Leviticus 17-19

New Life Version

Blood Must Not Be Eaten

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord has told us to do. ³ If any man of the house of Israel kills a bull, lamb or goat, among the tents or away from the tents, ⁴ and has not brought it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, he will be guilty for that blood, and will not be among God’s people. ⁵ The reason is so that the people of Israel may bring their gifts which were killed in the open field to the Lord, to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. Then they can be given as peace gifts to the Lord. ⁶ The religious leader will put the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. And he will burn the fat for a pleasing smell to the Lord. ⁷ So they will no longer give their gifts to the goat-like gods to whom they sell themselves. This will be a Law to them for all their people forever.’

⁸ “Then say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, who gives a burnt gift or other gift, ⁹ and does not bring it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, will be cut off from his people.

¹⁰ ‘If any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood, and he will not be among God’s people. ¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make your souls free from sin. For the blood makes you free from sin because of the life in it.’ ¹² So I have said to the people of Israel, ‘None of you should eat blood. And the man who visits you from another land should not eat blood.’ ¹³ If any man from the people of Israel, or from other people living among them, catches an animal or bird which may be eaten, he should pour out its blood and cover it with dust.

¹⁴ “For blood is the life of every living thing. So I said to the people of Israel, ‘Do not eat the blood of any living thing. For the life of every living thing is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off.’ ¹⁵ Every person, both living in the land or one who has come from another land, who eats an animal that dies or is killed by wild animals, must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. He will be unclean until evening. Then he will be clean. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash them or wash his body, he will suffer for his own sin.”

Laws about Sex

18 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God. ³ Do not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived. And do not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. Do not follow their laws. ⁴ You are to do what I say and keep My Laws and live by them. I am the Lord your God. ⁵ So keep My Laws and do what I say. If a man obeys them, My Laws will be life for him. I am the Lord.

⁶ ‘You should not go near a person of your own family to have sex. I am the Lord. ⁷ Do not put your father to shame by taking the clothes off your mother. She is your mother. Do not take her clothes off. ⁸ Do not take the clothes off your father’s wife. Her body is for your father. ⁹ Do not take the clothes off your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, if she is born at home or away from home. ¹⁰ Do not take the clothes off your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter. For they are of your own family. ¹¹ Do not take the clothes off your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father. She is your sister. ¹² Do not take the clothes off your father’s sister. She is of your father’s own family. ¹³ Do not take the clothes off your mother’s sister. She is of your mother’s own family. ¹⁴ Do not put your father’s brother to shame. Do not go near to take the clothes off his wife. She is of your family. ¹⁵ Do not take the clothes off your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Do not take her clothes off. ¹⁶ Do not take the clothes off your brother’s wife. Her body is for your brother. ¹⁷ Do not take the clothes off a woman and her daughter. And do not take the clothes off her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They are of her own family. It is sin. ¹⁸ While your wife is still living do not marry her sister making her as important to you. Do not take off her sister’s clothes.

¹⁹ ‘And you are not to go near a woman to take off her clothes during the time when she has a flow of blood. ²⁰ Do not have sex with your neighbor’s wife. You would be unclean. ²¹ Do not give any of your children as a gift on an altar to the false god Molech. Do not put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord. ²² Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman. It is a sinful thing. ²³ Do not have sex with any animal, or you will be unclean. And no woman should give herself to an animal to lie with it. It is a sin.

²⁴ ‘Do not allow yourself to sin in any of these ways. For by doing all these things the nations that I am driving out in front of you became unclean. ²⁵ For the land is unclean. So I have punished its sin. The land has spit out its people. ²⁶ But as for you, you are to keep My Laws and do what I have decided. Do not do any of these sinful things, not you or the man who lives among you from another land. ²⁷ For the men who have lived in the land before you have done all of these sinful things. The land is unclean. ²⁸ Do none of these things or the land will spit you out when you make it sinful, as it has spit out the nation that was before you. ²⁹ Whoever does any of these sinful things will be cut off from his people. ³⁰ So do what I say. Do not do any of these sinful things that were done before you. Do not make yourselves sin by doing them. I am the Lord your God.’”

Laws about Right Living

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to all the people of Israel, ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ³ Every one of you must have respect for his mother and his father. And keep My Days of Rest. I am the Lord your God. ⁴ Do not turn to false gods or make gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ ‘When you give the Lord a peace gift, give it so you will be pleasing Him. ⁶ It will be eaten the same day you give it, and the next day. But what is left until the third day will be burned with fire. ⁷ If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is a sin. It will not be received. ⁸ Every one who eats it will carry his guilt. For he has made the holy thing of the Lord sinful. That person will not be among God’s people.

⁹ ‘When you pick the food of your land at gathering time, do not pick all the way to the corners of your field. And do not gather the food left on the ground there after you have picked. ¹⁰ Do not gather what is left among your vines, or gather the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for those in need and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ ‘Do not steal. Be honest in what you do. Do not lie to one another. ¹² Do not lie when you make a promise in My name, and so put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord.

¹³ ‘Do not make it hard for your neighbor or rob him. You should not keep the pay of a man who works for you until the next morning. ¹⁴ Do not say bad things against a man who cannot hear. Do not put something in the way of a man who cannot see. But fear your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ ‘Be fair in how you judge. Do not show favor to the poor or to the great. Be fair in how you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶ Do not go around saying things that hurt your people. Do not do things against the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ ‘In your heart do not hate someone from your own country. You may speak sharp words to your neighbor, but do not sin because of him. ¹⁸ Do not hurt someone who has hurt you. Do not keep on hating the sons of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ ‘Keep My Laws. Do not let your cattle have young by a different kind. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing made of two kinds of cloth. ²⁰ If a man lies with a woman who is a servant, promised to another man, but has not been paid for or made free, they must be punished. But they will not be put to death, because she was not free. ²¹ He will bring his guilt gift to the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. A ram will be used for the guilt gift before the Lord. ²² With it the religious leader will go through the worship of washing to take away the man’s sin, and he will be forgiven for the sin he has done.

²³ ‘When you come into the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, think of their fruit as being something you should not touch. You should not touch it for three years. It must not be eaten. ²⁴ But in the fourth year all their fruit will be holy, a gift of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ In the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, so they may give more food for you. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ ‘Do not eat anything with the blood in it. Do not tell the future or do witchcraft. ²⁷ Do not cut the hair on the side of your head or face. ²⁸ Do not make any cuts on your body for the dead. Do not burn any pictures that will stay on your body. I am the Lord.

²⁹ ‘Do not put your daughter to shame by making her sell the use of her body. Or the land will become full of shame and sin. ³⁰ Keep My Days of Rest and honor My holy place. I am the Lord.

³¹ ‘Do not ask what you should do from those who speak with bad spirits or talk to the dead. Do not find them or you will be unclean. I am the Lord your God.

³² ‘Show respect to the person with white hair. Honor an older person and you will honor your God. I am the Lord.

³³ ‘If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not do wrong to him. ³⁴ You should act toward the stranger who lives among you as you would toward one born among you. Love him as you love yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ ‘Do not lie about the weight or price of anything. ³⁶ Always tell the truth about it. I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ³⁷ Keep all My Laws and do all that I tell you. I am the Lord.’”