Bible in 90 Days
Purification of Disease-Infected Houses
33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan which I am about to give[a] to you for a possession, and I put[b] a diseased infection in a house in the land you are to possess,[c] 35 then whoever owns the house[d] must come and declare to the priest, ‘Something like an infection is visible to me in the house.’ 36 Then the priest will command that the house be cleared[e] before the priest enters to examine the infection[f] so that everything in the house[g] does not become unclean,[h] and afterward[i] the priest will enter to examine the house. 37 He is to examine the infection, and if[j] the infection in the walls of the house consists of yellowish green or reddish eruptions,[k] and it appears to be deeper than the surface of the wall,[l] 38 then the priest is to go out of the house to the doorway of the house and quarantine the house for seven days.[m] 39 The priest must return on the seventh day and examine it, and if[n] the infection has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest is to command that the stones that had the infection in them be pulled and thrown[o] outside the city into an unclean place. 41 Then they shall scrape[p] the house all around on the inside,[q] and the plaster[r] which they have scraped off[s] must be dumped outside the city into an unclean place. 42 They are then to take other stones and replace those stones,[t] and he is to take other plaster and replaster the house.
43 “If the infection returns and breaks out in the house after he has pulled out the stones, scraped the house, and it is replastered,[u] 44 the priest is to come and examine it, and if[v] the infection has spread in the house, it is a malignant disease in the house. It is unclean. 45 He must tear down the house,[w] its stones, its wood, and all the plaster of the house, and bring all of it[x] outside the city to an unclean place. 46 Anyone who enters[y] the house all the days the priest[z] has quarantined it will be unclean until evening. 47 Anyone who lies down in the house must wash his clothes. Anyone who eats in the house must wash his clothes.
48 “If, however, the priest enters[aa] and examines it, and the[ab] infection has not spread in the house after the house has been replastered, then the priest is to pronounce the house clean because the infection has been healed. 49 Then he[ac] is to take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a scrap of crimson fabric, and some twigs of hyssop[ad] to purify[ae] the house, 50 and he is to slaughter one bird into a clay vessel over fresh water.[af] 51 He must then take the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, the scrap of crimson fabric, and the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 So he is to purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the piece of cedar wood, the twigs of hyssop, and the scrap of crimson fabric, 53 and he is to send the live bird away outside the city[ag] into the open countryside. So he is to make atonement for the house and it will be clean.
Summary of Purification Regulations for Infections
54 “This is the law for all diseased infections, for scall,[ah] 55 for the diseased garment,[ai] for the house,[aj] 56 for the swelling,[ak] for the scab,[al] and for the bright spot,[am] 57 to teach when something is unclean and when it is clean.[an] This is the law for dealing with infectious disease.”[ao]
Male Bodily Discharges
15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man[ap] has a discharge[aq] from his body,[ar] his discharge is unclean. 3 Now this is his uncleanness in regard to his discharge[as]—whether his body secretes his discharge or blocks his discharge, he is unclean. All the days that his body has a discharge or his body blocks his discharge,[at] this is his uncleanness.[au]
4 “‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean,[av] and any furniture he sits on will be unclean.[aw] 5 Anyone who touches his bed[ax] must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.[ay] 6 The one who sits on the furniture the man with a discharge sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 7 The one who touches the body[az] of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 8 If the man with a discharge spits on a person who is ceremonially clean,[ba] that person must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 9 Any means of riding[bb] that the man with a discharge rides on will be unclean. 10 Anyone who touches anything that was under him[bc] will be unclean until evening, and the one who carries those items[bd] must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 11 Anyone whom the man with the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water[be] must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 12 A clay vessel[bf] which the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.
Purity Regulations for Male Bodily Discharges
13 “‘When the man with the discharge becomes clean from his discharge he is to count off for himself seven days for his purification, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in fresh water,[bg] and be clean. 14 Then on the eighth day he is to take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons,[bh] and he is to present himself[bi] before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent and give them to the priest, 15 and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering[bj] and the other a burnt offering.[bk] So the priest[bl] is to make atonement for him before the Lord for[bm] his discharge.
16 “‘When a man has a seminal emission,[bn] he must bathe his whole body in water[bo] and be unclean until evening, 17 and he must wash in water any clothing or leather that has semen on it, and it will be unclean until evening. 18 As for a woman whom a man goes to bed with, then has a seminal emission,[bp] they must bathe in water and be unclean until evening.
Female Bodily Discharges
19 “‘When a woman has a discharge[bq] and her discharge is blood from her body,[br] she is to be in her menstruation[bs] seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything she lies on during her menstruation will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 22 Anyone who touches any furniture she sits on must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 23 If there is something on the bed or on the furniture she sits on,[bt] when he touches it[bu] he will be unclean until evening, 24 and if a man actually goes to bed[bv] with her so that her menstrual impurity touches him,[bw] then he will be unclean seven days and any bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 “‘When a woman’s discharge of blood flows[bx] many days not at the time of her menstruation, or if it flows beyond the time of her menstruation,[by] all the days of her discharge of impurity will be like the days of her menstruation—she is unclean. 26 Any bed she lies on all the days of her discharge will be to her like the bed of her menstruation, any furniture she sits on will be unclean like the impurity of her menstruation, 27 and anyone who touches them will be unclean, and he must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.[bz]
Purity Regulations for Female Bodily Discharges
28 “‘If[ca] she becomes clean from her discharge, then she is to count off for herself seven days, and afterward she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she must take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons[cb] and she must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 30 and the priest is to make one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.[cc] So the priest[cd] is to make atonement for her before the Lord from her discharge of impurity.
Summary of Purification Regulations for Bodily Discharges
31 “‘Thus you[ce] are to set the Israelites apart from their impurity so that they[cf] do not die in their impurity by defiling my tabernacle which is in their midst. 32 This is the law for the one with a discharge: for the one who has a seminal emission[cg] and becomes unclean by it,[ch] 33 for the one who is sick in her menstruation, for the one with a discharge, whether male or female,[ci] and for a man who goes to bed[cj] with an unclean woman.’”
The Day of Atonement
16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they approached the presence of the Lord[ck] and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother that he must not enter at any time into the Holy Place inside the special curtain[cl] in front of the atonement lid[cm] that is on the ark so that he may not die, for I will appear in the cloud over the atonement lid.
Day of Atonement Offerings
3 “In this way Aaron is to enter into the sanctuary—with a young bull[cn] for a sin offering[co] and a ram for a burnt offering.[cp] 4 He must put on a holy linen tunic,[cq] linen leggings are to cover his body,[cr] and he is to wrap himself with a linen sash[cs] and wrap his head with a linen turban.[ct] They are holy garments, so he must bathe[cu] his body in water and put them on. 5 He must also take[cv] two male goats[cw] from the congregation of the Israelites for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 Then Aaron is to present the sin offering bull which is for himself and is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. 7 Next he must take the two goats[cx] and stand them before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, 8 and Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats,[cy] one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel.[cz] 9 Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord,[da] and he is to make it a sin offering, 10 but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive[db] before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away into the desert to Azazel.[dc]
The Sin-Offering Sacrificial Procedures
11 “Aaron is to present the sin-offering bull which is for himself, and he is to make atonement on behalf of himself and his household. He is to slaughter the sin-offering bull which is for himself, 12 and take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the Lord[dd] and a full double handful of finely ground fragrant incense,[de] and bring them inside the curtain.[df] 13 He must then put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the cloud of incense will cover the atonement lid which is above the ark of the testimony,[dg] so that he will not die.[dh] 14 Then he is to take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the eastern face of the atonement lid,[di] and in front of the atonement lid he is to sprinkle some of the blood seven times with his finger.[dj]
15 “Aaron[dk] must then slaughter the sin-offering goat which is for the people. He is to bring its blood inside the curtain,[dl] and he is to do with its blood just as he did to the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the atonement lid and in front of the atonement lid. 16 So[dm] he is to make atonement for the Holy Place from the impurities of the Israelites and from their transgressions with regard to all their sins,[dn] and thus he is to do for the Meeting Tent which resides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17 Nobody is to be in the Meeting Tent[do] when he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he goes out, and he has made atonement on his behalf, on behalf of his household, and on behalf of the whole assembly of Israel.
18 “Then[dp] Aaron[dq] is to go out to the altar which is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take[dr] some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it all around on the horns of the altar. 19 Then he is to sprinkle on it some of the blood with his finger seven times, and cleanse and consecrate it[ds] from the impurities of the Israelites.
The Live Goat Ritual Procedures
20 “When Aaron[dt] has finished purifying the Holy Place,[du] the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. 21 Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins,[dv] and thus he is to put them[dw] on the head of the goat and send it away into the desert by the hand of a man standing ready.[dx] 22 The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land,[dy] so he is to send the goat away[dz] into the desert.
The Concluding Rituals
23 “Aaron must then enter[ea] the Meeting Tent and take off the linen garments which he had put on when he entered the sanctuary, and leave them there. 24 Then he must bathe his body in water in the Holy Place, put on his clothes, and go out and make his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering. So he is to make atonement[eb] on behalf of himself and the people.[ec]
25 “Then he is to offer up the fat of the sin offering[ed] in smoke on the altar, 26 and the one who sent the goat away to Azazel[ee] must wash his clothes, bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the Holy Place, must be brought outside the camp[ef] and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up,[eg] 28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
Review of the Day of Atonement
29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you.[eh] In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves[ei] and do no work of any kind,[ej] both the native citizen and the resident foreigner who lives[ek] in your midst, 30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord.[el] 31 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves.[em] It is a perpetual statute.[en]
32 “The priest who is anointed and ordained to act as high priest in place of his father[eo] is to make atonement. He is to put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and he is to purify[ep] the Most Holy Place,[eq] he is to purify the Meeting Tent and the altar,[er] and he is to make atonement for[es] the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 This is to be a perpetual statute for you[et] to make atonement for the Israelites for[eu] all their sins once a year.”[ev] So he did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.[ew]
The Slaughter of Animals
17 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them, ‘This is the word that the Lord has commanded, 3 “Blood guilt[ex] will be accounted to any man[ey] from the house of Israel[ez] who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp,[fa] 4 but has not brought it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent[fb] to present it as[fc] an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord. He has shed blood, so that man will be cut off from the midst of his people.[fd] 5 This is so that[fe] the Israelites will bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field[ff] to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent—to the priest—and sacrifice them there as peace-offering sacrifices to the Lord. 6 The priest is to splash[fg] the blood on the altar[fh] of the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and offer the fat up in smoke for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 7 So the people[fi] must no longer offer[fj] their sacrifices to the goat demons,[fk] acting like prostitutes by going after them.[fl] This is to be a perpetual statute for them throughout their generations.”’[fm]
8 “You are to say to them: ‘Any man[fn] from the house of Israel or[fo] from the resident foreigners who live[fp] in their[fq] midst, who offers[fr] a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it[fs] to the Lord—that person will be cut off from his people.[ft]
Prohibition against Eating Blood
10 “‘Any man[fu] from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners who live[fv] in their[fw] midst who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people,[fx] 11 for the life of every living thing[fy] is in the blood.[fz] So I myself have assigned it to you[ga] on the altar to make atonement for your lives, for the blood makes atonement by means of the life.[gb] 12 Therefore, I have said to the Israelites: No person among you is to eat blood,[gc] and no resident foreigner[gd] who lives among you is to eat blood.
13 “‘Any man from the Israelites[ge] or from the resident foreigners[gf] who live in their[gg] midst who hunts a wild animal[gh] or a bird that may be eaten[gi] must pour out its blood and cover it with soil, 14 for the life of all flesh is its blood.[gj] So I have said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any living thing[gk] because the life of every living thing is its blood—all who eat it will be cut off.[gl]
Regulations for Eating Carcasses
15 “‘Any person[gm] who eats an animal that has died of natural causes[gn] or an animal torn by beasts, whether a native citizen or a resident foreigner,[go] must wash his clothes, bathe in water, and be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes[gp] and does not bathe his body, he will bear his punishment for his iniquity.’”[gq]
Exhortation to Obedience and Life
18 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living,[gr] and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you;[gs] you must not[gt] walk in their statutes. 4 You must observe my regulations[gu] and you must be sure to walk in my statutes.[gv] I am the Lord your God. 5 So you must keep[gw] my statutes and my regulations; anyone who does so will live by keeping them.[gx] I am the Lord.
Laws of Sexual Relations
6 “‘No man is to approach any close relative[gy] to have sexual relations with her.[gz] I am the Lord.[ha] 7 You must not[hb] expose your father’s nakedness by having sexual relations with your mother.[hc] She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. 8 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; she is your father’s nakedness.[hd] 9 You must not have sexual relations with your sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter,[he] whether she is born in the same household or born outside it;[hf] you must not have sexual relations with either of them.[hg] 10 You must not expose the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter by having sexual relations with them, because they are your own nakedness.[hh] 11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife born of your father; she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her.[hi] 12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh.[hj] 13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s flesh. 14 You must not expose the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must not approach his wife to have marital relations with her.[hk] She is your aunt.[hl] 15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You must not have sexual relations with her. 16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness.[hm] 17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter; you must not take as wife either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to have sexual relations with them.[hn] They are closely related to her[ho]—it is lewdness.[hp] 18 You must not take a woman in marriage and then marry her sister as a rival wife[hq] while she is still alive,[hr] to have sexual relations with her.
19 “‘You must not approach a woman in her menstrual impurity[hs] to have sexual relations with her. 20 You must not have sexual relations[ht] with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech,[hu] so that you do not profane[hv] the name of your God. I am the Lord! 22 You must not have sexual relations with a male as one has sexual relations with a woman;[hw] it is a detestable act.[hx] 23 You must not have sexual relations[hy] with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual relations with it;[hz] it is a perversion.[ia]
Warning against the Abominations of the Nations
24 “‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations that I am about to drive out before you[ib] have been defiled with all these things. 25 Therefore[ic] the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity upon it,[id] so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. 26 You yourselves must obey[ie] my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner[if] in your midst, 27 for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations,[ig] and the land has become unclean. 28 So do not make the land vomit you out because you defile it[ih] just as it has vomited out the nations[ii] that were before you. 29 For if anyone does any of these abominations, that person who does them will be cut off from the midst of the people.[ij] 30 You must obey my charge not to practice any of the abominable statutes[ik] that have been done before you, so that you do not[il] defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.’”
Religious and Social Regulations
19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the whole congregation of the Israelites and tell them, ‘You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 3 Each of you must respect his mother and his father,[im] and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols,[in] and you must not make for yourselves gods of cast metal. I am the Lord your God.
Eating the Peace Offering
5 “‘When you sacrifice a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is accepted for you.[io] 6 It must be eaten on the day of your sacrifice and on the following day,[ip] but what is left over until the third day must be burned up.[iq] 7 If, however, it is eaten[ir] on the third day, it is spoiled;[is] it will not be accepted, 8 and the one who eats it will bear his punishment for iniquity[it] because he has profaned[iu] what is holy to the Lord.[iv] That person will be cut off from his people.[iw]
Leaving the Gleanings
9 “‘When you gather in the harvest[ix] of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field,[iy] and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You must not pick your vineyard bare,[iz] and you must not gather up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You must leave them for the poor and the resident foreigner.[ja] I am the Lord your God.
Dealing Honestly
11 “‘You must not steal, you must not tell lies, and you must not deal falsely with your fellow citizen.[jb] 12 You must not swear falsely[jc] in my name, so that you do not profane[jd] the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against your neighbor.[je] You must not withhold[jf] the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person.[jg] You must fear[jh] your God; I am the Lord.
Justice, Love, and Propriety
15 “‘You[ji] must not deal unjustly in judgment:[jj] You must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich.[jk] You must judge your fellow citizen fairly.[jl] 16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people.[jm] You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake.[jn] I am the Lord. 17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him.[jo] 18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against[jp] any of your people,[jq] but you must love your neighbor as yourself.[jr] I am the Lord. 19 You must keep my statutes. You must not allow two different kinds of your animals to breed together,[js] you must not sow your field with two different kinds of seed, and you must not wear[jt] a garment made of two different kinds of material.[ju]
Lying with a Slave Woman
20 “‘When a man goes to bed with a woman for intercourse,[jv] although she is a slave woman designated for another man and she has not yet been ransomed, or freedom has not been granted to her, there will be an obligation to pay compensation.[jw] They must not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He must bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent, a guilt offering ram,[jx] 22 and the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed,[jy] and he will be forgiven[jz] of his sin[ka] that he has committed.
The Produce of Fruit Trees
23 “‘When you enter the land and plant any fruit tree,[kb] you must consider its fruit to be forbidden.[kc] Three years it will be forbidden to you;[kd] it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, praise offerings[ke] to the Lord. 25 Then in the fifth year you may eat its fruit to add its produce to your harvest.[kf] I am the Lord your God.
Blood, Hair, Body, and Prostitution
26 “‘You must not eat anything with the blood still in it.[kg] You must not practice either divination or soothsaying.[kh] 27 You must not round off the corners of the hair on your head or ruin the corners of your beard.[ki] 28 You must not slash your body for a dead person[kj] or incise a tattoo on yourself.[kk] I am the Lord. 29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a prostitute,[kl] so that the land does not practice prostitution and become full of lewdness.[km]
Sabbaths, Purity, Honor, Respect, and Honesty
30 “‘You must keep my Sabbaths and fear my sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Do not turn to the spirits of the dead and do not seek familiar spirits[kn] to become unclean by them. I am the Lord your God. 32 You must stand up in the presence of the aged, honor the presence of an elder, and fear your God. I am the Lord. 33 When a resident foreigner[ko] lives with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 The resident foreigner[kp] who lives with you must be to you as a native citizen among you; so[kq] you must love the foreigner as yourself, because you were foreigners[kr] in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 35 You must not do injustice in the regulation of measures, whether of length, weight, or volume.[ks] 36 You must have honest balances,[kt] honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.[ku] I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37 You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations.[kv] I am the Lord.’”
Prohibitions against Illegitimate Family Worship
20 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “You are to say to the Israelites, ‘Any man from the Israelites (or any of the resident foreigners[kw] who live in Israel) who gives any of his children[kx] to Molech[ky] must be put to death; the people of the land must pelt him with stones.[kz] 3 I myself will set my face[la] against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people,[lb] because he has given some of his children to Molech and thereby defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.[lc] 4 If, however, the people of the land shut their eyes[ld] to that man[le] when he gives some of his children to Molech so that they do not put him to death, 5 I myself will set my face against that man and his clan. I will cut off from the midst of the people both him and all who follow after him in spiritual prostitution,[lf] committing prostitution by worshiping Molech.[lg]
Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums[lh]
6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits[li] to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face[lj] against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.
Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience
7 “‘You must sanctify yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 You must be sure to obey my statutes.[lk] I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
Family Life and Sexual Prohibitions[ll]
9 “‘If anyone[lm] curses his father or mother[ln] he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood guilt is on himself.[lo] 10 If a man[lp] commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife,[lq] both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 If a man goes to bed with[lr] his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness.[ls] Both of them must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.[lt] 12 If a man goes to bed[lu] with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed perversion;[lv] their blood guilt is on themselves. 13 If a man goes to bed with[lw] a male as one goes to bed with a woman,[lx] the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves. 14 If a man has marital relations with both a woman and her mother,[ly] it is lewdness.[lz] Both he and they must be burned to death,[ma] so there is no lewdness in your midst. 15 If a man has sexual relations[mb] with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal to copulate with it, you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.
17 “‘If a man has marital relations with[mc] his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people.[md] He has exposed his sister’s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity.[me] 18 If a man goes to bed[mf] with a menstruating woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her fountain of blood and she has exposed the fountain of her blood, so both of them[mg] must be cut off from the midst of their people. 19 You must not expose the nakedness of your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, for such a person has exposed his own close relative.[mh] They must bear their punishment for iniquity.[mi] 20 If a man goes to bed[mj] with his aunt, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness; they must bear responsibility for their sin, they will die childless. 21 If a man has marital relations with[mk] his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness;[ml] they will be childless.
Exhortation to Holiness and Obedience
22 “‘You must be sure to obey all my statutes and regulations,[mm] so that[mn] the land to which I am about to bring you to take up residence does not vomit you out. 23 You must not walk in the statutes of the nations[mo] which I am about to drive out before you, because they have done all these things and I am filled with disgust against them. 24 So I have said to you: You yourselves will possess their land and I myself will give it to you for a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who has set you apart from the other peoples.[mp] 25 Therefore you must distinguish[mq] between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean, and you must not make yourselves detestable by means of an animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground—creatures[mr] I have distinguished for you as unclean.[ms] 26 You must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the other peoples to be mine.
Prohibition against Spiritists and Mediums
27 “‘A man or woman who[mt] has in them a spirit of the dead or a familiar spirit[mu] must be put to death. They must pelt them with stones;[mv] their blood guilt is on themselves.’”
Rules for the Priests
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the priests, the sons of Aaron—say to them: ‘For a dead person[mw] no priest[mx] is to defile himself among his people,[my] 2 except for his close relative who is near to him[mz]—his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 and his virgin sister who is near to him,[na] who has no husband—he may defile himself for her. 4 He must not defile himself as a husband among his people so as to profane himself.[nb] 5 Priests[nc] must not have a bald spot shaved on their head, they must not shave the corner of their beard, and they must not cut slashes in their body.[nd]
6 “‘They must be holy to their God, and they must not profane[ne] the name of their God, because they are the ones who present the Lord’s gifts,[nf] the food of their God. Therefore they must be holy.[ng] 7 They must not take a wife defiled by prostitution,[nh] nor are they to take a wife divorced from her husband,[ni] for the priest[nj] is holy to his God.[nk] 8 You must sanctify him because he presents the food of your God. He must be holy to you because I, the Lord who sanctifies you all,[nl] am holy. 9 If a daughter of a priest profanes herself by engaging in prostitution, she is profaning her father. She must be burned to death.[nm]
Rules for the High Priest
10 “‘The high[nn] priest—who is greater than his brothers, and on whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who has been ordained[no] to wear the priestly garments—must neither dishevel the hair of his head nor tear his garments.[np] 11 He must not go where there is any dead person;[nq] he must not defile himself even for his father or for his mother. 12 He must not go out from the sanctuary and must not profane[nr] the sanctuary of his God, because the dedication of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord. 13 He must take a wife who is a virgin.[ns] 14 He must not marry[nt] a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his people[nu] as a wife, 15 so that he does not profane his children among his people,[nv] for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”
Rules for the Priesthood
16 The Lord spoke to Moses: 17 “Tell Aaron, ‘No man from your descendants throughout their generations[nw] who has a physical flaw[nx] is to approach to present the food of his God. 18 Certainly[ny] no man who has a physical flaw is to approach: a blind man, or one who is lame, or one with a slit nose,[nz] or who has a limb too long, 19 or a man who has had a broken leg or arm,[oa] 20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf,[ob] or one with a spot in his eye,[oc] or a festering eruption, or a feverish rash,[od] or a crushed testicle. 21 No man from the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a physical flaw may step forward[oe] to present the Lord’s gifts; he has a physical flaw, so he must not step forward to present the food of his God. 22 He may eat both the most holy and the holy food of his God, 23 but he must not go near the special curtain[of] or step forward to the altar because he has a physical flaw. Thus[og] he must not profane my holy places, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”
24 So[oh] Moses spoke these things[oi] to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites.
Regulations for the Eating of Priestly Stipends
22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must deal respectfully with the holy offerings[oj] of the Israelites, which they consecrate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name.[ok] I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, ‘Throughout your generations,[ol] if any man from all your descendants approaches the holy offerings, which the Israelites consecrate[om] to the Lord, while he is impure,[on] that person must be cut off from before me.[oo] I am the Lord. 4 No man[op] from the descendants of Aaron who is diseased or has a discharge[oq] may eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. The one[or] who touches anything made unclean by contact with a dead person,[os] or with a man who has a seminal emission,[ot] 5 or with a man who touches a swarming thing by which he becomes unclean,[ou] or who touches a person[ov] by which he becomes unclean, whatever that person’s impurity[ow]— 6 the person who touches any of these[ox] will be unclean until evening and must not eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body in water. 7 When the sun goes down he will be clean, and afterward he may eat from the holy offerings, because they are his food. 8 He must not eat an animal that has died of natural causes[oy] or an animal torn by beasts and thus become unclean by it. I am the Lord. 9 They must keep my charge so that they do not incur sin on account of it[oz] and therefore die[pa] because they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them.
10 “‘No lay person[pb] may eat anything holy. Neither a priest’s lodger[pc] nor a hired laborer may eat anything holy, 11 but if a priest buys a person with his own money,[pd] that person[pe] may eat the holy offerings,[pf] and those born in the priest’s[pg] own house may eat his food.[ph] 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a lay person,[pi] she may not eat the holy contribution offerings,[pj] 13 but if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and she has no children so that she returns to live in[pk] her father’s house as in her youth,[pl] she may eat from her father’s food, but no lay person may eat it.
14 “‘If a man eats a holy offering by mistake,[pm] he must add one-fifth to it and give the holy offering to the priest.[pn] 15 They[po] must not profane the holy offerings which the Israelites contribute[pp] to the Lord,[pq] 16 and so cause them to incur a penalty for guilt[pr] when they eat their holy offerings,[ps] for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”
Regulations for Offering Votive and Freewill Offerings
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 18 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘When any man[pt] from the house of Israel or from the resident foreigners[pu] in Israel presents his offering for any of the votive or freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering, 19 if it is to be acceptable for your benefit[pv] it must be a flawless male from the cattle, sheep, or goats. 20 You must not present anything that has a flaw,[pw] because it will not be acceptable for your benefit.[px] 21 If a man presents a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering[py] or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable;[pz] it must have no flaw.[qa]
22 “‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore,[qb] or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash.[qc] You must not give any of these as a gift[qd] on the altar to the Lord. 23 As for an ox[qe] or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted,[qf] you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering.[qg] 24 You must not present to the Lord something with testicles that are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut off;[qh] you must not do this in your land. 25 Even from a foreigner[qi] you must not present the food of your God from such animals as these, for they are ruined and flawed;[qj] they will not be acceptable for your benefit.’”
26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 27 “When an ox, lamb, or goat is born, it must be under the care of[qk] its mother seven days, but from the eighth day onward it will be acceptable as an offering gift[ql] to the Lord. 28 You must not slaughter an ox or a sheep and its young[qm] on the same day.[qn] 29 When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to the Lord, you must sacrifice it so that it is acceptable for your benefit.[qo] 30 On that very day[qp] it must be eaten; you must not leave any part of it[qq] over until morning. I am the Lord.
31 “You must be sure to do my commandments.[qr] I am the Lord. 32 You must not profane my holy name, and I will be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 the one who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be your God.[qs] I am the Lord.”
Regulations for Israel’s Appointed Times
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘These are the Lord’s appointed times which you must proclaim as holy assemblies—my appointed times.[qt]
The Weekly Sabbath
3 “‘Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest,[qu] a holy assembly. You must not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all the places where you live.
The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread
4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed times, holy assemblies, which you must proclaim at their appointed time. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight,[qv] is a Passover offering to the Lord. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month[qw] will be the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day there will be a holy assembly for you; you must not do any regular work.[qx] 8 You must present a gift to the Lord for seven days, and the seventh day is a holy assembly; you must not do any regular work.’”
The Presentation of Firstfruits
9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest,[qy] then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion of your harvest[qz] to the priest, 11 and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit[ra]—on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it.[rb] 12 On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer[rc] a flawless yearling lamb[rd] for a burnt offering to the Lord, 13 along with its grain offering, two-tenths of an ephah of[re] choice wheat flour[rf] mixed with olive oil, as a gift to the Lord, a soothing aroma,[rg] and its drink offering, one-fourth of a hin of wine.[rh] 14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this very day,[ri] until you bring the offering to your God. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations[rj] in all the places where you live.
The Feast of Weeks
15 “‘You must count for yourselves seven weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day you bring the wave offering sheaf; they must be complete weeks.[rk] 16 You must count fifty days—until the day after the seventh Sabbath—and then[rl] you must present a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 From the places where you live you must bring two loaves of[rm] bread for a wave offering; they must be made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine wheat flour, baked with yeast,[rn] as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 Along with the loaves of bread,[ro] you must also present seven flawless yearling lambs,[rp] one young bull,[rq] and two rams.[rr] They are to be a burnt offering to the Lord along with their grain offering[rs] and drink offerings, a gift of a soothing aroma to the Lord.[rt] 19 You must also offer[ru] one male goat[rv] for a sin offering and two yearling lambs for a peace-offering sacrifice, 20 and the priest is to wave them—the two lambs[rw]—along with the bread of the firstfruits, as a wave offering before the Lord; they will be holy to the Lord for the priest.
21 “‘On this very day you must proclaim an assembly; it is to be a holy assembly for you.[rx] You must not do any regular work. This is a perpetual statute in all the places where you live throughout your generations.[ry] 22 When you gather in the harvest[rz] of your land, you must not completely harvest the corner of your field,[sa] and you must not gather up the gleanings of your harvest. You must leave them for the poor and the resident foreigner.[sb] I am the Lord your God.’”[sc]
The Feast of Horn Blasts
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the Israelites, ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you must have a complete rest, a memorial announced by loud horn blasts,[sd] a holy assembly. 25 You must not do any regular work, but[se] you must present a gift to the Lord.’”
The Day of Atonement
26 The Lord spoke to Moses: 27 “The[sf] tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.[sg] It is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must humble yourselves[sh] and present a gift to the Lord. 28 You must not do any work on this particular day,[si] because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for yourselves[sj] before the Lord your God. 29 Indeed,[sk] any person who does not behave with humility on this particular day will be cut off from his people.[sl] 30 As for any person[sm] who does any work on this particular day, I will exterminate[sn] that person from the midst of his people[so]— 31 you must not do any work! This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations[sp] in all the places where you live. 32 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must humble yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening, from evening until evening you must observe your Sabbath.”[sq]
The Feast of Temporary Shelters
33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites, ‘On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Feast of Shelters[sr] for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day is a holy assembly; you must do no regular work.[ss] 36 For seven days you must present a gift to the Lord. On the eighth day there is to be a holy assembly for you, and you must present a gift to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly day;[st] you must not do any regular work.
37 “‘These are the appointed times of the Lord that you must proclaim as holy assemblies to present a gift to the Lord—burnt offering, grain offering, sacrifice, and drink offerings,[su] each day according to its regulation,[sv] 38 besides[sw] the Sabbaths of the Lord and all your gifts, votive offerings, and freewill offerings which you must give to the Lord.
39 “‘On[sx] the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the produce of the land, you must celebrate a pilgrim festival of the Lord for seven days. On the first day is a complete rest and on the eighth day is complete rest. 40 On the first day you must take for yourselves branches from majestic trees[sy]—palm branches, branches of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and you must rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You must celebrate it as a pilgrim festival to the Lord for seven days in the year. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations;[sz] you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You must live in temporary shelters[ta] for seven days; every native citizen in Israel must live in shelters, 43 so that your future generations may know that I made the Israelites live in shelters when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”
44 So Moses spoke to the Israelites about the appointed times of the Lord.[tb]
Regulations for the Lampstand and the Table of Bread
24 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites to bring[tc] to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.[td] 3 Outside the special curtain[te] of the congregation in the Meeting Tent, Aaron[tf] must arrange it from evening until morning before the Lord continually. This is a perpetual statute throughout your generations.[tg] 4 On the ceremonially pure lampstand[th] he must arrange the lamps before the Lord continually.
5 “You must take choice wheat flour[ti] and bake twelve loaves;[tj] there must be two-tenths of an ephah of flour in[tk] each loaf, 6 and you must set them in two rows, six in a row,[tl] on the ceremonially pure table before the Lord. 7 You must put pure frankincense[tm] on each row,[tn] and it will become a memorial portion[to] for the bread, a gift[tp] to the Lord. 8 Each Sabbath day[tq] Aaron[tr] must arrange it before the Lord continually; this portion[ts] is from the Israelites as a perpetual covenant. 9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons, and they must eat it in a holy place because it is most holy to him, a perpetually-allotted portion[tt] from the gifts of the Lord.”
A Case of Blaspheming the Name
10 Now[tu] an Israelite woman’s son whose father was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man[tv] had a fight in the camp. 11 The Israelite woman’s son misused the Name and cursed,[tw] so they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 So they placed him in custody until they were able[tx] to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord.[ty]
13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 14 “Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to death.[tz] 15 Moreover,[ua] you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If any man curses his God[ub] he will bear responsibility for his sin, 16 and one who misuses[uc] the name of the Lord must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a resident foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death.
17 “‘If a man beats any person to death,[ud] he must be put to death. 18 One who beats an animal to death[ue] must make restitution for it, life for life.[uf] 19 If a man inflicts an injury on[ug] his fellow citizen,[uh] just as he has done it must be done to him— 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth—just as he inflicts an injury on another person[ui] that same injury[uj] must be inflicted on him. 21 One who beats an animal to death[uk] must make restitution for it, but[ul] one who beats a person to death must be put to death. 22 There will be one regulation[um] for you, whether a resident foreigner[un] or a native citizen, for I am the Lord your God.’”
23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him with stones. So the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Regulations for the Sabbatical Year
25 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath[uo] to the Lord. 3 Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce,[up] 4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest[uq]—a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or[ur] prune your vineyard. 5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned vines;[us] the land must have a year of complete rest. 6 You may have the Sabbath produce[ut] of the land to eat—you, your male servant, your female servant, your hired worker, the resident foreigner who stays with you,[uu] 7 your cattle, and the wild animals that are in your land—all its produce will be for you[uv] to eat.
Regulations for the Jubilee Year of Release
8 “‘You must count off[uw] seven weeks of years, seven times seven years,[ux] and the days of the seven weeks of years will amount to forty-nine years.[uy] 9 You must sound loud horn blasts[uz]—in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement—you must sound the horn in your entire land. 10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year,[va] and you must proclaim a release[vb] in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your Jubilee;[vc] each one of you must return[vd] to his property and each one of you must return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines.[ve] 12 Because that year is a Jubilee, it will be holy to you—you may eat its produce[vf] from the field.
Release of Landed Property
13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee you must each return[vg] to your property. 14 If you make a sale[vh] to your fellow citizen[vi] or buy[vj] from your fellow citizen, no one is to wrong his brother.[vk] 15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since[vl] the last Jubilee; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left.[vm] 16 The more years there are,[vn] the more you may make its purchase price, and the fewer years there are,[vo] the less you must make its purchase price, because he is only selling to you a number of years of[vp] produce. 17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen,[vq] but you must fear your God, because I am the Lord your God. 18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations; you must be sure to keep them[vr] so that you may live securely in the land.[vs]
19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied,[vt] and you may live securely in the land. 20 If you say, “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce?” 21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield[vu] the produce[vv] for three years, 22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce[vw]—old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce,[vx] you may eat old produce. 23 The land must not be sold without reclaim[vy] because the land belongs to me, for you are foreign residents, temporary settlers, with me.[vz] 24 In all your landed property[wa] you must provide for the right of redemption of the land.[wb]
25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold.[wc] 26 If a man has no redeemer, but he prospers[wd] and gains enough for its redemption,[we] 27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold,[wf] refund the balance[wg] to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property. 28 If he has not prospered enough to refund[wh] a balance to him, then what he sold[wi] will belong to[wj] the one who bought it until the Jubilee year, but it must revert[wk] in the Jubilee and the original owner[wl] may return to his property.
Release of Houses
29 “‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city,[wm] its right of redemption must extend[wn] until one full year from its sale;[wo] its right of redemption must extend to a full calendar year.[wp] 30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended,[wq] the house in the walled city[wr] will belong without reclaim[ws] to the one who bought it throughout his generations; it will not revert in the Jubilee. 31 The houses of villages, however,[wt] which have no wall surrounding them[wu] must be considered as the field[wv] of the land; they will have the right of redemption and must revert in the Jubilee. 32 As for[ww] the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities which they possess,[wx] the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption. 33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem—the sale of a house which is his property in a city—must revert in the Jubilee,[wy] because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites. 34 Moreover,[wz] the open field areas of their cities[xa] must not be sold, because that is their perpetual possession.
Debt and Slave Regulations
35 “‘If your brother[xb] becomes impoverished and is indebted to you,[xc] you must support[xd] him; he must live[xe] with you like a foreign resident.[xf] 36 Do not take interest or profit from him,[xg] but you must fear your God and your brother must live[xh] with you. 37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit.[xi] 38 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan—to be your God.[xj]
39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service.[xk] 40 He must be with you as a hired worker, as a resident foreigner;[xl] he must serve with you until the Year of Jubilee, 41 but then[xm] he may go free,[xn] he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors.[xo] 42 Since the Israelites[xp] are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt, they must not be sold in a slave sale.[xq] 43 You must not rule over them harshly,[xr] but you must fear your God.
44 “‘As for your male and female slaves[xs] who may belong to you—you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you.[xt] 45 Also, you may buy slaves[xu] from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are[xv] with you, whom they have fathered in your land; they may become your property. 46 You may give them as an inheritance to your children after you to possess as property. You may enslave them perpetually. However, as for your brothers the Israelites, no man may rule over his brother harshly.[xw]
47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers[xx] and your brother becomes impoverished with regard to him so that[xy] he sells himself to a resident foreigner who is with you or to a member[xz] of a foreigner’s family, 48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption.[ya] One of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle or his cousin[yb] may redeem him, or any one of the rest of his blood relatives—his family[yc]—may redeem him, or if[yd] he prospers he may redeem himself. 50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years[ye] from the year he sold himself to him until the Jubilee year, and the cost of his sale must correspond to the number of years, according to the rate of wages a hired worker would have earned while with him.[yf] 51 If there are still many years, in keeping with them[yg] he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption, 52 but if only a few years remain[yh] until the Jubilee, he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption. 53 He must be with the one who bought him[yi] like a yearly hired worker.[yj] The one who bought him[yk] must not rule over him harshly in your sight. 54 If, however,[yl] he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free[ym] in the Jubilee year, he and his children with him, 55 because the Israelites are my own servants;[yn] they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Exhortation to Obedience
26 “‘You must not make for yourselves idols,[yo] so you must not set up for yourselves a carved image or a pillar, and you must not place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down before[yp] it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You must keep my Sabbaths and reverence[yq] my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
The Benefits of Obedience
3 “‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments,[yr] 4 I will give you your rains in their time so that[ys] the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit.[yt] 5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes,[yu] and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so[yv] you will eat your bread until you are satisfied,[yw] and you will live securely in your land. 6 I will grant peace in the land so that[yx] you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you.[yy] I will remove harmful animals[yz] from the land, and no sword of war[za] will pass through your land. 7 You will pursue your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword.[zb] 8 Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you, make you fruitful, multiply you, and maintain[zc] my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating stored produce from the previous year[zd] and will have to clean out what is stored from the previous year to make room for new.[ze]
11 “‘I will put my tabernacle[zf] in your midst and I will not abhor you.[zg] 12 I will walk among you, and I will be your God and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves,[zh] and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright.[zi]
The Consequences of Disobedience
14 “‘If, however,[zj] you do not obey me and keep[zk] all these commandments— 15 if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep[zl] all my commandments and you break my covenant— 16 I for my part[zm] will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life.[zn] You will sow your seed in vain because[zo] your enemies will eat it.[zp] 17 I will set my face against you. You will be struck down before your enemies, those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when there is no one pursuing you.
18 “‘If, in spite of all these things,[zq] you do not obey me, I will discipline you seven times more on account of your sins.[zr] 19 I will break your strong pride and make your sky like iron and your land like bronze. 20 Your strength will be used up in vain, your land will not give its yield, and the trees of the land[zs] will not produce their fruit.
21 “‘If you walk in hostility against me[zt] and are not willing to obey me, I will increase your affliction[zu] seven times according to your sins. 22 I will send the wild animals[zv] against you and they will bereave you of your children,[zw] annihilate your cattle, and diminish your population[zx] so that your roads will become deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things[zy] you do not allow yourselves to be disciplined and you walk in hostility against me,[zz] 24 then I myself will also walk in hostility against you and strike you[aaa] seven times on account of your sins. 25 I will bring on you an avenging sword, a covenant vengeance.[aab] Although[aac] you will gather together into your cities, I will send pestilence among you and you will be given into enemy hands.[aad] 26 When I break off your supply of bread,[aae] ten women will bake your bread in one oven; they will ration your bread by weight,[aaf] and you will eat and not be satisfied.
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