Bible in 90 Days

Rules for Cleaning Mildew

³³ The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “I am giving the land of Canaan to your people. When they enter that land, if I cause mildew to grow in someone’s house in that land, ³⁵ the owner of that house must come and tell the priest. He should say, ‘I have seen something like mildew in my house.’ ³⁶ Then the priest must order the people to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mildew. This is so he will not have to say that everything in the house is unclean. After this, the priest will go in to look at it. ³⁷ He will look at the mildew, and if the mildew on the walls of the house is green or red and goes into the wall’s surface, ³⁸ he must go out and close up the house for seven days. ³⁹ On the seventh day the priest must come back and check the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ the priest must order the people to tear out the stones with the mildew on them. They should throw them away, at a certain unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹ Then the priest must have all the inside of the house scraped. The people must throw away the plaster they scraped off the walls, at a certain unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then the owner must put new stones in the walls, and he must cover the walls with new clay plaster.

⁴³ “Suppose a person has taken away the old stones and plaster and put in new stones and plaster. If mildew again appears in his house, ⁴⁴ the priest must come back and check the house again. If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a mildew that destroys things; the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ Then the owner must tear down the house, remove all its stones, plaster, and wood, and take them to the unclean place outside the city. ⁴⁶ Anyone who goes into that house while it is closed up will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Anyone who eats in that house or lies down there must wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ “Suppose after new stones and plaster have been put in a house, the priest checks it again and the mildew has not spread. Then the priest will announce that the house is clean, because the mildew is gone.

⁴⁹ “Then, to make the house clean, the priest must take two birds, a piece of cedar wood, a piece of red string, and a hyssop plant. ⁵⁰ He will kill one bird in a clay bowl containing fresh water. ⁵¹ Then he will take the bird that is still alive, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string, and he will dip them into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. The priest will sprinkle the blood on the house seven times. ⁵² He will use the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red string to make the house clean. ⁵³ He will then go to an open field outside the city and let the living bird go free. This is how the priest makes the house clean and ready for service to the Lord.”

⁵⁴ These are the teachings about any kind of skin disease, ⁵⁵ mildew on pieces of cloth or in a house, ⁵⁶ swellings, rashes, or bright spots on the skin; ⁵⁷ they help people decide when things are unclean and when they are clean. These are the teachings about all these kinds of diseases.

Rules About a Person’s Body

15 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the people of Israel: ‘When a fluid comes from a person’s body, the fluid is unclean. ³ It doesn’t matter if the fluid flows freely or if it is blocked from flowing; the fluid will make him unclean. This is the way the fluid makes him unclean:

⁴ “‘If the person who discharges the body fluid lies on a bed, that bed becomes unclean, and everything he sits on becomes unclean. ⁵ Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and the person will be unclean until evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on something that the person who discharges the fluid sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. ⁷ Anyone who touches the person who discharges the body fluid must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.

⁸ “‘If the person who discharges the body fluid spits on someone who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. ⁹ Everything on which the person who is unclean sits when riding will become unclean. ¹⁰ Anyone who touches something that was under him will be unclean until evening. And anyone who carries these things must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.

¹¹ “‘If the person who discharges a body fluid has not washed his hands in water and touches another person, that person must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening.

¹² “‘If a person who discharges a body fluid touches a clay bowl, that bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.

¹³ “‘When a person who discharges a body fluid is made clean, he must count seven days for himself for his cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water, and he will be clean. ¹⁴ On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest will offer the birds, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest will make that person clean so he can belong to the Lord again.

¹⁶ “‘If semen^[a] goes out from a man, he must bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. ¹⁷ If the fluid gets on any clothing or leather, it must be washed with water; it will be unclean until evening.

¹⁸ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman and semen comes out, both people must bathe in water; they will be unclean until evening.

Rules About a Woman’s Body

¹⁹ “‘When a woman has her monthly period, she is unclean for seven days; anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Anything she lies on during this time will be unclean, and everything she sits on during this time will be unclean. ²¹ Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. ²² Anyone who touches something she has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water; that person will be unclean until evening. ²³ It does not matter if the person touched the woman’s bed or something she sat on; he will be unclean until evening.

²⁴ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman and her monthly period touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; every bed he lies on will be unclean.

²⁵ “‘If a woman has a loss of blood for many days and it is not during her regular monthly period, or if she continues to have a loss of blood after her regular period, she will be unclean, as she is during her monthly period. She will be unclean for as long as she continues to bleed. ²⁶ Any bed she lies on during all the time of her bleeding will be like her bed during her regular monthly period. Everything she sits on will be unclean, as during her regular monthly period.

²⁷ “‘Whoever touches those things will be unclean and must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ When the woman becomes clean from her bleeding, she must wait seven days, and after this she will be clean. ²⁹ Then on the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. ³⁰ The priest must offer one bird for a sin offering and the other for a whole burnt offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she can belong to the Lord again.

³¹ “‘So you must warn the people of Israel to stay separated from things that make them unclean. If you don’t warn the people, they might make my Holy Tent unclean, and then they would have to die!’”

³² These are the teachings for the person who discharges a body fluid and for the man who becomes unclean from semen^[b] coming out of his body. ³³ These are the teachings for the woman who becomes unclean from her monthly period, for a man or woman who has a discharge, and for a man who becomes unclean by having sexual relations with a woman who is unclean.

The Day of Cleansing

16 Now two of Aaron’s sons had died while offering incense to the Lord, and after that time the Lord spoke to Moses. ² The Lord said to him, “Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the lid on the Ark, he will die.

³ “This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a sin offering and a male sheep for a whole burnt offering. ⁴ He must put on the holy linen inner robe, with the linen underclothes next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt, and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.

⁵ “Aaron must take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one male sheep for a burnt offering. ⁶ Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering for himself to remove sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord.

⁷ “Next Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ⁸ He will throw lots for the two goats—one will be for the Lord and the other for the goat that removes sin. ⁹ Then Aaron will take the goat that was chosen for the Lord by throwing the lot, and he will offer it as a sin offering. ¹⁰ The other goat, which was chosen by lot to remove the sin, must be brought alive before the Lord. The priest will use it to perform the acts that remove Israel’s sin so they will belong to the Lord. Then this goat will be sent out into the desert as a goat that removes sin.

¹¹ “Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, to remove the sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord; he will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself. ¹² Then he must take a pan full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder. He must bring it into the room behind the curtain. ¹³ He must put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense will cover the lid on the Ark. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die. ¹⁴ Also, he must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the lid; with his finger he will sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the lid.

¹⁵ “Then Aaron must kill the goat of the sin offering for the people and bring its blood into the room behind the curtain. He must do with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood, sprinkling it on the lid and in front of the lid. ¹⁶ Because the people of Israel have been unclean, Aaron will perform the acts to make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord. Then it will be clean from the sins and crimes of the Israelites. He must also do this for the Meeting Tent, because it stays in the middle of unclean people. ¹⁷ When Aaron makes the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord, no one is allowed in the Meeting Tent until he comes out. So Aaron will perform the acts to remove sins from himself, his family, and all the people of Israel, so they will belong to the Lord. ¹⁸ Afterward he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and will make it ready for service to the Lord. Aaron will take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the corners of the altar on all sides. ¹⁹ Then, with his finger, he will sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times to make the altar holy for the Lord and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.

²⁰ “When Aaron has finished making the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord, he will offer the living goat. ²¹ He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat, and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people’s sins on the goat’s head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert, and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away. ²² So the goat will carry on itself all the people’s sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.

²³ “Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there. ²⁴ He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering for himself and for the people, to remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the Lord. ²⁵ Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ “The person who led the goat, the goat to remove sins, into the desert must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.

²⁷ “The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make it ready for service to the Lord, must be taken outside the camp; the animals’ skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire. ²⁸ Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.

²⁹ “This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must deny yourself and you must not do any work. The travelers or foreigners living with you must not work either. ³⁰ It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed. ³¹ This is a very important day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. This law will continue forever.

³² “The priest appointed to take his father’s place, on whom the oil was poured, will perform the acts for making things ready for service to the Lord. He must put on the holy linen clothes ³³ and make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord. He must also remove the sins of the priests and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the Lord. ³⁴ That law for removing the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord will continue forever. You will do these things once a year.”

So they did the things the Lord had commanded Moses.

Offering Sacrifices

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel. Tell them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded. ³ If an Israelite kills an ox, a lamb, or a goat either inside the camp or outside it, ⁴ when he should have brought the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent as a gift to the Lord in front of the Lord’s Holy Tent, he is guilty of killing. He has killed, and he must be cut off from the people. ⁵ This rule is so people will bring their sacrifices, which they have been sacrificing in the open fields, to the Lord. They must bring those animals to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent; they must bring them to the priest and offer them as fellowship offerings. ⁶ Then the priest will sprinkle the blood from those animals on the Lord’s altar near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And he will burn the fat from those animals on the altar, as a smell pleasing to the Lord. ⁷ They must not offer any more sacrifices to their goat idols, which they have chased like prostitutes. These rules will continue for people from now on.’

⁸ “Tell the people this: ‘If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, ⁹ that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the Lord. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people.

¹⁰ “‘I will be against any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you who eats blood. I will cut off that person from the people. ¹¹ This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life. ¹² So I tell the people of Israel this: “None of you may eat blood, and no foreigner living among you may eat blood.”

¹³ “‘If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living among you catches a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt. ¹⁴ If blood is still in the meat, the animal’s life is still in it. So I give this command to the people of Israel: “Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it, because the animal’s life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off.”

¹⁵ “‘If a person, either a citizen or a foreigner, eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. ¹⁶ If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will be guilty of sin.’”

Rules About Sexual Relations

18 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. ³ In the past you lived in Egypt, but you must not do what was done in that country. And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their customs. ⁴ You must obey my rules and follow them. I am the Lord your God. ⁵ Obey my laws and rules; a person who obeys them will live because of them. I am the Lord.

⁶ “‘You must never have sexual relations with your close relatives. I am the Lord.

⁷ “‘You must not shame your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have sexual relations with her. ⁸ You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would shame your father.

⁹ “‘You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either the daughter of your father or your mother. It doesn’t matter if she was born in your house or somewhere else.

¹⁰ “‘You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would bring shame on you.

¹¹ “‘If your father and his wife have a daughter, she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her.

¹² “‘You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. ¹³ You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister; she is your mother’s close relative. ¹⁴ You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father’s brother, because this would shame him. She is your aunt.

¹⁵ “‘You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.

¹⁶ “‘You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife. That would shame your brother.

¹⁷ “‘You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. And do not have sexual relations with this woman’s granddaughter, either the daughter of her son or her daughter; they are her close relatives. It is evil to do this.

¹⁸ “‘While your wife is still living, you must not take her sister as another wife. Do not have sexual relations with her.

¹⁹ “‘You must not go near a woman to have sexual relations with her during her monthly period, when she is unclean.

²⁰ “‘You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and make yourself unclean with her.

²¹ “‘You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, because this would show that you do not respect your God. I am the Lord.

²² “‘You must not have sexual relations with a man as you would a woman. That is a hateful sin.

²³ “‘You must not have sexual relations with an animal and make yourself unclean with it. Also a woman must not have sexual relations with an animal; it is not natural.

²⁴ “‘Don’t make yourself unclean by any of these wrong things. I am forcing nations out of their countries because they did these sins, and I am giving their land to you. ²⁵ The land has become unclean, and I punished it for its sins, so the land is throwing out those people who live there.

²⁶ “‘You must obey my laws and rules, and you must not do any of these hateful sins. These rules are for the citizens of Israel and for the people who live with you. ²⁷ The people who lived in the land before you did all these hateful things and made the land unclean. ²⁸ If you do these things, you will also make the land unclean, and it will throw you out as it threw out the nations before you. ²⁹ Anyone who does these hateful sins must be cut off from the people. ³⁰ Keep my command not to do these hateful sins that were done by the people who lived in the land before you. Don’t make yourself unclean by doing them. I am the Lord your God.’”

Other Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell all the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God. You must be holy because I am holy.

³ “‘You must respect your mother and father, and you must keep my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

⁴ “‘Do not worship idols or make statues or gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

⁵ “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, offer it in such a way that will be accepted. ⁶ You may eat it the same day you offer it or on the next day. But if any is left on the third day, you must burn it up. ⁷ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is unclean, and it will not be accepted. ⁸ Anyone who eats it then will be guilty of sin, because he did not respect the holy things that belong to the Lord. He must be cut off from the people.

⁹ “‘When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your fields. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. ¹⁰ Don’t pick all the grapes in your vineyards, and don’t pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. You must leave those things for poor people and for people traveling through your country. I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “‘You must not steal. You must not cheat people, and you must not lie to each other. ¹² You must not make a false promise by my name, or you will show that you don’t respect your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘You must not cheat your neighbor or rob him. You must not keep a hired worker’s salary all night until morning. ¹⁴ You must not curse a deaf person or put something in front of a blind person to make him fall. But you must respect your God. I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Be fair in your judging. You must not show special favor to poor people or great people, but be fair when you judge your neighbor. ¹⁶ You must not spread false stories against other people, and you must not do anything that would put your neighbor’s life in danger. I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘You must not hate your fellow citizen in your heart. If your neighbor does something wrong, tell him about it, or you will be partly to blame. ¹⁸ Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “‘Obey my laws. You must not mate two different kinds of cattle or sow your field with two different kinds of seed. You must not wear clothing made from two different kinds of material mixed together.

²⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a slave girl of another man, but this slave girl has not been bought or given her freedom, there must be punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because the woman was not free. ²¹ The man must bring a male sheep as his penalty offering to the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. ²² The priest will offer the sheep as a penalty offering before the Lord for the man’s sin, to remove the sins of the man so he will belong to the Lord. Then he will be forgiven for his sin.

²³ “‘In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit. ²⁴ In the fourth year the fruit from the tree will be the Lord’s, a holy offering of praise to him. ²⁵ Then in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit from the tree. The tree will then produce more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “‘You must not eat anything with the blood in it.

“‘You must not try to tell the future by signs or black magic.

²⁷ “‘You must not cut the hair on the sides of your heads or cut the edges of your beard. ²⁸ You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “‘Do not dishonor your daughter by making her become a prostitute. If you do this, the country will be filled with all kinds of sin.

³⁰ “‘Obey the laws about Sabbaths, and respect my Most Holy Place. I am the Lord.

³¹ “‘Do not go to mediums or fortune-tellers for advice, or you will become unclean. I am the Lord your God.

³² “‘Show respect to old people; stand up in their presence. Show respect also to your God. I am the Lord.

³³ “‘Do not mistreat foreigners living in your country, ³⁴ but treat them just as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “‘Do not cheat when you measure the length or weight or amount of something. ³⁶ Your weights and balances should weigh correctly, with your weighing baskets the right size and your jars holding the right amount of liquid. I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷ “‘Remember all my laws and rules, and obey them. I am the Lord.’”

Warnings About Various Sins

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² “You must also tell the people of Israel these things: ‘If a person in your country gives one of his children to Molech, that person must be killed. It doesn’t matter if he is a citizen or a foreigner living in Israel; you must throw stones at him and kill him. ³ I will be against him and cut him off from his people, because he gave his children to Molech. He showed that he did not respect my holy name, and he made my Holy Place unclean. ⁴ The people of the community might ignore that person and not kill the one who gave his children to Molech. ⁵ But I will be against him and his family, and I will cut him off from his people. I will do this to anyone who follows him in being unfaithful to me by worshiping Molech.

⁶ “‘I will be against anyone who goes to mediums and fortune-tellers for advice, because that person is being unfaithful to me. So I will cut him off from his people.

⁷ “‘Be my holy people. Be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ Remember and obey my laws. I am the Lord, and I have made you holy.

⁹ “‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so he has brought his own death on himself.

Punishments for Sexual Sins

¹⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his neighbor’s wife, both the man and the woman are guilty of adultery and must be put to death. ¹¹ If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has shamed his father, and both the man and his father’s wife must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.

¹² “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is not natural. They have brought their own deaths on themselves.

¹³ “‘If a man has sexual relations with another man as a man does with a woman, these two men have done a hateful sin. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.

¹⁴ “‘If a man has sexual relations with both a woman and her mother, this is evil. The people must burn that man and the two women in fire so that your people will not be evil.

¹⁵ “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death. You must also kill the animal. ¹⁶ If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They have brought it on themselves.

¹⁷ “‘It is shameful for a brother to marry his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and to have sexual relations with her. In front of everyone they must both be cut off from their people. The man has shamed his sister, and he is guilty of sin.

¹⁸ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, both the woman and the man must be cut off from their people. They sinned because they showed the source of her blood.

¹⁹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that would shame a close relative. Both of you are guilty of this sin.

²⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his uncle’s wife, he has shamed his uncle. That man and his uncle’s wife will die without children; they are guilty of sin.

²¹ “‘It is unclean for a man to marry his brother’s wife. That man has shamed his brother, and they will have no children.

²² “‘Remember all my laws and rules, and obey them. I am leading you to your own land, and if you obey my laws and rules, that land will not throw you out. ²³ I am forcing out ahead of you the people who live there. Because they did all these sins, I have hated them. Do not live the way those people lived.

²⁴ “‘I have told you that you will get their land, which I will give to you as your very own; it is a fertile land. I am the Lord your God, and I have set you apart from other people and made you my own. ²⁵ So you must treat clean animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you. ²⁶ So you must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from other people to be my own.

²⁷ “‘A man or woman who is a medium or a fortune-teller must be put to death. You must stone them to death; they have brought it on themselves.’”

How Priests Must Behave

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell these things to Aaron’s sons, the priests: ‘A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person. ² But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he may touch him. The priest may make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, son or daughter, brother or ³ unmarried sister who is close to him because she has no husband. The priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies. ⁴ But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only related to him by marriage.

⁵ “‘Priests must not shave their heads, or shave off the edges of their beards, or cut their bodies. ⁶ They must be holy to their God and show respect for God’s name, because they present the offerings made by fire to the Lord, which is the food of their God. So they must be holy.

⁷ “‘A priest must not marry an unclean prostitute or a divorced woman, because he is holy to his God. ⁸ Treat him as holy, because he offers up the food of your God. Think of him as holy; I am the Lord who makes you holy, and I am holy.

⁹ “‘If a priest’s daughter makes herself unclean by becoming a prostitute, she shames her father. She must be burned with fire.

¹⁰ “‘The high priest, who was chosen from among his brothers, had the special olive oil poured on his head. He was also appointed to wear the priestly clothes. So he must not show his sadness by letting his hair go uncombed or tearing his clothes. ¹¹ He must not go into a house where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even if it is for his own father or mother. ¹² The high priest must not go out of the Holy Place, because if he does and becomes unclean, he will make God’s Holy Place unclean. The special oil used in appointing priests was poured on his head to separate him from the rest of the people. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘The high priest must marry a woman who is a virgin. ¹⁴ He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a prostitute. He must marry a virgin from his own people ¹⁵ so the people will respect his children as his own. I am the Lord. I have set the high priest apart for his special job.’”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron: ‘If any of your descendants have something wrong with them, they must never come near to offer the special food of their God. ¹⁸ Anyone who has something wrong with him must not come near: blind men, crippled men, men with damaged faces, deformed men, ¹⁹ men with a crippled foot or hand, ²⁰ hunchbacks, dwarfs, men who have something wrong with their eyes, men who have an itching disease or a skin disease, or men who have damaged sex glands.

²¹ “‘If one of Aaron’s descendants has something wrong with him, he cannot come near to make the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has something wrong with him; he cannot offer the food of his God. ²² He may eat the most holy food and also the holy food. ²³ But he may not go through the curtain into the Most Holy Place, and he may not go near the altar, because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my Holy Place unfit. I am the Lord who makes these places holy.’”

²⁴ So Moses told these things to Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and all the people of Israel.

22 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons: ‘The people of Israel will give offerings to me. These offerings are holy, and they are mine, so you must respect them to show that you respect my holy name. I am the Lord.’ ³ Say to them: ‘If any one of your descendants from now on is unclean and comes near the offerings that the Israelites made holy for me, that person must be cut off from appearing before me. I am the Lord.

⁴ “‘If one of Aaron’s descendants has a harmful skin disease, or if he discharges a body fluid, he cannot eat the holy offerings until he becomes clean. He could also become unclean from touching a dead body, from his own semen,^{[c] 5} from touching any unclean crawling animal, or from touching an unclean person (no matter what made the person unclean). ⁶ Anyone who touches those things will become unclean until evening. That person must not eat the holy offerings unless he washes with water. ⁷ He will be clean only after the sun goes down. Then he may eat the holy offerings; the offerings are his food.

⁸ “‘If a priest finds an animal that died by itself or that was killed by some other animal, he must not eat it. If he does, he will become unclean. I am the Lord.

⁹ “‘If the priests keep all the rules I have given, they will not become guilty; if they are careful, they will not die. I am the Lord who has made them holy. ¹⁰ Only people in a priest’s family may eat the holy offering. A visitor staying with the priest or a hired worker must not eat it. ¹¹ But if the priest buys a slave with his own money, that slave may eat the holy offerings; slaves who were born in his house may also eat his food. ¹² If a priest’s daughter marries a person who is not a priest, she must not eat any of the holy offerings. ¹³ But if the priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, with no children to support her, and if she goes back to her father’s house where she lived as a child, she may eat some of her father’s food. But only people from a priest’s family may eat this food.

¹⁴ “‘If someone eats some of the holy offering by mistake, that person must pay back the priest for that holy food, adding another one-fifth of the price of that food.

¹⁵ “‘When the Israelites give their holy offerings to the Lord, the priest must not treat these holy things as though they were not holy. ¹⁶ The priests must not allow those who are not priests to eat the holy offerings. If they do, they cause the ones who eat the holy offerings to become guilty, and they will have to pay for it. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’”

¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel: ‘A citizen of Israel or a foreigner living in Israel might want to bring a whole burnt offering, either for some special promise he has made or for a special gift he wants to give to the Lord. ¹⁹ If he does, he must bring a male animal that has nothing wrong with it—a bull, a sheep, or a goat—so it might be accepted for him. ²⁰ He must not bring an animal that has something wrong with it, or it will not be accepted for him.

²¹ “‘If someone brings a fellowship offering to the Lord, either as payment for a special promise the person has made or as a special gift the person wants to give the Lord, it might be from the herd or from the flock. But it must be healthy, with nothing wrong with it, so that it will be accepted. ²² You must not offer to the Lord any animal that is blind, that has broken bones or is crippled, that has running sores or any sort of skin disease. You must not offer any animals like these on the altar as an offering by fire to the Lord.

²³ “‘If an ox or lamb is smaller than normal or is not perfectly formed, you may give it as a special gift to the Lord; it will be accepted. But it will not be accepted as payment for a special promise you have made.

²⁴ “‘If an animal has bruised, crushed, torn, or cut sex glands, you must not offer it to the Lord. You must not do this in your own land, ²⁵ and you must not take such animals from foreigners as sacrifices to the Lord. Because the animals have been hurt in some way and have something wrong with them, they will not be accepted for you.’”

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must stay seven days with its mother. But from the eighth day on, this animal will be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. ²⁸ But you must not kill the animal and its mother on the same day, either an ox or a sheep.

²⁹ “If you want to offer some special offering of thanks to the Lord, you must do it in a way that pleases him. ³⁰ You must eat the whole animal that same day and not leave any of the meat for the next morning. I am the Lord.

³¹ “Remember my commands and obey them; I am the Lord. ³² Show respect for my holy name. You Israelites must remember that I am holy; I am the Lord, who has made you holy. ³³ I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

Special Holidays

23 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the people of Israel: ‘You will announce the Lord’s appointed feasts as holy meetings. These are my special feasts.

The Sabbath

³ “‘There are six days for you to work, but the seventh day will be a special day of rest. It is a day for a holy meeting; you must not do any work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your homes.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread

⁴ “‘These are the Lord’s appointed feasts, the holy meetings, which you will announce at the times set for them. ⁵ The Lord’s Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month, beginning at twilight. ⁶ The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of the same month. You will eat bread made without yeast for seven days. ⁷ On the first day of this feast you will have a holy meeting, and you must not do any work. ⁸ For seven days you will bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. There will be a holy meeting on the seventh day, and on that day you must not do any regular work.’”

The First of the Harvest

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Tell the people of Israel: ‘You will enter the land I will give you and gather its harvest. At that time you must bring the first bundle of grain from your harvest to the priest. ¹¹ The priest will present the bundle before the Lord, and it will be accepted for you; he will present the bundle on the day after the Sabbath.

¹² “‘On the day when you present the bundle of grain, offer a male lamb, one year old, that has nothing wrong with it, as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹³ You must also offer a grain offering—four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil as an offering made by fire to the Lord; its smell will be pleasing to him. You must also offer a quart of wine as a drink offering. ¹⁴ Until the day you bring your offering to your God, do not eat any new grain, roasted grain, or bread made from new grain. This law will always continue for people from now on, wherever you live.

The Feast of Weeks

¹⁵ “‘Count seven full weeks from the morning after the Sabbath. (This is the Sabbath that you bring the bundle of grain to present as an offering.) ¹⁶ On the fiftieth day, the first day after the seventh week, you will bring a new grain offering to the Lord. ¹⁷ On that day bring two loaves of bread from your homes to be presented as an offering. Use yeast and four quarts of flour to make those loaves of bread; they will be your gift to the Lord from the first wheat of your harvest.

¹⁸ “‘Offer with the bread one young bull, two male sheep, and seven male lambs that are one year old and have nothing wrong with them. Offer them with their grain offerings and drink offerings, as a burnt offering to the Lord. They will be an offering made by fire, and the smell will be pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁹ You must also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male, one-year-old lambs as a fellowship offering.

²⁰ “‘The priest will present the two lambs as an offering before the Lord, along with the bread from the first wheat of the harvest. They are holy to the Lord, and they will belong to the priest. ²¹ On that same day you will call a holy meeting; you must not do any work that day. This law will continue for you from now on, wherever you live.

²² “‘When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your field. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. Leave it for poor people and foreigners in your country. I am the Lord your God.’”

The Feast of Trumpets

²³ Again the Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Tell the people of Israel: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you must have a special day of rest, a holy meeting, when you blow the trumpet for a special time of remembering. ²⁵ Do not do any work, and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord.’”

The Day of Cleansing

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The Day of Cleansing will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. There will be a holy meeting, and you will deny yourselves and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Cleansing. On that day the priests will go before the Lord and perform the acts to make you clean from sin so you will belong to the Lord.

²⁹ “Anyone who refuses to give up food on this day must be cut off from the people. ³⁰ If anyone works on this day, I will destroy that person from among the people. ³¹ You must not do any work at all; this law will continue for people from now on wherever you live. ³² It will be a special day of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. You will start this special day of rest on the evening after the ninth day of the month, and it will continue from that evening until the next evening.”

The Feast of Shelters

³³ Again the Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Tell the people of Israel: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Feast of Shelters. This feast to the Lord will continue for seven days. ³⁵ There will be a holy meeting on the first day; do not do any work. ³⁶ You will bring an offering made by fire to the Lord each day for seven days. On the eighth day you will have another holy meeting, and you will bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. This will be a holy meeting; do not do any work.

³⁷ (“‘These are the Lord’s special feasts, when there will be holy meetings and when you bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. You will bring whole burnt offerings, grain offerings, sacrifices, and drink offerings—each at the right time. ³⁸ These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbath days, in addition to offerings you give as payment for special promises, and in addition to special offerings you want to give to the Lord.)

³⁹ “‘So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered in the crops of the land, celebrate the Lord’s festival for seven days. You must rest on the first day and the eighth day. ⁴⁰ On the first day you will take good fruit from the fruit trees, as well as branches from palm trees, poplars, and other leafy trees. You will celebrate before the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate this festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This law will continue from now on; you will celebrate it in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in shelters for seven days. All the people born in Israel must live in shelters ⁴³ so that all your descendants will know I made Israel live in shelters during the time I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

⁴⁴ So Moses told the people of Israel about all of the Lord’s appointed feast days.

The Lampstand and the Holy Bread

24 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from crushed olives. That oil is for the lamps so that these lamps may never go out. ³ Aaron will keep the lamps burning in the Meeting Tent from evening until morning before the Lord; this is in front of the curtain of the Ark of the Agreement. This law will continue from now on. ⁴ Aaron must always keep the lamps burning on the lampstands of pure gold before the Lord.

⁵ “Take fine flour and bake twelve loaves of bread with it, using four quarts of flour for each loaf. ⁶ Put them in two rows on the golden table before the Lord, six loaves in each row. ⁷ Put pure incense on each row as the memorial portion to take the place of the bread. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord. ⁸ Every Sabbath day Aaron will put the bread in order before the Lord, as an agreement with the people of Israel that will continue forever. ⁹ That bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord. That bread is their share forever.”

The Man Who Cursed God

¹⁰ Now there was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father who was walking among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman began cursing and speaking against the Lord, so the people took him to Moses. (The mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri from the family of Dan.) ¹² The people held him as a prisoner while they waited for the Lord’s command to be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁴ “Take the one who spoke against me outside the camp. Then all the people who heard him must put their hands on his head, and all the people must throw stones at him and kill him. ¹⁵ Tell the people of Israel this: ‘If anyone curses his God, he is guilty of sin. ¹⁶ Anyone who speaks against the Lord must be put to death; all the people must kill him by throwing stones at him. Foreigners must be punished just like the people born in Israel; if they speak against the Lord, they must be put to death.

¹⁷ “‘Whoever kills another person must be put to death. ¹⁸ Whoever kills an animal that belongs to another person must give that person another animal to take its place. ¹⁹ And whoever causes an injury to a neighbor must receive the same kind of injury in return: ²⁰ Broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Anyone who injures another person must be injured in the same way in return. ²¹ Whoever kills another person’s animal must give that person another animal to take its place. But whoever kills another person must be put to death.

²² “‘The law will be the same for the foreigner as for those from your own country. I am the Lord your God.’”

²³ Then Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they took the person who had cursed outside the camp and killed him by throwing stones at him. So the people of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

The Time of Rest for the Land

25 The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, ² “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘When you enter the land I will give you, let it have a special time of rest, to honor the Lord. ³ You may plant seed in your field for six years, and you may trim your vineyards for six years and bring in their fruits. ⁴ But during the seventh year, you must let the land rest. This will be a special time to honor the Lord. You must not plant seed in your field or trim your vineyards. ⁵ You must not cut the crops that grow by themselves after harvest, or gather the grapes from your vines that are not trimmed. The land will have a year of rest.

⁶ “‘You may eat whatever the land produces during that year of rest. It will be food for your men and women servants, for your hired workers, and for the foreigners living in your country. ⁷ It will also be food for your cattle and the wild animals of your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

The Year of Jubilee

⁸ “‘Count off seven groups of seven years, or forty-nine years. During that time there will be seven years of rest for the land. ⁹ On the Day of Cleansing, you must blow the horn of a male sheep; this will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. You must blow the horn through the whole country. ¹⁰ Make the fiftieth year a special year, and announce freedom for all the people living in your country. This time will be called Jubilee.^[d] You will each go back to your own property, each to your own family and family group. ¹¹ The fiftieth year will be a special time for you to celebrate. Don’t plant seeds, or harvest the crops that grow by themselves, or gather grapes from the vines that are not trimmed. ¹² That year is Jubilee; it will be a holy time for you. You may eat only the crops that come from the field. ¹³ In the year of Jubilee you each must go back to your own property.

¹⁴ “‘If you sell your land to your neighbor, or if you buy land from your neighbor, don’t cheat each other. ¹⁵ If you want to buy your neighbor’s land, count the number of years since the last Jubilee, and use that number to decide the right price. If your neighbor sells the land to you, count the number of years left for harvesting crops, and use that number to decide the right price. ¹⁶ If there are many years, the price will be high. But if there are only a few years, lower the price, because your neighbor is really selling only a few crops to you. ¹⁷ You must not cheat each other, but you must respect your God. I am the Lord your God.

¹⁸ “‘Remember my laws and rules, and obey them so that you will live safely in the land. ¹⁹ The land will give good crops to you, and you will eat as much as you want and live safely in the land.

²⁰ “‘But you might ask, “If we don’t plant seeds or gather crops, what will we eat the seventh year?” ²¹ I will send you such a great blessing during the sixth year that the land will produce enough crops for three years. ²² When you plant in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the old crop; you will eat the old crop until the harvest of the ninth year.

Property Laws

²³ “‘The land really belongs to me, so you can’t sell it for all time. You are only foreigners and travelers living for a while on my land. ²⁴ People might sell their land, but it must always be possible for the family to get its land back. ²⁵ If a person in your country becomes very poor and sells some land, then close relatives must come and buy it back. ²⁶ If there is not a close relative to buy the land back, but if the person makes enough money to be able to buy it back, ²⁷ the years must be counted since the land was sold. That number must be used to decide how much the first owner should pay back the one who bought it. Then the land will belong to the first owner again. ²⁸ But if there is not enough money to buy it back, the one who bought it will keep it until the year of Jubilee. During that celebration, the land will go back to the first owner’s family.

²⁹ “‘If someone sells a home in a walled city, for a full year after it is sold, the person has the right to buy it back. ³⁰ But if the owner does not buy back the house before a full year is over, it will belong to the one who bought it and to his future sons. The house will not go back to the first owner at Jubilee. ³¹ But houses in small towns without walls are like open country; they can be bought back, and they must be returned to their first owner at Jubilee.

³² “‘The Levites may always buy back their houses in the cities that belong to them. ³³ If someone buys a house from a Levite, that house in the Levites’ city will again belong to the Levites in the Jubilee. This is because houses in Levite cities belong to the people of Levi; the Israelites gave these cities to them. ³⁴ Also the fields and pastures around the Levites’ cities cannot be sold, because those fields belong to the Levites forever.

Rules for Slave Owners

³⁵ “‘If anyone from your country becomes too poor to support himself, help him to live among you as you would a stranger or foreigner. ³⁶ Do not charge him any interest on money you loan to him, but respect your God; let the poor live among you. ³⁷ Don’t lend him money for interest, and don’t try to make a profit from the food he buys. ³⁸ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give the land of Canaan to you and to become your God.

³⁹ “‘If anyone from your country becomes very poor and sells himself as a slave to you, you must not make him work like a slave. ⁴⁰ He will be like a hired worker and a visitor with you until the year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ Then he may leave you, take his children, and go back to his family and the land of his ancestors. ⁴² This is because the Israelites are my servants, and I brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They must not become slaves again. ⁴³ You must not rule this person cruelly, but you must respect your God.

⁴⁴ “‘Your men and women slaves must come from other nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. ⁴⁵ Also you may buy as slaves children from the families of foreigners living in your land. These child slaves will belong to you, ⁴⁶ and you may even pass them on to your children after you die; you can make them slaves forever. But you must not rule cruelly over your own people, the Israelites.

⁴⁷ “‘Suppose a foreigner or visitor among you becomes rich. If someone in your country becomes so poor that he has to sell himself as a slave to the foreigner living among you or to a member of the foreigner’s family, ⁴⁸ the poor person has the right to be bought back and become free. One of his relatives may buy him back: ⁴⁹ His uncle, his uncle’s son, or any one of his close relatives may buy him back. Or, if he gets enough money, he may pay the money to free himself.

⁵⁰ “‘He and the one who bought him must count the time from when he sold himself up to the next year of Jubilee. Use that number to decide the price, because the person really only hired himself out for a certain number of years. ⁵¹ If there are still many years before the year of Jubilee, the person must pay back a large part of the price. ⁵² If there are only a few years left until Jubilee, the person must pay a small part of the first price. ⁵³ But he will live like a hired person with the foreigner every year; don’t let the foreigner rule cruelly over him.

⁵⁴ “‘Even if no one buys him back, at the year of Jubilee, he and his children will become free. ⁵⁵ This is because the people of Israel are servants to me. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Rewards for Obeying God

26 “‘Don’t make idols for yourselves or set up statues or memorials. Don’t put stone statues in your land to bow down to, because I am the Lord your God.

² “‘Remember my Sabbaths, and respect my Holy Place. I am the Lord.

³ “‘If you remember my laws and commands and obey them, ⁴ I will give you rains at the right season; the land will produce crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. ⁵ Your threshing will continue until the grape harvest, and your grape harvest will continue until it is time to plant. Then you will have plenty to eat and live safely in your land. ⁶ I will give peace to your country; you will lie down in peace, and no one will make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country, and armies will not pass through it.

⁷ “‘You will chase your enemies and defeat them, killing them with your sword. ⁸ Five of you will chase a hundred men; a hundred of you will chase ten thousand men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.

⁹ “‘Then I will show kindness to you and let you have many children; I will keep my agreement with you. ¹⁰ You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. When you harvest the new crops, you will have to throw out the old ones to make room for them. ¹¹ Also I will place my Holy Tent among you, and I will not turn away from you. ¹² I will walk with you and be your God, and you will be my people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. I broke the heavy weights that were on your shoulders and let you walk proudly again.

Punishment for Not Obeying God

¹⁴ “‘But if you do not obey me and keep all my commands, ¹⁵ and if you turn away from my rules and hate my laws, refusing to obey all my commands, you have broken our agreement. ¹⁶ As a result, I will do this to you: I will cause terrible things to happen to you. I will cause you to have disease and fever that will destroy your eyes and slowly kill you. You will not have success when you plant your seed, and your enemy will eat your crops. ¹⁷ I will be against you, and your enemies will defeat you. These people who hate you will rule over you, and you will run away even when no one is chasing you.

¹⁸ “‘If after all this you still do not obey me, I will punish you seven times more for your sins. ¹⁹ I will break your great pride, and I will make the sky like iron and the earth like bronze.^{[e] 20} You will work hard, but it will not help. Your land will not grow any crops, and your trees will not give their fruit.

²¹ “‘If you still turn against me and refuse to obey me, I will beat you seven times harder. The more you sin, the more you will be punished. ²² I will send wild animals to attack you, and they will take your children away from you and destroy your cattle. They will make you so few in number the roads will be empty.

²³ “‘If you don’t learn your lesson after all these things, and if you still turn against me, ²⁴ I will also turn against you. I will punish you seven more times for your sins. ²⁵ You broke my agreement, and I will punish you. I will bring armies against you, and if you go into your cities for safety, I will cause diseases to spread among you so that your enemy will defeat you. ²⁶ There will be very little bread to eat; ten women will be able to cook all your bread in one oven. They will measure each piece of bread, and you will eat, but you will still be hungry.