24“When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, 25the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease.† 26But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days.† 27On the seventh day the priest is to examine him,† and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. 28If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn.†

29“If a man or woman has a sore on the head† or on the chin, 30the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. 31But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days.† 32On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore,† and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, 33he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation another seven days. 34On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch,† and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.† 35But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, 36the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.† 37If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

38“When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, 39the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean.

40“When a man has lost his hair and is bald,† he is clean. 41If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. 43The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, 44the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

45“The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes,† let his hair be unkempt,[27] cover the lower part of his face† and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’† 46As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.†

Regulations About Mildew

47“If any clothing is contaminated with mildew—any woolen or linen clothing, 48any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather— 49and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest.† 50The priest is to examine the mildew† and isolate the affected article for seven days. 51On the seventh day he is to examine it,† and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean.† 52He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up.†

53“But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, 54he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. 55After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. 56If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. 57But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. 58The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean.”

59These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.


Leviticus 14

Cleansing From Infectious Skin Diseases

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest:† 3The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him.† If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,[28] 4the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.† 5Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. 6He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.† 7Seven times he shall sprinkle† the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

8“The person to be cleansed must wash his clothes,† shave off all his hair and bathe with water;† then he will be ceremonially clean.† After this he may come into the camp,† but he must stay outside his tent for seven days. 9On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair; he must shave his head, his beard, his eyebrows and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

10“On the eighth day† he must bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah[29] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering,† and one log[30] of oil.† 11The priest who pronounces him clean shall present both the one to be cleansed and his offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

12“Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering,† along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.† 13He is to slaughter the lamb in the holy place† where the sin offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;† it is most holy. 14The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.† 15The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, 16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times. 17The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed and make atonement for him before the LORD.

19“Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 20and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.†

21“If, however, he is poor† and cannot afford these,† he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah[31] of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, 22and two doves or two young pigeons,† which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.

23“On the eighth day he must bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, before the LORD.† 24The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering,† together with the log of oil,† and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.† 25He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.† 26The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,† 27and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. 28Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 29The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.† 30Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, which the person can afford,† 31one[32] as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,† together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed.†”

32These are the regulations for anyone who has an infectious skin disease† and who cannot afford the regular offerings† for his cleansing.

Cleansing From Mildew

33The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34“When you enter the land of Canaan,† which I am giving you as your possession,† and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land, 35the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.’ 36The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37He is to examine the mildew on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddish† depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.† 39On the seventh day† the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, 40he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.† 41He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.

43“If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean.† 45It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

46“Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.† 47Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes.†

48“But if the priest comes to examine it and the mildew has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean,† because the mildew is gone. 49To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.† 50He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.† 51Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop,† the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.† 52He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields† outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.†”

54These are the regulations for any infectious skin disease,† for an itch, 55for mildew† in clothing or in a house, 56and for a swelling, a rash or a bright spot,† 57to determine when something is clean or unclean.

These are the regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew.†


Leviticus 15

Discharges Causing Uncleanness

1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has a bodily discharge,† the discharge is unclean. 3Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:

4“ ‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. 5Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes† and bathe with water,† and he will be unclean till evening.† 6Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

7“ ‘Whoever touches the man† who has a discharge† must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

8“ ‘If the man with the discharge spits† on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

9“ ‘Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, 10and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those things† must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

11“ ‘Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

12“ ‘A clay pot† that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden article† is to be rinsed with water.

13“ ‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven days† for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.† 14On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons† and come before the LORD to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest. 15The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering† and the other for a burnt offering.† In this way he will make atonement before the LORD for the man because of his discharge.†

16“ ‘When a man has an emission of semen,† he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.† 17Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. 18When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen,† both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

19“ ‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period† will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

20“ ‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.† 22Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. 23Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening.

24“ ‘If a man lies with her and her monthly flow† touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.

25“ ‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period† or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.

28“ ‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons† and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge.†

31“ ‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,[33] † which is among them.’ ”

32These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen,† 33for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who lies with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.†


Leviticus 16

The Day of Atonement

1The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.† 2The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses† into the Most Holy Place† behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear† in the cloud† over the atonement cover.




3“This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area:† with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.† These are sacred garments;† so he must bathe himself with water† before he puts them on. 5From the Israelite community† he is to take two male goats† for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

6“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.† 7Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.[34] 9Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement† by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.

11“Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household,† and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12He is to take a censer full of burning coals† from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense† and take them behind the curtain. 13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die.† 14He is to take some of the bull’s blood† and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.†

15“He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people† and take its blood behind the curtain† and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16In this way he will make atonement† for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

18“Then he shall come out to the altar† that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.† 19He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.†

20“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess† over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. 22The goat will carry on itself all their sins† to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.

23“Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.† 24He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments.† Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

26“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes† and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 27The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;† their hides, flesh and offal are to be burned up. 28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.

29“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves[35] † and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you— 30because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.† 31It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves;† it is a lasting ordinance. 32The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments† 33and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the community.†

34“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year† for all the sins of the Israelites.”

And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.


Leviticus 17

Eating Blood Forbidden

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the LORD has commanded: 3Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[36] a lamb or a goat in the camp or outside of it4instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORD†—that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people.† 5This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the LORD, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.[37] 6The priest is to sprinkle the blood against the altar of the LORD† at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.† 7They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[38] † to whom they prostitute themselves.† This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.’




8“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting† to sacrifice it to the LORD—that man must be cut off from his people.

10“ ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood—I will set my face against that person who eats blood† and will cut him off from his people. 11For the life of a creature is in the blood,† and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.† 12Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.”

13“ ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,† 14because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”†

15“ ‘Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals† must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. 16But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will be held responsible.’ ”


Leviticus 18

Unlawful Sexual Relations

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God.† 3You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.† 4You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.† 5Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.† I am the LORD.






6“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

7“ ‘Do not dishonor your father† by having sexual relations with your mother.† She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;† that would dishonor your father.†

9“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,† either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

10“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

11“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;† she is your father’s close relative.

13“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.

14“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.†

15“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.† She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.

16“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;† that would dishonor your brother.

17“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.† Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

18“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

19“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.†

20“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife† and defile yourself with her.

21“ ‘Do not give any of your children† to be sacrificed[39] to Molech,† for you must not profane the name of your God.† I am the LORD.

22“ ‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman;† that is detestable.

23“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.†

24“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you† became defiled.† 25Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin,† and the land vomited out its inhabitants.† 26But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

29“ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30Keep my requirements† and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.†’ ”


Leviticus 19

Various Laws

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.†




3“ ‘Each of you must respect his mother and father,† and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.†

4“ ‘Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves.† I am the LORD your God.

5“ ‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering[40] to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. 7If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the LORD; that person must be cut off from his people.

9“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.† 10Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.

11“ ‘Do not steal.†

“ ‘Do not lie.†

“ ‘Do not deceive one another.

12“ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name† and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

13“ ‘Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.†

“ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.†

14“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,† but fear your God. I am the LORD.

15“ ‘Do not pervert justice;† do not show partiality† to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

16“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander† among your people.

“ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.† I am the LORD.

17“ ‘Do not hate your brother in your heart.† Rebuke your neighbor frankly† so you will not share in his guilt.

18“ ‘Do not seek revenge† or bear a grudge† against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.† I am the LORD.

19“ ‘Keep my decrees.

“ ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“ ‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.†

“ ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.†

20“ ‘If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD.† 22With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.

23“ ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.[41] For three years you are to consider it forbidden[42]; it must not be eaten. 24In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,† an offering of praise to the LORD. 25But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.

26“ ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.†

“ ‘Do not practice divination or sorcery.†

27“ ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.†

28“ ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.

29“ ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,† or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

30“ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.†

31“ ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists,† for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

32“ ‘Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly† and revere your God. I am the LORD.

33“ ‘When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.† Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.† I am the LORD your God.

35“ ‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah[43] and an honest hin.[44] † I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

37“ ‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.’ ”


Leviticus 20

Punishments for Sin

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives[45] any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. 3I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary† and profaned my holy name.† 4If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death,† 5I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech.




6“ ‘I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.†

7“ ‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy,† because I am the LORD your God. 8Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.[46] †

9“ ‘If anyone curses his father or mother,† he must be put to death.† He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head.†

10“ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife†—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

11“ ‘If a man sleeps with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.† Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

12“ ‘If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law,† both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

13“ ‘If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.† They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14“ ‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,† it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.†

15“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,† he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

16“ ‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17“ ‘If a man marries his sister†, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.

18“ ‘If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period† and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people.

19“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,† for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

20“ ‘If a man sleeps with his aunt,† he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

21“ ‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,† it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.

22“ ‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land† where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23You must not live according to the customs of the nations† I am going to drive out before you.† Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”† I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.†

25“ ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.† Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you. 26You are to be holy to me[47] because I, the LORD, am holy,† and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

27“ ‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death.† You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’ ”


Leviticus 21

Rules for Priests

1The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die,† 2except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[48] and so defile himself.

5“ ‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards† or cut their bodies.† 6They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God.† Because they present the offerings made to the LORD by fire,† the food of their God, they are to be holy.

7“ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,† because priests are holy to their God.† 8Regard them as holy,† because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy—I who make you holy.[49]

9“ ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.†

10“ ‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,† must not let his hair become unkempt[50] or tear his clothes.† 11He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.† He must not make himself unclean,† even for his father or mother, 12nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil† of his God. I am the LORD.

13“ ‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.† 14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15so he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.[51] ’ ”

16The LORD said to Moses, 17“Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God.† 18No man who has any defect† may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.† 21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the offerings made to the LORD by fire. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22He may eat the most holy food of his God,† as well as the holy food; 23yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.[52]’ ”

24So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.


Leviticus 22

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the LORD.

3“Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from my presence.† I am the LORD.

4“ ‘If a descendant of Aaron has an infectious skin disease[53] or a bodily discharge,† he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse† or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5or if he touches any crawling thing† that makes him unclean, or any person† who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. 7When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.† 8He must not eat anything found dead† or torn by wild animals,† and so become unclean† through it. I am the LORD.

9“ ‘The priests are to keep my requirements so that they do not become guilty and die† for treating them with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.[54]

10“ ‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it. 11But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.† 12If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat any of it.

14“ ‘If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value† to it. 15The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the LORD† 16by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment.† I am the LORD, who makes them holy.’ ”

Unacceptable Sacrifices

17The LORD said to Moses, 18“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—either an Israelite or an alien living in Israel—presents a gift† for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19you must present a male without defect† from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20Do not bring anything with a defect,† because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering[55] † to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. 22Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire. 23You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[56] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.† You must not do this in your own land, 25and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.† They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’ ”

26The LORD said to Moses, 27“When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.† From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made to the LORD by fire. 28Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.†

29“When you sacrifice a thank offering† to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.† I am the LORD.

31“Keep† my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. 32Do not profane my holy name.† I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.† I am the LORD, who makes[57] you holy[58] 33and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.† I am the LORD.”


Leviticus 23

1The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts,† the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.†




The Sabbath

3“ ‘There are six days when you may work,† but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest,† a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread

4“ ‘These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.† 6On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7On the first day hold a sacred assembly† and do no regular work. 8For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’ ”

Firstfruits

9The LORD said to Moses, 10“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf† of the first grain you harvest. 11He is to wave the sheaf before the LORD† so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, 13together with its grain offering† of two-tenths of an ephah[59] of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin[60] of wine. 14You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain, until the very day you bring this offering to your God.† This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,† wherever you live.

Feast of Weeks

15“ ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,† and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits† to the LORD. 18Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 19Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering.[61] 20The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering, together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. 21On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly† and do no regular work.† This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22“ ‘When you reap the harvest† of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.† Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

Feast of Trumpets

23The LORD said to Moses, 24“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.† 25Do no regular work,† but present an offering made to the LORD by fire.’ ”

Day of Atonement

26The LORD said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month† is the Day of Atonement.† Hold a sacred assembly† and deny yourselves,[62] and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. 28Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people.† 30I will destroy from among his people† anyone who does any work on that day. 31You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32It is a sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

Feast of Tabernacles

33The LORD said to Moses, 34“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the LORD’s Feast of Tabernacles† begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35The first day is a sacred assembly; do no regular work. 36For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly† and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is the closing assembly; do no regular work.

37(“ ‘These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing offerings made to the LORD by fire—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings† required for each day. 38These offerings are in addition to those for the LORD’s Sabbaths† and[63] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.)

39“ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days;† the first day is a day of rest, and the eighth day also is a day of rest. 40On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches and poplars,† and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42Live in booths† for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in booths 43so your descendants will know† that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.


Leviticus 24

Oil and Bread Set Before the LORD

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3Outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 4The lamps on the pure gold lampstand† before the LORD must be tended continually.

5“Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,† using two-tenths of an ephah[64] for each loaf. 6Set them in two rows, six in each row, on the table of pure gold† before the LORD. 7Along each row put some pure incense as a memorial portion† to represent the bread and to be an offering made to the LORD by fire. 8This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly,† Sabbath after Sabbath,† on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. 9It belongs to Aaron and his sons,† who are to eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of their regular share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire.”

A Blasphemer Stoned

10Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name† with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.) 12They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.†

13Then the LORD said to Moses: 14“Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.† 15Say to the Israelites: ‘If anyone curses his God,† he will be held responsible; 16anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD must be put to death.† The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

17“ ‘If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.† 18Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution†—life for life. 19If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.† As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. 21Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death.† 22You are to have the same law for the alien† and the native-born.† I am the LORD your God.’ ”

23Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.


Leviticus 25

The Sabbath Year

1The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. 3For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops.† 4But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. 5Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. 6Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year† will be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, 7as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.




The Year of Jubilee

8“ ‘Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet† sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty† throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee† for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

13“ ‘In this Year of Jubilee† everyone is to return to his own property.

14“ ‘If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other.† 15You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years† since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price,† because what he is really selling you is the number of crops. 17Do not take advantage of each other,† but fear your God.† I am the LORD your God.†

18“ ‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.† 19Then the land will yield its fruit,† and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20You may ask, “What will we eat in the seventh year† if we do not plant or harvest our crops?” 21I will send you such a blessing† in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.†

23“ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine† and you are but aliens† and my tenants. 24Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

25“ ‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative† is to come and redeem† what his countryman has sold. 26If, however, a man has no one to redeem it for him but he himself prospers and acquires sufficient means to redeem it, 27he is to determine the value for the years since he sold it and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it; he can then go back to his own property. 28But if he does not acquire the means to repay him, what he sold will remain in the possession of the buyer until the Year of Jubilee. It will be returned in the Jubilee, and he can then go back to his property.†

29“ ‘If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time he may redeem it. 30If it is not redeemed before a full year has passed, the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants. It is not to be returned in the Jubilee. 31But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee.

32“ ‘The Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the Levitical towns,† which they possess. 33So the property of the Levites is redeemable—that is, a house sold in any town they hold—and is to be returned in the Jubilee, because the houses in the towns of the Levites are their property among the Israelites. 34But the pastureland belonging to their towns must not be sold; it is their permanent possession.†

35“ ‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor† and is unable to support himself among you, help him† as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. 36Do not take interest† of any kind[65] from him, but fear your God, so that your countryman may continue to live among you. 37You must not lend him money at interest or sell him food at a profit. 38I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.†

39“ ‘If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave.† 40He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. 41Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property† of his forefathers. 42Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. 43Do not rule over them ruthlessly,† but fear your God.

44“ ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

47“ ‘If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien’s clan, 48he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives† may redeem him: 49An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers,† he may redeem himself. 50He and his buyer are to count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for his release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired man† for that number of years. 51If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption a larger share of the price paid for him. 52If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to compute that and pay for his redemption accordingly. 53He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly.

54“ ‘Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, 55for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.


Leviticus 26

Reward for Obedience

1“ ‘Do not make idols† or set up an image or a sacred stone† for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone† in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.

2“ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary.† I am the LORD.

3“ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey† my commands, 4I will send you rain† in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.† 5Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want† and live in safety in your land.†

6“ ‘I will grant peace in the land,† and you will lie down† and no one will make you afraid.† I will remove savage beasts† from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.†

9“ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers,† and I will keep my covenant† with you. 10You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.† 11I will put my dwelling place[66] † among you, and I will not abhor you. 12I will walk† among you and be your God, and you will be my people.† 13I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke† and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Punishment for Disobedience

14“ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands,† 15and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever† that will destroy your sight and drain away your life.† You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.† 17I will set my face† against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you,† and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.†

18“ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.† 19I will break down your stubborn pride† and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.† 20Your strength will be spent in vain,† because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.†

21“ ‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over,† as your sins deserve. 22I will send wild animals† against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

23“ ‘If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction† but continue to be hostile toward me, 24I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. 25And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague† among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. 26When I cut off your supply of bread,† ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

27“ ‘If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, 28then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. 29You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.† 30I will destroy your high places,† cut down your incense altars† and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols,† and I will abhor you. 31I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries,† and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. 32I will lay waste the land,† so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. 33I will scatter you among the nations† and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies;† then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. 35All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

36“ ‘As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight.† They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. 37They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies.† 38You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you.† 39Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers’ sins they will waste away.†

40“ ‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers†—their treachery against me and their hostility toward me, 41which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts† are humbled and they pay for their sin, 42I will remember my covenant with Jacob† and my covenant with Isaac† and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 43For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor† them so as to destroy them completely,† breaking my covenant† with them. I am the LORD their God. 45But for their sake I will remember† the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt† in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the LORD.’ ”

46These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.†


Leviticus 27

Redeeming What Is the LORD’s

1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow† to dedicate persons to the LORD by giving equivalent values, 3set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels[67] of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel[68];† 4and if it is a female, set her value at thirty shekels.[69] 5If it is a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels[70] and of a female at ten shekels.[71] 6If it is a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels[72] † of silver and that of a female at three shekels[73] of silver. 7If it is a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels[74] and of a female at ten shekels. 8If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay† the specified amount, he is to present the person to the priest, who will set the value† for him according to what the man making the vow can afford.

9“ ‘If what he vowed is an animal that is acceptable as an offering to the LORD, such an animal given to the LORD becomes holy. 10He must not exchange it or substitute a good one for a bad one, or a bad one for a good one;† if he should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute become holy. 11If what he vowed is a ceremonially unclean animal—one that is not acceptable as an offering to the LORD—the animal must be presented to the priest, 12who will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, that is what it will be. 13If the owner wishes to redeem† the animal, he must add a fifth to its value.

14“ ‘If a man dedicates his house as something holy to the LORD, the priest will judge its quality as good or bad. Whatever value the priest then sets, so it will remain. 15If the man who dedicates his house redeems it,† he must add a fifth to its value, and the house will again become his.