The Place of Sacrifice
17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 3 zIf any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. 6 And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to agoat bdemons, after whom they cwhore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.
8 “And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, dor of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people.
Laws Against Eating Blood
10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eeats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 For fthe life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for git is the blood hthat makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.
13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall ipour out its blood and cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature1 is its blood: its blood is its life.2 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. 15 And every person who eats jwhat dies of itself or kwhat is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”
Unlawful Sexual Relations
18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, lI am the Lord your God. 3 mYou shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules1 and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; nif a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. 7 You shall not uncover the nakedness oof your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. 10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. 11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister. 12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness pof your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is qdepravity. 18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.
19 “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness rwhile she is in her smenstrual uncleanness. 20 And tyou shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her. 21 You shall not give any of your children uto offer them2 to vMolech, and so wprofane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie xwith a male as with a woman; it is an yabomination. 23 And you shall not lie zwith any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is aperversion.
24 “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for bby all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and cthe land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land dvomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. 29 For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge enever to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.”
The Lord Is Holy
19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, fYou shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall grevere his mother and his father, and you shall hkeep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols ior make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.
5 “When you offer a sacrifice of jpeace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it kso that you may be accepted. 6 lIt shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and manything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is ntainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has oprofaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be pcut off from his people.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
9 q“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
11 r“You shall not steal; syou shall not deal falsely; tyou shall not lie to one another. 12 uYou shall not swear vby my name falsely, and so wprofane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
13 “You shall not xoppress your neighbor or yrob him. zThe wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or aput a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall bfear your God: I am the Lord.
15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be cpartial to the poor or defer to the great, but din righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life1 of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
17 “You shall not ehate your brother in your heart, but you shall freason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take gvengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but hyou shall love your neighbor ias yourself: I am the Lord.
You Shall Keep My Statutes
19 “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. jYou shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, knor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material.
20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his compensation to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden.2 Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the Lord your God.
26 l“You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not minterpret omens or ntell fortunes. 27 You shall not oround off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not pmake any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.
29 “Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute, lest the land fall into prostitution and the land become full of qdepravity. 30 rYou shall keep my sSabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
31 “Do not turn to tmediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.
32 u“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
33 “When a vstranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 wYou shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall xlove him yas yourself, for zyou were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, ain measures of length or weight or quantity. 36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin:3 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the Lord.”
Punishment for Child Sacrifice
20 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children bto Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will cset my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to dprofane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.
6 “If a person turns to emediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 fConsecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; gI am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For hanyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10 “If a man icommits adultery with the wife of1 his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies jwith his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed kperversion; their blood is upon them. 13 If a man lies lwith a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 If a man mtakes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 If a man lies nwith an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 “If a man takes ohis sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 If a man lies with a woman pduring her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness qof your mother’s sister or rof your father’s sister, for that is to make naked one’s relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 If a man lies swith his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes this brother’s wife, it is impurity.2 He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
You Shall Be Holy
22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not uvomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for vthey did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land wflowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, xwho has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore yseparate the zclean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not amake yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 “A man or a woman who is a bmedium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
Holiness and the Priests
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall cmake himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5 dThey shall not emake bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not fprofane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord’s food offerings, gthe bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 hThey shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; ishe shall be burned with fire.
10 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, jon whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the kgarments, shall not llet the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not mgo in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 nHe shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.1 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin2 of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”
16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man oblind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or pcrushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord’s food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries,3 for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
