From the Greek Septuagint text as used by First Century Christians.
Written by Moses around 1549-BCE (according to our calculations) while the IsraElites were at Mt. Sinai.
Chapter 1
1 Then 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.
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], 5
and 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.
7 Then the sons of Aaron (the Priests)
must light a fire on the Altar and pile wood on the fire, 8 and the Priests must put the head and
the fat over the fire in the Altar, 9
then 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 toward 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. 13 Then 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.
15 The Priest must bring
it to the Altar, wring off its head and sprinkle its blood at the base of the
Altar. 16 And 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.
Chapter 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.
5 But if the gift of
fermentation-free fine flour is brought in a pan, 6 it 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 is to be offered as a sacrifice to
Jehovah [consists of whole loaves] that were baked in an oven, 8 they must be brought to the Priest, 9 and 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, and
no honey will be brought as a gift to Jehovah.
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.
15 You must also pour oil and frankincense
over it, because it is 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.
Chapter 3
1 ‘If the
gift to Jehovah is to be a peace offering and it is
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; [these 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, as well as [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, 8 put 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 is
thereafter to be burned to Jehovah.
Though the person
may keep the healthy, fat hind parts and loins, all the fat that is in and
around the belly, 10 as well as
the kidneys and the fat around them, the fat around the thighs, and the
membrane around the liver and kidneys 11
must be offered on the Altar by the Priest as a sweet-smelling odor and burnt
offering to Jehovah.
12 ‘And if
he is offering a goat, he must bring it before Jehovah, 13 put 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 through the ages of your generations
wherever you may live:
You must not eat the fat or the blood!’
Chapter 4
1 Then the Lord said to Moses,
2 ‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:
If a
person sins against Jehovah in a way that He says
you must not do in any of the Commandments, but he does it 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
has 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, seven times.
7
And he must put some of the calf’s blood on the horns of the incense Altar that
is 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 – the inner fat,
the outer fat, 9 the kidneys
and the fat on them, [the fat on] the thighs, and the membrane around the liver
and kidneys – and remove it.
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;
12
It 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 is
forbidden, shouldn’t be done, and is a sin against any of the Commandments of
Jehovah), 14 but they later
realize what they have 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, 17 then dip his finger in some of the blood and sprinkle it
seven 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, 20 dealing 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), 23 and then he realizes that he has
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.
25
Then 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, 28 and then
he realizes that he has sinned; he must bring a perfect female kid goat for the
sin that he has 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. 30 And 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. 31 Then 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.
33 He 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.
Chapter 5
1 ‘And if a person sins by witnessing, seeing, or knowing of
someone that has sworn an oath [of vengeance]
against another and fails to report it, he is guilty of a sin.
2 And whoever touches anything that is
dirty, such as the filth of animals, or dead things [such as] a dead unclean
animal or [the rotting] body of cattle, 3
or whoever touches any kind of filth from a man that would make him unclean –
even if he doesn’t realize it, but comes to know about it later – he has
sinned.
4 Or 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 has sinned by doing this.
5 He must admit that he has sinned 6 and [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.
9 Then 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 second [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 is 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.
13 So 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.’
14 And the
Lord spoke to Moses and said:
15
‘The person that is 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 a fifth 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 is 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 has truly been found guilty of sinning before Jehovah.’
Chapter 6
1 – 6
7 And the
Lord told Moses:
8 ‘Give Aaron
and his sons these instructions… 9
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 has been thoroughly burned and consumed by the fire (the
whole-burnt offerings) from the Altar and throw [the ashes] nearby.
11 And 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 is left. However, it must be eaten without fermentation inside the
courtyard of the Tent of Proofs… 17 and it must not be baked with any
fermentation.
I am giving a portion of Jehovah’s burnt offering to them, for it
is 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 through the ages.
for whoever touches them will
be made holy.’
19 And 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. 21
It 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 that is serving in his place) will offer it, and it must all be
burned.
This is to be a rule through the ages:
23 All the sacrifices for the Priests must be totally
burned and never be eaten.’
24 Then 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 are very holy.
26
The Priest that offers it must also eat it in a holy place in the courtyard of
the Tent of Proofs.
27 Anyone that 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 is very holy to Jehovah. 30
But, none of the blood of the sin offering that is carried into the Tent of
Proofs to pay for sins in the Holy Place may be eaten. It must be burned with
fire.
31 – 40
Chapter 7
1 ‘This is
the law of the Ram Offering for Errors, because it is 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 is on the loins and around the entrails, 4 as well as on the two kidneys and the
fat on them that is close to the thighs and on the lobe of the liver, which
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.
6 This [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 is brought as a whole-burnt-offering will
belong to the Priest.
9 ‘In
addition; any sacrifice that is baked, or grilled, or fried will belong to the
Priest that offers it.
10 And
every sacrifice that is 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 is 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 bead that is 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.
14
And along with his gift offerings, he must bring a portion that is to be set
aside for Jehovah, which will then belong to the Priest that 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 is 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 has 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 third day.
18 And if he eats any of the meat on the
third day, the sacrifices will have been rejected and are no longer accepted on
his behalf, because they are viewed as defiled.
So, the person that 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 is
clean.
20 And 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 that touches something unclean, such as the uncleanness of a person, or
of a four-footed animal, or something disgusting from anything that is unclean,
and then the person eats some of the meats of the Peace Offering that is
presented to Jehovah;
That person must be destroyed from among his people.’
22 Then 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 that eats the fat of cattle that he has
brought to Jehovah as an offering of submission must be destroyed from among
his people. 26 Nor may you eat
the blood of any cattle or birds in your home.
27 for any person that eats blood must be destroyed from
among his people.’
28 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said:
29
‘Speak to the sons of IsraEl and tell them that anyone that 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.
31 Then 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.
33 The 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 have 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 through
the ages for IsraEl, 35 since
this is [part of] the anointing of Aaron and his sons… it is 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, 36 and when He appointed them and anointed them from among
the sons of IsraEl as an age-long law through the generations.’
37 These 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, 38 in 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.
Chapter 8
1 Then 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; 3
then assemble the whole gathering at the entrance
to the Tent of Proofs.
4 So Moses
did just as the Lord told him. He assembled the gathering at the entrance to
the Tent of Proofs, 5 and Moses
told them:
‘This is what Jehovah has commanded us to do.’
6 So, he brought Aaron and his sons forward
and washed them with water. 7
Then he wrapped him in the robe, tied on the sash, and he put the tunic and the
Word of Judgment on him.
8 He 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.
9 Next, 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.
10 Then
Moses took the anointing oil 11
and sprinkled it on the Altar seven 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.
12 Then
Moses poured anointing oil on Aaron’s head to anoint
him and make him holy.
13 And
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.
14 Next,
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, 15 and 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.
16
Thereafter, Moses took all the inner fat plus the liver and kidneys and the fat
around them, and he offered it on the Altar.
17
Then 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.
18 Moses
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. 19 Then 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.
20 So 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.
21 After
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.
22 So 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.
23 Then
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.
24 Then 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.
25
And 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), 26 and put them all in the hands of Aaron
and his sons, who waved them before Jehovah.
27
Then 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.
28 Finally, 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.
29
Thereafter, 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.
31 Then
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 is left of the flesh and loaves in a fire. 33 And then you must stay inside the
entrance to the Tent of Proofs until the end of seven days. For in seven days,
He will make you perfect 34 in
the same way as He did on the day that the Lord commanded me to do this to pay
for your sins.
35 You must
remain inside the entrance to the Tent of Proofs for seven days and nights… you
must obey this rule of Jehovah so that you won’t die, for that is what Jehovah
God has commanded.’
36 Well, Aaron and his sons then followed the instructions that the Lord gave as commandments to Moses.
Chapter 9
1 It was on
the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons out before IsraEl’s elders.
2 And 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. 3
And 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, 4 as well as a calf and a ram as peace
offerings to Jehovah, along with fine flour that is mixed with oil, because the
Lord is going to appear among you today!’
5 So, just
as Moses commanded, they brought [the animals] to the Tent
of Proofs, and the entire gathering came and
stood before Jehovah.
6 Then
Moses said:
‘This is what Jehovah told us to do… for after that, the glory of
the Lord will appear among you.’
7 And 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.’
8 So Aaron
went to the Altar and slaughtered the calf as his sin offering.
9 Then 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.
10 Next, he offered the fat, the kidneys,
and the liver on the Altar as a sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded
Moses.
11 Then the flesh and
hide were burned in a fire outside of the camp.
12 After
that, he slaughtered the whole-burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons brought the
blood to him, which he poured all around the Altar.
13 Then they brought the whole-burnt
offering (which they had cut in pieces), and he laid the head on the Altar.
14 Then he washed the belly and feet with
water, and put them on the Altar.
15 Thereafter,
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.
16 Next, he brought the whole-burnt
offering, and he offered it in the proper way, 17 carrying the sacrifice in his hands and laying it on the
Altar beside the whole-burnt offering that had been offered up in the morning.
18 Then 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, 19 and 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, 20 as well as the fat on the breasts, and
offered it on the Altar.
21 Then
Aaron set aside the breast and right shoulder as a choicest offering before
Jehovah, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
22 Then,
after he had 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, 23 and 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.
24 Also, 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.
Chapter 10
1 Then 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 is quite different from what they had been
commanded.
2 And after they
did that, fire came from the Lord and consumed them, causing them to die there
before Jehovah.
3 So 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.
4 Then 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!’
5 So they
came and took them (while they were still wearing their [Priestly] outfits)
outside of the camp, just as Moses had said.
6
Then 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 will die,
because Jehovah’s anointing oil is upon you!’
Well, they did just as Moses told them.
8 Then 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 through the ages [for all your] generations!
10 For [you must be able to] recognize the
difference between what is sacred and what is profane, and between what is
clean and what is unclean!
11
And [you must] teach the children of IsraEl all the laws that [Jehovah gave]
them through Moses.’
12 Then
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 has commanded 14 that 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 through the ages, just
as the Lord commanded Moses.’
16 Well,
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 is 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!’
19 So 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 have done), would that be pleasing to the Lord?’
20 And when Moses heard this, he was pleased.
Chapter 11
1 Then 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. 4
However, 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 is
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 is unclean to you, 7
as are pigs, because they have split hoofs and claws on each hoof, but they don’t
chew the cud; so, they are also unclean to you.
8 You must not eat their flesh or touch their dead bodies,
because they are 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.
12
You 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, 14 vultures, 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, 18
ibis, pelicans, swans, 19
herons, sandpipers, and the like, as well as hoopoes and bats.
20 ‘Also,
all winged creatures that crawl on all fours are [to be considered] disgusting
by you.
21 You 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 grasshoppers and the like.
23
But, any [other thing] that crawls and flies is to be considered disgusting by
you; 24 and if you touch their
dead bodies you will be unclean and will remain unclean until the evening.
25 All that 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 that touches them will be unclean until the
evening.
27 Also, any wild
animals that walk on four paws are unclean to you, and anyone that touches
their dead bodies will be unclean until the evening.
28 If 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.
29 ‘These
crawling [animals are also] unclean for you among the slithering creatures:
weasels, mice, crocodiles, 30
ferrets, chameleons, geckos, newts, and sand lizards.
31 Among all the crawling animals on the
earth, these are unclean for you, and anyone that 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 is
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.
34 Any 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 are
unclean, and they are unclean for you.
36
Springs, pools, and moving water will be clean, but anyone that 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.
38 However, 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.
40 Whoever eats such a body must wash his
clothes and be unclean until the evening. And anyone that carries their bodies
must wash their clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.
41 ‘All 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.
43 You 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.’
46 These 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 that you might understand] the difference between what is clean and unclean, and between those that give birth alive that can be eaten, and those that shouldn’t be eaten.
Chapter 12
1 Then 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 seven
days, just as she is [considered] unclean during her monthly [menstrual]
periods.
3 Then on the eighth
day, she must circumcise [her son’s] foreskin flesh.
4 And for [the next] thirty-three 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
fourteen days, and for the next sixty-six 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.’
Chapter 13
1 Then 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), 3 and the Priest should examine the spot.
If the hair in
the spot has turned white and the spot is under the skin, it is leprosy; so,
the Priest that 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 seven days.
5 Then on the seventh 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 seven more days.
6 Then on the seventh 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, 8 and 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 is leprosy.
9 ‘If a man
[thinks he] has the plague of leprosy, he must go to the Priest 10 and 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; 11 this is leprosy that has matured in the skin. So the
Priest must pronounce him unclean and quarantine him, because he is 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, 13 and this is what the Priest finds;
{Look!} the Priest must pronounce him clean of the plague, because once
everything has turned white, he is 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 is 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, 17 and the Priest must examine him.
If
he then sees that the plague has all turned white, the Priest must
pronounce him clean, for he is clean.
18 ‘And if
[anyone] should develop a sore in his skin that heals, 19 then 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 is
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.
21 But if the Priest finds that there is
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 seven days.
22 And if he finds that it is 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 is 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; 25 the Priest should examine him.
If he
finds the hair turning white and that the bright color is under the skin,
leprosy has broken out. 26 But
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 seven
days.
27 Then on the seventh
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, 30 the Priest must examine it.
And if he
finds that it is 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 is 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 is no yellowish hair; the Priest must
quarantine the person for seven days.
32
Then on the seventh day, the Priest must examine the person again. And if the
dead skin hasn’t spread and there is no yellowish hair on it, and there doesn’t
appear to be a hollow spot under the skin, 33
the skin must be shaved everywhere except where the dead skin is, and the
person should be quarantined a second time… for seven more days.
34 Then on the seventh 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 has been purified; 36 the 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 is clean; so, the Priest must pronounce him clean.
38 ‘Now, if
a man or woman develops bright white spots on his or her skin, 39 the Priest must look at it.
And if he
just finds bright white spots on the skin, it is psoriasis and he or she is
clean.
40 [The same is true]
when someone starts losing his hair; he is just balding and he is clean.
41 If 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 is 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, 44 he is [to be considered] a leper.
The
Priest must absolutely pronounce him unclean because of the plague on his head.
45 ‘Those
that 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, 48 or in anything that has been woven with
wool or linen thread, or in any leather or things that have been made with
skin; 49 or 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 is a plague of leprosy, and you must show it to
the Priest.
50 Then the Priest
must examine it and quarantine it for seven days.
51 ‘Then on
the seventh 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 is confirmed as leprosy and it is unclean.
52 Then the clothing, or the wool or linen
weaving, or the thing made of skin in which there is 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; 54 he must
instruct someone to wash the thing that held the plague, and the Priest will
quarantine it a second time for seven days.
55
Then if the Priest sees that the plague hasn’t changed its appearance in the
clothing or woven things after it has been washed (even if it hasn’t spread),
it is unclean and it must be burned in a fire.
56 But 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 is 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.’
59 These 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.
Chapter 14
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and said,
2 ‘This is the law about lepers:
On the day that [a leper] has been cured, a
Priest must be brought to him 3
outside 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; 5 and 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, 7
and he must [use them to] sprinkle [some of the blood on] the person that was
cured of leprosy, seven 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 that 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 seven days.
9 ‘On the seventh 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 eighth 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 that did
the cleansing must present the man that 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.
13 Thereafter, 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, 16 then dip the finger of his right hand
in some of the oil in his left hand, and sprinkle it before Jehovah with his
finger, seven 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 that is being cleansed, where the [blood of the] compensation
offering [was put].
18 Any oil
that is 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 that is 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, 22 and 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 eighth day, so he can be
purified.
24 Then 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 that is being purified.
26 ‘Following
that, the Priest must pour the oil over his own left hand, 27 and sprinkle some of the oil that is on
his left hand with the finger of his right hand (before Jehovah), seven times.
28 Then the Priest must put some of the
oil that 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 that is being cleansed,
and over the blood of the compensation offering.
29 Any oil that is left on the hand of the Priest must then
be put on the head of the one that is 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); 31 one 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.’
32 This is the law for the person that has the plague of leprosy and that can’t afford the offerings for his purification.
33 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and said:
34
‘When you enter the land of the CanaAnites, which I am giving you to own, I
will [allow] the plague of leprosy to [exist] in the houses of the land that
you will own.
35 [So when it is
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 is 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 is 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; 38 the Priest must walk outside of the
house, [close] its door, and quarantine it for seven days.
39 And if the Priest returns to look at
the house on the seventh day and finds that the plague has spread in its walls;
40 then 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, 42 and 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 have taken away
the stones and scraped and re-plastered the walls; 44 the Priest must go in and see if the plague has [truly
re-grown] in the house.
[If so], it is a confirmed leprosy in the house, [and
the house] is unclean.
45 So,
they must tear down the house – all its timbers and all its stones – and carry
everything outside of the city to an unclean place. 46 And anyone that enters that house at any
time during its demolition must be [considered] unclean until the evening.
47 Also, anyone that 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 has 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, 50
and 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] seven 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.
53 And 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.’
54 This is the law about all plagues of leprosy and dead skin, 55 as well as about the leprosy of clothing, houses, 56 sores, clear spots, and shiny ones, 57 to show what is unclean and what to do when it is cured. This is the law on leprosy.
Chapter 15
1 Then 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 is caused by the discharge that is 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. 5 So, anyone that touches the bed must wash
his clothes, take a bath, and be unclean until the evening.
6 Also, anyone that 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
that touches the skin of the man with the discharge must wash his clothes, take
a bath, and be unclean until the evening.
8
And if the man that has the discharge should spit on someone that is 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, 10 and anyone that touches
things that have been under him will be unclean until the evening.
Also, anyone
that 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 will be clean.
13 ‘However,
if [the man] should be cured of the discharge; he must wait for seven 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
eighth 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.
16 ‘Any man
that ejaculates semen must
wash his whole body and be unclean until the evening.
17 And every piece of clothing, or any
skin on which there is 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 that 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. 21 And whoever touches her bed must wash
his clothes, bathe in water, and he will be unclean until the evening.
22 Also, anyone that touches any pot that
she sits on, must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until the
evening.
23 And 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 seven 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 that 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 seven days; and thereafter,
she will be considered clean.
29
Then on the eighth day, she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and
bring them to the Priest at the entrance to the Tent
of Proofs, 30 and 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 are unclean.
32
These are the laws concerning men that have gonorrhea, concerning their
ejaculation (so, no one is polluted by it), 33
for women to be separated during their menstruation, how males and females are
to deal with ejaculated sperm, and what to do with a man that lies with a woman
during [her period of] separation.’
Chapter 16
1 It was
after Aaron’s two sons had died for bringing unauthorized fire before Jehovah
that the Lord spoke to Moses 2 and said:
‘Tell your brother Aaron not
to come before the Propitiatory 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 will appear in a mist over the
Propitiatory.
3 ‘This 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, 8 and 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.
10 And
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 13 and put the incense on
the [coals] there before Jehovah.
This incense smoke must cover the
Propitiatory (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 toward
the Propitiatory with his finger… he must sprinkle the blood toward the Propitiatory
with his finger, seven 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 Propitiatory.
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 ‘Afterward,
he must go outside to the Altar that is 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 seven 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, 21 lay 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 [that 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 that 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 through the ages:
On the tenth day of
the seventh month, you must humble yourselves; and you, as well as the aliens
and strangers that live among you must not do any work. 30 For 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
through the ages.
32 ‘Whichever
Priest that 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.
33 He’s the [only] one that 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 through 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.’
Chapter 17
1 Then 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 3 to 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
outside and don’t bring it to the entrance at the front of the Tent of Proofs
as a gift to Jehovah, you will 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
‘Do not waste [your time] by offering
sacrifices in [spiritual] adultery.
This is the rule for you through 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 that are living among you
offer a whole-burnt offering as a sacrifice 9 and 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 that is living among you eats any blood; I will set My face
against that person that 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 have 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 is 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 that is 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; 14
because, 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 that eats it must be destroyed.
15 Also, anyone who eats anything that has
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.’
Chapter 18
1 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
2
‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them [this]:
I am Jehovah your God!
3 So, 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 am
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!
6
‘No man may approach a close relative and uncover his/her nakedness;
for, I am Jehovah.
7 Don’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 is 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 stepsister 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 is 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 are 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 sperm in service to 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 is disgusting.
23
Nor may you lie down and have sex with any animal, for that would
pollute you.
And it is 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… 25
they’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 that 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. 27
Because, 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 that I am driving away.
29 Any 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!’
Chapter 19
1 And 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!
4 ‘You must not bow before idols, nor may you mold [statues] as gods for yourselves… for I am Jehovah your God!
5 ‘If you bring a peace-offering sacrifice to
Jehovah, it must be offered willingly.
6
It may be eaten on the day after you sacrifice it; but if any of it
should be left over until the third day, it must be totally burned in a fire. 7 For if any of it is eaten on the third day,
the entire sacrifice will be considered unfit and it will not be accepted.
8 Also, the person that eats it will be
[guilty] of sin, because he has misused the holy things of Jehovah; so he must
be destroyed from among his people.
9
‘When 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!
11 ‘You 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 that 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 are wrong], so you
aren’t found guilty of sin because of something that they are 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, 19 and 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; and 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 that is 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.
22 There, the Priest must use the ram that is
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
fourth year, all the fruit will be holy and worthy of praise to Jehovah.
25 And in the fifth year, you must eat the
fruit… for that’s when it will produce a great abundance… I am Jehovah your
God!
26 ‘Don’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 that 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!’
Chapter 20
1 And 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 will set My face against that man and cut
him off from his people, because he has 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;
5
I will turn My face against that man and his family, and destroy him
and everyone that 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 that 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.
8 You must obey My rules and follow them; for
I am Jehovah who makes you holy.
9 ‘Any person that 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.
10 ‘When 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 has 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 have both done something disgusting, so they must absolutely die.
14
‘It is 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.
15 ‘Any male that [has sex with] an animal
must absolutely be put to death along with the animal.
16 And if any woman is found guilty of [having
sex with] an animal; you must absolutely kill both the woman and the animal.
17
‘If anyone undresses
his sister (by his father or his mother) so they can look at each other’s
nakedness; it is disgusting.
They must both be destroyed in front of the other
children in their family; for they have sinned by [looking at] each other’s
naked bodies.
18
‘And whenever a man lies down with a woman
that is sleeping apart during [her menstrual period] and uncovers her naked
body;
He is 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.
20
Whoever [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 is unclean; for he has 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 am taking you to live.
23 You must not [adopt] the customs of the
nations that I am driving out before you, because I have disliked them for the
things that they are doing.
24
I have told you that you will inherit their land, and I am giving you
this land that flows with milk and honey as your own.
For I am Jehovah your God
who is 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
have 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.’
Chapter 21
1 And 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.
2 They may
[mourn] for a close relative such as a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, 3 or for a loved virgin sister that 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.
5
They must not shave their heads bald on top, nor may they shave their beards or
cut gashes in their flesh over the dead.
6
They 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.
7 ‘They must
not take a woman that is a whore, one that has been violated, or one that has 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 that is 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 that is the chief one among his brothers – the one that has been anointed by having oil poured over his head and who
has been made perfect to wear the [Priestly]
garments – must not remove the turban from his head, or tear his clothes, 11 or 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 that is a virgin and
from his own tribe… 14 not a
widow, a divorcee, someone that has been violated, or a whore.
He may only take
a virgin from his own people as his woman.
15
He must not profane his seed among his people… for I
am Jehovah who makes him
holy.’
16 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
17
‘Tell Aaron this:
Through the generations, no man of your tribe that is
physically imperfect may be used to offer the gifts to his God.
18 No one may be used that 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 seed that 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, 22 for
these gifts are very holy.
He may eat the holy things, 23 but 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.’
24 This is what Moses told Aaron, his sons, and all the children of IsraEl.
Chapter 22
1 Then 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 seed that comes before Me to offer
the holy things (whatever the children of IsraEl may bring to Jehovah) and do
so while they are unclean must be cut off from Me… for I am Jehovah your God!
4 ‘And if
any man that is the seed 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 that touch something unclean from a dead body, or that have
ejaculated sperm, 5 or that have
touched an unclean slithering thing that has defiled
him, or that touches an unclean person… 6
that soul will be unclean until the evening.
So, he must not eat any of the
holy things until he bathes his body in water 7
after sundown… then he will be clean and he can eat all the holy things; for
they are his as food.
8 ‘He 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 that travel with the Priests
or those that 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.
13
However, 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.
14 ‘If a man [that isn’t worthy] should eat holy things in ignorance, he must return as much with a fifth 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 16 and thereby bring the sin of error upon themselves when they eat their holy things… for I am Jehovah who makes them holy.’
17 Then 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 that 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 – 19
must 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 is 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 is unacceptable [as an offering] for your vows.
24 This is [also true] of one that 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.’
26 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
27
‘Calves, sheep, and goats must suckle their mothers for seven days from the
time they are born; and only after the eighth day may they be accepted as
burnt-offering sacrifices to Jehovah… 28
and you must not sacrifice a cow or an ewe and its young on the same day.
29 ‘If you
vow to offer a sacrifice to Jehovah out of sheer joy, you must offer it
willingly!
30 It 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, 32
and 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 33 who brought you out of the land of
Egypt to be your God… I am Jehovah!’
Chapter 23
1 Then 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 six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath, a
[day of] rest and a Holy Assembly to Jehovah.
You must not work on that day,
for it is 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
fourteenth day of the first month, from evening to evening, is Jehovah’s
Passover.
6 Then the fifteenth day of that month is the Feast of
Fermentation-free bread, so you must eat fermentation-free bread for seven
days.
7 The first [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] seven days.
And the seventh day
will be [another] Holy Assembly for you, [during which] you must not work for
anyone.’
9 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
10
‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them:
When you enter the land that
I will 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, 11 and 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 first day.
12 ‘And
on that same day, you must offer a perfect
yearling lamb as a whole-burnt offering to Jehovah.
13 Then, along with this offering of meat,
you [must offer] two quarts 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 through 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 seven full
weeks, 16 on the morning
following the last week (or after fifty 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 two quarts
of fine flour baked with fermentation as an offering of your first fruitage to
Jehovah.
18 ‘And
with the bread, you must bring seven 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 two 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 will belong to the Priest that [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!’
23 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
24
‘Also, the tenth day of the seventh 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.
25 You must not do any
work on that day, for it is a day when you must pay for your sins before
Jehovah, your God.
26 – 27 – 28
– 29 Any person that doesn’t show humility on that day must be
cut off from among his people. 30
And any person that 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 through the ages and throughout all your
generations, wherever you may live.
32 ‘The ninth day of that month, from evening to evening, is [also] to be a holy Sabbath for you, and you must humble yourselves and keep your Sabbaths.’
33 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
34
‘Speak to the children of IsraEl and tell them this:
The fifteenth day of
the seventh month and the next seven days are to be the Feast of Temporary Dwellings to Jehovah.
35 The first 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 seven days, and then the eighth 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 will bring to Jehovah.
39 ‘On
the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have completely harvested all
the fruitage of the ground, you must hold a feast to Jehovah for seven days…
and both the first and eighth days will be for resting.
40 On the first 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, as a rejoicing to
Jehovah your God… [do this] for seven days each year.
41 ‘This
is to be the law through the ages for all your generations… you must observe
this in the seventh month.
42
You must live in temporary structures for seven days… yes, all the native
people of IsraEl must live in temporary structures, 43 so 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!’
44 So, this is how Moses explained Jehovah’s feast days to the children of IsraEl.
Chapter 24
1 Then 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 3
outside 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 through the ages for all your
generations.
4 The lamps on the
pure lampstand must be kept burning before Jehovah until morning.
5 ‘Then you
must take fine flour and make twelve loaves [of bread] from it.
Each loaf
should be made from two quarts [of flour].
6 Place them in two rows, six loaves per
row, on the pure table before Jehovah, 7
then 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 through the ages.
9
These 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.’
10 Well, it
so happened that there was this son of an IsraElite woman (whose father was an
Egyptian) [that 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.
11 Then,
[during the fight], the son of the IsraElite woman 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), 12 and they tied him up and held him for
judgment by Jehovah.
13 Then the
Lord spoke to Moses and said,
14
‘Take the man that 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.
15 Thereafter, speak to the sons of IsraEl and
tell them that whoever curses God is sinning, 16
and 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.
18 And 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… 20
bruise 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!’
23 Well, after Moses said all these things to the children of IsraEl, they took the man that had done the cursing outside the camp and stoned him with rocks… the children of IsraEl did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
Chapter 25
1 Then 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 am 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 six years. 4 However, the seventh 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, 5
or gather anything that starts to grow of its own in your fields, nor
may you completely gather all the sacred grapes; for that is to be a year of
rest for the ground.
6 However, during
the Sabbaths on the land, [there will be enough] food for you and for your male
and female servants, those that 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] seven Sabbaths of years (seven times seven years) to make seven weeks of
years, or forty-nine years.
9
Then in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month (on the Day
of Atonement), you must sound a trumpet and send a proclamation throughout the
entire land with trumpeting.
10
For, that year (the fiftieth year) is to be holy, and you must proclaim
a release on the land and on all that live on it… it is 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.
11 ‘The fiftieth 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. 12 for it is to
be the Signal of Release, and it must be holy to you, during which you must eat
the [stored] crops that you have 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].
15 You 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 will likely
harvest from it… 16 the more
years, the higher the [land’s] value.
So, when there are few years, there is
less value, since there will be fewer crops, and [the price] should be [set
lower].
17 No 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 will live in the land in safety, 19 the ground will provide abundantly, you will have plenty to eat, and you will live there in security.
20 ‘Now, if you should ask what you will eat
during the seventh year if you don’t plant anything or pick your fruit; 21 I will send My blessings in the sixth year,
and the land will produce abundant crops during [the previous] three years.
22 Then you will start planting again in the
eighth year and eat from your stored crops until the ninth 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 are just aliens and travelers
before Me.
24 So, any land that you [buy] must also be
repurchased.
25 If your
brother that 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.
26
Or if he has no such relative and he starts to prosper and finds
enough money to buy it back himself; 27
he 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 that bought it will own the land through the sixth
year before the year of Release… then it should be returned and its owner can
go back to his land.
29 – 30 – 31 – 32 – 33 – 34 –
35 ‘Also, if your brother that 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.
36 You 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, 38 for 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 bad
off that he sells himself to you; he must not serve and work as your slave… 40 you 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, 42 because they are My servants whom I brought
out of the land of Egypt.
So, they can’t be sold as slaves, 43 nor may you force them into hard labor; for
you must fear Jehovah your God.
44 ‘If 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
that live among you. You may buy them and their relatives… all that live in
your land may become your possession 46
and may be left as an inheritance to your children after you, and be
your [family] possession through 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 that lives
among you should become rich, and your brother that is in need is sold to the
alien or traveler that lives among you, or to an [IsraElite] convert;
48 After he has been sold, one of his brothers
must buy him back. 49 An 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 that 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.
52 If there is just a short time until the
Year of Release; he will pay the ransom [for that short period].
53 [Also, the person that 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. 55 for the children of IsraEl are My servants…
they are My attendants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt.
Chapter 26
1
‘You 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!
2
You must keep My Sabbaths and be in fear of My Holy Place… for I am
Jehovah!
3
‘If you follow My rules and keep My
Commandments and obey them, 4
I will 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 will live on your
land in safety; for there will be no wars in your land.
6 Yes, I will bring peace to your land, so
you can go to sleep and not fear anyone! I will also destroy all the bad
animals in your land, 7 and you will
chase your enemies and they will be slaughtered before you.
8 Five 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.
10 Then you may eat that which is old and very
old, or throw out the old to make way for the new.
11 ‘So, I will pitch My Tent among you, and in My heart, there will be no
hatred of you.
12 I will walk
among you and be your God, and you will 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… 15 if you disobey them and your lives come to dislike My decisions… if you don’t keep all My Commandments and if you break My Sacred Agreement, 16 these are the things that I must do to you:
‘I will bring
uprisings among you and make you uncomfortable.
You will 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 will
fall before your enemies.
Those that dislike you will chase you, and you will
run even when there’s no one behind you!
18
‘And if you still refuse to listen to Me, I
will have to discipline you seven times as much for your sins, 19 because I must break down your haughtiness
and pride.
I will turn your sky into iron and your ground into brass, 20 and 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 will bring seven plagues upon
you for your sins.
22 I will 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 continue to walk a crooked path with Me;
24 My Spirit will become crooked and I will
walk a crooked path among you, causing Me to strike you seven times for your
sins.
25 I will bring swords against you to avenge
My Sacred Agreement.
Then when you run to your
cities for safety, I will send death to you and you’ll be handed over to your
enemies.
26 I will also bring a famine of bread among
you; so then, it will take ten women to bake your loaves in just one oven. And when
they weigh out portions of bread for you to eat, you will still be hungry.
27
‘And if you still don’t obey Me but
continue to walk a crooked path with Me;
28 I will walk among you with an angry mind, and I must discipline you
seven times as much for your sins… 29 so you will have to eat the flesh of your
own sons and daughters!
30 I will 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 will destroy your cities, empty your
holy places, and [never again] smell the odor of your sacrifices.
32 I will empty your land, and your enemies
that live there will be amazed.
33
For I will 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… 35 as 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 will keep the Sabbaths that weren’t kept when you lived
there.
36
‘I will put all that 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 will 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, as in a war. And though no one will be chasing you, you won’t be able
[to be saved from] your enemies.
38
You will die there among the ethnics, and the lands of your enemies
will swallow you down.
39 Then those who
are left will perish because of their sins and the sins of their fathers… they
will 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 have sinned and
neglected Me, and that they have walked a crooked path before Me, 41 and [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, 42
I will once again remember the Sacred Agreement that I made with
AbraHam, IsaAc, and Jacob.
43 I will 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].
44 But despite
this, I still won’t fail to [keep an eye] on them while they are 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 will 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!
46 ‘These are My decisions, My rules, and the Law that Jehovah Himself gave to the children of IsraEl from Mount Sinai through the hand of Moses.’
Chapter 27
1 Then 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 life to Jehovah;
3 the value of a male between twenty and
sixty years old must be fifty double-silver coins by the standards of the Holy
Place.
4 The value of a female must be thirty
double-silver coins, 5 and the value
for a male child between five and twenty years old must be twenty double-silver
coins, and ten double-silver coins for a female.
6
‘As for a child between one month and five
years old;
The value for a male must be five double-silver coins, and for a
female, three double-silver coins.
7
And for those that are over sixty, the value must be fifteen
double-silver coins for a male and ten 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 this is [the price] that the Priest
must set for him.
9
‘When cattle are offered as gifts to
Jehovah by anyone, they become holy.
10
So, 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.
11 ‘If [someone should bring] an unclean
animal (which must never be offered as a gift to Jehovah);
He must lead the
animal to the Priest, 12 and 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 a fifth more than that
amount.
14 ‘If 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 a fifth more for it than the valuation.
16 ‘If 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 will be worth fifty double-silver coins for every
two hundred and fifty quarts of barley… 17 that 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
that made the field holy wishes to buy it back [before the Year of Release]; he
must add a fifth more to its value and it will 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.
21 For 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 has bought and it isn’t a family possession;
23 The 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 that sold it and [really] owns the land.
25
‘All the values must be determined by using
the holy weights.
A double-silver coin is worth twenty copper coins.
26 ‘All 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.
27 ‘If [a man] should choose to buy back an
unclean animal, he must add a fifth more to its valuation.
But if he doesn’t
buy it back, it may be sold at its stated value.
28
‘Anything 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 is cursed for destruction
becomes very holy to Jehovah. 29
And anyone from among mankind that is cursed
may never be ransomed, but must surely be put to death.
30 ‘Anything in the land that is to be
offered, whether it’s seeds or the fruit of trees, is Jehovah’s… it is holy to
Jehovah.
31 And if any man should ever wish to buy back
his offering, he must add a fifth more to its [value], and it will be his.
32 ‘A tenth of everything, including bulls,
sheep, and anything else that is 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 is holy, it cannot be
repurchased.’
34 These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses for the sons of IsraEl on Mount Sinai.
The Ancient Scriptures of Israel
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
The Christian Era Scriptures
Note that this is the legacy version of the translation last updated in December 2020. You can also see the latest version.