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    Leviticus

    Septuagint text: Our version of this book reads differently to other Bibles. Why? We use the much older Greek Septuagint manuscripts – and most will closely resemble the versions used by many 1st-century Christians, including the Apostles. These older manuscripts escaped the censorship applied to the Hebrew manuscripts. Our translation is created by volunteers, and we are always correcting and refining the text. Learn what [brackets] and other insertions mean.

    About this book Leviticus is a history book, a law book, and an instruction manual for Temple procedures for the Levites (hence the name, Leviticus).It was compiled by Moses, probably with the help of secretaries, and dates from around 1549 BCE while the IsraElites were at Mount SinAi.Difficult portionsThis book contains many long descriptions of sacrificial procedures and laws that may be too dry for casual reading. If you only wish to read the story, we’ve added editor notes to show you where it begins and ends.Bold textThe main topics of each law and procedure are marked in bold.

    1

    [Editor note: Leviticus begins with an extensive description of the different sacrifices. The story resumes at Leviticus 9:22.] 1Then the Lord called Moses again and spoke to him in the Tent of Proofs.He said:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them that anyone who brings an ox as a gift to Jehovah must bring one that the Lord will find acceptable.3‘If his gift for a burnt offering is from the herd, he will bring a male that has no defects. He will bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs [where it will be] accepted on his behalf before Jehovah.4‘He must put his hands on the head of the offering [to show that] it’s something he wishes to do so as to be forgiven by [God], 5and they must slaughter the calf before Jehovah.‘Then Aaron’s sons (the Priests) must collect its blood and pour it around the Altar at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs.6‘The meat of the offering should thereafter be butchered and divided into quarters. 7Then the sons of Aaron (the Priests) must light a fire on the Altar and pile wood on the fire, 8and the Priests must put the head and the fat over the fire in the Altar, 9then wash the [animal’s] entrails and feet in water, and then put the rest of it on the Altar as a burnt-offering sacrifice and as a sweet odor to Jehovah.10‘However, if [the person] is offering a sheep as a gift to Jehovah (or a lamb, or a kid goat) as a whole-burnt offering, it must be a perfect male.11‘He must put his hand on its head and they must slaughter it next to the Altar towards the north, before Jehovah. Then the sons of Aaron (the Priests) must pour its blood on and around the Altar.12‘They must quarter it and put its head and its fat over the burning wood on the Altar. 13Then they must wash its entrails and feet with water, and the Priest must put the rest on the Altar as a burnt-offering sacrifice and a sweet odor to Jehovah.14‘But if [the person] is offering a bird as a gift to Jehovah, it must be a dove or a pigeon. 15The Priest must bring it to the Altar, wring off its head and sprinkle its blood at the base of the Altar. 16And before placing it on the Altar, he must remove the crop and the feathers, and throw them by the ashes, to the east of the Altar.17‘He should then break off its wings, but not cut it up, and put the burnt-offering sacrifice on the Altar over the burning wood as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.’

    2

    1‘If a person brings fine flour as a gift to sacrifice to Jehovah, he must pour oil over it and put frankincense on it, before offering it as a sacrifice.2‘He must carry it to the Priests (the sons of Aaron) and take a handful of the fine flour with the oil and the frankincense, and then a Priest must put it on the Altar as a sacrifice and as a sweet odor to Jehovah.3‘The rest of the sacrifice must then be [given to] Aaron and his sons as their holy portion from the sacrifices to Jehovah.4‘And if he brings [bread] that has been baked in an oven as a gift sacrifice to Jehovah, it must be fermentation-free and kneaded with oil into fermentation-free cakes. 5But if the gift of fermentation-free fine flour is brought in a pan, 6it must be broken into pieces and then oil must be poured over it as a sacrifice to Jehovah.7‘However, if the gift of fine flour with oil that’s to be offered as a sacrifice to Jehovah [consists of whole loaves] that were baked in an oven, 8they must be brought to the Priest, 9and the Priest must take it to the Altar and offer a portion of it as a burnt offering and as a sweet odor to Jehovah.10‘The rest of the sacrifice must then be [given to] Aaron and his sons as their holy portion from the burnt offerings of Jehovah.11‘You must not have fermentation in any of the sacrifices that are brought to Jehovah [at the Altar], and no honey will be brought as a gift to Jehovah [at the Altar].12‘Such things may be brought to Jehovah as though they were fruit, but they must not be offered on the Altar as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.13‘All gifts of sacrifices must be seasoned with salt. Don’t leave the salt of Jehovah’s Sacred Agreement out of your sacrifices! No matter what type of gift it is, it must be offered to Jehovah your God with salt.14‘And when you offer the first fruits of your new grain as a sacrifice to Jehovah, it should be ground and roasted before bringing it as a sacrifice... 15You must also pour oil and frankincense over it, because it’s a sacrifice.16‘Then the Priest must offer a portion of the grain with all the oil and frankincense as a burnt offering to Jehovah.’

    3

    1‘If the gift to Jehovah is to be a peace offering and it’s selected from among your cattle, it can be a male or a female, but it must be perfect to bring it before Him.2‘The [person] must put his hands on the head of the gift and they must slaughter it before Jehovah next to the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. Then the Priests (the sons of Aaron) must pour the blood on and around the Altar of burnt offerings.3‘For peace offerings, [the following portions] should be offered as burnt-sacrifices to Jehovah: The belly and all the fat in and around it, 4 The kidneys and the fat on them, [The fat] on the thighs and the membrane around the liver and kidneys.5‘The Priests (the sons of Aaron) must offer them on the Altar of burnt offerings over the burning wood on the Altar as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.6‘And if the peace-offering gift to Jehovah is a sheep, it may be either a male or a female, but it must be perfect.7‘If the gift is a lamb; he must bring it before Jehovah, 8put his hands on the head of his offering, and they must slaughter it by the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. Then the Priests (the sons of Aaron) must pour its blood on and around the Altar.9‘The peace offering to be burned to Jehovah shall be [the following portions] which you’ll remove: The healthy, fat hind parts and loins, All the fat that’s in and around the belly, 10 The kidneys and the fat around them, The fat around the thighs and the membrane around the liver and kidneys.11‘[All this] must be offered on the Altar by the Priest as a sweet-smelling odor and burnt offering to Jehovah.12‘And if he’s offering a goat, he must bring it before Jehovah, 13put his hands on its head, and they must slaughter it before Jehovah next to the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. Then the Priests (the sons of Aaron) must pour the blood on and around the Altar.14‘The parts of the burnt offering [that will be offered] to Jehovah must be: The fat in and around the belly, 15 Both kidneys and all the fat on them, [The fat] on the thighs and the membrane around the liver and kidneys.16‘Then the Priest must offer it on the Altar as a burnt offering and as a sweet odor to Jehovah.‘All of the fat is Jehovah’s!17‘And this is the rule throughout the ages of your generations wherever you may live:‘You must not eat the fat or the blood!’

    4

    1Then the Lord said to Moses:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:‘If a person sins against Jehovah by doing something that He says you mustn’t do, in any of the Commandments, but unintentionally... 3‘Or if the Anointed Priest sins and that causes the people to sin...‘The person must bring [an offering] for his sin. [He must bring] a perfect calf from his herd to Jehovah, [to cover] his sin.4‘He must bring the calf before Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, put his hand on its head, and they must slaughter it in Jehovah’s presence.5‘And when the Anointed Priest who’s been made perfect receives the calf’s blood, he must carry it into the Tent of Proofs.6‘The Priest must then dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it at the base of the Holy Veil before Jehovah, 7 times. 7And he must put some of the calf’s blood on the horns of the incense Altar that’s before Jehovah (inside the Tent of Proofs) and pour the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar, by the entrance to the Tent of Proofs.8‘[Thereafter, he must take] all the fat from the calf of the sin offering and remove it. [From:] The inner fat, The outer fat, 9 The kidneys and the fat on them, and [The fat on] the thighs and the membrane around the liver and kidneys.10‘Then the Priest must offer it on the Altar of burnt offerings.11‘As for the calf’s skin, flesh, head, extremities, belly, and dung... 12It must all be carried outside the camp into the clean place where they pour the ashes, and it must be totally burned among the wood ashes that will be poured out there.13‘Also, if the whole gathering of IsraEl should unknowingly commit a sin and it goes unnoticed by them (if they should do something that’s forbidden, shouldn’t be done, and is a sin against any of the Commandments of Jehovah), 14but they later realize what they’ve done; the gathering should bring a perfect calf from the herd as a sin offering to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs.15‘Then [all] the elders of the gathering must lay their hands on the calf’s head and slaughter it before Jehovah.16‘Thereafter, the Anointed Priest must bring the calf’s blood into the Tent of Proofs, 17then dip his finger in some of the blood and sprinkle it 7 times before the veil of the Most Holy, there before Jehovah.18‘The Priest must also put some of the blood on the horns of the incense Altar that stands before Jehovah inside the Tent of Proofs. Then he must pour the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar of whole-burnt offerings, which is by the entrance to the Tent of Proofs.19‘He must cut off all its fat and offer it on the Altar, 20dealing with it in the same way as he does with the calf of the sin offering. That’s how the Priests must pay for their sins, and then their mistakes will be forgiven.21‘After that, they must take the rest of the calf outside of the camp and burn it in the same way as the other calf.‘This is the sin offering for the [entire] gathering.22‘And if one of the leaders should unknowingly break one of the Commandments of his God Jehovah (something he shouldn’t have done in sin and error), 23and then he realizes that he’s sinned... The gift he must offer is a perfect male kid goat.24‘He must put his hand on the head of the kid and slaughter it where they slaughter the whole-burnt offerings before Jehovah, as a sin offering. 25Then the Priest must put some of the blood of the sin offering on the horns of the Altar of whole-burnt offerings with his finger, and pour the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar.26‘Thereafter, he must offer all of its fat on the Altar as the sacrifice of the peace offering. [This is how] the Priest must pay for [the leader’s] sin, so that it may be forgiven.27‘And if a person among the people of the land should sin unknowingly against any of the Commandments of Jehovah by doing something that shouldn’t be done, 28and then he realizes that he’s sinned... He must bring a perfect female kid goat for the sin that he’s committed.29‘He must put his hand on the head of his sin offering and slaughter the kid of the sin offering where they slaughter the whole-burnt offerings. 30And the Priest must then take some of its blood on his finger and wipe it on the horns of the Altar of whole-burnt offerings.‘After that, he must pour the rest of the blood out at the base of the Altar. 31Then he must remove all the fat and offer it as a sacrifice of a peace offering. The Priest must offer it on the Altar as a sweet odor to Jehovah.‘[This is how] the Priest must pay for [the person’s] sin, so that it may be forgiven.32‘But if he offers a lamb for his sin offering, it should be a perfect female... 33He must put his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it where they kill the whole-burnt offerings.34‘Then the Priest must take some of the blood of the sin offering on his finger and wipe it on the horns of the Altar of whole-burnt offerings, and he must pour the rest of the blood around the base of the Altar.35‘He must also cut off all its fat, the same as he would for the lamb of the peace-offering sacrifice, and the Priest must put it on the Altar as a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah.‘[This is how] the Priest must atone for the person’s sin, so that it can be forgiven.’

    5

    1‘And if a person sins by witnessing, seeing, or knowing of someone who’s sworn an oath [of vengeance] against another and fails to report it, he’s guilty of a sin.2‘And whoever touches anything that’s dirty, such as: The filth of animals, Dead things ([like] a dead unclean animal or [the rotting] body of cattle), 3 Any kind of filth from a man that would make him unclean...‘...whoever touches [any of this,] even if he doesn’t realize it, but comes to know about it later – he’s sinned.4Or if some unrighteous person has decided to use his lips to swear an oath to do evil or good – even if a person doesn’t realize it, but comes to know of it [later] – he’s sinned by doing this.5‘He must admit that he’s sinned 6and [pay for] his sin against [Jehovah by bringing] a female lamb from his flock or a goat kid as a sin offering, which the Priest must [offer] in payment for his sin.‘Then he will be forgiven.7‘And if he can’t afford a sheep... He must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to Jehovah. One [must serve] as a sin offering, and the other as a burnt offering.8‘He must carry them to the Priest, and the Priest must [sacrifice] the sin offering first. He must pinch off the head at the neck, but not cut up the body. 9Then he must sprinkle the blood of the sin offering on the side of the Altar, and pour the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar… Because this is a sin offering.10‘Then the 2nd [bird] must serve as a whole burnt offering for the Priest, to atone for the sins that the person has committed.11‘And if he can’t afford a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons... The gift that he should bring for his sin offering must be a quart of fine flour. He shouldn’t put frankincense or oil on it, because it’s a sin offering.12‘He must carry it to the Priest, who must take a handful of it and lay a portion of it on the Altar as a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah and as a sin offering. 13So the Priest must offer payment for the way that the person has sinned in these matters, and [the person] will be forgiven.‘Then, whatever remains of the flour offering will belong to the Priest.’14And the Lord spoke to Moses and said:15‘The person who’s truly unaware and unknowingly sins against any of the holy things of Jehovah must carry something to Jehovah for his error.‘[It must be] a perfect ram from his flock (or its value in the type of silver coins that are accepted in the Holy Place) [to pay] for his mistake.16‘He must pay for his sin against any of the holy things, and add 1/5th more to it. He must give it to the Priest, and the Priest must cover his sin with the ram of his error, and then [the person] will be forgiven.17‘And if any person sins and does something that isn’t right and is against any of Jehovah’s Commandments – even if he doesn’t realize it – he’s guilty of a sin.18‘So, he must bring a perfect ram from his flock (or its value in silver) to the Priest for his mistake, and the Priest will [use it] to pay for the sin that he committed in ignorance... Then he will be forgiven.19‘However, he’s truly been found guilty of sinning before Jehovah.’

    6

    1And the Lord told Moses:2‘Whoever sins by: Ignoring the Commandments of Jehovah, Lying about something entrusted to them by a neighbor, Something shared, or stolen, or in any way wrongs his neighbor 3 Finds something lost but lies about it, or Lies about any sins like these... 4‘Then when he sins by making such errors, he should return whatever he wrongly acquired by theft, misplaced trust, chance, 5or lying. Then he must repay the total sum, plus 1/5th.‘Yes, when he’s disciplined, he will pay back whatever he owes. 6And for his sin offering to the Lord, he will bring a perfect ram from the flocks, of [the same] value of his error. 7Then, before Jehovah, the priest will see that his sin is paid for; and he’ll be forgiven for whatever sin he committed.’8And the Lord told Moses:9‘Give Aaron and his sons these instructions… This is the law concerning whole-burnt offerings:‘Because whole-burnt offerings are to be left burning on the Altar all night long, the fire on the Altar must be kept burning and not be put out.10‘Then the Priest must put on the linen tunic and the linen underwear, and carry everything that’s been thoroughly burned and consumed by the fire (the whole-burnt offerings) from the Altar and throw [the ashes] nearby. 11And after that, he must take off that robe, put on another robe, and carry the burned [ashes] to a clean place outside of the camp.12‘The fire on the Altar must be kept burning all the time and never be allowed to go out. The Priests must stoke it with wood each morning, so whole-burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings can be piled on it.13‘The fire must always be kept burning on the Altar and it must never be extinguished.’14‘This is the law concerning the sacrifices that the sons of Aaron must bring to the Altar before Jehovah:15‘[The Priest] must scoop a handful of the fine flour of the sacrifice that was offered along with its oil and all the frankincense, and put it on the Altar as a burnt offering and a sweet-smelling odor for Jehovah to remember.16‘Then Aaron and his sons may eat all that’s left. However, it must be eaten without fermentation inside the courtyard of the Tent of Proofs17And it must not be baked with any fermentation.‘I’m giving a portion of Jehovah’s burnt offering to them, for it’s very holy, as are the offerings for sin and the offerings for errors.18‘All the male Priests must eat it. This is to be the rule for burnt offerings to Jehovah throughout your generations and throughout the ages, for whoever touches them will be made holy.’19And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:20‘This is the gift that Aaron and his sons must offer to Jehovah on the day that you anoint him:‘A quart of fine flour must be sacrificed, half of it in the morning and the other half in the evening. 21It must be kneaded with oil into rolls [and cooked] in a pan, then offered [on the Altar] in pieces, as a sweet odor to Jehovah.22‘The Anointed Priest (one of [Aaron’s] sons who is serving in his place) will offer it, and it must all be burned.‘This is to be a rule throughout the ages:23‘All the sacrifices for the Priests must be totally burned and never be eaten.’24Then the Lord told Moses:25‘Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them that this is the law of the sin offerings:‘The sin offerings must be slaughtered before Jehovah in the same place as the whole burnt offerings, for they’re very holy. 26The Priest who offers it must also eat it in a holy place in the courtyard of the Tent of Proofs.27‘Anyone who touches its flesh must be holy, and all those whose clothes have been sprinkled with its blood must be washed in the Holy Place.28‘Thereafter, the clay pots that held [the sacrifice] must be broken. However, if it was put in a brass pot, [the pot] must be scoured and washed in water.29‘Then all the male Priests must eat it as something that’s very holy to Jehovah. 30But, none of the blood of the sin offering that’s carried into the Tent of Proofs to pay for sins in the Holy Place may be eaten. It must be burned with fire.’

    7

    1‘This is the law of the Ram Offering for Errors, because it’s the most sacred of the offerings:2‘They must butcher the Ram-Offering for Errors before Jehovah in the same place that they butcher the whole-burnt offerings, and the blood must then be poured around the base of the Altar.3‘Thereafter, they must remove all of the fat that’s on: The loins, Around the entrails, 4 The two kidneys and the fat on them, and The thighs.‘The lobe of the liver should be removed along with the kidneys.5‘Then the Priest must offer them on the Altar as an offering of submission to Jehovah, because this is an offering for errors. 6This [sacrifice] should thereafter be eaten by all of the males among the Priests in the Holy Place, because this is the holiest of the holies.7‘The offering for errors is performed just like the offering for sins, since these are considered to be the same thing. And [the sacrifice] will thereafter belong to whichever Priest does the offering.8‘Also, the hide of any animal that’s brought as a whole-burnt-offering will belong to the Priest.9‘In addition, any sacrifice that’s baked, or grilled, or fried will belong to the Priest who offers it. 10And every sacrifice that’s prepared with or without olive oil will be divided among the sons of Aaron equally.11‘This is the Law of the Sacrifice of Salvation that they must bring before Jehovah:12‘If it’s to be an offering of praise, he must bring a sacrifice of unfermented bread made of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and pan-fried flat bread that’s made of fine flour mixed with olive oil and smeared with olive oil.13‘Then along with the unfermented bread, he must offer a gift as part of the sacrifice of praise for his salvation. 14And along with his gift offerings, he must bring a portion that’s to be set aside for Jehovah, which will then belong to the Priest who pours out the blood of the offering.15‘Also, the meats of the Sacrifice of Praise for Salvation will belong to the Priest. This must be eaten on the day it’s presented, and none may be left over until the next morning.16‘If an offering is being made voluntarily as part of a vow, the person should bring his gift offering on whichever day he’s chosen for his sacrifice, and it can be eaten on the following morning.17‘But any meats that are brought must be incinerated on the 3rd day.18‘And if he eats any of the meat on the 3rd day, the sacrifices will have been rejected and are no longer accepted on his behalf, because they’re viewed as defiled. So, the person who eats it will continue to bear his sins.19‘Also, all meats that have touched anything unclean may not be eaten. Rather, they must be incinerated in a fire, since all that are clean must eat meat that’s clean. 20And no person may eat any of the meat of the Sacrifice for Salvation that has been offered to Jehovah, for this will make him unclean and he must be destroyed from among his people.21‘In addition, any person who touches something unclean, such as the uncleanness of a person, or of a four-footed animal, or something disgusting from anything that’s unclean, and then the person eats some of the meats of the Peace Offering that’s presented to Jehovah... That person must be destroyed from among his people.’22Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:23‘Speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that they must not eat the fat of sheep, oxen, or goats.24‘And while the fat of decaying flesh or of that which has been killed by wild animals may be used for work, it may not be eaten.25‘Also, anyone who eats the fat of cattle that he’s brought to Jehovah as an offering of submission must be destroyed from among his people.26Nor may you eat the blood of any cattle or birds in your home, 27for any person who eats blood must be destroyed from among his people.’28Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:29‘Speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that anyone who brings a Peace Offering to Jehovah must also bring the gift of a Salvation Offering.30‘In his own hands, he must carry these offerings to Jehovah:‘The fat on the breast and on the lobe of the liver… He must bring this and place it as a gift before Jehovah. 31Then the Priest will offer it on the Altar, and the breast will be given to Aaron and to his sons.32‘You must also cut off the right shoulder of the Salvation Offering and give it to the Priest. 33The right shoulder of the Salvation Offering belongs to the one from among the sons of Aaron who offers up the blood and the fat.34‘So, I’ve taken the breast of the Offering of the Blessings and the cut-off portion of the right shoulder from the sacrifices of the sons of IsraEl and given it all to Aaron the Priest and to his sons.‘This is to be a law throughout the ages for IsraEl, 35since this is [part of] the anointing of Aaron and his sons… It’s their portion of the Offering of the Blessings that Jehovah gave to them on the day that He appointed them to officiate as Priests to Him, 36and when He appointed them and anointed them from among the sons of IsraEl as an age-long law through the generations.’37These are the laws of the whole burnt offerings, of the sacrifices for sins and for errors, of the consecration, and of the sacrifices of the Salvation Offerings, 38in the way that the Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount SinAi on the day that He ordered the sons of IsraEl to bring their gift offerings before Jehovah, there in the SinAi Desert.

    8

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Go get Aaron and his sons, along with their robes, the anointing oil, a calf for a sin offering, two rams, and a basket of fermentation-free bread; 3then assemble the whole gathering at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs.’4So Moses did just as the Lord told him. He assembled the gathering at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, 5and Moses told them:‘This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do.’6So, he brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water. 7Then he wrapped him in the robe, tied on the sash, and he put the tunic and the Word of Judgment on him.8He wrapped [the tunic] so the Word of Judgment would fit, and clasped it tightly before putting on the Word of Judgment, and he laid the Revelation and the Truth on top of that.9Next, he put the turban on [Aaron’s] head and mounted the gold plate (this most holy thing) on the front of the turban, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 10Then Moses took the anointing oil 11and sprinkled it on the Altar 7 times to anoint the Altar and make it holy (along with everything on it, including its base and the basin).He made them holy, and he anointed the Tent and all its furniture, making them holy... 12Then Moses poured anointing oil on Aaron’s head to anoint him and make him holy.13And Moses brought up Aaron’s sons, put on their robes and wrapped on their sashes; then he put on their turbans, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.14Next, Moses brought over the calf for the sin offering.So, Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the sin-offering calf, 15and Moses slaughtered it. Then he took some of the blood and rubbed it on the horns of the Altar with his finger, to purify it; and he poured the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar, to make it holy, so that it could be used to pay for sins.16Thereafter, Moses took all the inner fat plus the liver and kidneys and the fat around them, and he offered it on the Altar. 17Then he burned the rest of the calf (its skin, flesh, and dung) in a fire outside of the camp, just as The Lord had commanded Moses.18Moses then brought over the ram for the whole-burnt offering.Aaron and his sons also laid their hands on its head and Moses slaughtered the ram, pouring the blood around the Altar. 19Then he divided the ram by each of its limbs, and Moses offered up the head, the limbs, and the fat, after washing the feet and belly with water.20So Moses offered the whole ram on the Altar as a burnt offering, and it was burned as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.21After that, Moses brought over the second ram (the last ram), and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head, and he slaughtered it.22So Moses took its blood and put some on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.23Then Moses brought in Aaron’s sons and put the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and Moses poured the rest of the blood around the Altar. 24Then he took the fat, the rump, the belly fat, the liver and kidneys and the fat that’s on them, as well as its right shoulder.25And from the basket of consecration that was before Jehovah, he took one fermentation-free loaf, one loaf made with oil, and one cake (along with the fat and the right shoulder), 26and put them all in the hands of Aaron and his sons, who waved them before Jehovah.27Then Moses took it from their hands and put it all on the Altar as the whole-burnt offering of the last lamb; and it was burned as an offering to Jehovah, providing a sweet-smelling odor to Him.28Finally, Moses took the last lamb’s breast and set it aside before Jehovah, and this was given to Moses as his portion, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.29Thereafter, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the Altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. 30[By doing this], he made Aaron and his garments, as well as his sons and their garments, holy.31Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons:‘Now, boil the flesh in the Holy Place inside the Tent of Proofs, and eat it there along with the loaves in the last basket, just as the Lord told me when He said:‘Aaron and his sons must eat this.’32‘After that, you must burn whatever’s left of the flesh and loaves in a fire. 33And then you must stay inside the entrance to the Tent of Proofs until the end of 7 days. For in 7 days, He will make you perfect 34in the same way as He did on the day that the Lord commanded me to do this to pay for your sins.35You must remain inside the entrance to the Tent of Proofs for 7 days and nights… You must obey this rule of Jehovah so that you won’t die, for that’s what Jehovah God has commanded.’36Well, Aaron and his sons then followed the instructions that the Lord gave as commandments to Moses.

    9

    1It was on the 8th day that Moses called Aaron and his sons out before IsraEl’s elders.2And Moses said to Aaron:‘Now, select a perfect young calf from the herd as a sin offering and a ram as a whole-burnt offering, then offer them before Jehovah. 3And tell the elders of IsraEl:‘Take one goat kid to be a sin offering, and take a young calf and a perfect yearling lamb as whole-burnt offerings, 4as well as a calf and a ram as peace offerings to Jehovah, along with fine flour that’s mixed with oil, because the Lord is going to appear among you today!5So, just as Moses commanded, they brought [the animals] to the Tent of Proofs, and the entire gathering came and stood before Jehovah.6Then Moses said:‘This is what Jehovah told us to do… For after that, the glory of the Lord will appear among you.’7And Moses told Aaron:‘Now, approach the Altar and offer your sin offering and your whole-burnt offering so as to pay for the sins of you and your family… And then you must offer gifts for the people to pay for their sins, just as the Lord commanded.’8So Aaron went to the Altar and slaughtered the calf as his sin offering.9Then Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in it and put some on the horns of the Altar; and thereafter, he poured the rest of the blood at the base of the Altar.10Next, he offered the fat, the kidneys, and the liver on the Altar as a sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11Then the flesh and hide were burned in a fire outside of the camp.12After that, he slaughtered the whole-burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, which he poured all around the Altar.13Then they brought the whole-burnt offering (which they’d cut in pieces), and he laid the head on the Altar. 14Then he washed the belly and feet with water, and put them on the Altar.15Thereafter, he brought up the gifts for the people. He took the goat, which was the people’s sin offering, and slaughtered it and washed it, as before.16Next, he brought the whole-burnt offering, and he offered it in the proper way, 17carrying the sacrifice in his hands and laying it on the Altar beside the whole-burnt offering that had been offered up in the morning.18Then he slaughtered the calf and the ram as peace-offering sacrifices for the people.So, Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, which he poured all around the Altar, 19and he put the calf’s fat, as well as the hindquarters of the ram, the fat on its belly, its kidneys and the fat on them, the membrane around the liver, 20as well as the fat on the breasts, and offered it on the Altar.21Then Aaron set aside the breast and right shoulder as a choicest offering before Jehovah, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.[Editor note: The story continues here.] 22Then, after he’d offered up the sin offering, the whole-burnt offerings, and the peace offerings, Aaron raised his arms over the people and blest them before coming back down, 23and both Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Proofs...Then when they came out, they blest all the people. And at that, the Lord’s glory appeared to all the people!24Also, fire came from Jehovah that consumed the offerings on the Altar (both the whole-burnt offerings and their fat)! And when all the people saw this, they were stunned and fell to their faces.

    10

    1Then two of Aaron’s sons (NaDab and AbiUd) took their censers, put incense and fire in them, and offered it before Jehovah in a way that’s quite different from what they’d been commanded...2And after they did that, fire came from the Lord and consumed them, causing them to die there before Jehovah!3So Moses said to Aaron:‘Jehovah told us that He must be treated as holy by those who approach Him, and He must be glorified before the whole congregation!’Well, Aaron was devastated by this.4Then Moses called MisaDae and EliShaphan ([two of] the sons of Aaron’s uncle OziEl) and said to them:‘Come here and remove your brothers from in front of the Holy Place, then [carry their bodies] outside of the camp!’5So they came and took them (while they were still wearing their [Priestly] outfits) outside of the camp, just as Moses had said.6Then Moses said to Aaron, EliEzer, IthaMar, and his remaining sons:‘Now, don’t uncover your heads or tear your clothes, unless you also want to die and bring [God’s] rage down upon the entire congregation, for then your brothers and the entire house of IsraEl would start mourning this burning that came from Jehovah!7‘And don’t leave the entrance to the Tent of Proofs or you’ll die, because Jehovah’s anointing oil is upon you!’Well, they did just as Moses told them.8Then the Lord spoke to Aaron and said:9‘Hereafter, you and your sons must not drink any wine or liquor before you enter the Tent of Proofs or before you approach the Altar, lest you should die!‘This is [to be] a law throughout the ages [for all your] generations!10‘For [you must be able to] recognize the difference between what’s sacred and what’s profane, and between what’s clean and what’s unclean!11‘And [you must] teach the children of IsraEl all the laws that [Jehovah gave] them through Moses.’12Then Moses told Aaron, EliEzer, IthaMar, and Aaron’s surviving sons:‘Now, take the remaining sacrifices among the burnt offerings for Jehovah and eat [them with] fermentation-free bread close to the Altar; because, that is a very holy [place].13‘Eating the burnt offerings to Jehovah in the Holy Place will be the law for you and your sons; for He’s commanded 14that you, your sons, and your families must eat the breast that has been set aside [for you], as well as the choicest shoulder, in the Holy Place.‘This is the rule for you and your sons concerning the peace-offering sacrifices [that are brought by] the children of IsraEl.15‘They must bring the choicest shoulder and [they must] separate the breast from the burnt offerings of fat as a separate division before Jehovah. This is to be the rule for you, as well as for your sons and daughters throughout the ages, just as the Lord commanded Moses.’16Well, when Moses started looking for the goat of the sin offering, [he found that] it had already been burned in the fire!So Moses became very angry with EliEzer, IthaMar, and Aaron’s remaining sons, and he said:17‘Why didn’t you eat the sin offering here in the Holy Place? It’s a very holy [thing that Jehovah] has given you to eat before Him, so you can remove and pay for the sins of the entire gathering!18‘Not even its blood was brought into the Holy Place… And Jehovah commanded you to eat [the sacrifice] here before Him!’19So Aaron asked Moses:‘Well, if they bring their sin offerings and whole-burnt offerings to Jehovah today, and we eat the sin offerings that are brought today (despite what we’ve done), would that be pleasing to the Lord?’20And when Moses heard this, he was pleased.[Editor note: Now follows a long description of the laws. The story resumes at Leviticus 24:10.]

    11

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them:2‘Speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that these are the animals that you may eat among all the animals on the ground:3‘You may eat any animal with a split hoof or that has a split between its two claws and chews the cud. 4However, you may not eat those that just chew the cud or those that just have split hoofs or a split between the claws, [such as] the camel, because it chews the cud, but it doesn’t have a split hoof; so, this is something that’s unclean to you.5‘[This includes] the rabbit, because it chews the cud but it doesn’t have a split foot; so, it’s unclean to you.6‘This [is also true] of the hare, because it doesn’t chew the cud and it doesn’t have a split foot; so, it’s unclean to you, 7as are pigs, because they have split hoofs and claws on each hoof, but they don’t chew the cud; so, they’re also unclean to you.8‘You must not eat their flesh or touch their dead bodies, because they’re unclean to you.9‘These are the things that you may eat, [which live] in the water:You may eat anything that has fins and scales [that lives in] the water, whether in the seas or in the rivers.10‘However, anything that lives in the water but doesn’t have fins or scales (whether in the seas or in the rivers)… All else that lives in the water or comes out of the water is disgusting, and you are to consider it disgusting.11‘You must not eat their flesh and you must dislike their dead bodies. 12You must view anything that lives in the water and doesn’t have fins or scales as disgusting!13‘These are the things that you must dislike among the flying creatures… Things that must not be eaten but are to be considered disgusting: Eagles, ospreys, sea eagles, 14vultures, kites, and the like; 15 Ostriches, owls, seagulls, and the like; 16 Ravens and the like; Hawks and the like; 17 Night ravens, cormorants, storks, 18ibis, pelicans, swans, 19herons, sandpipers, and the like; Hoopoes and bats.20Also, all winged creatures that crawl on all fours are [to be considered] disgusting by you.21You can eat crawling winged creatures that move on all fours but have legs above their feet and jump around on the ground.22‘These include: Migratory locusts and the like, Tree locusts and the like, Crickets and the like, and Ggrasshoppers and the like.23‘But, any [other thing] that crawls and flies is to be considered disgusting by you; 24and if you touch their dead bodies you’ll be unclean and will remain unclean until the evening.25‘All who touch their dead bodies must wash their clothes and then be [considered] unclean until the evening.26‘Any dead bodies of animals that have split hooves and claws but don’t chew the cud will be unclean to you, and everyone who touches them will be unclean until the evening.27‘Also, any wild animals that walk on four paws are unclean to you, and anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening. 28If you touch their dead bodies, you must wash your clothes and be [considered] unclean until the evening. For all of such things are unclean to you.29These crawling [animals are also] unclean for you among the slithering creatures: Weasels, Mice, Crocodiles, 30 Ferrets, Chameleons, Geckos, Newts, Sand lizards.31‘Among all the crawling animals on the earth, these are unclean for you, and anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening.32‘And if one of the dead bodies of these unclean [things] should fall on a wooden container, or on clothing, or on leather, or on a sack, or on anything that’s used for work; [the item] should be washed in water and be unclean until the evening… Then it will be clean.33‘Also, if one of these [animals] should fall into a clay pot or bowl, whatever is inside it will be unclean and it must be broken. 34Any edible food that the water was poured on, or any beverage that was in such a vessel, will be unclean.35‘Everything that their dead bodies fall on will be unclean. Ovens and tables must be broken down, because they’re unclean, and they’re unclean for you.36‘Springs, pools, and moving water will be clean, but anyone who touches dead bodies will be unclean.37‘If one of these dead bodies should fall on seeds that have been planted, the [seeds] are clean. 38However, if water has been poured on the seeds and then one of their dead bodies fall on it, it is unclean to you.39‘If one of the cattle that the Law allows you to eat should die [naturally]; whoever touches the body will be unclean until the evening. 40Whoever eats such a body must wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And anyone who carries their bodies must wash their clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.41All slithering animals that crawl on the ground must be [considered] disgusting by you and never be eaten.42‘And any slithering creatures that crawl along the ground on their bellies must not be eaten… You should consider them disgusting. 43You shouldn’t dirty your lives with any slithering creatures that crawl on the ground. If you don’t allow them to pollute you, they won’t make you unclean.44‘For I am Jehovah your God who makes you holy, and you must remain holy, since I, Jehovah your God, am holy. Therefore, you must not dirty your lives with any of the slithering things that crawl on the ground.45‘For I am Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. So, you must be holy, because I, Jehovah, am holy.’46These are the laws concerning [four-footed] animals, flying creatures, everything that lives and moves in the water, and all creatures that crawl on the ground, 47[so you can know] the difference between what’s clean and unclean, and between those that give birth alive that can be eaten, and those that shouldn’t be eaten.

    12

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘You must speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:Whenever a woman gets pregnant and gives birth to a male child, she must be [considered] unclean for 7 days, just as she is [considered] unclean during her monthly [menstrual] periods.3‘Then on the 8th day, she must circumcise [her son’s] foreskin flesh.4‘And for [the next] 33 days, she must continue as in [a state] of an unclean blood [flow]; so, she should not touch anything holy and [she] must not enter the Holy Place until the full period of her purification is fulfilled.5‘But if she gives birth to a female child, she must be considered unclean for 14 days, and for the next 66 days she will remain [as in a state] of an unclean blood flow.6‘When her period of purification for [giving birth to] a son or daughter is completed, she must bring a perfect yearling lamb to the Priest at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs as a whole-burnt offering, and bring a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering.7‘Then [the Priest] must present it before Jehovah and offer it to pay for her sins and her flow of blood.‘This law applies to her, whether she gives birth to a male or a female.8‘However, if she can’t afford a lamb, she must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons… One [to be sacrificed] as a whole-burnt offering, and the other as a sin offering.‘The Priest will use these to pay for her sins and to purify her.’

    13

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and said:2‘If anyone should [develop] a bright clear spot on his skin that looks like the plague of leprosy, he must be brought to Aaron the Priest, or to one of his sons, the Priests, 3and the Priest should examine the spot.‘If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot is under the skin, it’s leprosy; so, the Priest who looked at it must pronounce him unclean.4‘But if the spot on the skin is clear and white and doesn’t appear to be deep under the skin, and the hair hasn’t turned white, but is dark, the Priest must quarantine him for 7 days... 5Then on the 7th day, the Priest must look to see if the spot is still there. [If it is], and if the spot hasn’t spread, the Priest should quarantine him for 7 more days.6‘Then on the 7th day, the Priest should examine him a second time to see if the spot has started to darken. If it hasn’t, and if it isn’t spreading in his skin, the Priest will pronounce him clean, for it is just a scar. Then the person must wash his clothes and [he will] be [considered] clean.7‘However, if the bright spot changes and spreads in the skin after the Priest has looked at him and called him clean; he must return to the Priest again, 8and the Priest must reexamine him.‘Then if he finds that the mark has spread inside the skin, the Priest must pronounce him unclean… For it’s leprosy.9If a man [thinks he] has the plague of leprosy, he must go to the Priest 10and the Priest should examine him.‘Then if [he finds] a white spot under the skin where all the hair has turned white and there are signs of good flesh in the sore; 11this is leprosy that has matured in the skin. So the Priest must pronounce him unclean and quarantine him, because he’s unclean.12‘But if the leprosy becomes very visible and it covers all the person’s skin wherever the Priest looks, from his head to his feet, 13and this is what the Priest finds; {Look!} the Priest must pronounce him clean of the plague, because once everything has turned white, he’s clean.14‘But if new flesh starts to appear again, he must be pronounced unclean.15‘For if the Priest finds sound flesh; this sound flesh proves that he’s unclean and that he has [active] leprosy.16‘Then if the sound flesh changes back to white once again, he must return to the Priest, 17and the Priest must examine him. If he then sees that the plague has all turned white, the Priest must pronounce him clean, for he’s clean.18‘And if [anyone] should develop a sore in his skin that heals, 19then it turns white, or lighter, or very red; it should be examined by the Priest.20‘And if, when the Priest looks at it, he finds that it’s growing under the skin and that the hair has turned white; the Priest must pronounce him unclean, because leprosy has broken out in the sore. 21But if the Priest finds that there’s no white hair, and that it isn’t growing under the skin, but that it has a dark color; then the Priest must quarantine him for 7 days.22‘And if he finds that it’s spreading over the skin, the Priest must pronounce him unclean; for a plague of leprosy has broken out in the sore.23‘However, if the bright spot stays the same and doesn’t spread, it’s just a scar, and the Priest must pronounce him clean.24‘But if the skin becomes inflamed and bright red, then appears to heal, but develops splotches that are bright, clear, and white, mixed with red or very white; 25the Priest should examine him... If he finds the hair turning white and that the bright color is under the skin, leprosy has broken out. 26But if he sees that there isn’t any white hair in the inflammation and it isn’t growing under the skin, but is dark; the Priest must quarantine him for 7 days.27‘Then on the 7th day, the Priest should examine him to see if the spot has spread in the skin. [If it has], the Priest will pronounce him unclean, because of the plague of leprosy that has broken out in the sore.28‘But if the bright spot doesn’t move and doesn’t spread in the skin, but gets darker; it’s [just] the inflammation of a scar and the Priest will pronounce him clean.29‘And if a man or woman [thinks that they have] developed the plague of leprosy on the head or in the beard, 30the Priest must examine it.‘And if he finds that it’s growing under the skin and that the hair has turned thin and yellow, then the Priest will pronounce the person unclean; for the skin is dead and it’s leprosy of the head or of the beard.31‘However, if the Priest finds dead skin, but he sees nothing growing under the skin and there’s no yellowish hair; the Priest must quarantine the person for 7 days... 32Then on the 7th day, the Priest must examine the person again. And if the dead skin hasn’t spread and there’s no yellowish hair on it, and there doesn’t appear to be a hollow spot under the skin, 33the skin must be shaved everywhere except where the dead skin is, and the person should be quarantined a second time… For 7 more days.34‘Then on the 7th day, the Priest must look to see if the dead skin has spread to the area that was shaved. [If it hasn’t], and if there doesn’t appear to be a hollow spot under the skin, the Priest will pronounce him clean, and he must wash his clothes and be clean.35‘However, if the dead skin does spread after he’s been purified, 36the Priest must examine it and affirm that the dead skin has spread… And even if he finds no yellow hair, the person is unclean.37‘But if the dead skin doesn’t spread and dark hair grows from it, the dead skin has healed and he’s clean; so, the Priest must pronounce him clean.38‘Now, if a man or woman develops bright white spots on his or her skin, 39the Priest must look at it.‘And if he just finds bright white spots on the skin, it’s psoriasis and he or she is clean. 40[The same is true] when someone starts losing his hair; he’s just balding and he’s clean. 41If he loses his hair in the front, he has forehead baldness and is clean.42‘But if white or red blotches should develop in the baldness on [the top of] his head or on his forehead, it’s leprosy.43‘The Priest must examine him, and if he finds white spots or an inflammation in the bald places on top or in the front that look like leprosy, 44he’s [to be considered] a leper. The Priest must absolutely pronounce him unclean because of the plague on his head.45Those who are lepers must wear unbelted clothing and they must cover their heads and their mouths, and they are to call out:‘Unclean!’46‘They are always to be unclean as long as they have the plague on them. They are to separate themselves and travel outside of the camp.47‘And if leprosy is found in any wool or linen clothing, 48or in anything that’s been woven with wool or linen thread, or in any leather or things that have been made with skin... 49Or if you find a greenish or reddish coloring in the skin or in the clothing, or in the weaving, or in anything made of skin... It’s a plague of leprosy, and you must show it to the Priest.50‘Then the Priest must examine it and quarantine it for 7 days.51‘Then on the 7th day, the Priest must examine it again; and if he finds that the plague has spread in the clothing, weaving, leather, or in whatever may be made from skin, it’s confirmed as leprosy and it’s unclean.52‘Then the clothing, or the wool or linen weaving, or the thing made of skin in which there’s the confirmed plague of leprosy, must be burned in a fire.53‘However, if the Priest sees that the plague hasn’t spread in the clothing, weaving, or things made of skin, 54he must instruct someone to wash the thing that held the plague, and the Priest will quarantine it a second time for 7 days.55‘Then if the Priest sees that the plague hasn’t changed its appearance in the clothing or woven things after it’s been washed – even if it hasn’t spread – it’s unclean and it must be burned in a fire. 56But if the Priest sees that the spot has turned dark after it was washed, he must cut it out of the clothing, weaving, or skin.57‘However, if it still looks the same in the clothing, weaving, or skin; it’s an active plague of leprosy and it must be burned in a fire.58‘But if the clothing, weaving, or thing made from skin washes clean, the plague has been removed. It must then be rewashed and be clean.’59These are the laws concerning the plague of leprosy on wool or linen clothing, weaving, and leather goods, to [show whether to] pronounce them as clean or unclean.

    14

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2This is the law about lepers:‘On the day that [a leper] has been cured, a Priest must be brought to him 3outside of the camp to look and see if the plague of leprosy has been removed.4‘Then the Priest must tell the cleansed person to obtain two live, clean birds, some cedar wood, some spun scarlet and some hyssop; 5and following the Priest’s directions, he must slaughter one of the birds in a clay pot over some running water.6‘Then [the Priest] must take the living bird, the cedar wood, the spun scarlet and the hyssop, and he must dip them and the living bird into the blood of the bird that was killed, under the running water, 7and he must [use them to] sprinkle [some of the blood on] the person who was cured of leprosy, 7 times… Then he will be clean.‘And thereafter, he must set the living bird [free] to fly into the fields.8‘After that, the person who was cured must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water; and then he will be clean and he can return to the camp… But he can’t enter his house for 7 days.9‘On the 7th day, he must shave all the hair off his head, beard, eyebrows, and everything else, then wash his clothes and his body in water, in order to be clean.10‘Then on the 8th day, he must take two perfect yearling lambs and one perfect yearling ewe, plus a quart of fine flour that has been kneaded with oil as a sacrifice, and one small cup of oil.11‘And the Priest who did the cleansing must present the man who is being purified, along with these [offerings], before Jehovah, at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs.12‘Then the Priest must take the lamb and present it as a compensation offering, along with the cup of oil, and set them aside as special offerings before Jehovah. 13Thereafter, they must slaughter the lamb at the Holy Place where they slaughter the whole-burnt offerings and sin offerings, because a compensation offering (like a sin offering) is very holy, and it belongs to the Priest.14‘Then the Priest must take the blood of the compensation offering and put some of it on the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe on the right foot of the person being cleansed.15‘After that, the Priest must take the cup of oil and pour it over his own left hand, 16then dip the finger of his right hand in some of the oil in his left hand, and sprinkle it before Jehovah with his finger, 7 times.17‘And the Priest must put the remaining oil (which is on his hand) on the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the person who’s being cleansed, where the [blood of the] compensation offering [was put].18‘Any oil that’s left over on the hand of the Priest should then be put on the head of the cleansed person, and the Priest must [use it to] pay for his sins before Jehovah.19‘Following that, the Priest must sacrifice the sin offering as a payment to Jehovah for the sins of the person who’s being purified, and then the Priest must slaughter the whole-burnt offering.20‘The Priest must offer the whole-burnt offering sacrifice on the Altar before Jehovah to pay for [the person’s] sins, so he can be cleansed.21‘However, if [the person] is poor and can’t afford much, he must bring a lamb as a separate offering to pay for his sins and to soothe his [relationship with God], plus a quart of fine flour mixed with oil for a sacrifice, a cup of oil, 22and two turtledoves or two young pigeons (whichever he can afford). One will serve as the sin offering and the other as the whole-burnt offering.23‘These must be brought to the Priest (before Jehovah) at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs on the 8th day, so he can be purified. 24Then the Priest must take the lamb of the compensation offering and the cup of oil, and set them before Jehovah.25‘After that, he must slaughter the lamb, and the Priest must take its blood and put some of it on the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the person who’s being purified.26‘Following that, the Priest must pour the oil over his own left hand, 27and sprinkle some of the oil that’s on his left hand with the finger of his right hand (before Jehovah), 7 times.28‘Then the Priest must put some of the oil that’s on his hand on the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the person who’s being cleansed, and over the blood of the compensation offering.29‘Any oil that’s left on the hand of the Priest must then be put on the head of the one who’s being purified, and the Priest must pay for his sins before Jehovah.30‘Thereafter, he must offer the turtledoves or young pigeons (whichever the person can afford); 31one for a sin offering, and the other for a whole-burnt offering. The Priest must use these to soothe the relationship of the person being purified with Jehovah.’32This is the law for the person who has the plague of leprosy and that can’t afford the offerings for his purification.33Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and said:34‘When you enter the land of the CanaAnites, which I’m giving you to own, I’ll [allow] the plague of leprosy to [exist] in the houses of the land that you’ll own. 35[So when it’s found], the owner of the house must report it to the Priest and say:‘I have seen what looks like a plague in [my] house.’36‘Then the Priest must have the furniture removed from the house before he enters it to look at [what’s described as] the plague, so none of the furniture in the house will become unclean.‘Thereafter, the Priest can go in and examine the house.37‘When he looks at [what’s called] the plague on the walls of the house, and if he sees green or red pits that run beneath the surface of the walls... 38The Priest must walk outside of the house, [close] its door, and quarantine it for 7 days.39‘And if the Priest returns to look at the house on the 7th day and finds that the plague has spread in its walls, 40then the Priest must order the [infected] stones to be removed and thrown into an unclean place.41‘Thereafter, the entire house must be scraped down and the dust must be poured into an unclean place outside of the city, 42and scraped stones must be used [to replace the removed] stones.‘Then the [whole house] must be re-plastered.43‘However, if the plague returns and breaks out in the house after they’ve taken away the stones and scraped and re-plastered the walls... 44The Priest must go in and see if the plague has [truly re-grown] in the house.‘[If so], it’s a confirmed leprosy in the house, [and the house] is unclean. 45So, they must tear down the houseall its timbers and all its stones – and carry everything outside of the city to an unclean place.46‘And anyone who enters that house at any time during its demolition must be [considered] unclean until the evening. 47Also, anyone who sleeps in the house or eats there must wash his clothes and be [considered] unclean until the evening.48‘But if the Priest goes in and sees that the plague hasn’t spread in the house at all after it’s been re-plastered, the Priest must declare the house clean, because the plague has been cured.49‘Then to purify the house, he must take two clean, living birds, some cedar wood, some spun scarlet and some hyssop, 50and he must slaughter one of the birds in a clay pot over running water.51‘Then he must take the cedar wood, the spun scarlet, the hyssop, and the living bird, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered under running water, and use them to sprinkle the house [with the blood] 7 times.52‘The house will then be purified with the blood of the bird, the running water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the spun scarlet. 53And after that, he must let the living bird go to leave the city for the fields in order to create a good relationship with [God] for the house, and to make it clean.’54This is the law about all plagues of leprosy and dead skin, 55as well as about the leprosy of clothing, houses, 56sores, clear spots, and shiny ones, 57to show what’s unclean and what to do when it’s cured.This is the law on leprosy.

    15

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and said:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:‘Whenever a man has gonorrhea in the male [member] of his body, his discharge is unclean.3‘This is the law concerning the uncleanness caused by gonorrhea in a body, and it describes the uncleanness that’s caused by the discharge that’s affecting his body, for as long as it keeps coming from his body, and of how his body is unclean due to the discharge.4‘Any bed or seat that the person (with the discharge) sits on, is unclean. 5So, anyone who touches the bed must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening. 6Also, anyone who sits on the seat where the person with the discharge sat, must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.7‘Anyone who touches the skin of the man with the discharge must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening. 8And if the man who has the discharge should spit on someone who’s clean, [the clean person] must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.9‘Any saddle that the man with the discharge has mounted must be unclean until the evening, 10and anyone who touches things that have been under him will be unclean until the evening.‘Also, anyone who picks him up with his hands must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.11‘In addition, anyone whom the man with the discharge touches (if he hasn’t washed his hands in water) must wash his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.12‘Any clay pot that the person with the discharge happens to touch must be broken... But, any wooden bowl can be washed in water, and it’ll be clean.13‘However, if [the man] should be cured of the discharge, he must wait for 7 days before he can be called clean.‘Then he must wash his clothes, take a bath, and he will be clean.14‘And on the 8th day, he must obtain two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them before Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, and give them to the Priest.15‘Then the Priest must offer one as a sin offering and the other as a whole-burnt offering. Thereby, the Priest will pay for [the man’s] sins before Jehovah, for the discharge.16Any man who ejaculates semen must wash his whole body and be unclean until the evening. 17And every piece of clothing, or any skin on which there’s semen, must be washed with water and be unclean until the evening.18‘Also, when any woman goes to bed with a man and receives his semen, they must both bathe in water and be unclean until the evening.19‘And during the week that a woman is experiencing menstruation; she must separate herself, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until the evening.20‘Also, everything that she lies on or sits on during [her period of] separation will be unclean. 21And whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and he will be unclean until the evening.22‘Also, anyone who touches any pot that she sits on, must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening. 23And when someone touches her while she’s lying in bed or sitting on a chair, he will be unclean until the evening.24‘But if anyone lies with her and gets her uncleanness on him, he will be unclean for 7 days, and any bed that he lies on will be unclean.25‘And if a woman has a blood flow for a long time (not just during her period of separation, but if her blood continues to flow after that), as long as it continues the unclean flow, she must separate herself and be unclean.26‘Then, any bed that she lies on during the outpour must be treated like the bed of her separation, and any chair that she sits on will be unclean, the same as it is during her period of separation.27‘Anyone who touches it will be unclean, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening.28‘However, after the [unusual] blood flow stops, she must wait 7 days... And thereafter, she will be considered clean.29‘Then on the 8th day, she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the Priest at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, 30and the Priest must offer one as a sin offering and the other as a whole-burnt offering. This is how the Priest must pay for her sins before Jehovah for her unclean flow.31‘You must make the children of IsraEl aware of what makes them unclean, so they don’t die for polluting My Tent while they’re unclean.’32These are the laws concerning: Men who have gonorrhea, Ejaculation (so that no one is polluted by it), 33 Women to be separated during their menstruation, How males and females are to deal with ejaculated sperm, and What to do with a man who lies with a woman during [her period of] separation.

    16

    1It was after Aaron’s two sons had died for bringing unauthorized fire before Jehovah that the Lord spoke to Moses 2and said:‘Tell your brother Aaron not to come before the Lid that lies upon the Chest of Proofs behind the veil in the Holy Place at just any time, so he doesn’t die! For I’ll appear in a mist over the Lid.3This is how Aaron may enter the Holy Place:‘[He must do so] with: A calf of the herd as a sin offering, and with... A ram as a whole-burnt offering.4‘He must wear the perfect linen tunic and the linen underwear to cover his flesh… He must wrap himself with the linen sash, put on the linen turban (for these are holy garments), and he must wash his entire body in water before he puts them on.5‘Then he must take two kids goats for a sin offering and one lamb for a whole-burnt offering on behalf of the gathering of the children of IsraEl.6‘Aaron must also bring a calf as a sin offering to cover his own sins and of those of his house.7‘Then he must take the two goats and stand them before Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs, 8and Aaron must cast lots over the two goats… One [will be] for Jehovah, and the other [will be] the Scapegoat.9‘Then Aaron must bring up the goat that the lot [showed was Jehovah’s], and sacrifice it as a sin offering... 10And the goat that was chosen by lot as the Scapegoat must be presented alive before Jehovah as a cleansing for [the people], then it must be sent away as the Scapegoat and released into the desert.11‘Thereafter, Aaron must bring a calf to cover his own sins and slaughter it as a sin offering, to cleanse himself and his house.12‘Then he must take his censer and fill it with coals from the fire on the Altar before Jehovah and fill his hands with fine mixed incense, then bring it inside the veil 13and put the incense on the [coals] there before Jehovah... This incense smoke must cover the Lid (under which the tablets that are inside the [Chest of] Proofs have been put), so he doesn’t die.14‘And after that, he must take the calf’s blood and sprinkle it eastward towards the Lid with his finger… He must sprinkle the blood towards the Lid with his finger, 7 times.15‘Then he must slaughter the goat before Jehovah as the people’s sin offering, and he must bring its blood inside the veil and do the same thing that he did with the blood of the calf… Sprinkle its blood on and in front of the Lid.16‘[By doing this], he will [cleanse] the Holy Place on behalf of the uncleanness of the children of IsraEl… For their errors and all their sins. He must do these things in the Tent of Proofs that was established there among them amidst all their uncleanness.17‘No one else may be inside the Tent of Proofs when he enters the Holy Place to cover sins – from the time that he enters until the time he leaves – as he pays for his own sins, for those of his house, and for those of the whole gathering of the children of IsraEl.18‘Afterwards, he must go outside to the Altar that’s before Jehovah and put the blood of the calf and the goat all around the horns of the Altar, to pay for these sins.19‘Then he must sprinkle some of the blood on the Altar with his finger 7 times, to cleanse it and to make it holy from the uncleanness of the children of IsraEl.20‘After Aaron finishes cleansing the Holy Place, the Tent of Proofs, and the Altar, he must hold a cleansing for the Priests.‘He must bring up the living goat, 21lay his hands on its head, and he must speak of all the errors of the children of IsraEl, all of their unrighteousness, and all of their sins. He must lay them on the head of the living goat, and then a man must lead it away into the desert.22‘[By doing this], Aaron will be sending all of their unrighteousness away into the desert on the head of that goat!23‘Thereafter, Aaron must go back inside the Tent of Proofs and remove the linen garments that he put on as he entered the Most Holy, and he must leave them there.24‘Then he must wash with water inside the Holy Place, put on his [regular] clothes, then go outside and offer one whole-burnt offering for himself and one for the people.‘By doing this, he will pay for his own sins, as well as for those of his house, those of the Priests, and those of the people.25‘Then he must offer the fat on the Altar as a sin offering.26‘Also, after the goat is led out of the camp and released [into the desert], the person [who leads it out] must wash his clothes and bathe in water before he reenters the camp.27‘As for the calf and goat for the sin offering whose blood was carried in to pay for sins in the Holy Place... They must be carried outside of the camp and burned in a fire… Everything must be burned, including their skin, flesh, and dung.28‘Then the person who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe in water… And thereafter, he may return to the camp.29‘This is a rule for you throughout the ages:On the 10th day of the 7th month, you must humble yourselves; and you, as well as the aliens and strangers that live among you must not do any work. 30For on that day, [the High Priest] must [offer the sacrifices to] pay for your sins and to cleanse you from all your errors before Jehovah… And this will purge them from you.31‘This must be a most Holy Sabbath for you – a time of rest – and you must humble yourselves… This is to be a rule throughout the ages.32‘Whichever Priest whom they [choose to] anoint must [offer the sacrifices] to pay for the sins.‘And whomever they choose to make perfect so as to serve in the Priestly office after his father, must put on the linen robe and the holy garments... 33He’s the [only] one who may [enter] the Most Holy inside the Tent of Proofs to pay for sins. He must then cleanse the Altar and the Priests, and pay for the sins of the entire gathering.34‘This must be your rule throughout the ages… That [he must offer sacrifices] for the children of IsraEl to pay for all their sins. And it must be done once each year, just as Jehovah commanded Moses.’

    17

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Speak to Aaron, his sons, and to all the children of IsraEl, and tell them that this is the command of Jehovah 3to all of the children of IsraEl, including the aliens that live among you:If you slaughter a calf, sheep, or goat [as a sacrifice] – whether inside or outside of the camp – 4[you must] bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs as a sweet smelling whole-burnt offering or as a peace-offering sacrifice to Jehovah for it to be accepted [by Him].‘If you slaughter it [as a sacrifice] outside and don’t bring it to the entrance at the front of the Tent of Proofs as a gift to Jehovah, you’ll be held guilty of shedding the blood, and you must be cut off from your people.5‘Any [clean animals] that the children of IsraEl might carry in from fields as an offering to Jehovah must be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs and to the Priest, who must then sacrifice it as a peace offering to Jehovah.6‘Then the Priest must pour its blood on and around the Altar before Jehovah and offer the fat as a sweet-smelling odor to Him.7‘Don’t waste [your time] by offering sacrifices in [spiritual] adultery. This is the rule for you throughout the ages and for all your generations.8‘And you must tell them:‘Should any man of the children of IsraEl (or of the sons of the converts who are living among you) offer a whole-burnt offering as a sacrifice 9and fail to bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Proofs and offer it there to Jehovah… He must be destroyed from among his people.10‘Also, if any man of the children of IsraEl (or any alien who’s living among you) eats any blood... I’ll set My face against that person who eats the blood and make him an enemy among his people!11‘For [the animal’s] blood is the life of its flesh, and I’ve given it to you [for use] on the Altar to pay for your sins… Its blood will pay for the sins in your lives!12‘That’s why I’ve told the children of IsraEl that none of you should eat blood, nor should any aliens that live among you eat blood.13‘And if any man of the children of IsraEl (or any alien who’s living among you) should catch an edible animal while hunting (whether a wild animal or a bird), you must pour out its blood and cover it with dirt... 14Because, the blood of all flesh is its life.‘Therefore, I have told the children of IsraEl not to eat the blood of any flesh, because the blood is the life of all flesh, and any person who eats it must be destroyed.15‘Also, anyone who eats anything that’s died on its own or has been [killed] by animals – whether [that person] is a native or an alien – must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening… Then he will be clean.16‘But if he doesn’t wash his clothes or bathe his body in water, he will continue to carry his sin.’

    18

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them [this]:‘I am Jehovah your God...3So, you must not do the things that were done in Egypt where you [used to] live, or follow the ways of the [people in] the land of CanaAn where I’m taking you… Don’t do these [things] and don’t follow their rules!4‘You must obey and follow My decisions and keep My rules… For I am Jehovah your God!5‘You must follow all of My rules and all of My decisions… Yes, follow them in such a way [that you learn to] live by them... For I am Jehovah your God!6No man may approach a close relative and uncover their nakedness... For I am Jehovah.7Don’t uncover your father’s naked [body], or your mother’s naked [body]… She’s your mother, so don’t [undress] her!8‘Nor should you uncover the naked [body] of your stepmother, because [that’s the same as uncovering] your father’s naked [body].9‘You must not uncover the naked [body] of your sister, whether by your father or by your mother, or whether she’s born at home or somewhere else.10‘Nor should you uncover the naked [body] of your grandchildren, because that is your own nakedness.11‘You must not uncover the naked [body] of the daughter of your father’s woman, for she’s your step-sister by your father. So, don’t uncover her nakedness.12‘You must not uncover the naked body of your father’s sister, because she’s your father’s closest relative.13‘Nor may you uncover the naked [body] of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s closest relative.14‘You must not uncover the naked [body] of your father’s brother, nor may you [have sex] with his woman, because she’s also related to you.15‘You must not uncover the naked [body] of your daughter-in-law, because she’s your son’s woman… So, don’t undress her!16‘Nor should you uncover the naked [body] of your brother’s woman, because that’s also your brother’s nakedness.17‘You must not [uncover] the naked body of a woman and her daughter, and you may not uncover the naked [bodies] of [the woman’s] grandchildren… For that would be disrespectful, since they’re also related to you.18‘Nor should you take your woman’s sister while [your woman is] still alive, because uncovering her sister’s nakedness would be offensive to her.19‘You must not [have sex] with a woman and uncover her naked body while she’s [sleeping apart] during her [menstrual period].20‘And you must not [have sex] with your neighbor’s woman and dirty yourself with her.21‘You must not give your semen to serve a ruler, and you must not profane My Holy Name… For I am Jehovah.22‘You must not go to bed with a male as [you would] with a female, because that’s disgusting.23Nor may you lie down and have sex with any animal, for that would pollute you... And it’s disgusting for any woman to offer herself before any animal to have sex with it.24‘Don’t dirty yourselves with any of these things, because these are the things that have dirtied the nations that I’m driving out from before you… 25They’re the things that are polluting their land, and they’re the reasons why I’m paying them back for their sins!‘For even the land is being offended by the people who live there!26‘You must keep all My Laws and all My rules.‘And the native peoples and the aliens that come to live among you may not do any of these disgusting things. 27Because, these are the disgusting things that the people who lived in the land before you did… And it polluted the land!28‘So, don’t offend the land by polluting it, as did the people whom I’m driving away... 29Any person that does any of these disgusting things must be destroyed from among your people.30‘So, you must keep My rules!‘You may not do any of the disgusting things that have been done [in the land] before you get there, and you must not pollute yourselves… For I am Jehovah your God!’

    19

    1And the Lord spoke to Moses, and said:2‘Speak to the gathering of the children of IsraEl and tell them this:‘You must be holy… For I, Jehovah your God, am holy!3‘Everyone must fear his father and his mother, and you must keep My Sabbaths… For I am Jehovah your God!4You must not bow before idols, nor may you mold [statues] as gods for yourselves… For I am Jehovah your God!5If you bring a peace-offering sacrifice to Jehovah, it must be offered willingly. 6It may be eaten on the day after you sacrifice it; but if any of it should be left over until the 3rd day, it must be totally burned in a fire. 7For if any of it’s eaten on the 3rd day, the entire sacrifice will be considered unfit and it will not be accepted.8‘Also, the person who eats it will be [guilty] of sin, because he’s misused the holy things of Jehovah; so he must be destroyed from among his people.9When you harvest your land, you must not completely harvest everything, nor may you pick up anything that falls on [the ground].10‘And when you pick the grapes in your vineyard, you must not gather them all… You must leave some for the poor and for strangers… For I am Jehovah your God!11You must not steal, you must not lie, and you must not provide false testimony as a witness against your neighbor.12‘You must not swear false oaths in My Name, nor may you misuse the Holy Name of your God… For I am Jehovah your God!13‘You must not do anything to harm your neighbor… You must not rob him, nor may the wages of a hired hand be withheld until the [next] morning.14‘You must not make fun of the deaf, nor set traps for the blind; for you must fear Jehovah your God… I am Jehovah your God!15‘You must never judge unrighteously... You must not mistreat poor people, nor may you show more respect to those who are powerful… You must be just when you judge your neighbors!16‘You must not march in treachery against your nation, and you must not spill the blood of your neighbors… For I am Jehovah your God!17‘You must not dislike your brothers in your hearts, and you must correct your neighbors [whenever they’re wrong], so you aren’t found guilty of sin because of something that they’re doing.18‘You must not raise your hands in vengeance or be angry with the sons of your people… You must love your neighbors as you [love] yourselves… For I am Jehovah, 19and you must obey My Laws!‘You must not allow your cattle to breed with other types [of cattle].‘You must not plant a vineyard with different types of seeds.‘You must not wear woven pieces of clothing that are made from different [materials].20‘If anyone goes to bed and has sex with a woman who’s the household servant of another man, and she hasn’t been sold or set free by the man’s overseer; they must [both] be punished, but not killed… Because, she wasn’t free.21‘Then for his sin, he must bring a ram as an offering for his error to Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Proofs. 22There, the Priest must use the ram that’s being offered to pay Jehovah for the sin that he committed, and then his sin will be forgiven.23‘And when you enter the land that Jehovah your God is giving to you and plant any fruit trees; you must first purge away the filth [of the land]. So, its fruit must be unclean to you, and it may not be eaten for three years.24‘But in the 4th year, all the fruit will be holy and worthy of praise to Jehovah. 25And in the 5th year, you must eat the fruit… For that’s when it’ll produce a great abundance… I am Jehovah your God!26Don’t hold feasts in the mountains, and you must not allow anyone to search for omens in the flights of birds.27‘You must not shave the hair on your head cut short, nor may you shave your beards.28‘And you must not make cuts on your bodies over [the death of a loved one], nor may you tattoo your bodies… For I am Jehovah your God!29‘You must not allow your daughters to become dirty by making them whores, so the land doesn’t become filled with prostitution and sin.30‘You must keep My Sabbaths and fear My Holy Place… For I am Jehovah!31‘You must not associate with or pollute yourselves with those who speak to [the demons], nor may you have anything to do with witches… For I am Jehovah your God!32‘You must rise before a grey-headed person… [you must] value the faces of elderly men, and you must fear your God… For I am Jehovah your God!33‘And if a stranger should come to [live among] you in your land, you must not make his life difficult:34‘You must treat strangers as natives, and you must love them as yourselves; for you were once strangers in the land of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God!35‘You must not be unrighteous in your judgments, in your measurements, or in your weights and scales.36‘You must all have honest weights, scales, and liquid measures… For I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt!37‘You must obey and follow all My Laws and rules… For I am Jehovah your God!’

    20

    1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2‘You must also tell the children of IsraEl this:If any of the children of IsraEl or any of IsraEl’s converts offer their [children] to Moloch, they must be put to death… The [people] in the land must stone him with rocks.3‘I’ll set My face against that man and cut him off from his people, because he’s given his [child] to Moloch and defiled My Holy Place, dirtying the name of My holy people.4‘And if anyone in the land should in any way choose to overlook what that person did by giving his [child] to Moloch, and fail to put him to death... 5I’ll turn My face against that man and his family, and destroy him and everyone who agrees with him, so he doesn’t go to the rulers and lead the people into [spiritual] adultery.6‘I will also turn My face against any person that commits [spiritual] adultery by becoming a follower of someone who predicts the future by means of [demons] or through witchcraft… I will destroy [such a person] from among his people.7‘For you must be holy as I Jehovah your God am holy. 8You must obey My rules and follow them; for I am Jehovah who makes you holy.9‘Any person who is found guilty of saying bad things about his father or mother must absolutely be put to death for the bad things that he says about them.10When any man commits adultery with another man’s woman, or when anyone commits adultery with his neighbor’s woman; both the adulterer and the adulteress must absolutely be put to death!11‘And if anyone is found guilty of lying down with his father’s woman; he’s uncovered his father’s nakedness, so both must absolutely die!12‘And if anyone is found guilty of lying down with his daughter-in-law; both must absolutely be put to death for their lack of respect.13‘And when anyone is found guilty of lying with a male as though he were a female; they’ve both done something disgusting, so they must absolutely die.14‘It’s also a sin when someone takes both a woman and her mother. They must all be burned in a fire for their badness, so there won’t be any sins among you.15Any male that [has sex with] an animal must absolutely be put to death along with the animal... 16And if any woman is found guilty of [having sex with] an animal; you must absolutely kill both the woman and the animal.17If anyone undresses his sister (by his father or his mother) so they can look at each other’s nakedness; it’s disgusting... They must both be destroyed in front of the other children in their family; for they’ve sinned by [looking at] each other’s naked bodies.18‘And whenever a man lies down with a woman who’s sleeping apart during [her menstrual period] and uncovers her naked body; He’s uncovering the source of her blood flow and seen her blood, so they must both be destroyed from among their generation.19‘You must not undress your father’s sister or your mother’s sister and look at the naked body of the close relative; for both will be guilty of sin.20Whoever [has sex] with a close relative has also uncovered the naked body of his [other] close relative, and they must [both] die childless.21‘And whoever [has sex] with his brother’s woman has done something that’s unclean; for he’s uncovered his brother’s naked body, so they must [both] die childless.22‘If you obey and follow all My rules and decisions, you won’t offend the land where I’m taking you to live. 23You must not [adopt] the customs of the nations that I am driving out before you, because I’ve disliked them for the things that they’re doing.24‘I’ve told you that you’ll inherit their land, and I’m giving you this land that flows with milk and honey as your own.‘For I am Jehovah your God who’s setting you apart from all those nations.25‘You must pay attention to the differences between the clean and unclean cattle, and the clean and unclean birds. You must not dirty yourselves with [unclean] cattle or birds, or with any of the things that slither on the ground… For I’ve separated you from such uncleanness.26‘You must be holy to Me, because I (Jehovah, your God) am holy, and I have set you apart from all other nations as Mine.27‘And if a man or woman is found guilty of telling the future by means of a [demon], or is a witch; he or she must absolutely be put to death... You must stone the person with rocks.’

    21

    1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:‘Speak to the Priests among the sons of Aaron and tell them that they must not [show themselves to be mourning] the dead in front of the nation. 2They may [mourn] for a close relative such as a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, 3or for a loved virgin sister who isn’t married… They may [show that they mourn] these.4‘However, they may not show their mourning in front of the people by appearing unclean. 5They must not shave their heads bald on top, nor may they shave their beards or cut gashes in their flesh over the dead. 6They must be holy to their God, and they may not profane the Name of their God.‘They must [remain] holy, because they offer the sacrifices to Jehovah as gifts to their God.7They must not take a woman who is a whore, one who’s been violated, or one who’s been divorced, because these [men] are holy to their God Jehovah.8‘They must remain holy, because they offer the gifts to their God Jehovah. They must be holy… For I, Jehovah (who makes them holy), am holy.9‘Also, if the daughter of a man who’s a Priest dirties herself by having immoral sex, she is dirtying the name of her father, and she must be burned in a fire.10‘The Priest who’s the chief one among his brothers – the one who’s been anointed by having oil poured over his head and who’s been made perfect to wear the [Priestly] garments – must not remove the turban from his head, or tear his clothes, 11or even get close to a dead body… No, he may not profane himself even for his own father or mother!12‘He may not leave the Holy Place and he must not make the Holy Place of his God unclean, because he wears God’s holy anointing oil… I am Jehovah.13[A Priest] may only take a woman who’s a virgin and from his own tribe14Not a widow, a divorcee, someone who’s been violated, or a whore. He may only take a virgin from his own people as his woman.15‘He must not profane his offspring among his people… For I am Jehovah who makes him holy.’16Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said,17‘Tell Aaron this:‘Throughout the generations, no man of your tribe who’s physically imperfect may be used to offer the gifts to his God... 18No one may be used who is: Blind, Lame, Has a disfigured nose, Deformed ears, 19 A crippled hand or foot, 20 Is a hunchback, Has cataracts, Has lost his eyelashes, Has open sores, Has a birthmark, or Has lost a testicle.21‘None of Aaron the Priest’s offspring who is physically imperfect may be used to offer sacrifices to your God because of an imperfection. Such ones must not go in to offer the gifts to God, 22for these gifts are very holy.‘He may eat the holy things, 23but he must not approach the veil or get close to the Altar because of his handicap. He must not dishonor the Holy Place of his God… For I am Jehovah who makes him holy.’24This is what Moses told Aaron, his sons, and all the children of IsraEl.

    22

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, and warn them to be careful with the holy things of the children of IsraEl, so they don’t profane My Holy Name in anything that they offer to Me in a holy way… For I am Jehovah!3‘Tell them that throughout their generations, any of their offspring who comes before Me to offer the holy things (whatever the children of IsraEl may bring to Jehovah) and do so while they’re unclean must be cut off from Me… For I am Jehovah your God!4‘And if any man who’s the offspring of Aaron the Priest should have leprosy or a running sexual discharge, he may not eat the holy things until he becomes clean. So, any of them who touches something unclean from a dead body, or who has ejaculated semen, 5or who has touched an unclean slithering thing that’s defiled him, or who has touched an unclean person… 6That soul will be unclean until the evening.‘So, he must not eat any of the holy things until he bathes his body in water 7after sundown… Then he will be clean and he can eat all the holy things; for they’re his [to eat] as food.8He must not eat anything that dies on its own or has been killed by wild animals, so he isn’t polluted by them… For I am Jehovah!9‘He must keep My rules so he doesn’t fall into sin over these matters and die because of making himself dirty… For I am Jehovah their God who makes them holy.10‘And no stranger may eat the holy things, including those who travel with the Priests or those who are hired by them.11‘But if a Priest purchases a [slave] with money, or if [such a one] is born in his house, he or she may eat the [holy] bread.12‘But if the daughter of a Priest should marry a stranger, she may not eat the offerings from the Holy Place. 13However, if the Priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced and has no children, and she returns to her father’s house as when she was young; she may eat her father’s bread… But no stranger may do so.14If a man [who isn’t worthy] should eat holy things in ignorance, he must return as much with 1/5th more added, and give the holy things to the Priest.15‘They must not profane the holy things of the children of IsraEl that are offered to Jehovah 16and thereby bring the sin of error upon themselves when they eat their holy things… For I am Jehovah who makes them holy.’17Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:18‘Speak to Aaron, his sons, and to the entire gathering of IsraEl, and tell them this:Any man among the children of IsraEl or any alien who lives among them in IsraEl that wishes to offer a gift as a confession (as they may choose) – whatever they may bring to Jehovah as a whole-burnt offering – 19must offer it willingly, and it must be a perfect male from his herd, or of his sheep or goats.20‘They must not bring anything to Jehovah that isn’t perfect, for I won’t accept it.21‘And whenever a man brings something to Jehovah from his herd or his sheep as a peace offering, or to fulfill a promise, or as a free-will offering; it must be perfect to be accepted… It shouldn’t have any flaws.22‘They may not offer anything to Jehovah that’s: Blind, Lame, Has its tongue cut out, Has warts, A running sore, or A scar.‘They must not offer any of these as burnt offerings on the Altar.23‘If a calf or a sheep is missing an ear or has lost its tail, you can slaughter it for yourself; but it’s unacceptable [as an offering] for your vows. 24This is [also true] of one which has been castrated or has had its testicles crushed… You must not offer it to Jehovah as a sacrifice in your land.25‘And you may not offer any of these gifts to your God at the hand of a stranger, because that would corrupt [the gift] and make it imperfect. So, [such practices] are unacceptable for you.’26Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:27Calves, sheep, and goats must suckle their mothers for 7 days from the time they’re born; and only after the 8th day may they be accepted as burnt-offering sacrifices to Jehovah… 28And you must not sacrifice a cow or an ewe and its young on the same day.29If you vow to offer a sacrifice to Jehovah out of sheer joy, you must offer it willingly! 30It must then be eaten on that same day and not left over until the next morning… For I am Jehovah!31‘You must keep My Commandments and obey them, 32and you must not profane the Name of your Holy One, for I must be made holy in the midst of the children of IsraEl.‘I am Jehovah who makes you holy and 33who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God… I am Jehovah!’

    23

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them that the feasts of Jehovah that you’re going to call ‘Holy Assemblies,’ are My feasts.3‘Therefore, you may work for 6 days, but the 7th day is the Sabbath, a [day of] rest and a Holy Assembly to Jehovah. You must not work on that day, for it’s a Sabbath to [Jehovah… And this covers] everything that you may do!4‘Here are the feasts to Jehovah… The Holy Assemblies that you are to [observe] in each of their seasons:5 The 14th day of the 1st month, from evening to evening, is Jehovah’s Passover.6 Then the 15th day of that month is the Feast of Fermentation-free bread, so you must eat fermentation-free bread for 7 days.7 The 1st [of these] days must be a Holy Assembly for you, and you must not work for anyone on that day.8 Then you must offer whole-burnt offerings to [Jehovah during those] 7 days. And the 7th day will be [another] Holy Assembly for you, [during which] you must not work for anyone.’9Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:10‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them:When you enter the land that I’ll give to you and you start reaping its harvests, you must bring a bundle of [cut stalks] from the first fruitage of your harvest to the Priest, 11and he must hold them up and wave the bundle before [Jehovah, in order for Him to] accept it from you.‘This must be done on the morning of the 1st day.12‘And on that same day, you must offer a perfect yearling lamb as a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah. 13Then, along with this offering of meat, you [must offer] 2 quarts (1.9l) of fine flour mixed with oil as a sweet-smelling sacrifice and a quart of wine as a drink offering to Jehovah.14‘You may not eat any new bread or roasted grain until this day that you offer the sacrifices to your God.‘This is a Law throughout the ages and throughout your generations for as long as you live.15‘Thereafter, you must count the days, starting from the day after the Sabbath (when you offered the bundle of grain that was waved before Jehovah) and after 7 full weeks, 16on the morning following the last week (or after 50 days), you must bring a food offering to Jehovah.17‘You must also bring two loaves [of bread] from your homes that are made from 2 quarts (1.9l) of fine flour baked with fermentation as an offering of your first fruitage to Jehovah.18‘And with the bread, you must bring 7 healthy yearling lambs, a calf from your herd, and two perfect male kid goats as whole-burnt offerings to Jehovah. These food and drink offerings are to be sacrificed as a sweet-smelling odor to Jehovah.19‘One of the kid goats must be sacrificed as a sin offering, and the 2 yearling lambs are to be offered with the first-fruit bread as a peace offering.20‘The Priest must set them aside with the first-fruitage loaves as an offering before Jehovah. They will be holy to Jehovah, and they’ll belong to the Priest who [offers] them.21‘You must designate this as an Assembly Day, and it must be holy to you; so, you may not work for anyone on that day. This is a rule throughout all your generations, wherever you may live.22‘And when you harvest your land, you must not reap everything in your field, nor may you gather anything that falls during the harvest. You must leave it for the poor and for strangers… For I am Jehovah your God!’23Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:24‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them:‘The 1st day of the 7th month will be a Sabbath, the Memorial of Trumpets... It will be a Holy Assembly. 25You won’t do any work for anyone else, and you’ll offer a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah.’26Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:27‘Also, the 10th day of the 7th month is to be the Day of Atonement [when you must pay for your sins]. It [is also] to be a [day of] Holy Assembly for you. You must be very humble [on that day] and present a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah.28‘You must not do any work on that day, for it’s a day when you must pay for your sins before Jehovah, your God.29‘Any person who doesn’t show humility on that day must be cut off from among his people. 30And any person who works on that day should have his life destroyed from among his people.31‘Also, you must not do any sort of work! This is a law throughout the ages and throughout all your generations, wherever you may live.32‘The 9th day of that month[that is, the 7th month], from evening to evening, is [also] to be a Holy Sabbath for you, and you must humble yourselves and keep your Sabbaths.’33Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:34‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:‘The 15th day of the 7th month and the next 7 days are to be the Feast of Temporary Dwellings to Jehovah:35 The 1st day must be a Holy Assembly [during which] you may not work for anyone.36 You must offer whole-burnt offerings to Jehovah for the next 7 days... Then the 8th day will be a Holy Assembly to you [during which] you must offer whole-burnt offerings to Jehovah. This is [to be] a free day, so you must not work for anyone.37‘These are the feasts to Jehovah that you are to call Holy Assemblies, [and during which] you are to offer burnt offerings to Jehovah… Whole-burnt offerings, food offerings, and drink offerings, each on its day.38‘This is in addition to the Sabbaths to Jehovah, to your gifts, to all your vows, and to all the free-will offerings that you’ll bring to Jehovah.39‘On the 15th day of the 7th month, after you have completely harvested all the fruitage of the ground, you must hold a feast to Jehovah for 7 days… And both the 1st and 8th days will be for resting.40‘On the 1st day, you must bring: A large amount of fruit from your trees, Some palm-tree branches, Some thick tree branches, Willow branches, and Branches from water willows.‘[All of this must be brought] as a rejoicing to Jehovah your God… [do this] for 7 days each year.41‘This is to be the law throughout the ages for all your generations… You must observe this in the 7th month. 42You must live in temporary structures for 7 days… Yes, all the native people of IsraEl must live in temporary structures, 43so your descendants can see that I made the children of IsraEl live in such structures when I brought them out of the land of Egypt… For I am Jehovah your God!’44So, this is how Moses explained Jehovah’s feast days to the children of IsraEl.

    24

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Talk to the children of IsraEl and tell them to bring pure, beaten olive oil [for use in] the lamp so that it may always be kept burning 3outside the veil of the Tent of Proofs.‘Aaron and his sons must keep it burning before Jehovah continuously from evening until morning.‘This is a law throughout the ages for all your generations... 4The lamps on the pure lampstand must be kept burning before Jehovah until morning.5‘Then you must take fine flour and make 12 loaves [of bread] from it. Each loaf should be made from 2 quarts (1.9l) [of flour].6‘Place them in 2 rows, 6 loaves per row, on the pure table before Jehovah, 7then pour frankincense and salt over each row. Remember to set these things and the loaves before Jehovah on each Sabbath.8‘They must continue to be set before Jehovah by the children of IsraEl as a sacred agreement throughout the ages. 9These will all be put there for Aaron and his sons, who must eat it inside the Holy Place… For this is their own very holy portion of the offerings that are made to Jehovah, as [part of] the Law of the ages.’[Editor note: The story resumes here.] 10Well, it so happened that there was this son of an IsraElite woman (whose father was an Egyptian) [who lived] among the children of IsraEl, and he got into a fight in the camp [with a man] whose mother and father were both IsraElites.11Then, [during the fight], the IsraElite woman’s son used God’s Name while cursing… So, they brought him to Moses (his mother’s name was ShalomIth, and she was the daughter of DaBri of the tribe of Dan), 12and they tied him up and held him for judgment by Jehovah.13Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:14‘Take the man who did the cursing outside the camp, and then everyone who heard [him cursing] must lay their hands on his head, as the whole gathering stones him to death![Editor note: The story continues in verse 23.] 15‘Thereafter, speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that whoever curses God is sinning, 16and whoever [curses] using the Name of the Lord must absolutely be put to death – whether he is a native or an alien!‘The entire gathering of IsraEl must stone him with rocks and he must die for [swearing vengeance in] Jehovah’s Name.17‘Also:Whenever a man strikes another man and kills him, he must absolutely be put to death. 18And whenever a man strikes [someone’s] animal and it dies; he must give a life for the life.19‘And whoever harms his neighbor must have the same thing done to him… 20Bruise for bruise, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever damage he does to a man must be done to him.21‘And if a man strikes a man and kills him, he must be put to death.22‘This one judgment must be the same for both the natives and the aliens… For I am Jehovah your God!’[Editor note: The story resumes here.] 23Well, after Moses said all these things to the children of IsraEl, they took the man who had done the cursing outside the camp and stoned him with rocks… The children of IsraEl did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.[Editor note: Now follows more laws. The story continues in Leviticus 26:3.]

    25

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses [while he was] on Mount SinAi and told him:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:‘When you enter the land that I’m giving to you, the ground must [be allowed] to rest during its Sabbaths to Jehovah.3‘You may plant your fields, prune your vines, and gather their fruitage for 6 years. 4However, the 7th year will be a Sabbath, during which the land must rest.‘During this Sabbath to Jehovah, you may not plant your fields, prune your vines, 5or gather anything that starts to grow of its own in your fields, nor may you completely gather all the sacred grapes; for it’s to be a year of rest for the ground.6‘However, during the Sabbaths on the land, [there’ll be enough] food for you and for your male and female servants, those who work for you, as well as for any aliens that live among you.7‘But, as for your cattle and the wild animals that live on your land... They may eat whatever they wish.8‘Thereafter, you must keep track and [count off] 7 Sabbaths of years (7 times 7 years) to make 7 weeks of years, or 49 years.9‘Then in the 7th month, on the 10th day of the month (on the Day of Atonement), you must sound a trumpet and send a proclamation throughout the entire land with trumpeting... 10For, that year (the 50th year) is to be holy, and you must proclaim a release on the land and on all that live on it… It’s to be a year of setting free.‘It’s a Signal to you that each person may then return to his home and his family. 11The 50th year must be a Signal of Release among you.‘So, you may not plant or harvest any of the produce that grows from the ground on its own, or gather any of its sacred fruit... 12For it’s to be the Signal of Release, and it must be holy to you, during which you must eat the [stored] crops that you’ve harvested from the fields.13‘In the year of the Release Signal, everyone must [be allowed] to return home...14‘So, if you sell [your land] to a neighbor, or if you should buy your neighbor’s [land], it must not be [held permanently]. 15You must count the number of years after each Release Year from the time that you purchase [land] from your neighbor, then [figure out] how many years [you may own it] and how much you’ll likely harvest from it… 16The more years, the higher the [land’s] value.‘So, when there are few years, there’s less value, since there’ll be fewer crops, and [the price] should be [set lower]. 17No man should oppress his neighbor, for you must fear your God Jehovah… I am Jehovah your God!18‘You must keep all My Laws and decisions and obey them. For if you follow and obey them, you’ll live in the land in safety, 19the ground will provide abundantly, you’ll have plenty to eat, and you’ll live there in security.20‘Now, if you should ask what you’ll eat during the 7th year if you don’t plant anything or pick your fruit; 21I will send My blessings in the 6th year, and the land will produce abundant crops during [the previous] three years.22‘Then you’ll start planting again in the 8th year and eat from your stored crops until the 9th year… Yes, until its crop comes in, you will eat from the stored crops.23‘Therefore, no land may be sold permanently, since all the land is Mine and you’re just aliens and travelers before Me! 24So, any land that you [buy] must also be repurchased.25If your brother who lives near you is poor and has to sell [you] some of his land, and his relative should thereafter come to assist him; he must be allowed to buy back the land that his brother sold. 26Or, if he has no such relative and he starts to prosper and finds enough money to buy it back himself... 27He must calculate how many years the land has been sold, and pay the person to whom he sold it a fair amount… And then it should be returned.28‘But if he hasn’t prospered enough to buy back the property; the one who bought it will own the land through the 6th year before the year of Release… Then it should be returned and its owner can go back to his land.29If anyone sells an inhabited house within a walled city, it [can be] bought back again before a one year buying-back time runs out...30But if it’s not bought back within that year, the house in the walled city will be transferred to the buyer throughout his generations – and it won’t be returned in the Release [Signal].31‘But houses in villages that don’t have a wall around them will just be considered like the fields of the countryside... They’ll always be available to buy back, and they’ll be returned [automatically] in the release [year].32The houses within cities owned by the Levites shall be always available to buy back by the Levites. 33And if anyone buys a Levite house, their purchased house will return in the Release [Signal]... Because the houses in the Levite cities are their possession within the children of Israel.34‘Also, the land reserved for their cities can’t be sold, because this is their age-long possession.35‘Also, if your brother who lives among you becomes poor and needs to [borrow some money] from you, you must help him as you would an alien or a traveler, so that your brother may continue to live among you. 36You must not charge him interest or [tell him] to pay you more; for you must fear your God… I am Jehovah!‘And you must [help] your brother to keep living among you.37‘You must not lend your money to him for interest, and you must not lend him any food and expect him to pay you back with more, 38for I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of CanaAn and to be your God.39‘And if your brother should become so poorly off that he sells himself to you, he must not serve and work as your slave… 40You must treat him like a hired person or as a traveler, and he will only work for you until the Year of Release.41‘Then, during the Release, he and his children will leave as a family, and they will hurry back to their family possessions, 42because they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.‘So, they can’t be sold as slaves, 43nor may you force them into hard labor... For you must fear Jehovah your God.44If you wish to purchase male and female slaves, buy them from the nations that live around you.45‘You may also buy the sons of the travelers who live among you. You may buy them and their relatives… All that live in your land may become your possession 46and may be left as an inheritance to your children after you, and be your [family] possession throughout the ages.‘However, you must never oppress your brothers of the children of IsraEl by forcing them to do hard labor.47‘And if an alien or a traveler who lives among you should become rich, and your brother who is in need is sold to the alien or traveler who lives among you, or to an [IsraElite] convert... 48After he’s been sold, one of his brothers must buy him back. 49An uncle, a cousin, or another close relative from his tribe must be allowed to buy him… Or if he gets wealthy, he may buy himself back.50‘The person who buys him must calculate how many years there were from the time that he sold himself until the Year of Release, and then pay the amount that would be paid to a hired person during that number of years.51‘And if anyone has [enough money] to pay [the wages] for all those years, he must pay the ransom. 52If there’s just a short time until the Year of Release, he will pay the ransom [for that short period].53‘[Also, the person who buys him] must treat him as hired help through the years… He must not be forced into hard labor!54‘And if he can’t pay his own fair ransom, he and his children must be set free in the Year of Release. 55For the children of IsraEl are My servants… They are My attendants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.’

    26

    1You must not mold [gods] for yourselves or carve them with your hands, nor may you set up stone pillars in your land to worship… For I am Jehovah your God!2You must keep My Sabbaths and be in fear of My Holy Place… For I am Jehovah![Editor note: The story resumes here, with God speaking.] 3‘If you follow My rules and keep My Commandments and obey them, 4I’ll give you rain in its season, the ground will produce its fruitage, and the trees in your fields will bear fruit.5‘Then, your threshing time will run through your fruit-picking time, and your fruit-picking time will run into your [planting] time. You will eat all the bread you want and you’ll live on your land in safety; for there’ll be no wars in your land!6‘Yes, I’ll bring peace to your land, so you can go to sleep and not fear anyone!‘I’ll also destroy all the bad animals in your land, 7and you’ll chase your enemies and they’ll be slaughtered before you... 8Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase tens of thousands! Then your enemies will be cut down before you with swords.9‘I will also watch over you, make you grow and multiply, and keep My Sacred Agreement with you... 10Then you may eat what’s old and very old, or throw out the old to make way for the new.11‘So... I will set up My Tent among you... And in My heart, there’ll be no hatred of you.12‘I’ll walk among you and be your God, and you’ll be My people!13‘I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt where you were slaves. I’m the One who broke the shackles of your [slavery] and paraded you away in front of [everyone]!14‘However, if you choose not to listen to Me and obey My rules… 15If you disobey them and your inner person comes to dislike My decisions… If you don’t keep all My Commandments and if you break My Sacred Agreement, 16these are the things that I must do to you: I will bring uprisings among you and make you uncomfortable. You’ll develop rashes, jaundice, fever, loss of eyesight, and your lives will be shortened. When you plant seeds, it won’t do any good, because your enemies will eat the [crops].17‘For if I set My face against you, you’ll fall before your enemies. Those who dislike you will chase you, and you’ll run even when there’s no one behind you!18‘And if you still refuse to listen to Me, I’ll have to discipline you 7 times as much for your sins, 19because I must break down your haughtiness and pride! I’ll turn your sky into iron, and your ground into brass, 20and all your hard work will be wasted... For the seeds in your ground won’t produce, and the trees in your fields won’t bear fruit.21‘And after that, if you continue to walk a crooked path and you aren’t willing to obey Me; I’ll bring 7 plagues upon you for your sins. 22I’ll send wild animals into the land to eat you and kill your cattle, so you will decrease in numbers and your [land] will become empty.23‘And if that doesn’t straighten you out and you keep walking a crooked path with Me... 24My Spirit will become crooked and I’ll walk a crooked path among you, causing Me to strike you 7 times for your sins!25‘I’ll bring swords against you to avenge My Sacred Agreement. Then when you run to your cities for safety, I’ll send death to you and you’ll be handed over to your enemies.26‘I’ll also bring a famine of bread among you; so then, it’ll take 10 women to bake your loaves in just one oven. And when they weigh out portions of bread for you to eat, you’ll still be hungry!27‘And if you still don’t obey Me but continue to walk a crooked path with Me... 28I’ll walk among you with an angry mind, and I must discipline you 7 times as much for your sins… 29So you’ll have to eat the flesh of your own sons and daughters!30‘I’ll also wipe away your stone columns and totally destroy the wooden [images] that you’ll make with your hands, then lay your dead bodies on the remains of your idols… For My soul will dislike you.31‘I’ll destroy your cities, empty your holy places, and [never again] smell the odor of your sacrifices. 32I’ll empty your land, and your enemies who live there will be amazed. 33For I’ll scatter you among the nations… You will be attacked with swords and destroyed, and your land and your cities will be emptied!34‘Meanwhile, the ground will enjoy its Sabbaths during all the time that it’s empty… 35As you’re living in the land of your enemies! Yes, that’s when the land will enjoy its Sabbaths… During all the time that it’s empty! For it’ll keep the Sabbaths that weren’t kept when you lived there.36‘I will put all who remain into bondage [as slaves] there in the land of your enemies, so that in your hearts, even the sounds of shaking leaves will chase you! You’ll run as though you’re running from a war and fall when no one is chasing you.37‘Brothers won’t have any regard for their brothers, like in a war. And although no one will be chasing you, you won’t be able [to be saved from] your enemies. 38You’ll die there among the ethnics, and the lands of your enemies will swallow you down. 39Then those who are left will perish because of their sins and the sins of their fathers… They’ll just waste away in the lands of their enemies.40‘However... If they should then confess their sins and the sins of their fathers, and [admit] that they’ve sinned and neglected Me, and that they’ve walked a crooked path before Me, 41and [admit that] this is the reason why I walked among them with a crooked mind and destroyed them, [sending them off] into the lands of their enemies… Yes, when their uncircumcised hearts become ashamed and they repent of their sins, 42I’ll once again remember the Sacred Agreement that I made with AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob.43‘I’ll also remember their land, and that land will still be waiting for them. For by then, the land will have enjoyed her Sabbaths during the time that they were gone.‘Yet, they must acknowledge their sins… That they neglected My decisions and they disliked My Laws in their [hearts]... 44But despite this, I still won’t fail to [keep an eye] on them while they’re in the land of their enemies, nor will I dislike them and void the Sacred Agreement that I made with them… For I am Jehovah, their God.45‘Then I’ll remember the Sacred Agreement [that I made with them] when I brought them out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of slavery before that nation, to be their God… For I am Jehovah!’46These are the decisions, rules, and the Law that Jehovah Himself gave to the children of IsraEl from Mount SinAi through the hand of Moses.[Editor note: The story in this book now ends, the remainder of the book is only laws. The story resumes in the next book, Numbers.]

    27

    1Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said:2‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:Whenever anyone wishes to make a vow to offer the value of a person to Jehovah:3 The value of a male between 20 and 60 years old must be 50 double-silver coins by the standards of the Holy Place.4 The value of an [adult] female must be 30 double-silver coins.5 The value for a male child between 5 and 20 years old must be 20 double-silver coins. And 10 double-silver coins for a female [child].6‘As for a child between 1 month and 5 years old: The value for a male must be 5 double-silver coins, and For a female, 3 double-silver coins.7‘And for those who are over 60, the value must be: 15 double-silver coins for a male, and 10 double-silver coins for a female.8‘But if a person is too poor to pay these values, he must go before the Priest, and the Priest will value him at whatever the man says he can afford in his vow; and that’s [the price] that the Priest must set for him.9When cattle are offered as gifts to Jehovah by anyone, they become holy. 10So, the [person] may not trade a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one... If someone does decide to make a trade, it must be with an equal… And both animals will be holy.11If [someone should bring] an unclean animal (which must never be offered as a gift to Jehovah), He must lead the animal to the Priest, 12and the Priest must determine whether it has any value. Then, whatever value the Priest sets is what must be paid for it.13‘And if he wishes to buy it back, he must pay 1/5th more than that amount.14If a man chooses to set aside his house as holy to Jehovah, the Priest must determine whether or not it has any value, and whatever value the Priest sets is what must be paid.15‘Then if he wishes to buy it back, he must pay 1/5th more for it than the valuation.16If a man should choose to designate a portion of a field that he owns as holy to Jehovah, it must be valued by whatever is planted there.‘It’ll be worth 50 double-silver coins for every 250 quarts (230l) of barley… 17That is, that’s how much it should be valued if he should [set aside] his field as holy on the Year of Release.18‘But if he donates his field sometime after the Release, the Priest must figure its value to the next Year of Release and deduct the appropriate amount from the full valuation.19‘However, if the one who made the field holy wishes to buy it back [before the Year of Release], he must add 1/5th more to its value and it’ll be his once again.20‘But if he doesn’t buy back the field, it may be sold to someone else… And then he can’t buy it back later. 21For after the Release, the field will be holy to Jehovah and thereafter be subdivided… Because the Priests will then own it.22‘And if a man should set aside a field to Jehovah that he’s bought and it isn’t a family possession... 23The Priest must calculate its value to the Year of Release, and that’s how much he must pay that day, as something holy to Jehovah.24‘Then in the Year of Release, the land must be restored to the man who sold it and [really] owns the land.25All the values must be determined by using the holy weights; a double-silver coin is worth 20 copper coins.26All the firstborn cattle are already Jehovah’s, so no man can [set them aside] as holy… Whether it’s a calf or a sheep, it belongs to Jehovah.27If [a man] should choose to buy back an unclean animal, he must add 1/5th more to its valuation. But if he doesn’t buy it back, it may be sold at its stated value.28Anything a man has that he chooses to curse before Jehovah, whether it’s a man, an animal, or a field that he owns... It may never be sold or taken back. Everything that’s cursed for destruction becomes very holy to Jehovah. 29And anyone from among mankind who’s cursed may never be ransomed, but must surely be put to death.30Anything in the land that’s to be offered, whether it’s seeds or the fruit of trees, is Jehovah’s… It’s holy to Jehovah.31And if any man should ever wish to buy back his offering, he must add 1/5th more to its [value], and it’ll be his.32A 1/10th of everything, including bulls, sheep, and anything else that’s taxable, is also holy to Jehovah.33‘So, you may never exchange anything good for anything bad, or anything bad for anything good... If you should make an exchange, it must be with an equivalent; and since it’s holy, it can’t be repurchased.’34These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses for the sons of IsraEl on Mount SinAi.


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