Leviticus 17:8-18:21

English Standard Version

⁸“And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who ^(A)offers a burnt offering or sacrifice ⁹and ^(B)does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, ^(C)that man shall be cut off from his people.

Laws Against Eating Blood

¹⁰“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them ^(D)eats any blood, I will ^(E)set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. ¹¹^(F)For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar ^(G)to make atonement for your souls, ^(H)for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. ¹²Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.

¹³“Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall ^(I)pour out its blood and ^(J)cover it with earth. ¹⁴For the life of every creature^[a] is its ^(K)blood: its blood is its life.^[b] Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. ¹⁵^(L)And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, ^(M)whether he is a native or a sojourner, ^(N)shall wash his clothes and ^(O)bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. ¹⁶But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, ^(P)he shall bear his iniquity.”

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ^(Q)I am the Lord your God. ³^(R)You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and ^(S)you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. ⁴^(T)You shall follow my rules^[c] and keep my statutes and walk in them. ^(U)I am the Lord your God. ⁵^(V)You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; ^(W)if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

⁶“None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord. ⁷^(X)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. ⁸^(Y)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness. ⁹^(Z)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. ¹⁰You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. ¹¹You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, brought up in your father's family, since she is your sister. ¹²You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's relative. ¹³You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's relative. ¹⁴You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. ¹⁵^(AA)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. ¹⁶^(AB)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness. ¹⁷You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. ¹⁸And you shall not take a woman as a ^(AC)rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness ^(AD)while her sister is still alive.

¹⁹^(AE)“You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness. ²⁰^(AF)And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor's wife and so make yourself unclean with her. ²¹You shall not give any of your children to ^(AG)offer them^[d] to ^(AH)Molech, and so ^(AI)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.