The Book of Leviticus is a manual for the priests of Israel. The more than four hundred laws set forth in its pages govern the rituals of sacrifice, the consecration of priests, the rites of purification and atonement, the dietary laws. They also contain the Holiness Code.
These are a few of the Laws of Leviticus:
THE LAW OF THE OFFERINGS
And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. . . . Let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord.
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar. . . .1:1–5
And the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.1:9
THE CONSECRATION OF PRIESTS
And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.8:6
And Moses said unto Aaron, Go unto the altar, and offer thy sin offering, and thy burnt offering, and make an atonement for thyself, and for the people . . . as the Lord commanded.9:7
And Aaron . . . came down from offering of the sin offering, and the burnt offering, and peace offerings. And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people.9:22–23
And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.10:8–9
THE DIETARY LAWS
Whatever parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.11:3
The swine . . . he is unclean to you.11:7
The camel, the coney, and the hare are forbidden: Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.11:8
Of creatures that live in the waters, those having fins and scales may be eaten; all others are forbidden.
The eagle and the osprey, the vulture and the kite, the raven, the owl, the nighthawk, the cuckoo, the cormorant, the stork, are among the fowl that are not to be eaten.
The weasel, the mouse, the tortoise and the ferret, the chameleon, the lizard, the snail and the mole are pronounced unclean.
This is the law. . . . To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.11:46–47
THE LAWS OF CLEANLINESS
If a woman have conceived seed, and borne a man child, then she shall be unclean seven days. . . . And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcized. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.12:2–4
When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be . . . the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons. . . .13:2
The priests are told how to recognize the signs of leprosy.
The leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
He shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.13:45–46
And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all. . . .
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.16:29–30
THE MORAL LAWS
After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do.18:3
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness.18:6
Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. Moreover, thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor’s wife, to defile thyself with her.18:19–20
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.18:22–23
THE HOLINESS CODE
Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.19:2–3
Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God.
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor.
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him.
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.19:11–18
Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.19:29
And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger . . . shall be unto you as one born among you. . . .
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights . . . shall ye have.
Observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.19:33–37