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Leviticus 17-19
Contemporary English Version
Leviticus 17-19
Contemporary English Version
Where To Offer Sacrifices
17 The Lord told Moses 2 to tell Aaron, his sons, and everyone else in Israel:
3-4 Whenever you kill any of your cattle, sheep, or goats as sacrifices to me, you must do it at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you don't, you will be guilty of pouring out blood, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel. 5 And so, when you sacrifice an animal to ask my blessing,[a] it must not be done out in a field, 6 but in front of the sacred tent. Then a priest can splatter its blood against the bronze altar and send its fat up in smoke with a smell that pleases me. 7 Don't ever turn from me again and offer sacrifices to goat-demons. This law will never change.
8 Remember! No one in Israel, including foreigners, is to offer a sacrifice anywhere 9 except at the entrance to the sacred tent. If you do, you will no longer belong to my people.
Do Not Eat Blood
The Lord said:
10 (A) I will turn against any of my people who eat blood. This also includes any foreigners living among you. 11 (B) Life is in the blood, and I have given you the blood of animals to sacrifice in place of your own. 12 That's also why I have forbidden you to eat blood. 13 Even if you should hunt and kill a bird or an animal, you must drain out the blood and cover it with soil.
14 The life of every living creature is in its blood. That's why I have forbidden you to eat blood and why I have warned you that anyone who does will no longer belong to my people.
15 If you happen to find a dead animal and eat it, you must take a bath and wash your clothes, but you are still unclean until evening. 16 If you don't take a bath, you will suffer for what you did wrong.
Forbidden Sex
18 The Lord told Moses 2 to tell the people of Israel:
I am the Lord your God! 3 So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you. 4 I am the Lord your God, and you must obey my teachings. 5 (C) Obey them and you will live. I am the Lord.
6 Don't have sex with any of your close relatives, 7 especially your own mother. This would disgrace your father. 8 (D) And don't disgrace him by having sex with any of his other wives. 9 (E) Don't have sex with your sister or stepsister, whether you grew up together or not. 10 Don't disgrace yourself by having sex with your granddaughter 11 or half sister 12-13 (F) or a sister of your father or mother. 14 Don't disgrace your uncle by having sex with his wife. 15 (G) Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law 16 (H) or sister-in-law. 17 (I) And don't have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman that you have earlier had sex with. You will be having sex with her closest relatives, and that would make you unclean. 18 As long as your wife is alive, don't cause trouble for her by taking one of her sisters as a second wife.
19 (J) When a woman is having her monthly period, she is unclean, so don't have sex with her.
20 (K) Don't have sex with another man's wife—that would make you unclean.
21 (L) Don't sacrifice your children on the altar fires to the god Molech. I am the Lord your God, and that would disgrace me.
22 (M) It is disgusting for a man to have sex with another man.
23 (N) Anyone who has sex with an animal is unclean.
24 Don't make yourselves unclean by any of these disgusting practices of those nations that I am forcing out of the land for you. They made themselves 25 and the land so unclean, that I punished the land because of their sins, and I made it vomit them up. 26-27 Now don't do these sickening things that make the land filthy. Instead, obey my laws and teachings. 28 Then the land won't become sick of you and vomit you up, just as it did them. 29-30 If any of you do these vulgar, disgusting things, you will be unclean and no longer belong to my people. I am the Lord your God, and I forbid you to follow their sickening way of life.
Moral and Religious Laws
19 The Lord told Moses 2 (O) to say to the community of Israel:
I am the Lord your God. I am holy, and you must be holy too! 3-4 (P) Respect your father and your mother, honor the Sabbath, and don't make idols or images. I am the Lord your God.
5 When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing,[b] be sure to follow my instructions. 6 You may eat the meat either on the day of the sacrifice or on the next day, but you must burn anything left over on the third day. 7 If you eat any of it on the third day, the sacrifice will be disgusting to me, and I will reject it. 8 In fact, you will be punished for not respecting what I say is holy, and you will no longer belong to the community of Israel.
9 (Q) When you harvest your grain, always leave some of it standing along the edges of your fields and don't pick up what falls on the ground. 10 Don't strip your grapevines clean or gather the grapes that fall off the vines. Leave them for the poor and for those foreigners who live among you. I am the Lord your God.
11 (R) Do not steal or tell lies or cheat others.
12 (S) Do not misuse my name by making promises you don't intend to keep. I am the Lord your God.
13 (T) Do not steal anything or cheat anyone, and don't fail to pay your workers at the end of each day.[c]
14 (U) I am the Lord your God, and I command you not to make fun of the deaf or to cause a blind person to stumble.
15 (V) Be fair, no matter who is on trial—don't favor either the poor or the rich.
16 Don't be a gossip, but never hesitate to speak up in court, especially if your testimony can save someone's life.[d]
17 (W) Don't hold grudges. On the other hand, it's wrong not to correct someone who needs correcting. 18 (X) Don't be angry or try to take revenge. I am the Lord, and I command you to love others as much as you love yourself.
19 (Y) Breed your livestock animals only with animals of the same kind, and don't plant two kinds of seed in the same field or wear clothes made of different kinds of material.
20 If a man has sex with a slave woman who is promised in marriage to someone else, he must pay a fine, but they are not to be put to death. After all, she was still a slave at the time.[e] 21-22 The man must bring a ram to the entrance of the sacred tent and give it to a priest, who will then offer it as a sacrifice to me, so the man's sins will be forgiven.
23 After you enter the land, you will plant fruit trees, but you are not to eat any fruit from them for the first three years. 24 In the fourth year the fruit must be set apart, as an expression of thanks 25 to me, the Lord God. Do this, and in the fifth year, those trees will produce an abundant harvest of fruit for you to eat.
26 (Z) Don't eat the blood of any animal.
Don't practice any kind of witchcraft.
27-28 (AA) I forbid you to shave any part of your head or beard or to cut and tattoo yourself as a way of worshiping the dead.
29 (AB) Don't let your daughters serve as temple prostitutes—this would bring disgrace both to them and the land.
30 (AC) I command you to respect the Sabbath and the place where I am worshiped.
31 (AD) Don't make yourselves disgusting to me by going to people who claim they can talk to the dead.
32 I command you to show respect for older people and to obey me with fear and trembling.
33 (AE) Don't mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. 34 Instead, treat them as well as you treat your own people and love them as much as you love yourself. Remember, you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
35-36 (AF) Use honest scales and don't cheat when you weigh or measure anything.
I am the Lord your God. I rescued you from Egypt, 37 and I command you to obey my laws.
Footnotes
- 17.5 sacrifice … to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
- 19.5 sacrifice … to ask my blessing: See the note at 3.1.
- 19.13 to pay … end of each day: Day laborers needed their wages to buy food for their evening meal, which was the main meal of the day.
- 19.16 but never … someone's life: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 19.20 time: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 20.
Leviticus 17-19
New International Version
Leviticus 17-19
New International Version
Eating Blood Forbidden
17 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons(A) and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[a] a lamb(B) or a goat(C) in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting(D) to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord(E)—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.(F) 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.(G) 6 The priest is to splash the blood against the altar(H) of the Lord(I) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(J) 7 They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[b](K) to whom they prostitute themselves.(L) This is to be a lasting ordinance(M) for them and for the generations to come.’(N)
8 “Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9 and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent(O) of meeting(P) to sacrifice it to the Lord(Q) must be cut off from the people of Israel.
10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood,(R) and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood,(S) and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.[c](T) 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,(U) 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”(V)
15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything(W) found dead or torn by wild animals(X) must wash their clothes and bathe with water,(Y) and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;(Z) then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.(AA)’”
Unlawful Sexual Relations
18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(AB) 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.(AC) 4 You must obey my laws(AD) and be careful to follow my decrees.(AE) I am the Lord your God.(AF) 5 Keep my decrees and laws,(AG) for the person who obeys them will live by them.(AH) I am the Lord.
6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7 “‘Do not dishonor your father(AI) by having sexual relations with your mother.(AJ) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(AK) that would dishonor your father.(AL)
9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,(AM) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.(AN)
10 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
11 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;(AO) she is your father’s close relative.
13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,(AP) because she is your mother’s close relative.
14 “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.(AQ)
15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.(AR) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.(AS)
16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;(AT) that would dishonor your brother.
17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.(AU) Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18 “‘Do not take your wife’s sister(AV) as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19 “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness(AW) of her monthly period.(AX)
20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife(AY) and defile yourself with her.
21 “‘Do not give any of your children(AZ) to be sacrificed to Molek,(BA) for you must not profane the name of your God.(BB) I am the Lord.(BC)
22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;(BD) that is detestable.(BE)
23 “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.(BF)
24 “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you(BG) became defiled.(BH) 25 Even the land was defiled;(BI) so I punished it for its sin,(BJ) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(BK) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(BL) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land,(BM) it will vomit you out(BN) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements(BO) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.(BP)’”
Various Laws
19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(BQ) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(BR) am holy.(BS)
3 “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,(BT) and you must observe my Sabbaths.(BU) I am the Lord your God.(BV)
4 “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.(BW) I am the Lord your God.(BX)
5 “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.(BY) 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(BZ) 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible(CA) because they have desecrated what is holy(CB) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.(CC)
9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges(CD) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(CE) 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time(CF) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.(CG) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.(CH) I am the Lord your God.
11 “‘Do not steal.(CI)
“‘Do not lie.(CJ)
“‘Do not deceive one another.(CK)
12 “‘Do not swear falsely(CL) by my name(CM) and so profane(CN) the name of your God. I am the Lord.
13 “‘Do not defraud or rob(CO) your neighbor.(CP)
“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker(CQ) overnight.(CR)
14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(CS) but fear your God.(CT) I am the Lord.
15 “‘Do not pervert justice;(CU) do not show partiality(CV) to the poor or favoritism to the great,(CW) but judge your neighbor fairly.(CX)
16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander(CY) among your people.
“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.(CZ) I am the Lord.
17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.(DA) Rebuke your neighbor frankly(DB) so you will not share in their guilt.
18 “‘Do not seek revenge(DC) or bear a grudge(DD) against anyone among your people,(DE) but love your neighbor(DF) as yourself.(DG) I am the Lord.
19 “‘Keep my decrees.(DH)
“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.
“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.(DI)
“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.(DJ)
20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man(DK) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.[d] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.(DL) 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.(DM)
23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.[e] For three years you are to consider it forbidden[f]; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,(DN) an offering of praise to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.
26 “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.(DO)
“‘Do not practice divination(DP) or seek omens.(DQ)
27 “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.(DR)
28 “‘Do not cut(DS) your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.
29 “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,(DT) or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.(DU)
30 “‘Observe my Sabbaths(DV) and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.(DW)
31 “‘Do not turn to mediums(DX) or seek out spiritists,(DY) for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
32 “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect(DZ) for the elderly(EA) and revere your God.(EB) I am the Lord.(EC)
33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.(ED) Love them as yourself,(EE) for you were foreigners(EF) in Egypt.(EG) I am the Lord your God.
35 “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.(EH) 36 Use honest scales(EI) and honest weights, an honest ephah[g](EJ) and an honest hin.[h](EK) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.(EL)
37 “‘Keep all my decrees(EM) and all my laws(EN) and follow them. I am the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
- Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
- Leviticus 17:11 Or atonement by the life in the blood
- Leviticus 19:20 Or be an inquiry
- Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
- Leviticus 19:23 Hebrew uncircumcised
- Leviticus 19:36 An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 of a bushel or about 22 liters.
- Leviticus 19:36 A hin was a liquid measure having the capacity of about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters.
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