Leviticus 17–26

17TH CHAPTER

Eating Sacrifices

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.” 

19TH CHAPTER

Duties of the People Toward God

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 

³“Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of rest as holy days. I am the Lord your God. 

⁴“Don’t turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never make any gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God. 

⁵“When you bring a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it ⸤properly⸥ so that you will be accepted. ⁶Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. ⁷If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted. ⁸Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to the Lord. They must be excluded from the people. 

Duties of the People Toward Each Other

⁹“When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. ¹⁰Don’t harvest your vineyard a second time or pick up fallen grapes. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am the Lord your God. 

¹¹“Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor. 

¹²“Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your God. I am the Lord. 

¹³“Never oppress or rob your neighbor. Never keep the pay you owe a hired worker overnight. ¹⁴Never curse deaf people or put anything in the way of blind people to make them stumble. Instead, fear your God. I am the Lord. 

¹⁵“Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly. ¹⁶Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord. 

¹⁷“Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him. ¹⁸Never get revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord. 

Other Duties

¹⁹“Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Never plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material. 

²⁰“If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. ²¹He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²²In the Lord’s presence the priest will use them to make peace with the Lord for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin. 

²³“When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for ⸤the first⸥ three years. ²⁴In the fourth year all the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to the Lord. ²⁵In the fifth year you may eat the fruit. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am the Lord your God. 

²⁶“Never eat any meat with blood still in it. 

“Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers. 

²⁷“Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard. ²⁸Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am the Lord. 

²⁹“Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted. 

³⁰“Observe my days of rest as holy days and respect my holy tent. I am the Lord. 

³¹“Don’t turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am the Lord your God. 

³²“Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your God. I am the Lord. 

³³“Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land. ³⁴Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 

³⁵“Don’t be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid. ³⁶Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. 

³⁷“Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am the Lord.” 

20TH CHAPTER

Punishment for Serious Crimes

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites: If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to ⸤the god⸥ Molech, they must…