¹The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites that this is what the Lord has commanded: ³Any Israelite who slaughters a bull, sheep, or goat inside or outside the camp ⁴is guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be excluded from the people. Bring the animal to the entrance of the tent of meeting. Offer it to the Lord in front of the Lord’s tent. ⁵⸤This means⸥ that the people of Israel must take the sacrifices they have been making in the open fields and bring them to the Lord. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The people will sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to the Lord. ⁶The priest will pour the blood against the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to the Lord. ⁷The people must stop sacrificing to goat idols and chasing after them as though they were prostitutes. This is a permanent law for the people and for future generations.

⁸“Tell them: If Israelites or foreigners make burnt offerings or sacrifices ⁹but do not bring them to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer them to the Lord, they must be excluded from the people.

Eating Blood

¹⁰“If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people, ¹¹because blood contains life. I have given this blood to you to make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to make peace with me. ¹²That is why I have said to the people of Israel: Neither you nor foreigners should ever eat blood.

¹³“If Israelites or foreigners hunt any animal or bird that may be eaten, they must pour out the animal’s blood and cover it with dirt. ¹⁴This is because the life of any creature is in its blood. So I have said to the people of Israel: Never eat any blood, because the life of any creature is in its blood. Whoever eats blood must be excluded ⸤from the people⸥.

¹⁵“Native Israelites or foreigners who eat the body of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by another animal must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. Then they will be clean. ¹⁶If they don’t wash their clothes and their bodies, they will be guilty of sin.”

18TH CHAPTER

Forbidden Sexual Practices

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God. ³You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. ⁴Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the Lord your God. ⁵Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the Lord.

⁶“Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am the Lord.

⁷“Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ⁸Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. ⁹Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. ¹⁰Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because she is related to you. ¹¹Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. ¹²Never have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister. She is your paternal aunt. ¹³Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister. She is your maternal aunt. ¹⁴Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father’s brother. She, too, is your aunt. ¹⁵Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ¹⁶Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother’s wife. ¹⁷Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. ¹⁸While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.

¹⁹“Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. ²⁰Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her. ²¹Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech ⸤by burning them alive⸥. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am the Lord. ²²Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. ²³Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.

Punishment for Sexual Sins

²⁴“Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. ²⁵The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. ²⁶Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. ²⁷The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. ²⁸If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. ²⁹Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. ³⁰So you must follow my instructions. Don’t live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am the Lord your God.”

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