Bible in 90 Days

Rules for a house that has a disease called mildew

³³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ ‘Canaan is my gift to you, to belong to you for ever. When you go into that land, I may put a disease called mildew^[a] in a house there. ³⁵ If a person finds mildew in his house, he must tell the priest. He must say, “I have found something like mildew in my house.” ³⁶ The priest will tell the person what he should do. The person must take everything out of the house. If he does, those things will still be clean. Then the priest will go into the house. ³⁷ He will look at the walls of the house. He will look for a green or red mark. If the mark goes into the wall, ³⁸ the priest will leave the house. He will shut it up for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day, the priest will return to the house. The mildew may be bigger. ⁴⁰ The priest must say, “You must remove the stones that have mildew.” The person must put the stones outside the town. He must put them in a special place. ⁴¹ The person must cut the clay from inside the walls of the house. The person must put the clay from the walls outside the town. The person must put it in a place for things that are not clean. ⁴² The person who lives in the house must get some more stones. He must get some more clay. Then he can mend the wall.

⁴³ A person might find mildew on the wall that he has mended. He must tell the priest. ⁴⁴ The priest will look at the house. If the mildew is on more of the mended wall, the house is not clean. ⁴⁵ The person must break the house into pieces. The person who lives in the house must put the stones outside the town. He must put the wood and the clay outside the town. He must put them in the place for things that are not clean.

⁴⁶ A person may go into the house while it is shut up. If he does, he will not become clean until evening. ⁴⁷ Any person who sleeps in a house with mildew must wash his clothes. And any person who eats in a house with mildew must wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ If a person mends his house, the priest must look at it. There may not be any mildew. The priest will then say that it is clean. ⁴⁹ The person must take two birds and some wood from the cedar tree. He must take red wool and hyssop. ⁵⁰ The priest will bring a pot with water in it. He will hold one of the birds over the pot and he will kill it. ⁵¹ The priest will take the other bird and the wood from the cedar tree. He will take the red wool and the hyssop. He will put all of them into the blood of the dead bird. He will shake the blood and water over the house seven times. This will make the house clean. ⁵² The priest will use the birds and the wood from the cedar tree. And he will use the wool and the hyssop to make the house clean. ⁵³ Then the priest will take the living bird outside the town. He will let the bird fly away. That will make atonement for the house. The person may then live in the house again.’

Moses tells the people what these rules are for

⁵⁴ These are the rules for a disease in a person's skin. ⁵⁵ These are the rules for mildew in clothes or in a house. ⁵⁶ These are the rules for a mark on or under the skin. ⁵⁷ These rules decide when a person has a disease. And they decide when he is clean. They show when a house has a disease. They are the rules for diseases in the skin and for mildew.

What people should do when pus, blood or semen comes out of them

15 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² ‘Say to Israel's people, “If pus is coming out of a man's body, he is unclean.” ³ The man is unclean if the pus pours. And he is unclean even if it stops pouring.

⁴ If the man sits on a bed, it becomes unclean. If the man sits on anything, it becomes unclean. ⁵ A person who touches the bed must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ⁶ If anyone sits on anything that he has sat on, they will also become unclean. So they must wash their clothes and their body. They will also be unclean until evening.

⁷ A person who touches the unclean man must wash his clothes. He must also wash his body. He will be unclean until evening.

⁸ A man who is unclean might spit on another person. Then the other person must wash his clothes. He must also wash his body. He will be unclean until evening.

⁹ An unclean man might ride on an animal. The cloth on the back of the animal will become unclean. ¹⁰ A person who touches that cloth will be unclean until evening. If a person picks up that cloth, he must wash his clothes. He must also wash his body. He will be unclean until evening.

¹¹ The unclean man might not wash his hands but then he touches another person. The person that he touched becomes unclean. That person must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening.

¹² If the unclean man touches a clay pot, you must break it. Or he may touch a thing that someone has made from wood. If he touches it, you must wash that thing.

¹³ The pus may stop coming out of a person. When it does, he must count seven days. He must wash his clothes and his body with fresh water. Then the man will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day, he must come in front of the Lord. He must take two birds to the door of the Tent of Meeting. They must be doves or pigeons. He must give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest will sacrifice them. One bird is for a sin offering and the other is for a burnt offering. They are an atonement to the Lord. Then the man will be clean.

¹⁶ When semen comes out of a man, he must wash his body. He will be unclean until evening. ¹⁷ You must wash any clothes that semen touches. They are unclean until evening. ¹⁸ A man might lie with a woman. If semen comes out of him, they are both unclean. They must wash their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

¹⁹ A woman will bleed every month. She is unclean for seven days. A person might touch the woman when she is bleeding. That person will remain unclean until evening.

²⁰ The woman who is bleeding might lie on a bed. The bed will become unclean. If the woman sits on something, it becomes unclean. ²¹ If another person touches the bed, he must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ²² Another person might sit on the thing that she sat on. That person must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ²³ A person might touch anything that the woman sat on. If he does, he is unclean until evening.

²⁴ A man might lie down with a woman. If her blood touches him, he is unclean for seven days. Any bed that the man lies on becomes unclean.

²⁵ If a woman is bleeding for more than seven days, she is unclean. She is unclean all the time that she is bleeding. ²⁶ The bed that the woman lies on becomes unclean. Anything that the woman sits on is unclean. ²⁷ If another person touches the chair, he becomes unclean. He must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. If another person touches the bed, he will also become unclean. He must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening.

²⁸ When the woman stops bleeding, she must count seven days. Then she will be clean. ²⁹ On the eighth day, she must take two birds to the door of the Tent of Meeting. They must be doves or pigeons. She must give them to the priest. He will sacrifice one bird for her sin and he will burn the other. ³⁰ He will kill them as an atonement to the Lord. Then the woman will be clean.

³¹ The tabernacle is God's house. It is among Israel's people. The priests must keep the people away from anything that makes them unclean. If they are not clean, they will make the Tent of Meeting unclean. So they will die.’

³² These are the rules when pus or semen come from a man's body. ³³ These are the rules for a woman when she bleeds each month. These are the rules for a man who has sex with an unclean woman.

Rules about the Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the two sons of Aaron died. The gift that they gave to the Lord was not holy. So they died. ² The Most Holy Place in the Tent of Meeting is behind the curtain. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Your brother Aaron cannot go behind the curtain at any time that he wants to. Tell him that. The Lord appears in a cloud over the lid of the Covenant Box. So Aaron will die if he does not obey the Lord.

³ This is how Aaron must go into the Most Holy Place. He must bring a young bull for a sin offering. He must also bring a male sheep for a burnt offering. ⁴ He must wash his body before he puts on his special clothes. He must wear his linen robe and linen clothes next to his body. They are holy. He must tie a linen belt round his body. He must put the linen hat on his head. These clothes are holy. ⁵ He must take two male goats for a sin offering. And he must take a male sheep for a burnt offering. They are a gift from Israel's people.

⁶ Aaron must offer the bull as an atonement to the Lord for himself, his family and his servants. ⁷ He must take the two goats to the door of the Tent of Meeting. They are a gift to the Lord. ⁸ He must use the special stones.^[b] They will help him to decide what he should do. He must decide which goat is for the Lord. And he must decide which goat he must send away. ⁹ Aaron must take the goat that is for the Lord. And he must kill it. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰ He must not kill the other goat. It is an atonement to the Lord. It will pay for the bad things that the people have done. It is to take away the people's punishment. He must send it away into the desert.’

¹¹ ‘Aaron must bring the bull and he must kill it. It is his atonement for his family's sins. ¹² He must take a pot of the hot material. It is burning on the altar in front of the Lord. He must fill his two hands with incense. He must take the hot material and the incense behind the curtain. ¹³ He must put the incense on the burning material. It is in front of the Lord. The smoke will cover the lid of the Covenant Box. So he will not die. ¹⁴ He must take with him blood from the bull. He must use his finger to shake the blood. He must shake it onto the lid of the Covenant Box. He must shake the blood in front of the lid of the Covenant Box. He must shake it seven times with his finger.

¹⁵ Aaron must kill the goat for the sin offering. It is a gift from the people. He must take the blood behind the curtain. He must shake the blood on the lid of the Covenant Box as he did with the bull's blood. And he must shake the blood in front of the lid of the Covenant Box. ¹⁶ This will make atonement for all the sins of Israel's people. This will make the Holy Place clean. Aaron must do the same for the Tent of Meeting. That is because the people have done bad things in the camp. The Tent of meeting is in the middle of the camp. ¹⁷ Aaron must give the offerings to God. He must give them for his family and he must give them for his servants. He must give them for all the people. Nobody can go into the Tent of Meeting while Aaron is in the Most Holy Place. He must be alone when he goes in. And he must be alone until he comes out. He must be alone when he gives the offerings to God. Those offerings make atonement for himself, for his family and for all Israel's people.

¹⁸ He must go to the altar that is in front of the Lord. He must make atonement for it. He must take blood from the bull and blood from the goat. He must put the blood on the horns of the altar. ¹⁹ He must shake blood on the altar seven times to make it clean.

A goat will carry away all the bad things that the people have done

²⁰ Aaron must first atone for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of meeting and the altar. Then he must bring the goat that is alive. ²¹ He must put his hands on the goat's head. He must speak aloud all the bad things that Israel's people have done. Then all the bad things will be on the goat's head. Aaron must tell a man that he must send the goat away into the desert. ²² The goat will carry all the sins of the people into the desert. The man must send it away into the desert.

²³ Aaron must go into the Tent of Meeting. He must take off his special linen clothes. The holy clothes must stay in the Tent of Meeting. ²⁴ He must wash his body in a holy place. He must put on his own clothes. He must leave the holy place. Then he must sacrifice the burnt offerings. They will make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ And he must also burn the fat from the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ The person who sent the goat away must wash his clothes and his body. He can return to the camp. ²⁷ Aaron had killed a bull and a goat. He took their blood into the Most Holy Place to make atonement. Someone must carry their dead bodies outside the camp. He must burn them. That man must burn the skin, the meat and the inside parts. ²⁸ The man who burnt the animals must wash his clothes and his body. Then he can return to the camp.

²⁹ On the tenth day of the seventh month, Israel's people must not eat any food. This is a rule that you must obey for all time. The people who are travelling with them must not eat any food. None of them must do any work. ³⁰ This day will make them clean from all their sins. The Lord will see them as clean people. This will be the Day of Atonement. ³¹ It is a day when you do not eat any food. It is a day of rest. This is a rule from God and you must do this every year. ³² The leader of the priests is a chosen son of Aaron. And he must make atonement. He will put on the special linen clothes that are holy. He will bring the people's offerings. ³³ He will make atonement for the Most Holy Place. He will make atonement for the Tent of Meeting. He will make atonement for the altar. He will make atonement for the priests and for all the people.

³⁴ He will make atonement for all the Israelites' sins once every year. This rule is for now and for all time.’

The people did everything in the way that the Lord had commanded Moses.

The people must not eat blood

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Tell this to Aaron and his sons and all the people. The Lord has given all these rules. ³ If a person sacrifices a bull, a sheep or a goat in the fields, that is a sin. Or if a person sacrifices it in the camp, that is a sin. ⁴ The animal is an offering to the Lord. The person should bring it to the door of the tabernacle. He should offer it to the Lord there. The person who offers a sacrifice anywhere else has sinned. He has sacrificed an animal in the wrong way. He must leave the camp. ⁵ This rule will stop the people giving sacrifices to the Lord in the fields. They must bring their gifts to the priest. They will be friendship offerings to the Lord. The priest will be at the door of the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ He must shake the blood of the animal on the Lord's altar. That altar is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. The priest must burn the fat. The smell of it while it is burning will give the Lord pleasure. ⁷ The people give sacrifices in the fields to worship idols that seem like goats. They must never do this again. This rule is for now and for all time.

⁸ If an Israelite gives a sacrifice or a burnt offering he must offer it at the Tent of Meeting's door. A foreigner may live among you. If he gives a sacrifice he must offer it at the Tent of Meeting's door. ⁹ If they did not offer it to the Lord at the Tent of Meeting's door, they are sinning. You must send them away from the camp.

¹⁰ An Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you must not eat blood. And they must not drink it. If somebody does, God will turn away from him. He will take that person away from his people. ¹¹ The blood of an animal gives it life. You must put the blood on the altar. God has given the blood to you to atone for your sins. It makes your life right again, because of the blood. ¹² For this reason, Israel's people must not eat blood. And the people who are travelling with them must not eat blood.^[c]

¹³ A person may catch an animal or a bird that is clean to eat. If he does, he must pour its blood on the ground. He must cover the blood with some earth. ¹⁴ The animal's life is in its blood. That is why no Israelite should eat any animal's blood. You must send any person that eats blood away from your people.

¹⁵ An Israelite or a foreign person may find a dead animal. If he eats it, he must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. Then he will become clean. A person might find an animal or a bird that a wild animal has killed. He must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ¹⁶ If that person does not wash his clothes and his body, it is his own mistake.’^[d]

Rules about sex

18 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Tell Israel's people that I am the Lord their God. ³ They were living in Egypt, but they must not do as the people in Egypt do. Now I am bringing them to live in Canaan. They must not live in the way that the people in Canaan live. They must not do the things that those people do. ⁴ They must obey my rules. I am the Lord their God. ⁵ If they obey my rules and my laws, they will continue to live safely. I am the Lord.

⁶ Tell them this:

²⁴ Do not do any of these things. They would make you unclean. The people who live in Canaan do these things. It made them unclean. God will send those people out of their country. ²⁵ Canaan is unclean because the people did these things. This is why God pushed the people out of that land. ²⁶ But you and the foreigners with you must not do these wrong things. ²⁷ The people in Canaan did these bad things and the land became unclean. ²⁸ If you do these bad things, I will push you out of Canaan's land. I will send you away, like the people before you.

²⁹ You must send away any person who does any of these bad things. ³⁰ All the people must obey my rules. They must not do the bad things that the people in Canaan did. If they did them, my people would become unclean. I am the Lord your God.’

Other rules

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Speak to Israel's people. They must be holy because I am holy. You must tell them that.

³ Each person must respect his mother and his father. All the people must keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ You must not worship idols. You must not use metal to make gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ When a person sacrifices a friendship offering to the Lord, he must obey the rules. If he does, the Lord will accept the gift. ⁶ The people must eat the meat on the day that the person offers it. Or they must eat it on the next day. The person must burn any meat that he has not eaten after the second day. ⁷ On the third day, the meat is not clean. ⁸ If he eats the meat on the third day he makes unclean a gift that is holy to the Lord. You must send him away from the camp.

⁹ When a person cuts the plants in his field, he must not cut to the edge of the field. He must not pick up what he drops. ¹⁰ If a person grows fruit to make wine, he must not pick all the fruit. He must not pick up the fruit that drops. The fruit that drops is for the poor people. And it is for those who are foreign. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ You must not take something that belongs to another person. You must not say something that is not true. You must obey my rules.

¹² You must not use the name of your God to say a promise. This will make my name unclean. I am the Lord.

¹³ You must not rob another person. You must not keep a slave's money until the morning.

¹⁴ You must not speak bad words against a person who is deaf. You must not put something in front of a blind person, to make them fall down. I am the Lord. Obey me.

¹⁵ You must be fair to other people when you judge them. You must not be more kind to a rich person than to a poor person. You must be fair to everyone.

¹⁶ You must not speak bad words about other people. If somebody is in danger of death, do not keep quiet if you know the truth. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ You must not think bad thoughts about another person. A person may do something that is wrong. You must tell him that he is doing a wrong thing. If you do, you will not be a part of the wrong thing.

¹⁸ You must not try to punish a person who has done something wrong against you. You must not continue to hate a person like that. Instead, you must love other people as much you love yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ The people must obey God's rules. They must not let two different kinds of animals have sex together. They must not put two different kinds of seeds in one field. They must not make clothes from two different materials.

²⁰ A slave girl belongs to a man. Another man must not have sex with her. If he does, he is doing a wrong thing. But the girl is not free. He has not bought her. You must punish them. But you must not kill them because the girl was not free. ²¹ The man must bring a male sheep to the door of the Tent of Meeting. It is an offering to the Lord. ²² The priest will sacrifice the gift to the Lord. The sacrifice will atone for the man's sin. Then the Lord will forgive the man.

²³ When you go into Canaan, a person may plant a fruit tree there. But he must not eat the fruit for three years. ²⁴ In the fourth year, the fruit is holy. It is an offering to praise the Lord. ²⁵ In the fifth year, the people can eat the fruit. If they do this, the trees will give much fruit to the people. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ You must not eat any meat that has the blood in it. You must not do magic. You must not use magic to learn about future times.

²⁷ A man must not cut the hair on the sides of his head. He must not cut the edges of his beard.

²⁸ He must not cut his body to remember the dead people. He must not paint his body. I am the Lord your God.

²⁹ He must not sell his daughter for sex. You would make her ashamed. If he does this, all the people might do the same. The whole land would become full of sin.

³⁰ God has said what the people can do on the Sabbath day of rest. On the day of rest, the people must do only those things. They must respect the Lord's house. I am the Lord.

³¹ They must not ask people who do magic to help them. That would make Israel's people unclean. I am the Lord your God.

³² The people must stand up when they are with old people. They must respect the old people. They must give honour to their God. I am the Lord your God.

³³ A foreign person may live in your land. You must be kind to him or to her. ³⁴ People must love the person from a different country as they love themselves. They must remember the time when they lived in Egypt. Egypt was not their country. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ They must be fair when they measure length or weight or size. ³⁶ They must use correct weights and measures. I am the Lord your God. I led you out of Egypt.

³⁷ They must obey all my rules. I am the Lord.’

What would happen if the people did not obey the rules

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Talk to Israel's people. Say, “If any Israelite or foreign person gives his children to the god called Molech, he must die.” The people must throw stones at him to kill him. ³ I, the Lord, will turn away from that person. I will make him separate from his people. That person did not respect the Lord. He did not respect the Lord's holy name. ⁴ Israel's people may not think that his sin was important. So they might not kill him. ⁵ But the Lord himself will become an enemy of the man and of his family. The Lord will send him away with all the people who worship the god called Molech.

⁶ A person must not ask someone who does magic for help. They are turning away from the Lord. He will send them away from his people.

⁷ The people must be holy. I am the Lord your God. ⁸ They must always obey all my rules. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

⁹ If a person says bad things about his mother or his father, you must kill him. He has destroyed their honour. His sin will cause his death.

¹⁰ If a man has sex with another man's wife you must kill him and the woman.

¹¹ A man is sinning if he has sex with his father's wife. You must kill the man and the woman. They have destroyed the father's honour. Their sin causes their death.

¹² A man is sinning if he has sex with his son's wife. You must kill them both. They have done a strange thing. Their own sin causes their death.

¹³ A man is sinning if he has sex with another man. You must kill both of the men. They should be ashamed. Their sin causes their death.

¹⁴ A man is sinning if he marries a woman and her mother. You must burn the man and both the women in the fire. Then their sin will not make my people unclean.

¹⁵ A man is sinning if he has sex with an animal. You must kill the man and the animal.

¹⁶ A woman is sinning if she has sex with an animal. You must kill the woman and the animal. Their sin causes their death.

¹⁷ It is a sin if a man marries his sister. She may be the daughter of his father or of his mother. It is a sin if he has sex with her. The people must send them away. He has taken away his sister's honour. He must carry the punishment for his sin.

¹⁸ A man must not have sex with a woman when she is bleeding. If he does, it is a sin. They have not obeyed the rules of the Lord. The people must send them away.

¹⁹ A man must not have sex with his mother's sister or with his father's sister. They are both doing a wrong thing. They are taking away the family's honour. Their sin causes their punishment.

²⁰ A man is sinning if he has sex with his aunt. He is taking away his father's brother's honour. They will have no children.

²¹ It makes the people unclean if a man marries his brother's wife. He has taken away his brother's honour. They will not have any children.

²² If the people want to remain in the land that I am giving to them, they must obey my laws and my rules. ²³ The people who are living in Canaan now are doing bad things. I, the Lord, hate them because they do these things. I will send them out of Canaan. ²⁴ I, the Lord, will give their land to Israel's people. I will give it to you and to your children to keep for all time. In that land, there is plenty of food and drink, enough for everyone. I am the Lord your God. I want you to be separate from other people.

²⁵ The people must know which animals are clean. And they must know which animals are unclean. They must know which birds are clean. And they must know which birds are unclean. They must not eat any animal or bird that is unclean. ²⁶ I am the Lord and I am holy. So my people must be holy for me. I have made them separate from other people. They belong to me.

²⁷ A man or a woman who uses magic is doing a wrong thing. People must throw stones at that person until they die. Their sin will cause their death.’

Rules for the priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say this to the priests. They must not touch a dead body. That would make them unclean. ² It may be the body of a person from their own family. The priest can touch the dead person if it is his mother or father. He can touch the dead person if it is his son or his daughter or his brother. ³ He can touch the dead person if it is his sister. But he must not touch her if she has a husband. ⁴ The priest must not touch a dead person who is married to a person of his family. That would make him unclean.

⁵ A priest must not cut all the hair from his head. He must not cut the sides of his beard. He must not cut his body. ⁶ A priest must be holy. He must not speak bad words about the Lord. He is the person who sacrifices the people's burnt offerings.

⁷ A priest must not marry a woman who has left her husband. He must not marry a woman if men have paid her to have sex with her. He must not marry a woman whose husband has sent her away. A priest must be holy. ⁸ A priest is holy because he sacrifices the people's offerings to God. A priest is holy because I, the Lord, am holy.

⁹ A priest's daughter must not have sex with men who pay her. That would make her unclean. She would take away her father's honour. If she does not obey, you must burn her in a fire.

¹⁰ They have poured special oil on the leader of the priests' head to show that he is greater than his brothers. He must wear special clothes. He must comb his hair. He must not tear his clothes. ¹¹ He must not go into a room where there is a dead body. Even if it is the body of his parent, he must not go in. It will make him unclean. ¹² He must not leave the house of God. He has the holy oil on his head. He must be separate. I am the Lord.

¹³ The leader of the priests must marry a woman who has not had sex before. ¹⁴ The woman must not have had a husband who died. She must not have a husband that she has left. Men must not have paid to have sex with her. She must be a woman from Israel's people, ¹⁵ so that their children will be holy. I am the Lord. I make priests holy.’

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ ‘Talk to Aaron. Say, “A priest who does not have a perfect body must not sacrifice the burnt offerings to God.” This rule is for now and for all time. ¹⁸ A priest who cannot see must not sacrifice the food to God. A priest who cannot walk must not sacrifice food to God. A priest with a body that is the wrong shape must not offer food to God. ¹⁹ A priest with a hand that is the wrong shape must not offer food to God. A priest with a foot that is the wrong shape must not offer food to God. ²⁰ A priest with a back that is not straight must not offer food to God. Neither must a priest who is very small offer a food gift. A priest who has an eye disease or a skin disease must not offer food to God. Neither must a priest offer food if his testicles are spoiled. ²¹ If a priest's son has something wrong with his body, he must not come near to the altar. He must not give the food offering to the Lord. ²² He can eat God's holy food and God's most holy food. ²³ But none of Aaron's family who is not perfect can go near the holy curtain or the altar. He would make the holy places unclean. I am the Lord. I make them holy.’

²⁴ Moses told all these rules to Aaron, to his sons and to all Israel's people.

22 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Israel's people give gifts to God. Those gifts are holy. Tell Aaron and his sons that those things are holy. Tell them that they must remember that. They must give honour to my name. I am the Lord.

³ One of your sons may not be clean. That son must not come near the Lord's holy offerings. But perhaps he may not obey my rule. He might go near to the holy gifts. The priests who are clean must punish him. They must send him away. He must go from God's house. I am the Lord. This rule is for now and for all time. ⁴ If a son of Aaron has a skin disease, he must not eat the holy gifts. If pus is coming from his body, he is not clean. He must not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. He might touch something that has touched a dead body. Or if he touches an unclean man, he will become unclean. The man may be unclean because semen is coming from his body. ⁵ Aaron's son might touch an animal that moves on its stomach. Or he might touch a person who is not clean. If he does, Aaron's son will be unclean. ⁶ The son of Aaron who touches any of these things will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy gifts until he washes his body. ⁷ When the sun goes down, he will be clean. He can eat the holy gifts. They are his food. ⁸ He might find something that is dead. He must not eat it. He must not eat anything that an animal has torn. It will make him unclean. I am the Lord.

⁹ Aaron's sons must obey God's rules. If they do not obey them, it is a sin. They will die. I am the Lord who makes people holy. ¹⁰ Only a person who is from the priest's family can eat the holy gifts. Another person who is living in the priest's house must not eat the holy gifts. If a person is being paid to work for the priest, he must not eat the holy gifts. ¹¹ A slave can eat the holy gifts if he was born in the priest's house. Or he can eat the holy gifts if the priest bought him. ¹² A priest's daughter might marry a man who is not a priest. If she has done that, she must not eat the holy food. ¹³ A priest's daughter's husband might send her away. Or her husband might die. She might not have any children. She may go back to live in her father's house. Then she can eat her father's food.

¹⁴ A person might make a mistake and eat a holy gift. He must give back to the priest the same food. He must also give one fifth more. ¹⁵ The priest must not give the Lord's holy gifts to people who are not from Aaron's family. The gifts would become unclean. ¹⁶ If the people eat them they are sinning. They will have to pay for their sin. I am the Lord and I make them holy.’

Offerings that the Lord will not accept

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ ‘Say this to Aaron, to his sons and to all the people. If any person gives a gift to the Lord, ¹⁹ he must give a bull, a sheep or a goat. The gift may be for a promise, or to thank God for something or for a friendship offering. The animal must be perfect. ²⁰ They must not give any animal that is not perfect. The Lord will not accept that animal. ²¹ When a person brings an animal to the Lord as a special gift, it must be perfect. If it is, God will accept it. ²² A person must not give to the Lord an animal that cannot see. The animal must not have a skin disease. And pus must not be coming from its body. The person must not burn an animal to the Lord on the altar that is not perfect. ²³ A person may give a bull or a sheep with a body that is the wrong shape. He can use it as an offering to eat with his friends (friendship offering). But God will not take this animal as a gift for a promise. That gift must be perfect. You must not put on the altar an animal that is not perfect. ²⁴ A person must not give a gift to the Lord of an animal that has something wrong with its testicles. ²⁵ This rule is for Israel's people. You must not take animals from foreigners and then offer them to God as sacrifices. God will not accept them on your behalf, because animals like that are not perfect.’

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ ‘When a cow or a sheep or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day the people can give it as a burnt offering to the Lord. ²⁸ They must not kill a cow or a sheep and its baby on the same day.

²⁹ When they sacrifice an animal to thank the Lord, they must sacrifice it in the proper way. This will give the Lord pleasure. ³⁰ They must eat it on the day that they kill it. They must not keep any of it until the next day. I am the Lord.

³¹ The people must obey my rules. I am the Lord. ³² They must give honour to my holy name. My people must believe that I am holy. I am the Lord. I make people holy. ³³ I brought you out of Egypt and I became your God. I am the Lord.’

Rules for the Seasons and for the special days

23 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Tell Israel's people about the special days when they must worship the Lord. They are holy days. The Israelites must come together and have a feast on these days.

³ There are six days when a person can work. The seventh day is the Sabbath day. A person must not do any work on that day. It is a day when people meet together for worship. You must not work in any place where you live. It is the Sabbath to the Lord, a day of rest.

Passover and bread without yeast

⁴ There are other special days. They are holy feasts. On these days you must tell the people how to obey the Lord's rules. ⁵ One special day is the 14th day of the first month. When the sun goes down, the Passover to the Lord begins. ⁶ The 15th day of the first month, the Feast of Flat Bread begins. It is a feast to the Lord. For seven days the people must eat bread that has no yeast in it. ⁷ On the first day the people must meet together and they must not work. ⁸ For seven days the people must give burnt offerings to the Lord. On the seventh day they must stop work and they must worship the Lord.’^[e]

Gifts of new grain

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ ‘Tell Israel's people this. They will go into the land that I will give to them. And then they will harvest the grain. They must take the first part of the harvest in their arms. They must give this to the priest. ¹¹ The priest will lift it to the Lord. Then the Lord will accept their gift. The priest will do this on the day after the Sabbath day. ¹² On the same day the priest will bring a young sheep that is perfect to the Lord. It must be one year old. It is a gift from the people. ¹³ He will also bring two tenths (2/10) of an ephah (about 4 litres) of the best flour mixed with oil. He will burn the gift as a sacrifice. The smell of it while it is burning will give the Lord pleasure. The people must also give a ¼ hin (about 1 litre) of wine as a gift to God. ¹⁴ The people must not eat any of the new grain until they have given their gift to God. They and their children must do this now and always. They must do it in any place that they live.

¹⁵ On the day after the Sabbath day the people will sacrifice their gifts to God. After this, they must count seven weeks. ¹⁶ They must count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then they must give another gift of new grain to the Lord. ¹⁷ Each family must bring two loaves of bread as a special gift to the Lord. They must make the bread with two tenths (2/10) of an ephah (about 4 litres) of good flour and yeast. This gift is from the first of their harvest fruits. ¹⁸ With the bread, all the people must bring seven perfect sheep. They must be males, each one year old. They must bring a bull. They must also bring two older male sheep. The priest will burn the grain and the animals as a gift to the Lord. The smell of them while they are burning will give the Lord pleasure. ¹⁹ The priest must sacrifice one male goat as a sin offering. The people must give two young sheep. They must be one year old. They are a gift to God. ²⁰ The priest will lift the animals and the bread to the Lord. They are a holy offering to the Lord. They are for the priest. ²¹ On this day, the people must not do any work. They must not work anywhere that they live. It is a special day to God now and for all time to come.^[f]

²² When the people harvest the grain, they must not cut it to the edge of the field. They must not pick up any grain that falls. Some grain must remain in the field. It is for the poor people and for foreign people. I am the Lord your God.’

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ ‘Tell Israel's people this. On the first day of the seventh month, they must rest. It is a special day. They must worship together with the sound of trumpets. ²⁵ They must not work. They must burn an offering to the Lord.’

The Day of Atonement

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ ‘The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. On that day, the people must come together. They must not eat any food. They must make an offering of food to the Lord. ²⁸ They must not do any work. It is a holy day. On this special day, the leader of the priests must come near to the Lord. He will make atonement for the sins of the people. ²⁹ You must punish any person who eats any food on that day. Send them away from my people. ³⁰ I will kill any person who works on that day. ³¹ Nobody must work on that day. This rule is for now and for all time to come. You must obey it in any place where you are living. ³² It is a Sabbath rest for all the people. They must not eat any food. They must rest from the evening of the ninth day until the evening of the tenth day.’

The Feast of Huts^[g]

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ ‘Tell Israel's people that the Feast of Huts will start on the 15th day of the seventh month. The feast will continue for seven days, as people worship the Lord. ³⁵ The first day is a special day. The people must not do any work. ³⁶ For seven days each person must give a gift to the Lord. The eighth day is holy. The people must come together and they must give a burnt offering to the Lord. This is the last day of the feast. The people must not do any work on that day.

³⁷ These are the rules for the special days of the Lord. You must tell people that they must bring offerings to the Lord on these days. They will bring gifts for burnt offerings each day. They must bring offerings of grain, animals and wine. ³⁸ These are not the usual Sabbath gifts to the Lord. They are not gifts to give thanks or for promises to the Lord. But they are extra gifts for special days.

³⁹ When the people have picked the grain, they can enjoy seven feast days to the Lord. The special days will begin on the 15th day of the seventh month. On the first day and on the eighth day they can rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day, they must take fruit and leaves from the trees. Then for seven days they must praise the Lord. ⁴¹ They must do this to worship the Lord for seven days of each year. They must obey this rule in the seventh month now, and for all the years to come. ⁴² All Israel's people must live in huts for seven days. ⁴³ Your descendants in the future will know that God brought Israel's people out of Egypt. They will know that he caused them to live in huts as they travelled through the wilderness. I am the Lord, your God.’

⁴⁴ Moses told the people all that the Lord had told him.

Rules about oil and the bread that the people give to the Lord

24 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Tell Israel's people that they must bring to you the best oil. This will cause the light to burn all the time. ³ Aaron must put more oil in the lamp from evening to morning in front of the Lord. The lamp is outside the curtain. That curtain is in the Holy Place. The light must never go out. This rule is for now and for all time to come. ⁴ The lamps on the gold lampstand must burn always in front of the Lord.^[h]

⁵ The people must bake 12 loaves of bread. They must use the best flour. They must weigh the flour for each loaf. They must use two tenths (2/10) of an ephah (4 litres). ⁶ They must put the loaves on a table in two rows in front of the Lord. There must be six loaves in each row. ⁷ They must put incense near each row. They must burn the incense as a gift to the Lord instead of the bread. ⁸ They must put the bread on the table every Sabbath. It is a covenant between Israel's people and the Lord. ⁹ The bread is for Aaron and for his sons. They must eat it in a holy place. It is their holy part of the burnt offering to the Lord.’

The story of a man who said bad things about the Lord

¹⁰ There was a man. His mother was an Israelite and his father was a man from Egypt. The man had a quarrel with an Israelite man. ¹¹ The Israelite woman's son said bad things about God. The people took him to Moses. (The name of the mother was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri from the family of Dan.) ¹² They locked the man up. The Lord told them what to do with him.

¹³ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁴ ‘Take the man outside the camp. All the people who heard him speak must put a hand on him. All the people must throw stones at him until he is dead. ¹⁵ Tell Israel's people, “It is a sin if any man says bad things about God's name. ¹⁶ He must die. All the people must throw stones at him until he is dead.” You must kill anyone who says bad things about the Lord's name. They may be a foreigner or an Israelite. You must kill them.

¹⁷ If any man kills another man you must kill him. ¹⁸ A man might kill an animal that belongs to another man. Then he must give an animal that is alive to the man. You must give a living animal if you take a living animal's life. ¹⁹ If a man hurts another person, you must punish him as he deserves. Hurt him in the same way that he has hurt the other person. ²⁰ If he has broken one of the person's bones, break one of his bones. If he hurt the person's eye, hurt his eye. If he has broken a person's tooth, break his tooth. ²¹ A man might hit an animal so that it dies. That man must give back an animal that is alive. But if he kills a man, you must punish him with death. ²² This rule is for all the people. It is the same rule for Israelites and foreigners. I am the Lord your God.’

²³ Moses spoke to Israel's people. A man had said bad things about God. They took him outside the camp. They threw stones at him until he died. Israel's people did as the Lord had told Moses.

The Sabbath Year

25 Moses was on Sinai's mountain. The Lord spoke to him there. ² The Lord said, ‘Speak to Israel's people. They will go into the land that I will give to them. Then the land must have a Sabbath rest to the Lord. ³ They can plant seeds in the fields for six years. They can cut the leaves of the plants and they can harvest the fruit for six years. ⁴ In the seventh year, the land must have a rest. They must not plant seeds in the fields or cut the leaves. ⁵ They must not harvest fruit or grain. The land must have a year for rest. ⁶ All of the people can eat anything that grows by itself in the Sabbath year. That will be food for you and for your servants and for your animals. And other people who live among you can eat it. ⁷ The wild animals also can eat anything that grows by itself in the Sabbath year.

The Jubilee Year

⁸ The people must count seven lots of Sabbath years. That is 49 years. ⁹ In the 50th year they must make loud music. They must blow trumpets on the tenth day of the seventh month. That is the Day of Atonement. They must blow the trumpet through all the country. ¹⁰ The year will be special. It is a Jubilee year. It is a time for every one of my people to become free. Everyone can return to his own land and to his family. ¹¹ The 50th year is a Jubilee year. The people must not plant any seed in the fields. They must not harvest anything that grows by itself on the bushes. ¹² It is a Jubilee year for the people. And they can eat only food that they take from the fields.

¹³ In the Jubilee year every person must return to the land of his family.

¹⁴ If the people buy and sell land from each other, they must be honest with each other. ¹⁵ The person who is selling the land will decide the price. He must count the number of years until the next Jubilee year. ¹⁶ When there are many years, the price must be big. When there are few years, the price must be small. The number of years that the land will give food to eat is what is important. ¹⁷ Be honest with each other and respect God. I am the Lord your God.

¹⁸ The people must obey God's rules. If they do, they will be safe. ¹⁹ You will be able to grow food on the land. And the people will have plenty to eat. They will be safe. ²⁰ The people may ask what they will eat in the seventh year. They will not have planted any seeds. ²¹ God will cause a lot of food to grow in the sixth year. They will have food for three more years. ²² When a person plants seed in the eighth year he will still be eating the crops that he planted in the sixth year. The next time he will harvest the plants from the fields will be in the ninth year.

²³ The people must never sell the land for all time. The land belongs to God. He has said that the people can live on it. ²⁴ A person may buy land. But he must remember that he may have to sell it back to the seller.

²⁵ If a man becomes poor, he can sell some of his land. A person from his family must buy the land back for the man. ²⁶ But the man might not have any family. If he stops being poor, he can buy the land back. ²⁷ He must count how many years until the next Jubilee year. He must pay the right amount of money for the land. Then he can live on the land again. ²⁸ If the man is too poor to buy the land back, it will belong to the other person. It will belong to the other person until the next Jubilee year. He must return it to the poor man in the Jubilee year.

²⁹ A man may sell a house in a city with walls. For one year after he sells it, he can buy it back. ³⁰ If the man does not buy back the house, it will belong to the other person and his sons. It will belong to them for all time. They will not have to return it in the Jubilee year. ³¹ If the house is in a village, a person can buy it back. If he does not buy it back, they will return it to him in the Jubilee year.

³² The Levites (people from the family of Levi) can buy back the houses in their towns. ³³ In the Jubilee year, the Levites must get back the houses that they sold. Their towns belong to the Levites. ³⁴ The Levites must not sell the fields that belong to their towns. God gave to them their towns and cities to live in for all time.

People who have a lot of money must lend it to the poor people

³⁵ An Israelite may become poor. He may not be able to feed his family. You must help him. You would help a visitor or a foreigner in the same way. You must help the man so that he can continue to live among you. ³⁶ The man must not pay back more than you gave to him. You must obey your God. ³⁷ The person who is feeding the man might give money or food to him. He must not ask for more back than he gave. ³⁸ I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. I brought you into this land to be your God.

³⁹ If an Israelite becomes poor, he might sell himself to you. But he must not work for you as a slave. You must pay him to work as your servant. ⁴⁰ He must work for you until the next Jubilee year. ⁴¹ In the Jubilee year, you will make him free. He and his children can go back to his own home and family. ⁴² Israel's people belong to God. I took them out of Egypt. They must not be slaves. ⁴³ You must be kind to all Israelites. Remember to obey your God.

⁴⁴ Israel's people can buy male and female slaves. Those slaves must come from other countries. ⁴⁵ And Israelites can buy people from other countries who live among them. They may have children who were born in your land. You can buy them. They will become slaves. ⁴⁶ You can give the slaves to your children when you die. But you must rule Israel's people in a kind way.

⁴⁷ A person from another country may become rich. Then he might buy an Israelite who became poor. But the poor man can buy himself back at any time. ⁴⁸ A person from the family of the poor man can buy him back. ⁴⁹ A brother or a cousin of the poor man can buy him back. If the poor man becomes rich, he can pay to make himself free. ⁵⁰ The man and the person who bought him must count the time until the Jubilee year. The man must pay the right amount of money to be free. ⁵¹ The Jubilee year may be many years away. If it is, the man must pay a lot of money to be free. ⁵² There may be a few years until the Jubilee year. If there are, he has to pay only a small amount of money to be free. ⁵³ The person who has bought the man must pay him each year. You must cause the rich man to be kind to the man.

⁵⁴ Perhaps nobody will pay any money for the man. But the man who bought him must make him free in the Jubilee year. ⁵⁵ Israel's people belong to me. I brought them out of Egypt. They are my servants. I am the Lord.

26 You must not make idols from stones and worship them. You must not draw things on stones and bend down in front of them. I am the Lord your God.

² You must rest on Sabbath days and you must keep them holy. You must respect God's house. I am the Lord.

³ The people must carefully obey the rules. ⁴ If they do, I will send rain at the proper time. Plants for food will grow in the ground. Fruit will grow on your trees. ⁵ The people will harvest grain until the grapes are ready to eat. They will harvest the grapes until it is the time to plant seeds. They will have all the food to eat that they need. I will keep them safe in their land.

⁶ I will stop war in Israel. When the people sleep, they will not be afraid. I will take the wild animals away. Other people will not hurt my people. ⁷ Israel's enemies will run away from them. They will kill their enemies. ⁸ Five of you will run after 100 of them. And 100 of you will run after 1,000 enemies. You will kill all your enemies.

⁹ I will do good things for your people and I will give many children to them. Their number will grow. I will do everything that I have promised to do for them. ¹⁰ They will have so much food that some will remain after the next harvest. ¹¹ I will have my home among you, my people. I will never turn away from them. ¹² I will walk among the people. They will belong to me. ¹³ I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. You will not be the slaves of people in Egypt. I saved you so that you need not be ashamed.

People who do not obey the rules will not give any pleasure to the Lord

¹⁴ God will be angry if the people do not listen to him. He will be angry if they do not obey his rules. ¹⁵ The people may not respect or obey God's rules. So they will not be doing what they promised to him. ¹⁶ So God will send diseases to the people. They will be afraid. The people will have diseases in their eyes. They will get thin and they will die. They will plant their seed and their enemies will eat the fruit. ¹⁷ God will fight against you. Your enemies will win the war. They will become your rulers. Your soldiers will run away even when nobody is running after them.

¹⁸ The people may not obey God even after this. If they do not, God will punish them seven times more strongly. ¹⁹ He will make them ashamed. He will not send any rain and the land will be hard and dry. ²⁰ Even if they do a lot of work, no grain will grow. No fruit will grow on the trees.

²¹ The people may still not listen to God. If they do not, he will be seven times more angry. If they do not obey him, he will cause their lives to be seven times more difficult. ²² He will send wild animals to kill their children and their animals. The land will be almost empty.

²³ The people may still not listen to God. If they do not, he will be angry. ²⁴ He will become their enemy. If they do not obey him, he will punish them seven times more strongly. ²⁵ He will send enemy soldiers to kill the people. They have not done what they promised to do. So he will punish them for that. If they go back to their cities, he will send them diseases. The enemy will win the war. ²⁶ The people will not have any food. A woman will bake one loaf for ten families. They will weigh it to give one part to each family. When a person eats his piece of bread, he will still be hungry.