 If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. 31 You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”
33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths[bx](IN) to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. 36 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering;(IO) you are not to do any daily work.
37 “These are the Lord’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.
39 “You are to celebrate the Lord’s festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you are to take the product(IP) of majestic trees—palm fronds,(IQ) boughs of leafy trees,(IR) and willows of the brook(IS)—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You are to live in booths(IT) for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.” 44 So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.
Tabernacle Oil and Bread
24 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually.(IU) 3 Aaron is to tend it continually from evening until morning before the Lord outside the veil(IV) of the testimony(IW) in the tent of meeting. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations. 4 He must continually tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand in the Lord’s presence.(IX)
5 “Take fine flour and bake it into 12 loaves;(IY) each loaf is to be made with four quarts.[by] 6 Arrange them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table(IZ) before the Lord. 7 Place pure frankincense(JA) near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion(JB) for the bread and a fire offering(JC) to the Lord. 8 The bread is to be set out before the Lord every Sabbath day as a perpetual covenant(JD) obligation on the part of the Israelites. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, for it is the holiest portion for him from the fire offerings to the Lord; this is a permanent rule.”
A Case of Blasphemy
10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father was[bz] among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man. 11 Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name,(JE) and they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.(JF)) 12 They put him in custody(JG) until the Lord’s decision(JH) could be made clear to them.
13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 14 “Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him.(JI) 15 And tell the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will bear the consequences of his sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes the name of Yahweh is to be put to death;(JJ) the whole community must stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the foreign resident or the native.
17 “If a man kills anyone, he must be put to death.(JK) 18 Whoever kills an animal is to make restitution for it, life for life. 19 If any man inflicts a permanent injury on his neighbor, whatever he has done is to be done to him: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever injury he inflicted on the person, the same is to be inflicted on him.(JL) 21 Whoever kills an animal is to make restitution for it, but whoever kills a person is to be put to death.(JM) 22 You are to have the same law for the foreign resident and the native, because I am Yahweh your God.”
23 After Moses spoke to the Israelites, they brought the one who had cursed to the outside of the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Sabbath Years and Jubilee
25 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you, the land will observe a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce for six years. 4 But there will be a Sabbath of complete rest(JN) for the land in the seventh year, a Sabbath to the Lord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap what grows by itself from your crop, or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. It must be a year of complete rest for the land. 6 Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you. 7 All of its growth may serve as food for your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
8 “You are to count seven sabbatical years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven sabbatical years amounts to 49. 9 Then you are to sound a trumpet loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement.(JO) 10 You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee,(JP) when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan. 11 The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines. 12 It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may only eat its produce directly from the field.
13 “In this Year of Jubilee, each of you will return to his property. 14 If you make a sale to your neighbor or a purchase from him, do not cheat(JQ) one another. 15 You are to make the purchase from your neighbor based on the number of years since the last Jubilee. He is to sell to you based on the number of remaining harvest years. 16 You are to increase its price in proportion to a greater amount of years, and decrease its price in proportion to a lesser amount of years, because what he is selling to you is a number of harvests. 17 You are not to cheat one another, but fear your God, for I am Yahweh your God.
18 “You are to keep My statutes and ordinances and carefully observe them, so that you may live securely in the land.(JR) 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, so that you can eat, be satisfied, and live securely in the land. 20 If you wonder: ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we don’t sow or gather our produce?’ 21 I will appoint My blessing for you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating from the previous harvest. You will be eating this until the ninth year when its harvest comes in.
23 “The land is not to be permanently sold because it is Mine, and you are only foreigners and temporary residents on My land.[ca](JS) 24 You are to allow the redemption of any land you occupy. 25 If your brother becomes destitute and sells part of his property, his nearest relative may come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no family redeemer, but he prospers[cb] and obtains enough to redeem his land, 27 he may calculate the years since its sale, repay the balance to the man he sold it to, and return to his property. 28 But if he cannot obtain enough to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of its purchaser until the Year of Jubilee. It is to be released at the Jubilee, so that he may return to his property.
29 “If a man sells a residence in a walled city, his right of redemption will last until a year has passed after its sale; his right of redemption will last a year. 30 If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently transferred to its purchaser throughout his generations. It is not to be released on the Jubilee. 31 But houses in villages that have no walls around them are to be classified as open fields. The right to redeem such houses stays in effect, and they are to be released at the Jubilee.
32 “Concerning the Levitical cities,(JT) the Levites always have the right to redeem houses in the cities they possess. 33 Whatever property one of the Levites can redeem[cc]—a house sold in a city they possess—must be released at the Jubilee, because the houses in the Levitical cities are their possession among the Israelites. 34 The open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for it is their permanent possession.
35 “If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among[cd] you, you are to support him as a foreigner or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you. 36 Do not profit or take interest from him,(JU) but fear your God and let your brother live among you. 37 You are not to lend him your silver with interest or sell him your food for profit. 38 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
39 “If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you,(JV) you must not force him to do slave labor. 40 Let him stay with you as a hired hand or temporary resident; he may work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 Then he and his children are to be released from you, and he may return to his clan and his ancestral property.(JW) 42 They are not to be sold as slaves,[ce] because they are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt. 43 You are not to rule over them harshly(JX) but fear your God. 44 Your male and female slaves are to be from the nations around you; you may purchase male and female slaves. 45 You may also purchase them from the foreigners staying with you, or from their families living among you—those born in your land. These may become your property. 46 You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But concerning your brothers, the Israelites, you must not rule over one another harshly.
47 “If a foreigner or temporary resident living among you prospers, but your brother living near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner living among you, or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, 48 he has the right of redemption after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him. 49 His uncle or cousin may redeem him, or any of his close relatives from his clan may redeem him. If he prospers, he may redeem himself. 50 The one who purchased him is to calculate the time from the year he sold himself to him until the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years. It will be set for him like the daily wages of a hired hand. 51 If many years are still left, he must pay his redemption price in proportion to them based on his purchase price. 52 If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he will calculate and pay the price of his redemption in proportion to his remaining years. 53 He will stay with him like a man hired year by year. A foreign owner is not to rule over him harshly in your sight. 54 If he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released at the Year of Jubilee. 55 For the Israelites are My slaves.(JY) They are My slaves that I brought out of the land of Egypt; I am Yahweh your God.
Covenant Blessings and Discipline
26 “Do not make idols for yourselves,(JZ) set up a carved image or sacred pillar for yourselves, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am Yahweh your God. 2 You must keep My Sabbaths and revere My sanctuary;(KA) I am Yahweh.
3 “If you follow My statutes and faithfully observe My commands, 4 I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land.(KB) 6 I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land.(KC) 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you will pursue 100, and 100 of you will pursue 10,000; your enemies will fall before you by the sword.(KD)
9 “I will turn to you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and confirm My covenant with you. 10 You will eat the old grain of the previous year and will clear out the old to make room for the new. 11 I will place My residence[cf] among you, and I will not reject you.(KE) 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.(KF) 13 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke(KG) and enabled you to live in freedom.[cg]
14 “But if you do not obey Me and observe all these commands— 15 if you reject My statutes and despise My ordinances, and do not observe all My commands—and break My covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring terror(KH) on you—wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will turn[ch] against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you.(KI)
18 “But if after these things you will not obey Me, I will proceed to discipline you seven times for your sins.(KJ) 19 I will break down your strong pride. I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze, 20 and your strength will be used up for nothing.(KK) Your land will not yield its produce, and the trees of the land will not bear their fruit.
21 “If you act with hostility toward Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times for your sins.(KL) 22 I will send wild animals against you that will deprive you of your children, ravage your livestock, and reduce your numbers until your roads are deserted.(KM)
23 “If in spite of these things you do not accept My discipline, but act with hostility toward Me, 24 then I will act with hostility toward you; I also will strike you seven times for your sins. 25 I will bring a sword against you(KN) to execute the vengeance of the covenant. Though you withdraw into your cities, I will send a pestilence among you, and you will be delivered into enemy hands. 26 When I cut off your supply of bread, 10 women will bake your bread in a single oven and ration out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.(KO)
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