Leviticus 17:1–25:55
17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughtersa an ox, sheep, or goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp, 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before his tabernacle—that person will be considered guilty.A,b He has shed bloodc and is to be cut off from his people.d 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrificese they have been offering in the open country. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting and offer them as fellowship sacrificesf to the Lord. 6 The priest will then splatter the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demonsg that they have prostitutedh themselves with. This will be a permanent statutei for them throughout their generations.
8 “Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliensj who reside among them who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord, that person is to be cut off from his people.
EATING BLOOD AND CARCASSES PROHIBITED
10 “Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them who eats any blood,k I will turnB against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar forC your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.l 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites: None of you and no alien who resides among you may eat blood.
13 “Any Israelite or alien residing among them, who huntsm down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten must drain its bloodn and cover it with dirt. 14 Since the life of every creature is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You are not to eat the blood of any creature,o because the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.
15 “Every person, whether the native or the resident alien,p who eats an animal that died a natural death or was mauled by wild beastsq is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will bear his iniquity.”
18 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the Lord your God.r 3 Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt,s where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan,t where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs.u 4 You are to practice my ordinancesv and you are to keep my statutesw by following them; I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my statutes and ordinances; a person will livex if he does them.y I am the Lord.
6 “You are not to come nearz any close relativeD for sexual intercourse;aa I am the Lord. 7 You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs to your fatherab and mother.E She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her. 8 You are not to have sex with your father’s wife;ac she is your father’s family.ad 9 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s,ae whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her. 10 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for they are your family.F 11 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife’s daughter, who is adopted byG your father; she is your sister. 12 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister;af she is your father’s close relative. 13 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister,ag for she is your mother’s close relative. 14 You are not to violate the intimacy that belongs toH your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual intercourse; she is your aunt.ah 15 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law.ai She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her. 16 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family.aj 17 You are not to have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter.ak You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sex with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.al 18 You are not to marry a woman as a rival to her sister and have sexual intercourse with her during her sister’s lifetime.a
19 “You are not to approachb a woman during her menstrual impurity to have sexual intercourse with her.c 20 You are not to have sexual intercourse withA your neighbor’s wife, defiling yourself with her.d
21 “You are not to sacrifice any of your children in the fireB to Molech.e Do not profane the namef of your God; I am the Lord. 22 You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman;g it is detestable.h 23 You are not to have sexual intercourse withC any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it;i it is a perversion.
24 “Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things. 25 The land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its iniquity, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.j 26 But you are to keep my statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable acts—not the native or the alien who resides among you. 27 For the people who were in the land prior to you have committed all these detestable acts, and the land has become defiled. 28 If you defile the land, it will vomitk you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 Any person who does any of these detestable practices is to be cut off from his people. 30 You must keep my instruction to not do any of the detestable customsl that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them; I am the Lord your God.”
19 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the entire Israelite community and tell them: Be holym because I, the Lord your God, am holy.n
3 “Each of you is to respect his mother and father.o You are to keep my Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to worthless idolsp or make cast imagesq of gods for yourselves;r I am the Lord your God.
5 “When you offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 6 It is to be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day, but what remains on the third day must be burned.s 7 If any is eaten on the third day, it is a repulsive thing; it will not be accepted.t 8 Anyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the Lord. That person is to be cut off from his people.u
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleaningsv of your harvest. 10 Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poorw and the resident alien;x I am the Lord your God.
11 “Do not steal.y Do not act deceptivelyz or lieaa to one another. 12 Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God;ab I am the Lord.
13 “Do not oppressac your neighbor or robad him. The wages due a hired workerae must not remain with you until morning. 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,af but you are to fear your God;ag I am the Lord.ah
15 “Do not act unjustlyai when deciding a case. Do not be partialaj to the poor or give preference to the rich;ak judge your neighbor fairly. 16 Do not go about spreading slanderal among your people; do not jeopardizeD your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.
17 “Do not harbor hatred against your brother.E,am Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.an 18 Do not take revengeao or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself;ap I am the Lord.
19 “You are to keep my statutes. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.aq
20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemedar or given her freedom, there must be punishment.F They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 However, he must bring a ram as his guiltG offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.as 22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden.A It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit is to be consecrated as a praise offeringa to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way its yield will increase for you;b I am the Lord your God.
26 “You are not to eat anything with blood in it.B,c You are not to practice divinationd or witchcraft.e 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard.f 28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the deadg or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.
29 “Do not debaseC,h your daughter by making her a prostitute,i or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 30 Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary;j I am the Lord.
31 “Do not turn to mediumsD,k or consult spiritists,E,l or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.
32 “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old.m Fear your God; I am the …