“These are the instructions for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. 8If she cannot afford a lamb, she must use two mourning doves or two pigeons. One will be the burnt offering and the other the offering for sin. So the priest will make peace with Yhwh for her, and she will be clean.”
Leviticus 13
Skin Diseases
1Yhwh spoke to Moses and Aaron, 2“If anyone has a sore, a rash, or an irritated area on his skin that turns into an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons who are also priests. 3The priest will examine the disease. If the hair in the diseased area has turned white, and the diseased area looks deeper than the rest of his skin, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest has examined him, he must declare him unclean. 4But if the irritated area is white and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, and the hair has not turned white, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. 5On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the disease looks the same and has not spread, the priest must put him in isolation for another seven days. 6On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the diseased area has faded and not spread, the priest must declare him clean. It is only a rash. The person must wash his clothes and will be clean. 7But if the rash has spread after he has shown himself to the priest to be declared clean, he must show himself to the priest again. 8The priest will examine him one more time, and if the rash has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.
9“If anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be taken to the priest. 10The priest will examine him. If there is a white sore that has turned the hair white, and if there is raw flesh in the sore, 11he has a chronic skin disease. Without putting him in isolation, the priest must declare him unclean because he is unclean. 12If skin disease develops and covers the whole person from head to foot (so far as the priest can see), 13the priest will examine him. If the disease does cover his whole body, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. His body has turned white. The person is clean. 14But if raw flesh appears, he will be unclean. 15The priest will examine the raw flesh and declare him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. 16But if the raw flesh turns white again, he must go to the priest. 17The priest will examine him again, and if the diseased area has turned white, the priest must declare the diseased person clean. He is clean.
18“If a boil on the skin has healed 19and in its place there is a white sore or a pink area, it must be shown to the priest. 20The priest will examine it. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and its hair has turned white, the priest must declare the person unclean. An infectious skin disease has developed in the boil. 21But if the priest examines the affected area and the hair in it is not white or the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. 22If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is a skin disease. 23But if the irritated area has not spread, it is a scar caused by the boil. The priest must declare him clean.
24“If anyone has a burn on his skin and the raw flesh of the burn turns into a pink or bright white area, 25the priest will examine it. If the hair on the affected area has turned white and the affected area looks deeper than the rest of the skin, an infectious skin disease has developed in the burn. The priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. 26But if the priest examines it and the hair in it is not white and the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put him in isolation for seven days. 27On the seventh day the priest will examine him again. If the area has spread, the priest must declare him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease. 28If the irritated area does not spread but has faded, it is only a sore caused by the burn. The priest must declare him clean, because it is a scar caused by the burn.
29“If a man or a woman has some disease on the head or chin, 30the priest will examine the disease. If it looks deeper than the rest of the skin and there is thin yellow hair on it, the priest must declare the person unclean. It is a scab, a disease on the head or the chin. 31But if the priest examines the scabby disease and it does not look deeper than the rest of the skin and there is no black hair in it, the priest must put the person with the scabby disease in isolation for seven days. 32On the seventh day the priest will examine the disease. If the scab has not spread, there is no yellow hair on it, and the scab does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, 33the person will shave everything except the scab. The priest will put the person with the scab in isolation for another seven days. 34On the seventh day the priest will examine the scab again. If the scab has not spread on the skin and does not look deeper than the rest of the skin, the priest must declare him clean. When he has washed his clothes, he will be clean. 35But if the scab spreads after the person has been declared clean, 36the priest will make another examination. If the scab has spread on the skin, the priest does not have to look for yellow hair. The person is unclean. 37But if he sees that the scab hasn’t spread and black hair grows on it, the scab is healed. The person is clean, so the priest must declare him clean.
38“If a man or a woman has white irritated areas of skin, 39the priest will make an examination. If the irritated areas on the skin are pale white, a rash has developed on the skin. The person is clean.
40“If a man loses his hair, he is clean, even though he is bald. 41If he loses the hair on the front of his head, he is clean, even though he is bald on the forehead. 42But if there is a pink patch on the bald places in back or in front, a skin disease is developing in those places. 43The priest will examine him. If the sore from the disease in the bald places in back or in front is pink like a skin disease somewhere else on the body, 44the man has come down with an infectious skin disease. He is unclean. The priest must declare him unclean because of the skin disease on his head.
45“People who come down with a skin disease must wear torn clothes and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their upper lips and call out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46As long as they have the skin disease, they are unclean. They must live outside the camp.
Mildew in Clothing or Leather Articles
47“Now about clothing—if there is a green or red area on a piece of clothing 48that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or on any leather article, 49it is mildew. It must be shown to the priest. 50The priest will examine the mildew and will put the clothing in a separate place for seven days. 51On the seventh day he will examine the area again. If the spot is spreading, it is unclean. 52He must burn the piece of clothing or the leather article because the mildew is growing. 53But if the priest sees that the area has not spread, 54he must order the area to be washed and put the clothing in a separate place for seven more days. 55The priest will examine the area again after it is washed. If it doesn’t look any different and the mildew has not spread, it is still unclean. It must be burned, whether the area is on the outside or the inside. 56If the priest sees that the area is pale after washing, he will tear it out of the clothing or the leather. 57However, if it shows up again, you must burn the clothing or the leather article. 58But if the area disappears from the woven or knitted clothing or any leather article when it is washed, wash it again, and it will be clean.
59“These are the instructions for deciding whether mildew in clothing that is woven or knitted from linen or wool or in any leather article is clean or unclean.”
Leviticus 14
Cleansing after Skin Diseases
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“These are the instructions for making a person clean after a skin disease. He must be taken to the priest. 3The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the person is healed, 4the priest will order someone to get two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig to use for the cleansing. 5Then the priest will order someone to kill one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. 6The priest will take the living bird, the cedar wood, the red yarn, and the hyssop sprig and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country.
8“The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent. 9On the seventh day he must shave off all the hair on his head, his beard, and his eyebrows, and he must wash his clothes and body. Then he will be clean.
10“On the eighth day he must take two male lambs that have no defects and a one-year-old female lamb that has no defects. He must also take eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering along with a quart of olive oil. 11The priest who will declare him clean must bring the person and his offerings into Yhwh’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12The priest will take one of the male lambs and the quart of olive oil and present them to Yhwh as a guilt offering. 13He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where he slaughters the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will do this because the guilt offering, like the offering for sin, belongs to the priest. It is very holy. 14Then the priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. 15The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. 16He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in Yhwh’s presence. 17The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. 18The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will make peace with Yhwh for that person in Yhwh’s presence. 19The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with Yhwh for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering. 20The priest will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will make peace with Yhwh for that person, and the person who had the skin disease will be clean.
Cleansing for a Poor Person after a Skin Disease
21“But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with Yhwh for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil, 22and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering. 23On the eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the tent of meeting in Yhwh’s presence. 24The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to Yhwh. 25He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. 26The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand. 27With his right finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times in Yhwh’s presence. 28The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. 29In Yhwh’s presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him. 30Then the one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons (whichever he can afford), (Greek, Syriac; Masoretic Text repeats “whichever he can afford.”) 31and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in Yhwh’s presence the priest will make peace with Yhwh for the one who is being cleansed. 32These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing.”
Mildew in Houses
33Yhwh spoke to Moses and Aaron, 34“When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house. 35The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.
36“Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house. 37He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall, 38the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days. 39On the seventh day the priest will go back and examine it again. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread, 40the priest must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place. 41He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. 42The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again. 43If the mildew develops again in the house after all this, 44the priest will examine it one more time. If it is a spreading type of mildew, the house is unclean. 45The house—stones, wood, and all the plaster—must be torn down and taken to an unclean place outside the city. 46Whoever goes into the house any time it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47Whoever sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes. 48But if the priest comes and makes an examination and the mildew has not spread in the house after it is plastered again, the priest must declare the house clean. The mildew is gone.
49“The priest must take two birds, cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig and use them to make the house clean. 50He must kill the one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. 51He must take the cedar wood, the hyssop sprig, the red yarn, and the living bird and dip them in the fresh water containing the blood of the bird that was killed. He must sprinkle the house seven times. 52So he must use the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red yarn to make the house clean. 53Then he will let the living bird fly from the city into the open country. He will make peace with Yhwh for the house, and it will be clean.
54“These are the instructions for any kind of mildew or fungus 55that infects clothing or houses 56and for skin diseases where there is a sore, a rash, or an irritated area. 57These instructions for skin diseases and mildew help you distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean.”
Leviticus 15
Bodily Discharges from Men
1Yhwh spoke to Moses and Aaron, 2“Tell the Israelites: If a man has a discharge from his penis, his discharge is unclean. 3He is unclean because of the discharge from his penis. Whether it is chronic or not makes no difference; he is still unclean.
4“The man who has a discharge makes everything he lies on or sits on unclean. 5Those who touch his bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 6Those who sit on anything he sat on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 7Those who touch a man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 8If a man who has a discharge spits on anyone who is clean, the person he spits on must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. 9When a man who has a discharge sits on a saddle, it becomes unclean. 10Those who carry such things must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 11If a man who has a discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, the person he touched must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. 12When a man who has a discharge touches pottery, it must be broken, and any wooden bucket he touches must be rinsed.
13“When a man’s discharge stops, he must wait seven days to be cleansed. He must wash his clothes and his body in fresh water. Then he will be clean. 14On the eighth day he must take two mourning doves or two pigeons and come into Yhwh’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will give these birds to the priest. 15The priest will sacrifice one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in Yhwh’s presence, the priest will make peace with Yhwh for the man who had a discharge.
16“If a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body. He will be unclean until evening. 17Any clothes or any leather with semen on it must be washed. It will be unclean until evening.
18“When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and has an emission of semen, they must wash themselves. They will be unclean until evening.
Bodily Discharges from Women
19“When a woman has her monthly period, she will be unclean for seven days. Those who touch her will be unclean until evening. 20Everything she lies on or sits on during her period will be unclean. 21Those who touch her bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 22Those who touch anything she sits on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. 23If her blood touches anything on the bed or anything she sits on, it will be unclean until evening. 24If a man has sexual intercourse with her while she has her period, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed he lies on will become unclean.
25“If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days other than her monthly period, she is unclean. If her period lasts longer than usual, she will be unclean as long as she has a discharge. It is like her period. 26As long as she has a discharge, any bed she lies on or anything she sits on is unclean. It is like her period. 27Those who touch these things are unclean and must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.
28“When her discharge stops, she must wait seven days. After that, she will be clean. 29On the eighth day she must take two mourning doves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30The priest will offer one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in Yhwh’s presence the priest will make peace with Yhwh for the woman who had an unclean discharge.
31“You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise, they will die because they make my tent, which is among them, unclean.
32“These are the instructions for any man who has a discharge or an emission of semen that makes him unclean, 33for any woman who has her period, for any man or woman who has a discharge, or for any man who has sexual intercourse with a woman when she is unclean.”
Leviticus 16
The Day for Making Peace with Yhwh
1Yhwh spoke to Moses after Aaron’s two sons had come into Yhwh’s presence and died. 2Yhwh said, “Tell your brother Aaron that he cannot go into the holy place whenever he wants to. If he goes up to the canopy and stands in front of the throne of mercy on the ark, he will die, because I appear in the smoke above the throne of mercy.
3“This is what Aaron must do in order to come into the holy place: He must take a bull as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering. 4He must put on a holy linen robe and wear linen undergarments. He must wear a linen belt and turban. These are holy clothes. He must wash his body and put them on. 5He will take two male goats from the congregation of Israel as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering.
6“Aaron must sacrifice the bull as his own offering for sin. By doing this, he will make peace with Yhwh for himself and his family. 7He must take the two male goats and bring them into Yhwh’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8Then Aaron must throw lots for the two goats. One lot will be for Yhwh and the other for Azazel. (Unknown Hebrew term.) 9Aaron must sacrifice the goat chosen by lot for Yhwh as an offering for sin. 10But he must bring the goat chosen by lot for Azazel into Yhwh’s presence. He will release it in the desert to Azazel in order to make peace with Yhwh for himself and his family.
11“Aaron will bring the bull. He will then slaughter it as his own offering for sin. By doing this he will make peace with Yhwh for himself and his family. 12He will take an incense burner full of burning coals from the altar, which is in Yhwh’s presence, and two handfuls of finely ground, sweet-smelling incense. He will bring them up to the canopy. 13Then he will put the incense on the fire in Yhwh’s presence. The cloud of incense will cover the throne of mercy, which is over the words of Elohim’s promise, so that he will not die. 14He will take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the throne of mercy. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the throne of mercy.
15“Next, Aaron will slaughter the goat for the people’s offering for sin. He will take the blood inside, go up to the canopy, and sprinkle it on the throne of mercy and in front of it, as he did with the bull’s blood. 16So he will make peace with Yhwh for all the sins the Israelites committed against the holy place. These sins happened because the Israelites were unclean and because they committed rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting which is among an unclean people. 17No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron enters the holy place to do this until he comes out. Aaron will make peace with Yhwh for his own sins, his family’s sins, and the sins of the entire assembly of Israel. 18Then he will go out to the altar that is in Yhwh’s presence and make peace with Yhwh there for the sins committed. He will take some of the blood from the bull and some of the goat’s blood and put it all around the horns of the altar. 19With his finger he will sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Because the Israelites made it unclean, he will cleanse it and declare it holy.
20“When he finishes making peace with Yhwh at the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he will bring the living goat forward. 21Aaron will place both hands on its head. He will confess over it all the sins, all the rebellious acts, and all the things the Israelites did wrong. He will transfer them to the goat’s head. A man will be appointed to release the goat in the desert. 22The goat will take all their sins away to a deserted place. The man must release the goat in the desert.
23“Then Aaron will go to the tent of meeting, take off the linen clothes he had put on to go into the holy place, and leave them there. 24He will wash his body in the holy place and put on his other clothes. Then he will come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and for the people to make peace with Yhwh for his own sins and the sins of the people. 25He will burn the fat of the offering for sin on the altar.
26“The man who released the goat to Azazel must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp. 27He must take the bull and the goat outside the camp. These animals were the offering for sin whose blood was brought into the holy place to make peace with Yhwh for sins. The skin, meat, and excrement from the animals must be burned. 28Whoever burns them must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp.
29“This will be a permanent law for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month both native Israelites and foreigners must humble themselves. They must do no work. 30On this day Aaron will make peace with Yhwh to make you clean. Then you will be clean from all your sins in Yhwh’s presence. 31This is the most important worship festival there is for you. You will humble yourselves. It is a permanent law. 32The priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as chief priest in his father’s place will pay for sins. He will put on the holy linen clothes 33and will make peace with Yhwh at the holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar. He will make peace with Yhwh for the priests and all the worshipers.
34“This permanent law tells you how to make peace with Yhwh once a year for all the sins the Israelites committed.”
Aaron did as Yhwh had commanded Moses.
Leviticus 17
Eating Sacrifices
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites that this is what Yhwh has commanded: 3Any Israelite who slaughters a bull, sheep, or goat inside or outside the camp 4is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be excluded from the people. Bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Offer it to Yhwh in front of Yhwh’s tent. 5⌞This means⌟ that the people of Israel must take the sacrifices they have been making in the open fields and bring them to Yhwh. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The people will sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to Yhwh. 6The priest will pour the blood against Yhwh’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to Yhwh. 7The people must stop sacrificing to goat idols and chasing after them as though they were prostitutes. This is a permanent law for the people and for future generations.
8“Tell them: If Israelites or foreigners make burnt offerings or sacrifices 9but do not bring them to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer them to Yhwh, they must be excluded from the people.
Eating Blood
10“If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people, 11because blood contains life. I have given this blood to you to make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to make peace with me. 12That is why I have said to the people of Israel: Neither you nor foreigners should ever eat blood.
13“If Israelites or foreigners hunt any animal or bird that may be eaten, they must pour out the animal’s blood and cover it with dirt. 14This is because the life of any creature is in its blood. So I have said to the people of Israel: Never eat any blood, because the life of any creature is in its blood. Whoever eats blood must be excluded ⌞from the people⌟.
15“Native Israelites or foreigners who eat the body of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by another animal must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. Then they will be clean. 16If they don’t wash their clothes and their bodies, they will be guilty of sin.”
Leviticus 18
Forbidden Sexual Practices
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites: I am Yhwh your Elohim. 3You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. 4Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am Yhwh your Elohim. 5Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am Yhwh.
6“Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am Yhwh.
7“Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 8Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. 9Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. 10Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because she is related to you. 11Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. 12Never have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister. She is your paternal aunt. 13Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister. She is your maternal aunt. 14Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father’s brother. She, too, is your aunt. 15Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 16Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother’s wife. 17Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. 18While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.
19“Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. 20Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her. 21Never give your children as sacrifices to Molech ⌞by burning them alive⌟. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your Elohim. I am Yhwh. 22Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. 23Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.
Punishment for Sexual Sins
24“Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. 25The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. 26Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. 27The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. 28If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. 29Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. 30So you must follow my instructions. Don’t live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am Yhwh your Elohim.”
Leviticus 19
Duties of the People Toward Elohim
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, Yhwh your Elohim, am holy.
3“Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of rest as holy days. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
4“Don’t turn to worthless Elohim or cast metal idols. Never make any Elohim for yourselves. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
5“When you bring a fellowship offering to Yhwh, sacrifice it ⌞properly⌟ so that you will be accepted. 6Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. 7If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted. 8Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Yhwh. They must be excluded from the people.
Duties of the People Toward Each Other
9“When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. 10Don’t harvest your vineyard a second time or pick up fallen grapes. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
11“Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor.
12“Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your Elohim. I am Yhwh.
13“Never oppress or rob your neighbor. Never keep the pay you owe a hired worker overnight. 14Never curse deaf people or put anything in the way of blind people to make them stumble. Instead, fear your Elohim. I am Yhwh.
15“Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly. 16Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am Yhwh.
17“Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him. 18Never get revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am Yhwh.
Other Duties
19“Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Never plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material.
20“If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. 21He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Yhwh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22In Yhwh’s presence the priest will use them to make peace with Yhwh for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.
23“When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for ⌞the first⌟ three years. 24In the fourth year all the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to Yhwh. 25In the fifth year you may eat the fruit. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
26“Never eat any meat with blood still in it.
“Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.
27“Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard. 28Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am Yhwh.
29“Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted.
30“Observe my days of rest as holy days and respect my holy tent. I am Yhwh.
31“Don’t turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
32“Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your Elohim. I am Yhwh.
33“Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land. 34Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am Yhwh your Elohim.
35“Don’t be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid. 36Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am Yhwh your Elohim who brought you out of Egypt.
37“Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Yhwh.”
Leviticus 20
Punishment for Serious Crimes
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites: If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to ⌞Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. 3I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. They gave one of their children to Molech, made my holy tent unclean, and dishonored my holy name. 4If the common people ignore those who give their children to Molech and do not put them to death, 5I will condemn them and their families. I will exclude them from the people. I will exclude from the people everyone who chases after Molech as if he were a prostitute.
6“I will condemn people who turn to mediums and psychics and chase after them as though they were prostitutes. I will exclude them from the people.
7“Live holy lives. Be holy because I am Yhwh your Elohim. 8Obey my laws, and live by them. I am Yhwh who sets you apart as holy.
9“Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother and deserves to die.
10“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife or with his neighbor’s wife, both he and the woman must be put to death for their adultery. 11Whoever has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife has violated his father’s marriage. Both he and his father’s wife must be put to death. They deserve to die. 12If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a disgusting thing and deserve to die. 13When a man has sexual intercourse with another man as with a woman, both men are doing something disgusting and must be put to death. They deserve to die. 14When a man marries a woman and her mother, they have done a perverted thing. The man and the two women must be burned. Never do this perverted thing. 15A man who has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death. You must kill the animal, too. 16When a woman offers herself sexually to any animal, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They deserve to die. 17Whoever takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and has sexual intercourse does a shameful thing. They both must be publicly excluded from the people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister and must be punished. 18If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman while she has her monthly period, both of them have had sexual intercourse in blood. They must be excluded from the people. 19Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister. Whoever has sexual intercourse with a close relative must be punished. 20Whoever has sexual intercourse with his uncle’s wife violates his uncle’s marriage. That man and woman are guilty of sin. They will die without children. 21Whoever marries his brother’s wife violates his brother’s marriage and does an unclean thing. That man and woman will have no children.
22“If you carefully obey all my laws and my rules, the land I am bringing you to live in will not vomit you out. 23Never follow the practices of the people I am forcing out of your way. I cannot stand them because they did all these things. 24I have told you that you will take their land. I will give it to you as your own. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. I am Yhwh your Elohim who separated you from other people. 25Separate clean and unclean (“Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to Elohim. “Unclean” refers to anything that is not presentable to Elohim.) animals and birds. Never become disgusting by eating any animal or bird or anything that crawls on the ground. I have separated you from every unclean thing. 26Be my holy people because I, Yhwh, am holy. I have separated you from other people to be my very own.
27“Every man or woman who is a medium or a psychic must be put to death. They must be stoned to death because they deserve to die.”
Leviticus 21
Holiness for All the Priests
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, “Tell the priests, Aaron’s sons: None of you should become unclean by touching one of your relatives who has died. 2However, you are allowed to become unclean when one of your nearest relatives dies. These relatives include your mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, 3and especially an unmarried virgin sister who is still close to you. 4As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy.
5“You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies.
6“Be Elohim’s holy men, and don’t dishonor the name of your Elohim. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Yhwh. It is the food of your Elohim. 7You should never marry prostitutes, those who have lost their virginity, or divorced women because a priest is Elohim’s holy man. 8Be holy because you offer the food of your Elohim. Be holy because I, Yhwh, am holy. I set you apart as holy. 9When a priest’s daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father. She must be burned.
Holiness for the Chief Priest
10“The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest’s clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes. 11He must never go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother. 12He must not leave the holy tent of his Elohim. If he does, he will be dishonoring it, because he is dedicated with the anointing oil of his Elohim. I am Yhwh.
13“The anointed priest must marry a virgin. 14He must never marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people. 15He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, Yhwh, set him apart as holy.”
16Yhwh spoke to Moses, 17“Tell Aaron: If any of your descendants (now or in future generations) has a physical defect, he must never bring food to offer to Elohim. 18Indeed, no one who has a physical defect may ever come near ⌞the altar⌟. That means anyone who is blind or lame, who has a disfigured face, a deformity, 19or a crippled hand or foot, 20who is a hunchback or dwarf, who has defective sight, skin diseases, or crushed testicles. 21If a descendant of the priest Aaron has a physical defect, he must never bring sacrifices by fire to Yhwh. He has a defect. He must never bring food to offer to Elohim. 22He may eat the food of his Elohim—what is holy and what is very holy. 23However, he must never come up to the canopy or to the altar, since he has a physical defect. He must never dishonor the holy places because I, Yhwh, set them apart as holy.”
24So Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
Leviticus 22
Eating the Priests’ Share of the Sacrifice
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings which the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Yhwh.
3“Tell them: In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Yhwh, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Yhwh.
4“No descendant of Aaron who has a skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the holy offerings until he is clean. Any person who has an emission of semen or touches a dead body, 5an unclean swarming creature or an unclean person 6will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy offerings unless he has washed himself. 7When the sun has set, he will be clean. Then he may eat the holy offerings because they are his food. 8He must never eat the meat of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am Yhwh. 9The priests must do what I order, or their sin will bring them death because they dishonored a holy offering. I am Yhwh, who sets them apart as holy.
10“Laypeople must never eat any holy offering, even if they are visiting a priest or are working for him. 11But if a priest buys a slave, the slave and anyone born in his household may eat the priest’s food. 12However, if a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she must never eat the food taken from the holy contributions. 13If a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, doesn’t have any children, and comes back to live in her father’s home, she may eat her father’s food. But a layperson must never eat it.
14“Those who eat a holy offering by mistake must give another holy offering to the priest and add one-fifth more to it. 15Priests must not dishonor the holy offerings that the Israelites contribute to Yhwh. 16They must make those people pay the penalty for their guilt because they have eaten the priests’ holy offerings. I am Yhwh, who sets them apart as holy.”
Animals Accepted for Sacrifice
17Yhwh spoke to Moses, 18“Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites: Israelites or foreigners may bring burnt offerings to Yhwh for anything they vowed or as freewill offerings. 19The offering must be a male that has no defects from your cattle, sheep, or goats in order to be accepted. 20Never bring any animal with a physical defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21A person may bring Yhwh a fellowship offering to fulfill a vow or for a freewill offering. Whether it is from the cattle, sheep, or goats, it must be an animal that has no defects in order to be accepted. It must never be an animal that has defects. 22Never bring Yhwh an animal that is blind, has broken bones, cuts, warts, scabs, or ringworm. Never give Yhwh any of these in a sacrifice by fire on the altar. 23You may use a bull or a sheep with a deformity or one that is stunted in growth as a freewill offering. However, it will not be accepted for a vow. 24Never bring Yhwh an animal that has bruised, crushed, torn out, or cut out testicles. Never do any of these things to an animal in your land. 25Never bring any kind of castrated animal received from a foreigner as a food offering for your Elohim. A castrated animal will not be accepted on your behalf because castration is a physical defect.”
26Yhwh spoke to Moses, 27“When a calf, a lamb, or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on it may be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to Yhwh. 28Never slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.
29“When you sacrifice a thank offering to Yhwh, do it in the proper way. 30Eat it the same day. Never leave any of it until morning. I am Yhwh.
31“Carefully obey my commands. I am Yhwh. 32Never dishonor my holy name. I will show my holiness among the Israelites. I am Yhwh, who sets you apart as holy. 33I brought you out of Egypt to be your Elohim. I am Yhwh.”
Leviticus 23
The Day of Rest and Other Holy Assemblies
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites: These are the appointed festivals with Yhwh, which you must announce as holy assemblies. 3You may work for six days. But the seventh day is a day of rest, a day when you don’t work, a holy assembly. Don’t do any work. It is Yhwh’s day of rest—a holy day wherever you live.
4“The following are Yhwh’s appointed festivals with holy assemblies, which you must announce at their appointed times.
The Spring Festivals
5“The fourteenth day of the first month, in the evening, is Yhwh’s Passover. 6The fifteenth day of this same month is Yhwh’s Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7On the first day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work. 8Bring Yhwh a sacrifice by fire for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work.”
9Yhwh spoke to Moses, 10“Tell the Israelites: When you come to the land I am going to give you and you harvest grain, bring the priest a bundle of the first grain you harvest. 11He will present it to Yhwh so that you will be accepted. He will present it on the day after Passover. 12On the day you present the bundle, you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb that has no defects as a burnt offering to Yhwh. 13Bring a grain offering of four quarts of flour mixed with olive oil with it. This will be a sacrifice by fire made to Yhwh, a soothing aroma. Use one quart of wine for the wine offering. 14Don’t eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this same day, when you bring the offering to your Elohim. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live.
15“Count seven full weeks from the day after Passover (the day you bring the bundle of grain as an offering presented to Yhwh) 16until the day after the seventh week. This is a total of fifty days. Then bring a new grain offering to Yhwh. 17Bring two loaves of bread from your homes to present to Yhwh. Bake them with four quarts of flour. They are the first harvested grain for Yhwh. 18With the bread bring seven one-year-old lambs that have no defects, one bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to Yhwh. With these offerings also bring grain and wine offerings. They will be a sacrifice by fire, a soothing aroma to Yhwh. 19Also sacrifice one male goat as an offering for sin and two one-year-old lambs as a fellowship offering. 20The priest must present them along with the bread of the first harvested grain as an offering to Yhwh. All this, along with the two lambs, will be holy and will belong to Yhwh’s priests. 21Make an announcement that there will be a holy assembly on that same day. Don’t do any regular work. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live.
22“When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. Leave it for poor people and foreigners. I am Yhwh your Elohim.”
The Fall Festivals
23Yhwh spoke to Moses, 24“Tell the Israelites: On the first day of the seventh month hold a worship festival. It will be a memorial day, a holy assembly announced by the blowing of rams’ horns. 25Don’t do any regular work. Bring a sacrifice by fire to Yhwh.”
26Yhwh spoke to Moses, 27“In addition, the tenth day of this seventh month is a special day for the payment for sins. There will be a holy assembly. Humble yourselves, and bring Yhwh a sacrifice by fire. 28Don’t do any work that day. It is a special day for the payment for sins. It is a time when you make peace with Yhwh your Elohim. 29Those who do not humble themselves on that day will be excluded from the people. 30I will kill those who do any work on that day. 31Don’t do any work. It is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live. 32It is a day of rest, a day when you don’t work. Humble yourselves starting on the evening of the ninth day of the month. From that evening to the next, observe the day of rest as a holy day.”
33Yhwh spoke to Moses, 34“Tell the Israelites: The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths to Yhwh. It will last seven days. 35On the first day there will be a holy assembly. Don’t do any regular work. 36For seven consecutive days bring a sacrifice by fire to Yhwh. On the eighth day there will be a holy assembly. Bring Yhwh a sacrifice by fire. This is the last festival of the year. Don’t do any regular work.
37“These are Yhwh’s appointed festivals. Announce them as holy assemblies for bringing sacrifices by fire to Yhwh. Bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, other sacrifices, and wine offerings—each one on its special day. 38These offerings are in addition to those for Yhwh’s holy days of rest, as well as your gifts, all your vows, and your freewill offerings to Yhwh.
39“However, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered what the land produces, celebrate Yhwh’s festival for seven days. The first and the eighth days will be worship festivals. 40On the first day take the best fruits, palm branches, the branches of leafy trees and poplars, and celebrate in the presence of Yhwh your Elohim for seven days. 41It is Yhwh’s festival. Celebrate it for seven days each year. This is a permanent law for generations to come. Celebrate this festival in the seventh month. 42Live in booths for seven days. Everyone born in Israel must live in booths 43so that generations to come may learn how I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am Yhwh your Elohim.”
44So Moses told the Israelites about Yhwh’s appointed festivals.
Leviticus 24
Duties in the Tent of Meeting
(Exodus 27:20–21)
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil for the lamp stand so that the lamps won’t go out. 3In the tent of meeting, outside the canopy where the words of my promise are, Aaron must keep the lamps lit in Yhwh’s presence from evening until morning. It is a permanent law for generations to come. 4Aaron must keep the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand lit in Yhwh’s presence.
5“Also take flour and bake twelve rings of bread. Each ring will contain four quarts of flour. 6Put them in two stacks of six each on the gold table in Yhwh’s presence. 7Lay pure incense on top of each stack. The incense on the bread will be a reminder, an offering by fire to Yhwh. 8Every day of rest is a holy day when the ⌞priest⌟ must arrange the bread in Yhwh’s presence. It is a continual reminder of my promise (Or “covenant.”) to the Israelites. 9The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Yhwh’s offering by fire. This is a permanent law.”
The Man Who Cursed Yhwh ’s Name
10A man, whose mother was Shelomith (daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan in Israel) and whose father was from Egypt, got into a quarrel with an Israelite in the camp. 11The Israelite woman’s son began cursing Yhwh’s name and treating it with contempt. So they brought him to Moses. (Part of verse 11 (in Hebrew) has been placed in verse 10 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph structure more clearly in English.) 12They kept him in custody until Yhwh told them what to do.
13Yhwh spoke to Moses, 14“The man who cursed ⌞my name⌟ must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse ⌞my name⌟ must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death.
15“Also tell the Israelites: Those who treat their Elohim with contempt will be punished for their sin. 16But those who curse Yhwh’s name must be put to death. The whole congregation must stone them to death. It makes no difference whether they are Israelites or foreigners. Whoever curses Yhwh’s name must die.
17“Whoever kills another person must be put to death. 18Whoever kills an animal must replace it, life for life. 19Whoever injures a neighbor must receive the same injury in return— 20a broken bone for a broken bone, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whoever injures another person must receive the same injury in return. 21Whoever kills an animal must replace it. Whoever kills a person must be put to death. 22The same rule applies to every one of you. It makes no difference whether you are a foreigner or an Israelite, because I am Yhwh your Elohim.”
23Moses spoke to the people of Israel. So the man who had cursed Yhwh’s name was taken outside the camp. There they stoned him to death as Yhwh commanded Moses. The Israelites did as Yhwh commanded Moses.
Leviticus 25
The Year to Honor Yhwh
1Yhwh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2“Tell the Israelites: When you come into the land I’m giving you, the land will celebrate a year to honor Yhwh. 3Then, for six years you may plant crops in your fields, prune your vineyards, and gather what they produce. 4However, the seventh year will be a festival year for the land. It will be a year to honor Yhwh. Don’t plant crops in your fields or prune your vineyards. 5Don’t harvest what grows by itself or harvest grapes from your vines. That year will be a festival for the land. 6Whatever the land produces during that year is for all of you to eat—for you, your male and female slaves, your hired workers, foreigners among you, 7your animals and the wild animals in your land. Everything the land produces will be yours to eat.
The Jubilee for the Land
8“Count seven of these years seven times for a total of 49 years. 9On the tenth day of the seventh month, the special day for the payment for sin, sound rams’ horns throughout the country. 10Set apart the fiftieth year as holy, and proclaim liberty to everyone living in the land. This is your jubilee year. Every slave will be freed in order to return to his property and to his family. 11That fiftieth year will be your jubilee year. Don’t plant or harvest what grows by itself or pick grapes from the vines in the land. 12The jubilee ⌞year⌟ will be holy to you. You will eat what the field itself produces.
13“In this jubilee year every slave will be freed in order to return to his property. 14If you sell anything to your neighbor or buy anything from him, don’t take advantage of him. 15When you buy property from your neighbor, take into account the number of years since the jubilee. Your neighbor must sell it to you taking into account the number of crops ⌞until the next jubilee⌟. 16If there are still many years ⌞until the jubilee⌟, you will pay more for it. If there are only a few years ⌞until the jubilee⌟, you will pay less for it because he is selling you only the number of crops. 17Never take advantage of each other. Fear your Elohim, because I am Yhwh your Elohim.
18“Obey my laws, and carefully follow my rules. Then you will live securely in the land. 19The land will give you its products, and you will eat all you want and live there securely. 20You may ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?’ 21I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years. 22You will plant ⌞again⌟ in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more.
23“Land must never be sold permanently, because the land is mine. To me you are strangers without permanent homes. 24People must always have the right to buy their property back. 25If your brother becomes poor and sells some of his property, then the one who can assume responsibility, his nearest relative, must buy back what he sold. 26If a man doesn’t have anyone to buy it back for him, but if he prospers and earns enough to buy it back himself, 27he must count the years from its sale. Then he will pay what is left to the man to whom he sold it, and it will be his property again. 28However, if he cannot earn enough to buy it back, what he sold stays in the hands of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it will be released, and he will own it again.
29“If anyone sells a home in a walled city, for one year after selling it he has the right to buy it back. He may buy it back only within that time. 30If he does not buy it back during that year, the house in the city belongs to the buyer for generations to come. It will not be released in the jubilee. 31However, houses in villages without walls are regarded as belonging to the fields of the land. They can be bought back. They will be released in the jubilee.
32“The Levites always have the right to buy back their property in the cities they own. 33If any Levite buys back ⌞a house⌟, in the jubilee the purchased house in the city will be released, because the houses in the Levite cities are their property among the Israelites. 34But a field that belongs to their cities must not be sold, because it is their permanent property.
The Jubilee for the People
35“If an Israelite becomes poor and cannot support himself, help him. He must live with you as a stranger without a permanent home. 36Don’t collect interest or make any profit from him. Fear your Elohim by respecting other Israelites’ lives. 37Never collect any kind of interest on your money or on the food you give them. 38I am Yhwh your Elohim, who brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and to be your Elohim.
39“If an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, don’t work him like a slave. 40He will be like a hired worker or a visitor to you. He may work with you until the year of jubilee. 41Then you will release him and his children to go back to their family and the property of their ancestors. 42They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves. 43Do not treat them harshly. Fear your Elohim.
44“You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you. 45You may also buy them from the foreigners living among you and from their families born in your country. They will be your property. 46You may acquire them for yourselves and for your descendants as permanent property. You may work them as slaves. However, do not treat the Israelites harshly. They are your relatives.
47“Someone who is a foreigner without a permanent home among you may become rich, and your relative living with him may be poor. The poor Israelite may sell himself to that foreigner or a member of his family. 48After he has sold himself, he has the right to be bought back. One of his brothers may buy him back. 49His uncle, his cousin, or some other relative could also buy him back. If he becomes rich, he could buy his own freedom. 50Then he and his buyer must take into account the number of years from the year he was bought until the year of jubilee. His sale price will be adjusted based on the number of years he was with his buyer, like the wages of a hired worker. 51If there are many years left, he must refund from his purchase price an amount equal ⌞to those years⌟. 52If there are only a few years left until the year of jubilee, he must take them into account. He must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years. 53During those years he should serve his buyer as a hired worker. His buyer should not treat him harshly. 54If he cannot buy his freedom in these ways, he and his children will be released in the year of jubilee.
55“The Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am Yhwh your Elohim.”
Leviticus 26
Elohim’s Promises for Those Who Keep His Laws
1⌞Yhwh continued,⌟ “Never make worthless idols or set up a carved statue or a sacred stone for yourselves. Never cut figures in stone to worship them in your country, because I am Yhwh your Elohim. 2Observe my days of rest as holy days and respect my holy tent. I am Yhwh.
3“This is what I will do if you will live by my laws and carefully obey my commands:
4“I will give you rain at the right time. The land will produce its crops, and the trees in the field will produce their fruit. 5Threshing (Threshing is the process of beating stalks to separate them from the grain.) time will last until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until planting. You will eat all you want and live securely in your land.
6“I will bring peace to your land. You will lie down with no one to scare you. I will remove dangerous animals, and there will be no war in your land. 7You will chase your enemies, and you will defeat them. 8Five of you will chase a hundred of them, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand of them. You will defeat your enemies, 9and I will be pleased with you. Your families will be large, and I will keep my promise (Or “covenant.”) to you. 10You will clear out old food supplies to make room for new ones.
11“I will put my tent among you, and I will never look at you with disgust. 12So I will live among you and be your Elohim, and you will be my people. 13I am Yhwh your Elohim. I brought you out of Egypt so that you are no longer slaves of the Egyptians. I have broken their power over you and made you live as a free people.
Elohim’s Curses for Those Who Break His Laws
14“If you will not listen to me and obey all these commands, 15if you reject my laws and look at my rules with disgust, if you reject my promise by disobeying my commands, 16then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them. 17I will condemn you so that you will go down in defeat in front of your enemies. Those who hate you will be your rulers. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.
18“If you still will not listen to me, I will discipline you seven times for your sins. 19I will crush your arrogance. You will have no rain, and your land will be as hard as cement. 20You will work hard for nothing because your land will produce no crops and the trees will produce no fruit.
21“If you resist and don’t listen to me, I will increase the punishment for your sins seven times. 22I will send wild animals among you. They will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, and make you so few that your roads will be deserted.
23“If this discipline does not help and you still resist, 24then I, too, will resist you. I will punish you seven times for your sins. 25I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise ⌞that you rejected⌟. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy. 26I will destroy your food supply. Ten women will need only one oven to prepare your food. You will eat and go away hungry.
27“If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still resist me, 28I will fiercely resist you. I will discipline you seven times for your sins. 29You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. 30I will destroy your worship sites, cut down your incense altars, and pile your dead bodies on top of your dead idols. I will look at you with disgust. 31I will make your cities deserted and ruin your sacred places. I will no longer accept the soothing aroma from your sacrifices. 32I will make your land so deserted that your enemies will be shocked as they settle in it. 33I will scatter you among the nations. War will follow you. Your country will be in ruins. Your cities will be deserted.
34“Then the land will enjoy its time ⌞to honor Yhwh⌟ while it lies deserted and you are in your enemies’ land. Then the land will joyfully celebrate its time ⌞to honor Yhwh⌟. 35All the days it lies deserted, it will celebrate the time ⌞to honor Yhwh⌟ it never celebrated while you lived there. 36I will fill with despair those who are left in the land of their enemies. The sound of a windblown leaf will make them run. They will run away and fall, but no one will be chasing them. 37They will stumble over each other, but no one will be after them. They will not be able to stand up to their enemies. 38They will be destroyed among the nations. The land of their enemies will devour them. 39Those who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
Elohim Will Remember His Promise
40“But if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—the treacherous things they did to oppose me— 41I will oppose them and bring them into the lands of their enemies. Then, if they humble their uncircumcised hearts and accept their guilt, 42I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land. 43The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honor Yhwh while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust. 44Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Yhwh their Elohim. 45But for their sake, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their Elohim while nations looked on. I am Yhwh.”
46These are the laws, rules, and instructions that Yhwh gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.
Leviticus 27
Special Vows
1Yhwh spoke to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites: If any of you makes a special vow ⌞to give a person⌟ to Yhwh, you may give money instead of the person. 3The amount you must give for a man from 20 to 60 years old is 20 ounces of silver. Use the standard weight of the holy place. 4If it is a woman, give 12 ounces. 5For a boy from 5 to 20 years old, give 8 ounces and for a girl give 4 ounces. 6For a boy from one month to five years old, give 2 ounces of silver and for a girl give about one ounce. 7For a man 60 years or over, give 6 ounces and for a woman give 4 ounces. 8But the person who is too poor to pay the required amount must stand in front of the priest. The priest will determine the amount based on what the person can afford.
9“If ⌞the vow⌟ is to give the kind of animal that people offer to Yhwh, it will be considered holy. 10Don’t exchange or substitute animals, a good one for a bad one or a bad one for a good one. If you do exchange one animal for another, then both animals will be holy. 11If it is an unclean animal that cannot be brought to Yhwh as an offering, bring it in front of the priest. 12The priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides. 13If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.
14“If you give your house to Yhwh as something holy, the priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides. 15If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.
16“If a person gives part of a field to Yhwh as something holy, its value will be based on the seed planted on it. Ground planted with 2 quarts of barley will be worth 20 ounces of silver. 17If you give your field in the jubilee year, it will have its full value. 18But if you give the field after the jubilee year, the priest will estimate its value based on the number of years left until the next jubilee year. 19If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more. 20But if you don’t buy it back and it is sold to someone else, you cannot buy it back. 21When the field is released in the jubilee year, it will be holy like a field claimed by Yhwh. It will become the property of the priest. 22You may give a field you bought (not one that was a part of your family property) to Yhwh as something holy. 23The priest must figure out the field’s value until the jubilee year. You will pay its value on that day as something holy, belonging to Yhwh. 24In the jubilee year the field will go back to the person from whom it was bought, to whom it belongs as family property.
25“All values will be set using the standard weight of the holy place. (Hebrew adds “There are 20 gerahs to the standard shekel.”)
26“A firstborn animal already belongs to Yhwh because it was born first. Therefore, it cannot be set apart as holy. Whether it is a bull or a sheep, it belongs to Yhwh. 27But if it is an unclean animal, it must be bought back. The payment will be its full value plus one-fifth more. If it is not bought back, it must be sold at the value given it.
28“However, everything dedicated to Yhwh for destruction—a person, an animal, or a field that belongs to you—must not be sold or bought back. Everything dedicated in that way is very holy. It belongs to Yhwh. 29People dedicated this way cannot be bought back. They must be put to death.
30“One-tenth of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy and belongs to Yhwh. 31If you buy back any part of it, you must add one-fifth more to it. 32Every tenth head of cattle or sheep that you counted is holy and belongs to Yhwh. 33You must not look to see if it is good or bad or exchange it. But if you do exchange it, both the first animal and its substitute will be holy. They cannot be bought back.”
34These are the commands Yhwh gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.