1

1 Jehovah called to Moses. He spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, He said:

2 »Tell the Israelites: ‘When you bring an offering to Jehovah, bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock.

3 »‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, it should be a male without defect. He shall offer it at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.

4 »‘He should lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering. It may then be accepted for him to make atonement with Jehovah on his behalf.

5 »‘Slaughter the bull in Jehovah’s presence. Aaron's sons, the priests, will offer the blood. They will throw it against all sides of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

6 »‘Skin the burnt offering, and cut it into pieces.

7 »‘The sons of the priest Aaron will start a fire on the altar and lay the wood on the fire.

8 »‘Aaron's sons, the priests, will also lay the pieces, the head, and the fat on top of the wood burning on the altar.

9 »‘Wash the internal organs and legs. The priest will then burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah.

10 »‘Should you are offer one of your sheep or goats; it must be a male without any defects.

11 »‘Slaughter it on the north side of the altar. The priests should throw its blood on all four sides of the altar.

12 »‘After you cut it up, the officiating priest will lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire.

13 »‘Wash the internal organs and the hind legs. The priest will present the sacrifice to Jehovah and burn all of it on the altar. The odor of this food offering is pleasing to Jehovah.

14 »‘If you are offering a bird as a burnt offering, it must be a dove or a pigeon.

15 »‘A priest will take the bird to the copper altar. He will wring its neck and put its head on the fire. Then he will drain out its blood on one side of the altar,

16 »‘Remove the bird's crop with its feathers, and throw them on the ash heap at the east side of the altar.

17 »‘Finally, he will take the bird by its wings, tear it partially open, and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases Jehovah.

2

1 »‘When you present an offering of grain to Jehovah, you must first grind it into flour. You must put oil and incense on it.

2 »‘Give it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest will take a handful of the flour and oil and all of the incense and burn it on the altar as a memorial. It is all offered by fire to Jehovah. The odor of this food offering is pleasing to Jehovah.

3 »‘The rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is most holy and set apart from Jehovah’s offering by fire.

4 »‘If your grain offering has been baked in an oven, it must be rings of unleavened bread made of flour mixed with olive oil or wafers of unleavened bread brushed with oil.

5 »‘If your grain offering is prepared in a frying pan, it, too, will be unleavened bread made of flour mixed with oil.

6 »‘Break it into pieces and pour oil over it. It is a grain offering.

7 »‘When your grain offering is prepared in a skillet, it will be made of flour with oil.

8 »‘Bring Jehovah the grain offering prepared in any of these ways. Offer it to the priest who will bring it to the altar.

9 »‘To show that the whole offering belongs to me, the priest will lay part of it on the altar. He will send it up in smoke and fire with a smell that pleases Jehovah.

10 »‘The rest of the offering belongs to the priests. It is very holy, since it is taken from the food offered to Jehovah.

11 »‘Every grain offering you bring to Jehovah must be made without yeast. Do not use yeast or honey in food offered to Jehovah.

12 »‘Bring them to Jehovah as an offering of first fruits. Do not offer them on the altar as a soothing aroma.

13 »‘Season every grain offering with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offering. All of your offerings must have salt.

14 »‘When you bring a grain offering of early-ripened things to Jehovah, you should bring fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, grits of new growth, for the grain offering of your early-ripened things.

15 »‘Put oil and incense on it. It is a grain offering.

16 »‘The priest will burn the flour, oil, and all the incense as a reminder. It is an offering by fire to Jehovah.

3

1 »‘If your sacrifice is a fellowship offering of cattle in Jehovah’s presence, it must be a male or female animal that has no defects.

2 »‘Put your hand on the head of the animal and kill it at the entrance of the Tent of Jehovah’s presence. Then Aaron’s sons the priests must throw the blood against all four sides of the altar.

3 »‘Offer all of the fat on the animal's insides as a sacrifice of the peace offering made by fire to Jehovah.

4 »‘Also use the lower part of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat.

5 »‘Some of the priests will lay these pieces on the altar and send them up in smoke with a smell that pleases me, together with the sacrifice that is offered to Jehovah.

6 »‘If your sacrifice is a fellowship offering of sheep to Jehovah, you must bring a male or female animal that has no defects.

7 »‘If your offering is a lamb, you must bring it to Jehovah.

8 »‘Place your hand on the animal's head. Slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Aaron's sons will throw the blood against the altar on all sides.

9 »‘Take the fat from the fellowship offering and offer it by fire to Jehovah. Remove all the fat from the tail and the fat that covers the internal organs.

10 »‘Remove the two kidneys with the fat on them along with the lobe of the liver.

11 »‘The priest must burn the offering on the altar. It is food, an offering by fire to Jehovah.

12 »‘When you offer a goat, offer it before Jehovah.

13 »‘Put your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent. The priests will throw its blood against all four sides of the altar.

14 »‘Offer all of the fat on the animal's insides.

15 »‘Also the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys.

16 »‘The priest will burn them on the altar. It is food, an offering by fire to Jehovah. It is a soothing aroma. All the fat belongs to Jehovah.

17 »‘This is a long lasting law for generations to come wherever you live. Never eat any fat or blood.’«

4

1 Jehovah commanded Moses

2 to tell the people of Israel: »If a person sins unintentionally and does not keep Jehovah’s commandments he would have to observe the following rules:

3 »If it is the High Priest who sins and brings guilt on the people, he should present a young bull without any defects and sacrifice it to Jehovah for his sin.

4 »The priest must lead the bull to the entrance of the sacred tent. He must lay his hand on its head and kill it there.

5 »He will take a bowl of the blood inside the tent,

6 dip a finger in the blood, and sprinkle some of it seven times toward the sacred chest behind the curtain.

7 »In my presence, he will smear some of the blood on each of the four corners of the incense altar, before pouring out the rest at the foot of the copper altar near the entrance to the tent.

8 »He must remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails,

9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys

10 »It is to be removed from the bull of the sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering.

11 »But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse,

12 »He is to bring the rest of the bull to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out. There he will burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 »If the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things that Jehovah commands not to be done they become guilty.

14 »When the sin they have committed becomes known the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd. This is for a sin offering. Bring it before the Tent of Meeting.

15 »The elders of the congregation will place their hands on the bull's head in Jehovah’s presence. One of them will slaughter it in Jehovah’s presence.

16 »Then the anointed priest will bring some of the bull's blood into the Tent of Meeting.

17 »The priest will dip his finger in some of the blood and sprinkle it seven times in Jehovah’s presence in front of the veil.

18 »He will put some blood on the horns of the altar in Jehovah’s presence in the Tent of Meeting. He will pour the remaining blood at the bottom of the altar. This is for burnt offerings at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

19 »He will remove all the fat and burn it on the altar.

20 »He will do the same thing with this bull that he did with the bull used as the offering for sin. So the priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for the people. They will be forgiven.

21 »He will take the bull outside the camp and burn it the same way he burned the first bull. It is an offering for sin for the community.

22 »When a ruler sins and becomes guilty of breaking one of Jehovah’s commands without intending to,

23 as soon as the sin is called to his attention, the priest will bring as his offering a male goat without any defects.

24 »He will place his hand on the goat's head. He will slaughter it in Jehovah’s presence where he slaughters animals for burnt offerings. It is an offering for sin.

25 »The priest will then take some of the blood of the offering for sin with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar for burnt offerings.

26 »He will burn all the fat on the altar the same way the fat of the fellowship offering is burned. The priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace for what the leader did wrong. The leader will be forgiven.

27 »When a common person unintentionally does something wrong, even one thing forbidden by Jehovah’s commandments, he will be guilty.

28 »When he learns what he has done wrong, he must bring a female goat that has no defects as his offering for what he has done wrong.

29 »He will place his hand on the animal's head and slaughter it where animals for burnt offerings are slaughtered.

30 »The priest will take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour the rest of the blood out at the bottom of the altar.

31 »He will remove all the fat the same way it is removed from the peace offering. The priest will burn it on the altar for a soothing aroma to Jehovah. So the priest will make peace with Jehovah for that person. That person will be forgiven.

32 »If someone brings a lamb as his offering for sin, he must bring a female that has no defects.

33 »He will place his hand on the animal's head and slaughter it where he slaughters animals for burnt offerings.

34 »Then the priest will take some of the blood from the offering for sin with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar.

35 »He will remove all the fat the same way the fat of the lamb is removed from the peace offerings. Then the priest will burn it on the altar with the offering by fire to Jehovah. Then the priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for what that person did wrong. That person will be forgiven.

5

1 Jehovah continued: »If you are a witness under oath who refuses to tell what you saw or what you know, you are sinning and will be punished.

2 »If you touch anything unclean such as an unclean dead body of a wild or tame animal or the body of an unclean, swarming creature and then ignore what you did, you are unclean and will be guilty.

3 »If you become unclean by touching human uncleanness of any kind and then ignore it knowing what you did you will be guilty.

4 »When you pledge a vow in haste about what you will or will not do, as some people do, and then ignore it; although you know what you said, you will be guilty.

5 »So if you are guilty of any of these sins, you must confess it.

6 »Bring your guilt offering to Jehovah for the sin you committed. It must be a female sheep or goat as an offering for sin. Then the priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for what you did wrong.

7 »If you cannot afford a sheep, you must bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to Jehovah as a guilt offering for the sin you committed. One will be an offering for sin. The other will be a burnt offering.

8 »Bring them to the priest. He will sacrifice the offering for sin first. He will break the bird's neck without pulling its head off.

9 »He will sprinkle some of the blood from the offering for sin on the side of the altar. The rest of the blood will be drained at the bottom of the altar. It is an offering for sin.

10 »Following the proper procedures he will sacrifice the second bird as a burnt offering. The priest will pay compensation and make peace with Jehovah for what you did wrong.

11 »If you cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, bring eight cups of flour as an offering for the sin you committed. Never put olive oil on it or add incense to it. This is because it is an offering for sin.

12 »Bring it to the priest. The priest will take a handful of it. He will burn it as a reminder on top of the offering by fire to Jehovah on the altar. It is an offering for sin.

13 »The priest will pay compensation and make peace with Jehovah for your sin what you did wrong . You will be forgiven. The offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.«

14 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

15 »If any of you fail to do your duty by unintentionally doing something wrong with any of Jehovah’s holy things, bring a guilt offering to Jehovah. It must be a ram that has no defects or its value in silver weighed according to the official standards of the holy place.

16 »You must make the payments you have failed to hand over and must pay an additional twenty percent. Give it to the priest. The priest will offer the animal as a sacrifice for your sin. You will be forgiven.

17 »If any of you sin unintentionally by breaking any of Jehovah’s commandments, you are guilty and must pay the penalty.

18 »Bring to the priest as a repayment offering a male sheep or goat without any defects. Its value is to be determined according to the official standard. The priest shall offer the sacrifice for the sin that you committed unintentionally. You will be forgiven.

19 »It is a repayment offering for the sin you committed against Jehovah.«

6

1 Jehovah gave the following regulations to Moses:

2 »If any of you sin against Jehovah by failing to do your duty, if you lie to your neighbor about something you were supposed to take care of or if you lie about something stolen or seized from your neighbor, you are sinning and will be guilty.

3 »If you find something that someone lost and lie about it under oath, or commit any other sin like this,

4 you have sinned and are guilty. Return what you stole or seized, what you were supposed to take care of, the lost item you found,

5 or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. Pay it back in full plus one-fifth more. Give it back to its owner on the day you bring your guilt offering.

6 »Then bring your guilt offering to Jehovah. Bring a ram that has no defects or its value in money. Bring it to the priest.

7 »The priest will pay compensation for your wrong and make peace with Jehovah. Then you will be forgiven for whatever you did that made you guilty.«

8 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses,

9 »Command Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the instructions for the burnt offering that stays on the altar overnight while the altar fire is kept burning.

10 »‘The priest must put on his linen clothes. This includes linen undergarments. Then he will remove the ashes left on the altar from the fire that consumed the burnt offering and will put them next to the altar.

11 »‘He will take off these clothes and put on some others. He will take the ashes to a clean place outside the camp.

12 »‘The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out. The priest will burn wood on it every morning. He will lay the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offering.

13 »‘The fire must always be burning on the altar. It must never go out.

14 »‘This is the law of the grain offering: the sons of Aaron shall present it in the presence of Jehovah in front of the altar.

15 »‘One of them will lift up from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering. Using its oil and all the incense that is on the grain offering, and he will offer it up in smoke on the altar. It will be a soothing aroma and a memorial offering to Jehovah.

16 »‘Any thing left is for Aaron and his sons to eat. It will be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place. They must eat it in the court of the Tent of Meeting.

17 »‘It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their share from my offerings by fire. It is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.

18 »‘Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it. It is a long lasting ordinance throughout your generations, from the offerings by fire to Jehovah. Whoever touches them will become consecrated.’«

19 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

20 »This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to present to Jehovah on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.

21 »Prepare it with oil on a griddle. Stir it well and bring it. Present the grain offering in baked pieces as a soothing aroma to Jehovah.

22 »The anointed priest who will be in his place among his sons will offer it. By a long lasting ordinance it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to Jehovah.

23 »Every grain offering made by a priest must be completely burned. It must not be eaten.«

24 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

25 »Tell Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the instructions for the offering for sin. The offering for sin must be slaughtered in Jehovah’s presence. It is very holy.

26 »‘The priest who makes the offering for sin will eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. This is in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.

27 »‘Everything that touches its meat will be holy. If blood gets on someone's clothes, he must wash them in a holy place.

28 »‘The piece of pottery in which the offering for sin is cooked must be broken into pieces. The copper kettle in which the offering for sin is cooked must be scoured and rinsed with water.

29 »‘Every male among the priests may eat the offering for sin. It is very holy.

30 »‘The offering for sin must not be eaten if some of the blood was brought into the holy place in the Tent of Meeting to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah. It must be burned.

7

1 »‘These are the instructions for the guilt offering. It is very holy.

2 »‘It should be slaughtered in the same place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. A priest will throw the blood against all sides of the altar.

3 »‘He will offer all the fat, the fat from the tail, the fat covering the internal organs.

4 »‘That includes the two kidneys with the fat on them. He will also remove the lobe of the liver along with the kidneys.

5 The priest will burn them on the altar. It is a guilt offering by fire to Jehovah.

6 »‘Every male among the priests may eat it. It will be eaten in a holy place. It is very holy.

7 »‘The same instructions apply to the offering for sin and the guilt offering. Both offerings belong to the priest to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah.

8 »‘The skin of the burnt offering belongs to the priest who sacrifices it.

9 »‘Every grain offering, whether baked in an oven or prepared in a skillet or a frying pan, belongs to the priest who offers it.

10 »‘Every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, will be shared equally by all of Aaron's sons.

11 »‘These are the instructions for the fellowship offering that you must bring to Jehovah.

12 »‘If you offer it as a thank offering, you must also bring rings of unleavened bread mixed with oil, wafers of unleavened bread brushed with oil, and loaves made from flour mixed well with oil.

13 »‘In addition to these rings of bread, you must bring leavened bread with yeast along with your fellowship offering of thanksgiving.

14 »‘He will present one of every offering as a contribution to Jehovah. It will belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

15 »‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings will be eaten on the day of his offering. He should not leave any of it over until morning.

16 »‘If the sacrifice of his offering is a votive or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice as well as on the next day.

17 »‘Anything left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned.

18 »‘If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted. It will not be considered for his benefit. It will be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it will bear his own iniquity.

19 »‘The flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten. It should be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh.

20 »‘The person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings that belong to Jehovah, in his uncleanness, that person will be cut off from his people.

21 »‘When someone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to Jehovah, that person shall be cut off from his people.’«

22 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

23 »Tell the Israelites: ‘Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats.

24 »‘The fat from an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals you may use for any other purpose. However, you must not eat it.

25 »‘Those who eat the fat from an animal they sacrificed by fire to Jehovah must be excluded from the people.

26 »‘Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live.

27 »‘Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.’«

28 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

29 »Tell the Israelites: ‘Anyone who offers Jehovah a fellowship offering must bring a part of that sacrifice as a gift to Jehovah.

30 »‘Bring the sacrifices by fire made to Jehovah. Bring the fat with the breast. Take the breast and present it to Jehovah.

31 »‘The priest will burn the fat on the altar. However, the breast will belong to Aaron and his sons.

32 »‘You will also give the priest the right thigh as a contribution.

33 »‘When any of Aaron's sons offer the blood and fat of the fellowship offering, the right thigh will belong to him as his share.

34 »‘I have taken the breast and thigh that was presented to me from the contribution offering from the Israelites. I have given them to the priest Aaron and his sons. This is a long lasting law for generations to come.

35 »‘This is the share for Aaron and his sons from the sacrifices by fire made to Jehovah. It was given to them on the day Moses ordained them to serve Jehovah as priests.’«

36 Jehovah commanded the Israelites to give it to them on the day he anointed them. This is a long lasting law for generations to come.

37 These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the offering for sin, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the fellowship offering.

38 On Mount Sinai Jehovah gave Moses commands about these offerings. At the same time he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to him in the Sinai Desert.

8

1 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

2 »Bring Aaron and his sons, the priests' clothes, the anointing oil, the bull that will be the offered for sin, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread.

3 »Gather the entire congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.«

4 Moses did as Jehovah commanded him. All the people gathered assembled at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

5 Moses announced to the congregation: »Jehovah has commanded that this is what you must do!«

6 Moses had Aaron and his sons come forward. Then he washed them with water.

7 He clothed Aaron with the embroidered tunic and tied the sash around him. He also dressed him in the linen robe that is worn with the ephod. He fastened the ephod to it.

8 Then he placed the breastplate on him and he placed the Urim and Thummim.

9 He put the turban on Aaron’s head and fastened the gold medallion, the holy crown, to the front of the turban as Jehovah had commanded Moses.

10 Moses took the anointing oil to anoint the tent and everything in it and dedicate them.

11 He sprinkled the altar seven times. He anointed the altar; it’s utensils, the washbasin and its pedestal. This made them holy.

12 He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to set him apart for his holy duties.

13 Next, Moses dressed the sons of Aaron. He put shirts on them; put sashes around their waists, and tied caps on their heads, just as Jehovah commanded.

14 Moses brought the young bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head.

15 Moses killed it and took some of the blood. Using his finger he put it on the projections at the corners of the altar, in order to dedicate it. He then poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. In this way he dedicated it and purified it.

16 Moses took all the fat on the internal organs. He took the best part of the liver, and the kidneys with the fat on them, and burned it all on the altar.

17 Finally, he took the skin and the flesh of the bull, together with the food still in its stomach, and burned them outside the camp, just as Jehovah commanded.

18 Moses led out the ram for the sacrifice to please Jehovah. After Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head,

19 Moses slaughtered the ram and splattered its blood against the four sides of the altar.

20 The ram was cut into pieces. Moses burned the head with the other pieces and the fat.

21 He washed the internal organs and the legs. Then Moses burned the whole ram on the altar as Jehovah commanded him. It was a burnt offering, a pleasant aroma, an offering by fire to Jehovah.

22 He brought the second ram for the ordination offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head.

23 Moses slaughtered it. He took some of the blood, and put it on Aaron's right ear lobe, on his right thumb, and on the big toe of his right foot.

24 Moses also brought Aaron's sons forward. He put some of the blood on their right ear lobes, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right feet. Moses threw the rest of the blood against all the sides of the altar.

25 He took the fat from the tail, all the fat on the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh.

26 He took a loaf of unleavened bread, a ring of bread made with olive oil. He took a wafer from the basket of unleavened bread in Jehovah’s presence. He put them on the fat and the right thigh.

27 He placed all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Moses presented all these things to Jehovah as an offering.

28 Then he took them from their hands and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar. These were ordination offerings, offerings by fire, a soothing aroma to Jehovah.

29 Moses also took the breast from the ram of the ordination offering and presented it to Jehovah. It was Moses' share, as Jehovah commanded.

30 Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar. He sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. In this way he dedicated Aaron, his clothes, his sons, and their clothes.

31 Moses told Aaron and his sons: »Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Take the meat and the bread in the basket of the ordination offering. Eat them there as I commanded when I said: ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’

32 »You must burn all meat or bread that is left over.

33 »You will not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days. Do not leave until the last day of your ordination is over. It will take seven days to ordain you.

34 »I did today what Jehovah commanded me to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for you.

35 »You will stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the watch as Jehovah directs you. Then you will not die. This is what I was commanded.«

36 So Aaron and his sons did everything Jehovah commanded through Moses.

9

1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.

2 He told Aaron: »Take a calf that has no defects for an offering for sin and a ram that has no defects as a burnt offering. Sacrifice them in Jehovah’s presence.

3 »Tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat as an offering for sin, a calf and a lamb, each one-year-old and without defects, as a burnt offering,

4 a bull and a ram as a fellowship offering, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil to sacrifice in Jehovah’s presence. Jehovah will appear to you today.’«

5 They took the things Moses commanded and brought them in front of the Tent of Meeting. The entire congregation stood in Jehovah’s presence.

6 Moses said: »Jehovah commanded you to offer these sacrifices so that you may see Jehovah’s glory.«

7 Moses told Aaron: »Come to the altar and sacrifice an offering for sin and a burnt offering to pay compensation for your sins and the sins of the people and make peace with Jehovah. Then make an offering for the people that they may pay compensation for their wrongdoing and to make peace with Jehovah just as Jehovah has commanded.«

8 Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as his own offering for sin.

9 Aaron's sons brought him the blood. He dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar. After that he poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar.

10 On the altar he burned the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver from the offering for sin as Jehovah commanded Moses.

11 He burned the meat and the skin outside the camp.

12 He slaughtered the animal for the burnt offering. Aaron's sons gave him the blood. He threw it against the altar on all sides.

13 They also gave him the burnt offering. It was cut in pieces and included the head. He burned it on the altar.

14 He washed the internal organs and the legs and laid them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

15 He brought the people's offerings. He took the male goat for the people's offering for sin and slaughtered it. Then he sacrificed it to take away sins as he had done before.

16 He followed the proper procedures and brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it.

17 He also brought the grain offering. He took a handful of grain and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.

18 He slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people's fellowship offering. Aaron's sons gave him the blood. He threw it against the altar on all sides.

19 The fat from the bull and the ram, the fat from the tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver

20 they placed on the breasts. Aaron burned them all on the altar.

21 First he took the breasts and the right thighs and presented them to Jehovah just as Moses commanded.

22 Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. He sacrificed the offering for sin, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. Then he came down from the altar.

23 Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting. As soon as they came out, they blessed the people. Then Jehovah’s glory appeared to all the people.

24 Fire came out from Jehovah’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. As soon as all the people saw this, they shouted and bowed with their faces touching the ground.

10

1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner. They put burning coals and incense in it. Then in Jehovah’s presence they offered this unauthorized fire.

2 A fire flashed from Jehovah and burned them. They died in the presence of Jehovah.

3 Moses said to Aaron: »This is what Jehovah was speaking about when he said: ‘All who serve me must respect my holiness. I will reveal my glory to my people.’« But Aaron remained silent.

4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, Aaron's uncle. He said: »Come here and carry your cousins' bodies away from the sacred tent and put them outside the camp.«

5 So they came and took hold of the clothing on the corpses. They carried them outside the camp just as Moses had commanded.

6 Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: Do not leave your hair uncombed or tear your clothes to show that you are in mourning. If you do you will die. For Jehovah will be angry with the whole community. But all other Israelites are allowed to mourn this death caused by the fire Jehovah sent.

7 »You are Jehovah’s chosen priests. You must not leave the sacred tent, or you will die.« Aaron and his two sons obeyed Moses.

8 Jehovah said to Aaron:

9 »Never drink beer or wine when you or your sons enter the sacred tent. If you do, you will die right there! This is a long lasting law from generation to generation.

10 »You must learn the difference distinction between what is holy and what is not holy and between the clean and the unclean.

11 »You must also teach the people of Israel everything that I commanded Moses to say to them.«

12 Moses spoke to Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. He said: »Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offered to Jehovah. Bake unleavened bread with it and eat it beside the altar. This is because this offering is very holy.

13 »Eat it in a holy place. It is the part that belongs to you and your sons from the food offered to Jehovah. That is what Jehovah commanded me.

14 »You and your families may eat the breast and the hind leg that are presented as the special gift and the special contribution to Jehovah for the priests. You may eat them in any ritually clean place. These offerings have been given to you and your children as the part that belongs to you from the fellowship offerings of the people of Israel.

15 »They shall bring the hind leg and the breast at the time the fat is presented as a food offering to Jehovah. These parts belong to you and your children from generation to generation, just as Jehovah commanded.«

16 Moses asked about the goat for the sin offering and learned that it had already been burned. This made him angry with Eleazar and Ithamar. He demanded:

17 »Why did you not eat the sin offering in a sacred place? It is very holy! Jehovah gave it to you in order to take away the sin of the community.

18 »Since its blood was not brought into the sacred Tent, you should have eaten the sacrifice there, as I commanded.«

19 Aaron answered: »If I had eaten the sin offering today, would Jehovah have approved? The people presented their sin offering to Jehovah today. They brought their burnt offering, but still these terrible things have happened to me.«

20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

11

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron:

2 »Tell the Israelites: ‘Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat:

3 »‘You may eat all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud.

4 »‘You must not eat those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs. These are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.

5 »‘Never eat rock badgers. Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.

6 »‘You must never eat rabbits. Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.

7 »‘Never eat pigs. Pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud. They are also unclean.

8 »‘Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you.

9 »‘Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water that you may eat. You may eat anything in the seas and streams that have fins and scales.

10 »‘On the other hand, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting.

11 »‘They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies repulsive.

12 »‘Every creature in the water without fins or scales is offensive to you.

13 »‘Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures,

14 kites, all types of buzzards,

15 all types of crows,

16 ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons,

17 little owls, cormorants, great owls,

18 swans, pelicans, ospreys,

19 storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

20 »‘Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

21 »‘However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground.

22 »‘You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper.

23 »‘Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

24 »‘Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: When you touch their dead bodies you will be unclean until evening.

25 »‘When you carry any part of their dead bodies you must wash your clothes. You will be unclean until evening.

26 »‘All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that do not chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean.

27 »‘All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

28 »‘Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you.

29 »‘The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you: the weasels, mole rats, mice, and all types of lizards,

30 geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons.

31 »‘Of all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. He who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

32 »‘When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. It will then be clean again.

33 »‘If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean.

34 »‘If water from that pottery touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean.

35 »‘Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you.

36 »‘A spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean.

37 »‘If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean.

38 »‘If water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you.

39 »‘When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening.

40 »‘Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes. They will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

41 »‘Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten.

42 »‘Do not eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting.

43 »‘Do not become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Do not allow yourselves to become unclean because of them.

44 »‘The reason is because I am Jehovah your God. You must live holy lives. Consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground.

45 »‘I am Jehovah! I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. Be holy because I am holy.

46 »‘This is the law about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground.

47 »‘This law helps you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.’«

12

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

2 »Tell the Israelites: ‘When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period.

3 »‘The boy must be circumcised when he is eight days old.

4 »‘She must stay at home for thirty-three days in order to be made clean from her bleeding. She must not touch anything holy or go into the holy place until the days needed to make her clean are over.

5 »‘When a woman gives birth to a girl, she will be unclean as in her monthly period. She will be unclean for two weeks. Then she must stay at home for sixty-six days in order to be made clean from her bleeding.

6 »‘When the days needed to make her clean are over, she must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a mourning dove as an offering for sin. She should bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

7 »‘The priest will offer them in Jehovah’s presence to pay compensation for sin and make peace with Jehovah for her. Then she will be clean from her flow of blood. These are the instructions for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl.

8 »‘If she cannot afford a lamb, she must use two mourning doves or two pigeons. One will be the burnt offering and the other the offering for sin. So the priest will pay compensation for sin and make peace with Jehovah for her and she will be clean.’«

13

1 Jehovah gave Moses and Aaron these regulations:

2 »If any of you have a sore on your skin or a boil or an inflammation that could develop into a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the priest.

3 »The priest will examine the sore. If the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest will pronounce you unclean.

4 »If the sore is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin around it and the hairs have not turned white, the priest will isolate you for seven days.

5 »The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If in his opinion the sore looks the same and has not spread, he will isolate you for another seven days.

6 »The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If the sore has faded and has not spread, he will pronounce you ritually clean. It is only a sore. You will wash your clothes and be ritually clean.

7 »If the sore spreads after the priest has examined you and pronounced you clean, you must return to the priest again.

8 »The priest will examine you again. If it has spread, he will pronounce you unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease.

9 »If any of you have a dreaded skin disease, you should be brought to the priest.

10 »He will examine you. If there is a white sore on your skin that turns the hairs white and is full of pus,

11 it is a chronic skin disease. The priest will pronounce you unclean. There is no need to isolate you. You are obviously unclean.

12 »If the skin disease spreads and covers you from head to foot,

13 the priest should examine you again. If he finds that it actually has covered the whole body, he will pronounce you ritually clean. If your whole skin has turned white you are ritually clean.

14 »The moment an open sore appears you are unclean.

15 »The priest will examine you again. If he sees an open sore, he will pronounce you unclean. An open sore means a dreaded skin disease. You are unclean.

16 »When the sore heals and becomes white again, you should go to the priest.

17 »He will examine you again. If the sore has turned white you are ritually clean. The priest will pronounce you clean.

18 »If you have a boil that has healed

19 and if afterward a white swelling or a reddish-white spot appears where the boil was, you should go to the priest.

20 »The priest will examine you. If the spot seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it have turned white, he will pronounce you unclean. It is a dreaded skin disease that has started in the boil.

21 »If the priest examines it and finds that the hairs in it have not turned white and that it is not deeper than the surrounding skin, but is light in color, the priest will isolate you for seven days.

22 »If the spot spreads the priest shall pronounce you unclean. You are diseased.

23 »If it remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar left from the boil. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean.

24 »In case any of you have been burned. If the raw flesh becomes white or reddish-white,

25 the priest will examine it. If the hair on the affected area has turned white and the affected area looks deeper than the rest of the skin, an infectious skin disease has developed in the burn. The priest will pronounce you unclean. It is an infectious skin disease.

26 »But if the priest examines it and the hair in it is not white and the affected area is not deeper than the rest of the skin but has faded, the priest must put you in isolation for seven days.

27 »The priest will examine you again on the seventh day. If it is spreading it is a dreaded skin disease. The priest will pronounce you unclean.

28 »If the spot remains unchanged and does not spread and is light in color, it is not a dreaded skin disease. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean, because it is only a scar from the burn.

29 »When any of you, male or female, have a sore on your head or chin,

30 the priest will examine it. If it seems to be deeper than the surrounding skin and the hairs in it are yellowish and thin, it is a dreaded skin disease. He will declare you unclean.

31 »If the priest examines you and finds the sore does not appear to be deeper than the surrounding skin, but there are still no healthy hairs in it, he will isolate you for seven days.

32 »The priest will examine the sore again on the seventh day. If it has not spread and there are no yellowish hairs in it and it does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin,

33 you will shave the head accept the area around the sore. The priest will isolate you for another seven days.

34 »The priest will again examine the sore on the seventh day. If it has not spread and does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, he will declare you ritually clean. You will wash your clothes. You will be clean.

35 »If the sore spreads after you have been pronounced clean,

36 the priest will examine you again. If the sore has spread, he need not look for yellowish hairs. You are obviously unclean.

37 »If in the priest's opinion the sore has not spread and healthy hairs are growing in it, the sore has healed. The priest will pronounce you ritually clean.

38 »When you, male or female, have white spots on the skin,

39 the priest shall examine you. If the spots are dull white, it is only a blemish that has broken out on the skin. You are ritually clean.

40 »Loss of hair makes one bald not unclean.

41 »Hair losses from the forehead or the back of the head do not make one unclean.

42 »If a reddish-white sore appears on the bald spot, it is a dreaded skin disease.

43 »The priest will examine you. If there is a reddish-white sore,

44 the priest will declare you unclean. You have a dreaded skin disease on your head.

45 »If you have a dreaded skin disease, you must wear torn clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and call out: Unclean, unclean!

46 »You remain unclean as long as you have the disease. You must live outside the camp, away from others.

47 »When there is mildew on clothing, whether wool or linen,

48 or on any woven piece of linen or wool cloth or on leather or anything made of leather,

49 if it is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest.

50 »The priest shall examine it and put the object away for seven days.

51 »He will examine it again on the seventh day. If the mildew has spread, the object is unclean.

52 »The priest will burn it, because it is a spreading mildew. It must be destroyed by fire.

53 »If the priest finds that the mildew has not spread on the object,

54 he will order that it be washed and put away for another seven days.

55 »He shall examine it again and if the mildew has not changed color, even though it has not spread, it is still unclean. You must burn the object, whether the rot is on the front or the back.

56 »When the priest examines it again, the mildew has faded; he will tear it out of the clothing or leather.

57 »Then if the mildew reappears, it is spreading again, and the owner must burn the object.

58 »If he washes the object and the spot disappears, he should wash it again. It will be ritually clean.«

59 This is the law about mildew on clothing. Whether it is wool or linen, or on linen or wool cloth or on anything made of leather; this is how the decision is made as to whether it is ritually clean or unclean.

14

1 Jehovah gave Moses

2 the following regulations about the ritual purification of those of you cured of a dreaded skin disease: »On the day you are to be pronounced clean, you should be brought to the priest.

3 »The priest will take you outside the camp and examine you. If the disease is healed,

4 the priest will order that two ritually clean birds be brought, along with a piece of cedar wood, a red cord, and a sprig of hyssop.

5 »The priest will order that one of the birds be killed over a clay bowl containing fresh spring water.

6 »He will take the other bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the red cord, and the hyssop, in the blood of the bird that was killed.

7 »He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one of you who is to be purified from your skin disease. He will then pronounce you clean. He will let the live bird fly away over the open fields.

8 »You must wash your clothes, shave off all your hair, and take a bath. You will then be ritually clean. You may enter the camp. You must live outside your tent for seven days.

9 »On the seventh day you should again shave your head, your beard, your eyebrows, and all the rest of the hair on your body. You should wash your clothes and take a bath. Then you will be ritually clean.

10 »The eighth day bring two male lambs and one female lamb a year old that are without any defects. Also bring five pounds of flour mixed with olive oil, and half a pint of olive oil.

11 »The priest will take you and these offerings to the entrance of the Tent of Jehovah’s presence.

12 »Then the priest will take one of the male lambs and together with the half pint of oil he will offer it as a repayment offering. He will present them as a special gift to Jehovah for the priest.

13 »He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where the animals for the sin offerings and the burnt offerings are slaughtered. He must do this because the repayment offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest and is very holy.

14 »The priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed.

15 »The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand.

16 »He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in Jehovah’s presence.

17 »The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering.

18 »The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for that person in Jehovah’s presence.

19 »The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with Jehovah for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering.

20 »He will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for that person. The person who had the skin disease will be clean.

21 »If the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil,

22 and two mourning doves or two pigeons, whatever he can afford. The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering.

23 »The eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting in Jehovah’s presence.

24 »The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to Jehovah.

25 »He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. The priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed.

26 »The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand.

27 »In Jehovah’s presence he will sprinkle some of the oil with his right finger seven times.

28 »The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering.

29 »In Jehovah’s presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him.

30 »The one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons, the one he can afford,

31 and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in Jehovah’s presence the priest will pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for the one who is being cleansed.

32 »These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing.«

33 Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron:

34 »When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house.

35 »The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.

36 »Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house.

37 »He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall,

38 the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days.

39 »The priest will go back and examine it again on the seventh day. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread,

40 he must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place.

41 »He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city.

42 »The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again.

43 »If the mildew breaks out again in the house after the stones have been removed and the house has been scraped and plastered,

44 the priest will go and look. If it has spread, the house is unclean.

45 »It must be torn down, and its stones, its wood, and all its plaster must be carried out of the city to an unclean place.

46 »Whoever goes into the house during the time that he has quarantined it, becomes unclean until evening.

47 »Whoever lies down in the house must wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house must wash his clothes.

48 »If the mildew has not reappeared after the house has been replastered, the priest will pronounce the house ritually clean. This is because the mildew has been completely removed.

49 »He shall take two birds, some cedar wood, a red cord, and a sprig of hyssop to purify the house.

50 »He should kill one of the birds over a clay bowl containing fresh spring water.

51 »Then he will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the red cord, and the live bird and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water. He will sprinkle the house seven times.

52 »This is the way he will purify the house with the bird's blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red cord.

53 »Then the priest will let the living bird fly from the city into the open country. He will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the house. It will be clean.«

54 These are the instructions for any kind of mildew or fungus

55 that infects clothing or houses

56 and for skin diseases where there is a sore, a rash, or an irritated area.

57 These instructions for skin diseases and mildew help you distinguish between what is clean and unclean.

15

1 Again Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron:

2 »Tell the Israelites: ‘When a man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.

3 »‘He is unclean because of the discharge from his body. Whether it is chronic or not makes no difference. He is still unclean.

4 »‘The man who has a discharge makes everything he lies on or sits on unclean.

5 »‘Those who touch his bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

6 »‘Those who sit on anything he sat on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

7 »‘Those who touch a man who has a discharge must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

8 »‘Should a man who has a discharge spit on anyone who is clean, the person he spits on must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening.

9 »‘When a man who has a discharge sits on a saddle, it becomes unclean.

10 »‘Those who carry such things must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

11 »‘If a man who has a discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, the person he touched must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening.

12 »‘When a man who has a discharge touches pottery, it must be broken. When he touches a wooden bucket it must be rinsed.

13 »‘When a man's discharge stops, he must wait seven days to be cleansed. He must wash his clothes and his body in fresh water. Then he will be clean.

14 »‘He must take two mourning doves or two pigeons and come into Jehovah’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting on the eighth day. He will give these birds to the priest.

15 »‘The priest will sacrifice one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. Thus in Jehovah’s presence, the priest will pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the man who had a discharge.

16 »‘If a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body. He will be unclean until evening.

17 »‘Any clothes or any leather with semen on it must be washed. It will be unclean until evening.

18 »‘When a man has sexual intercourse with a woman and has an emission of semen, they must wash themselves. They will be unclean until evening.

19 »‘When a woman has her monthly period, she will be unclean for seven days. Those who touch her will be unclean until evening.

20 »‘Everything she lies on or sits on during her period will be unclean.

21 »‘Those who touch her bed must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

22 »‘Those who touch anything she sits on must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

23 »‘If her blood touches anything on the bed or anything she sits on, it will be unclean until evening.

24 »‘If a man has sexual intercourse with her while she has her period, he will be unclean for seven days. Any bed he lies on will become unclean.

25 »‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days other than her monthly period, she is unclean. If her period lasts longer than usual, she will be unclean as long as she has a discharge. It is similar to her period.

26 »‘As long as she has a discharge, any bed she lies on or anything she sits on is unclean. It is similar to her period.

27 »‘Those who touch these things are unclean and must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening.

28 »‘When her discharge stops she must wait seven days. After that she will be clean.

29 »‘She must take two mourning doves or two pigeons on the eighth day and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

30 »‘The priest will offer one as an offering for sin and the other as a burnt offering. So in Jehovah’s presence the priest will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the woman who had an unclean discharge.’«

31 »You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise they will die. This is because they defile my tent, which is among them, and make it unclean.«

32 These are the instructions for any man, who has a discharge or an emission of semen that makes him unclean,

33 for any woman who has her period, for any man or woman who has a discharge, or for any man who has sexual intercourse with a woman when she is unclean.

16

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses after Aaron's two sons came into Jehovah’s presence and died.

2 Jehovah said: »Tell your brother Aaron that he cannot go into the holy place whenever he wants to. If he goes up to the canopy and stands in front of the throne of mercy on the Ark, he will die. This is because I appear in the smoke above the throne of mercy.

3 »This is what Aaron must do in order to come into the holy place: He must take a bull as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering.

4 »He must dress in a holy linen robe and wear linen undergarments. He must wear a linen belt and turban. These are holy clothes. He should wash his body and put them on.

5 »He will take two male goats from the congregation of Israel as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering.

6 »Aaron must sacrifice the bull as his own offering for sin. By doing this, he will pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for himself and his family.

7 »He must take the two male goats and bring them into Jehovah’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

8 »I will show Aaron which goat will be sacrificed to me and which one will be sent into the desert to the demon Azazel.

9 »After he offers the first goat as a sacrifice for sin,

10 the other one must be presented to me alive, before he sends it into the desert to take away the sins of the people.

11 »He must offer the bull as a sacrifice to ask forgiveness for your own sins and for the sins of your family.

12 »He will take an incense burner full of burning coals from the altar in Jehovah’s presence, and two handfuls of finely ground, sweet-smelling incense. He will bring them up to the canopy.

13 »He must place the incense on the fire in Jehovah’s presence. The cloud of incense will cover the throne of mercy. This is over the words of God's promise, so that he will not die.

14 »He will take some of the bull's blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the throne of mercy. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times in front of the throne of mercy.

15 »Aaron will slaughter the goat for the people's offering for sin. He will take the blood inside, go up to the canopy, and sprinkle it on the throne of mercy and in front of it, as he did with the bull's blood.

16 »He will pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for all the sins the Israelites committed against the holy place. These sins happened because the Israelites were unclean and because they committed rebellious acts. He will do the same for the Tent of Meeting that is among an unclean people.

17 »No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron enters the holy place to do this until he comes out. Aaron will pay compensation for wrongdoing and peace with Jehovah for his own sins, his family's sins, and the sins of the entire assembly of Israel.

18 »He will go out to the altar in Jehovah’s presence and pay compensation for the wrong and make peace with Jehovah for the sins committed. He will take some of the blood from the bull and some of the goat's blood and put it all around the horns of the altar.

19 »With his finger he will sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Because the Israelites made it unclean, he will cleanse it and declare it holy.

20 »When he finishes making peace with Jehovah at the holy place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he will bring the living goat forward.

21 »Aaron will place both hands on its head. He will confess over it all the sins, all the rebellious acts, and all the things the Israelites did wrong. He will transfer them to the goat's head. A man will be appointed to release the goat in the desert.

22 »The goat will take all their sins away to a deserted place. The man must release the goat in the desert.

23 »Aaron will go to the Tent of Meeting. He will take off the linen clothes he put on to go into the holy place, and leave them there.

24 »He will wash his body in the holy place and put on his other clothes. Then he will come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and for the people to make peace with Jehovah for his own sins and the sins of the people.

25 »He will burn the fat of the offering for sin on the altar.

26 »The man who released the goat to Azazel must wash his clothes and his body. Then he may return to the camp.

27 »The bull and the goat used for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to take away sin, will be carried outside the camp and burned. Skin, meat, and intestines must all be burned.

28 »The one who burns them must wash his clothes and take a bath before he returns to camp.

29 »The following regulations are to be observed for a long lasting time to come. On the tenth day of the seventh month the Israelites and the foreigners living among them must fast and must not do any work.

30 »On that day the ritual is to be performed to purify them from all their sins, so that they will be ritually clean.

31 »That day is to be a very holy day, one on which they fast and do no work at all. These regulations are to be observed for a long lasting time to come.

32 »High Priest, properly ordained and consecrated to succeed his father, is to perform the ritual of purification. He must dress in priestly garments

33 and perform the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of Jehovah’s presence, the altar, the priests, and all the people of the community.

34 »These regulations are to be observed for a long lasting time to come. This ritual must be performed once a year to purify the people of Israel from all their sins.« So Moses did as Jehovah commanded.

17

1 Jehovah commanded Moses:

2 »Give Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel the following regulations.

3 »Any Israelite who slaughters a bull, sheep, or goat inside or outside the camp

4 is 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 Jehovah in front of the Jehovah’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 Jehovah. They must bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The people will sacrifice them as peace offerings to Jehovah.

6 »The priest will pour the blood against Jehovah’s altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He will burn the fat as a soothing aroma to Jehovah.

7 »The people must stop sacrificing to goat idols demons and chasing after them as though they were prostitutes. This is a long lasting law for the people and for future generations.

8 »Tell them: ‘If Israelites or foreigners make burnt offerings or sacrifices,

9 but do not bring them to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer them to Jehovah. They must be excluded from the people.

10 »‘If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people.

11 »‘This is because life of every living thing is in the blood. I have given this blood to you to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with me.’«

12 »That 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.

14 »This 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.

16 »If they do not wash their clothes and their bodies, they will be guilty of sin.«

18

1 Jehovah told Moses:

2 »Speak to the people of Israel and say: ‘I am Jehovah your God!

3 »‘Do not follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you.

4 »‘I am Jehovah your God! You must obey my teachings.

5 »‘Obey them and you will live. I am Jehovah.

6 »‘Do not have sex with any of your close relatives,

7 especially your own mother. This would disgrace your father.

8 »‘Do not disgrace him by having sex with any of his other wives.

9 »‘Never 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.

10 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because she is related to you.

11 »‘Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister.

12 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with your father's sister. She is your paternal aunt.

13 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with your mother's sister. She is your maternal aunt.

14 »‘Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father's brother. She, too, is your aunt.

15 »‘Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her.

16 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother's wife.

17 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted.

18 »‘While 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.

20 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor's wife and become unclean with her.

21 »‘Never 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 Jehovah!

22 »‘Do not have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting.

23 »‘Do not 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.

24 »‘Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations that I am forcing out of your way have become unclean.

25 »‘The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it.

26 »‘Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things.

27 »‘The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean.

28 »‘If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you.

29 »‘Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people.

30 »‘Therefore you must follow my instructions. Do not live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am Jehovah your God!’«

19

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

2 »Tell the entire congregation of Israel: ‘Be holy because I, Jehovah your God, am holy.

3 »‘Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of worship. I am Jehovah your God!

4 »‘Do not turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never make any gods for yourselves. I am Jehovah your God.

5 »‘When you bring a peace offering to Jehovah, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted.

6 »‘Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over.

7 »‘If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted.

8 »‘Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Jehovah. They must be excluded from the people.

9 »‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you should not reap to the very corners of your field. You should not gather the gleanings of your harvest.

10 »‘Do not glean your vineyard. Do not gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. Leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.

11 »‘Do not steal. Do not deal falsely. Do not lie to one another.

12 »‘Do not swear falsely by my name, so as to profane the name of your God. I am Jehovah.

13 »‘Do not oppress your neighbor and do not rob him. Do not fail to pay your workers at the end of each day.

14 »‘Do not curse a deaf man. Do not place a stumbling block before the blind. You must deeply respect your God. I am Jehovah.

15 »‘Do no injustice in judgment. Do not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great. Judge your neighbor fairly.

16 »‘Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor's life. I am Jehovah.

17 »‘Never hate your brother in your heart. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him.

18 »‘Do not seek revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am Jehovah.

19 »‘Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Do not 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.

21 »‘He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Jehovah at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

22 »‘In Jehovah’s presence the priest will use them to pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah 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.

24 »‘All the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to Jehovah in the fourth year.

25 »‘You may eat the fruit in the fifth year. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am Jehovah your God.

26 »‘Do not eat any meat with blood still in it. Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.

27 »‘Do not shave the hair on your foreheads. Do not cut the edges of your beard.

28 »‘Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am Jehovah.

29 »‘Do not 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 worship and respect my holy tent. I am Jehovah.

31 »‘Do not turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am Jehovah your God.

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

33 »‘Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land.

34 »‘Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am Jehovah your God.

35 »‘Do not be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid.

36 »‘Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am Jehovah your God who brought you out of Egypt.

37 »‘Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Jehovah!’«

20

1 Jehovah continued to speak 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 be put to death. The common people must stone them to death.

3 »‘I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. They gave one of their children to Molech. They made my holy tent unclean, and dishonored my holy name.

4 »‘If the people of the land ignore those who give their children to Molech and do not put them to death,

5 »‘I will condemn them and their families. I will exclude them from the people. I will exclude from the people everyone who chases after Molech as if he were a prostitute.

6 »‘If any of you go for advice to people who consult the spirits of the dead, I will turn against you and will no longer consider you one of my people.

7 »‘Keep consecrate yourselves holy, because I am Jehovah your God!

8 »‘Obey my laws, because I am Jehovah and I make you holy.

9 »‘Jehovah gave the following regulations. Any of you that curse your father or mother shall be put to death. You are responsible for your own death.

10 »‘If a man commits adultery with the wife of an Israelite, both he and the woman should be put to death.

11 »‘A man who has intercourse with one of his father's wives disgraces his father. Both he and the woman must be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.

12 »‘If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done a disgusting thing and deserve to die.

13 »‘When a man has sexual intercourse with another man as with a woman, both men are doing something disgusting and must be put to death. They deserve to die!

14 »‘When a man marries a woman and her mother, they have done a perverted thing. The man and the two women must be burned. Never do this perverted thing.

15 »‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he and the animal must be put to death.

16 »‘If a woman tries to have sexual relations with an animal, she and the animal must be put to death. They are responsible for their own death.

17 »‘If a man marries his sister or half sister, they must be publicly disgraced and driven out of the community. He has had intercourse with his sister and must suffer the consequences.

18 »‘If a man has intercourse with a woman during her monthly period, both of them are to be driven out of the community, because they have broken the regulations about ritual uncleanness.

19 »‘When a man has intercourse with his aunt, both of them must suffer the consequences for incest.

20 »‘Whoever has sexual intercourse with his uncle's wife violates his uncle's marriage. That man and woman are guilty of sin. They will die without children.

21 »‘He who marries his brother's wife violates his brother's marriage and does an unclean thing. That man and woman will have no children.

22 »‘If you carefully obey all my laws and my rules, the land I am bringing you to live in will not vomit you out.

23 »‘The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things. I hated them for it! So do not follow their example.

24 »‘I am Jehovah your God. I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people.

25 »‘That is why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean. This will keep you from becoming disgusting to me.

26 »‘I am Jehovah, the Holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.

27 »‘If you claim to receive messages from the dead, you will be put to death by stoning, just as you deserve.

21

1 Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: »Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative,

2 except for your mother, father, son, daughter, brother,

3 or an unmarried sister, who has no husband to take care of her.

4 »As the head of your people, you should never become unclean. That would make you unholy.

5 »You should never mourn by shaving bald spots on your heads, shaving the edges of your beards, or slashing your bodies.

6 »Be God's holy men. Do not dishonor the name of your God. Be holy because you bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. It is the food bread of your God.

7 »Never marry prostitutes, those who have lost their virginity, or divorced women because a priest is God's holy man.

8 »Be holy because you offer the food of your God. Be holy because I, Jehovah, am holy. I set you apart as holy.

9 »When a priest's daughter dishonors herself by becoming a prostitute, she dishonors her father. She must be burned.

10 »The priest who is anointed with oil and wears the chief priest's clothes is chief over his brothers. He must never mourn by leaving his hair uncombed or by tearing his clothes.

11 »He must not go near any dead bodies or become unclean, even for his father or mother.

12 »He must not leave the holy tent of his God. If he does, he will be dishonoring it, because he is dedicated with the anointing oil of his God. I am Jehovah.

13 »The anointed priest should marry a virgin.

14 »He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, a woman who has lost her virginity, or a prostitute. He may only marry a virgin from his own people.

15 »He must not dishonor his children among his people because I, Jehovah, set him apart as holy.«

16 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

17 »Tell Aaron: ‘If any of your descendants, now or in future generations, has a physical defect, he must never bring food to offer to God.

18 »‘No one who has a physical defect may ever come near the altar. That means anyone who is blind or lame, who has a disfigured face, a deformity,

19 or a crippled hand or foot,

20 who is a hunchback or dwarf, who has defective sight, skin diseases, or crushed testicles.

21 »‘If a descendant of the priest Aaron has a physical defect, he must never bring sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. He has a defect. He must never bring food to offer to God.

22 »‘He may eat the food of his God, what is holy and what is very holy.

23 »‘However, he must never come up to the canopy or to the altar, since he has a physical defect. He must never dishonor the holy places because I, Jehovah, set them apart as holy.’«

24 Thus Moses spoke to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

22

1 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

2 »Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings that the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Jehovah.«

3 »Tell them: ‘In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Jehovah, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Jehovah.

4 »‘None of the descendants of Aaron who has a dreaded skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the sacred offerings until he is ritually clean. Any priest is unclean if he touches anything that is unclean through contact with a corpse or if he has an emission of semen

5 or if he has touched an unclean animal or person.

6 »‘Any priest who becomes unclean remains unclean until evening. Even then he may not eat any of the sacred offerings until he has taken a bath.

7 »‘After the sunsets he is clean. Then he may eat the sacred offerings, which are his food.

8 »‘He must not eat the meat of any animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am Jehovah.

9 »‘All priests must observe the regulations that I have given. Otherwise, they will become guilty and die, because they have disobeyed the sacred regulations. I am Jehovah and I make them holy.

10 »‘Only a member of a priestly family may eat any of the sacred offerings. No one else may eat them, not even someone staying with a priest or hired by him.

11 »‘A priest's slaves, bought with his own money or born in his home, may eat the food the priest receives.

12 »‘A priest's daughter who marries someone who is not a priest may not eat any of the sacred offerings.

13 »‘A widowed or divorced daughter who has no children and who has returned to live in her father's house as a dependent may eat the food her father receives as a priest. Only a member of a priestly family may eat any of it.

14 »‘If any people who are not members of a priestly family eat any of the sacred offerings without intending to, they must repay the priest its full value plus an additional twenty percent.

15 »‘The priests must not profane the sacred offerings

16 by letting any unauthorized people eat them. This would bring guilt and punishment on such people. I am Jehovah and I make the offerings holy.’«

17 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

18 »Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and tell them: ‘Israelites or foreigners may bring burnt offerings to Jehovah for anything they vowed or as freewill offerings.

19 »‘The offering must be a male that has no defects from your cattle, sheep, or goats in order to be accepted.

20 »‘Do not bring any animal with a physical defect. This is because it will not be acceptable for you.

21 »‘A person may bring Jehovah a peace offering to fulfill a vow or for a freewill offering. Whether it is from the cattle, sheep, or goats, it must be an animal that has no defects in order to be acceptable. It must never be an animal that has defects.

22 »‘Do not bring Jehovah an animal that is blind, has broken bones, cuts, warts, scabs, or ringworm. Never give Jehovah any of these in a sacrifice by fire on the altar.

23 »‘You may use a bull or a sheep with a deformity or one that is stunted in growth as a freewill offering. However, it will not be accepted for a vow.

24 »‘Do not bring Jehovah an animal that has bruised, crushed, torn out, or cut out testicles. Never do any of these things to an animal in your land.

25 »‘Never bring any kind of castrated animal received from a foreigner as a food offering for your God. A castrated animal will not be accepted on your behalf because castration is a physical defect.’«

26 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses.

27 He said: »When a calf, a lamb, or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. It may be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to Jehovah from the eighth day on.

28 »Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.

29 »When you sacrifice a thanksgiving offering to Jehovah do it in the proper way.

30 »Eat it the same day. Never leave any of it until morning. I am Jehovah.

31 »Carefully obey my commandments. Conform your life to them. I am Jehovah.

32 »Never dishonor my holy name. I will show my holiness among the Israelites. I am Jehovah, who sets you apart as holy.

33 »I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am Jehovah!

23

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

2 »Tell the Israelites: ‘These are the appointed festivals with Jehovah. You must announce these as holy assemblies.

3 »‘You may work for six days. But the seventh day is a day of worship Sabbath , a day when you do not work, and a holy assembly. Do not do any work. It is Jehovah’s day of worship wherever you live.

4 »‘The following are Jehovah’s appointed festivals with holy assemblies. You must announce these at their appointed times.

5 »‘The Passover, celebrated to honor Jehovah, begins at sunset on the fourteenth day of the first month.

6 »‘The fifteenth day of the same month the Festival of Unleavened Bread begins. You must not eat any bread made with yeast for seven days.

7 »‘Gather to worship on the first of these days. Do none of your daily work.

8 »‘Bring a sacrifice to Jehovah for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a holy assembly. Do not do any regular work.’«

9 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

10 »Tell the Israelites: ‘When you come to the land I am going to give you and you harvest grain, bring a bundle of the first grain you harvest to the priest.

11 »‘He will present it to Jehovah so that you will be accepted. He will present it on the day after Passover.

12 »‘On the day you present the bundle, you must sacrifice a one-year-old male lamb that has no defects as a burnt offering to Jehovah.

13 »‘Present a grain offering of four quarts of flour mixed with olive oil with it. This will be a sacrifice by fire made to Jehovah. It will be a soothing aroma. Use one quart of wine for the wine offering.

14 »‘Do not eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this same day. Then bring the offering to your God. It is a long lasting law for generations to come wherever you live.

15 »‘Count seven full weeks from the day after Passover, the day you bring the bundle of grain as an offering presented to Jehovah

16 until the day after the seventh week. This is a total of fifty days. Then bring a new grain offering to Jehovah.

17 »‘Bring two loaves of bread from your homes to present to Jehovah. Bake them with four quarts of flour. They are the first harvested grain for Jehovah.

18 »‘Using the bread the community is to present seven one-year-old lambs, one bull, and two rams, none of which may have any defects. They should be offered as a burnt offering to Jehovah, along with a grain offering and a wine offering. The odor of this offering is pleasing to Jehovah.

19 »‘Also offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship offering.

20 »‘The priest should present the bread with the two lambs as a special gift to Jehovah for the priests. These offerings are holy.

21 »‘Do none of your daily work. Gather for worship. Your descendants are to observe this regulation from generation to generation, no matter where they live.

22 »‘When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the fields. Do not go back to cut the heads of grain that were left. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. Jehovah is your God.’«

23 Jehovah continued to speak to Moses:

24 »Observe a special day of rest on the first day of the seventh month. Gather together for worship when the trumpets sound.

25 »Present a food offering to Jehovah. Do not do your daily work.«

26 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

27 »The tenth day of this seventh month is a special day for the payment for sins. There will be a holy assembly. Humble yourselves, and bring Jehovah a sacrifice by fire.

28 »Do not do any work that day. It is a special day for the payment for sins. It is a time when you pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah your God.

29 »Those who do not humble themselves on that day will be excluded from the people.

30 »I will destroy those who do any work on that day.

31 »Do not do any work! It is a long lasting law for generations to come wherever you live.

32 »It is a day of worship sabbath , a day when you do not work. Humble yourselves starting on the evening of the ninth day of the month. From that evening to the next, observe the day of worship.«

33 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

34 Inform the Israelites: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Festival of Booths to Jehovah. It will last seven days.

35 »‘There will be a holy assemble on the first day. Do not do any regular work.

36 »‘Bring a sacrifice by fire to Jehovah for seven consecutive days. On the eighth day there will be a holy assembly. Bring Jehovah a sacrifice by fire. This is the last festival of the year. Do not do any regular work.

37 »‘These are Jehovah’s appointed festivals. Announce them as holy assemblies for bringing sacrifices by fire to Jehovah. Bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, other sacrifices, and wine offerings-each one on its special day.

38 »‘This is in addition to Jehovah’s days of worship, your gifts, all your vows, and your freewill offerings to Jehovah.

39 »‘Celebrate Jehovah’s festival for seven days. This should begin on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; at the time you gather what the land produces. The first and the eighth days will be worship festivals.

40 »‘Take the best fruits, palm branches, the branches of leafy trees and poplars on the first day, and celebrate in the presence of Jehovah your God for seven days.

41 »‘It is Jehovah’s festival. Celebrate it for seven days each year. This is a long lasting law for generations to come. Celebrate this festival in the seventh month.

42 »‘Live in booths for seven days. Everyone born in Israel must live in booths.

43 »‘This is how generations to come may learn how I made the people of Israel live in booths when I brought them out of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God!’«

44 Moses told the Israelites about Jehovah’s appointed festivals.

24

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

2 »Command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil for the lamp stand so that the lamps will not go out.

3 »Aaron must keep the lamps lit in the Tent of Meeting from evening until morning. This is outside the canopy where the words of my covenant are in Jehovah’s presence. It is a long lasting law for generations to come.

4 »Aaron must keep the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand lit in Jehovah’s presence.

5 »Take flour and bake twelve rings of bread. Each ring will contain four quarts of flour.

6 »Put them in two stacks of six each on the gold table in Jehovah’s presence.

7 »Place pure incense on top of each stack. The incense on the bread will be a reminder, an offering by fire to Jehovah.

8 »Every day of worship sabbath day a priest must arrange the bread in Jehovah’s presence. It is a long lasting reminder of my promise to the Israelites.

9 »The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Jehovah’s offering by fire. This is a long lasting law.«

10 A man, whose mother was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan in Israel and whose father was from Egypt, got into a quarrel with an Israelite in the camp.

11 The Israelite woman's son began cursing Jehovah’s name and treating it with contempt. So they brought him to Moses.

12 They held him in custody until Jehovah told them what to do.

13 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

14 »The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death.

15 »Inform the Israelites: ‘Those who treat their God with contempt will be punished for their sin.

16 »‘However those who curse Jehovah’s name must be put to death. The whole congregation must stone them to death. It makes no difference whether they are Israelites or foreigners. Whoever curses abuses Jehovah’s name must die.

17 »‘Whoever kills another person must be put to death.

18 »‘Whoever kills an animal must replace it, life for life.

19 »‘Should any of you injure another person, whatever you have done shall be done to you.

20 »‘If you break a bone, one of your bones must be broken. If you put out an eye, one of your eyes must be put out. Should you knock out a tooth, one of your teeth shall be knocked out. Whatever injury you cause another person must be done to you in return.

21 »‘Whoever kills an animal shall replace it, but whoever kills a human being shall be put to death.

22 »‘This law applies to all of you. It applies to Israelites and to foreigners living among you. I am Jehovah your God.’«

23 When Moses had said this to the people of Israel, they took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death. The people of Israel did what Jehovah commanded Moses.

25

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and commanded:

2 »Give the following regulations to the people of Israel: ‘When you enter the land that Jehovah is giving you, honor Jehovah by not cultivating the land every seventh year.

3 »‘Plant your fields, prune your vineyards, and gather your crops for six years.

4 »‘But the seventh year is to be a sabbath year of complete rest for the land. It is a year dedicated to Jehovah. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards.

5 »‘Do not even harvest the grain that grows by itself without being planted. Do not gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. It is a year of complete rest for the land.

6 »‘Even though the land has not been cultivated during that year, it will provide food for you, your slaves, your hired men, the foreigners living with you,

7 your domestic animals, and the wild animals in your fields. Everything that it produces may be eaten.

8 »‘Count seven times seven years seven sabbaths of years , a total of forty-nine years.

9 »‘Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement, send someone to blow a trumpet throughout the whole land.

10 »‘In this way you will set the fiftieth year apart and proclaim freedom to all the inhabitants of the land. During this year all property that has been sold must be restored to the original owner or the descendants, and any who have been sold as slaves may return to their families.

11 »‘That fiftieth year will be your jubilee year. Do not plant or harvest what grows by itself or pick grapes from the vines in the land.

12 »‘The jubilee year will be holy to you. You will eat what the field itself produces.

13 »‘In this jubilee year every slave will be freed in order to return to his property.

14 »‘In the business of trading goods for money, do no wrong to one another.

15 »‘Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops.

16 »‘In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you.

17 »‘You must not wrong one another. You shall respect your God. I am Jehovah your God.

18 »‘You must observe my statutes and keep my judgments, so as to carry them out. That way you may live securely on the land.

19 »‘The land will give you its products. You will eat all you want and live there securely.

20 »‘»You may ask: »What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or bring in our crops?« ’«

21 »‘I will give you my blessing in the sixth year so that the land will produce enough for three years.

22 »‘You will plant again in the eighth year but live on what the land already produced. You will eat it, even in the ninth year, until the land produces more.

23 »‘No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me! It is not your land! You only live there for a little while.

24 »‘When property is sold, the original owner must be given the first chance to buy it.

25 »‘If any of you Israelites become so poor that you are forced to sell your property, your closest relative must buy it back.

26 »‘If that relative has the money. Later, if you can afford to buy it,

27 you must pay enough to make up for what the present owner will lose on it before the next Year of Celebration, when the property would become yours again.

28 »‘If he cannot earn enough to buy it back, what he sold stays in the hands of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it will be released, and he will own it again.

29 »‘If anyone sells a home in a walled city, for one year after selling it he has the right to buy it back. He may buy it back only within that time.

30 »‘If he does not buy it back during that year, the house in the city belongs to the buyer for generations to come. It will not be released in the jubilee.

31 »‘Houses in villages without walls are regarded as belonging to the fields of the land. They can be bought back. They will be released in the jubilee.

32 »‘The Levites always have the right to buy back their property in the cities they own.

33 »‘If any Levite buys back a house, in the jubilee the purchased house in the city will be released. This is because the houses in the Levite cities are their property among the Israelites.

34 »‘But a field that belongs to their cities must not be sold, because it is their property from generation to generation.

35 »‘If an Israelite becomes poor and cannot support himself, you should help him. He must live with you as a stranger without a permanent home.

36 »‘Do not collect interest or make any profit from him. Respect your God by respecting other Israelites' lives.

37 »‘Do not collect any interest on your money or on the food you give them.

38 »‘I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and to be your God.

39 »‘If an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, do not work him like a slave.

40 »‘He will be like a hired worker or a visitor to you. He may work with you until the year of jubilee.

41 »‘Then you will release him and his children to go back to their family and the property of their ancestors.

42 »‘They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. They must never be sold as slaves.

43 »‘Do not treat them harshly. Respect your God.

44 »‘You may have male and female slaves, but buy them from the nations around you.

45 »‘You may also buy the children of the foreigners who are living among you. Such children born in your land may become your property.

46 »‘You may leave them as an inheritance to your children, whom they must serve as long as they live. But you must not treat any Israelites harshly.

47 »‘Suppose a foreigner living with you becomes rich, while some Israelites become poor and sell themselves as slaves to that foreigner or to a member of that foreigner's family.

48 »‘He has the right to be set free by a relative, such as a brother.

49 »‘His uncle, his cousin, or some other relative could also buy him back. If he becomes rich, he could buy his own freedom.

50 »‘Then he and his buyer must take into account the number of years from the year he was bought until the year of jubilee. His sale price will be adjusted based on the number of years he was with his buyer. This is like the wages of a hired worker.

51 »‘If there are many years left, he must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years.

52 »‘If there are only a few years left until the year of jubilee, he must take them into account. He must refund from his purchase price an amount equal to those years.

53 »‘He should serve his buyer as a hired worker during those years. His buyer should not treat him harshly.

54 »‘If he cannot buy his freedom he and his children will be released in the year of jubilee.

55 »‘The Israelites belong to me! They are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. I am Jehovah your God!’«

26

1 »‘Do not make idols or set up statues, stone pillars, or carved stones to worship. I am Jehovah your God!

2 »‘Keep the religious festivals and honor the place where I am worshiped. I am Jehovah.

3 »‘If you live according to my laws and obey my commands,

4 »‘I will send you rain at the proper time. Then the land will produce crops and the trees will bear fruit.

5 »‘Your crops will be so plentiful that you will still be harvesting grain when it is time to pick grapes. You will still be picking grapes when it is time to plant grain. You will have all you want to eat and you will live in safety in your land.

6 »‘I will give you peace in your land. You can sleep without being afraid of anyone. I will get rid of the dangerous animals in the land. And there will be no more war there.

7 »‘You will be victorious over your enemies.

8 »‘Five of you will be able to defeat a hundred, and a hundred will be able to defeat ten thousand.

9 »‘I will bless you and give you many children. I will keep my part of the covenant that I made with you.

10 »‘Your harvests will be so plentiful that they will last for a year. Even after that you will have to throw away what is left of the old harvest to make room for the new!

11 »‘I will live among you in my sacred tent, and I will never turn away from you.

12 »‘So I will live among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

13 »‘I am Jehovah your God. I brought you out of Egypt so that you are no longer slaves of the Egyptians. I have broken their power over you and made you live as a free people.

14 »‘If you will not listen to me and obey all these commandments,

15 if you reject my laws and look at my rules with disgust, if you reject my promise by disobeying my commandments,

16 then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them.

17 »‘I will condemn you so that you will go down in defeat in front of your enemies. Those who hate you will be your rulers. You will run away even when no one is chasing you.

18 »‘If you still will not listen to me, I will discipline you seven times for your sins.

19 »‘I will crush your arrogance. You will have no rain, and your land will be as hard as cement.

20 »‘Your strength will be spent uselessly. Your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.

21 »‘If you act with hostility against me and are unwilling to obey me I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins.

22 »‘I will send wild animals among you. They will rob you of your children. They will destroy your cattle, and make you so few that your roads will be deserted.

23 »‘If this discipline does not help and you still resist,

24 »‘I will resist you. I will punish you seven times for your sins.

25 »‘I will bring war on you to get revenge for my promise you rejected. When you gather in your cities, I will send plagues on you and you will fall under the control of your enemy.

26 »‘I will destroy your food supply. Ten women will need only one oven to prepare your food. You will eat and go away hungry.

27 »‘If in spite of this you do not listen to me and still resist me,

28 »‘I will resist you with great fury. I will discipline you seven times for your sins.

29 »‘You will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters.

30 »‘I will destroy your worship sites. I will cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on top of your dead idols. I will view you with disgust.

31 »‘I will make your cities deserted and ruin your sacred places. I will no longer accept the soothing aroma from your sacrifices.

32 »‘I will make your land so deserted that your enemies will be shocked as they settle in it.

33 »‘I will scatter you among the nations. War will follow you. Your country will be in ruins. Your cities will be deserted.

34 »‘Then the land will enjoy its time to honor Jehovah while it lies deserted. You will be in your enemies' land. Then the land will joyfully celebrate its time to honor Jehovah.

35 »‘All the days it lies deserted, it will celebrate the time to honor Jehovah it never celebrated while you lived there.

36 »‘I will fill those who are left in the land of their enemies with despair. The sound of a windblown leaf will make them run. They will run away and fall, but no one will be chasing them.

37 »‘They will stumble over each other. Yet no one will be after them. They will not be able to stand up to their enemies.

38 »‘They will be destroyed among the nations. The land of their enemies will devour them.

39 »‘Those who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins and the sins of their ancestors.

40 »‘However if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors and the treacherous things they did to oppose me,

41 »‘I will oppose them and bring them into the lands of their enemies. Then, if they humble their uncircumcised hearts and accept their guilt,

42 »‘I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land.

43 »‘The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honor Jehovah while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust.

44 »‘Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Jehovah their God.

45 »‘For their well being, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their God while nations looked on. I am Jehovah!’«

46 These are the laws, rules, and instructions Jehovah gave to the Israelites through Moses on Mount Sinai.

27

1 Jehovah spoke to Moses:

2 »Give the following regulations for the people of Israel: ‘When any of you have been given to Jehovah in fulfillment of a special vow, you may be set free by the payment of the following sums of money,

3 »‘This is according to the official standard: adult male, twenty to sixty years old: fifty pieces of silver, adult female: thirty pieces of silver, young male, five to twenty years old: twenty pieces of silver, young female: ten pieces of silver, infant male under five: five pieces of silver, infant female: three pieces of silver, male above sixty years of age: fifteen pieces of silver, female above sixty: ten pieces of silver.

4 »‘If it is a woman, give twelve ounces.

5 »‘For a boy from five to twenty years old, give eight ounces and for a girl give four ounces.

6 »‘For a boy from one month to five years old, give two ounces of silver and for a girl give about one ounce.

7 For a man sixty years or over, give six ounces and for a woman give four ounces.

8 »‘The person who is too poor to pay the required amount must stand in front of the priest. The priest will determine the amount based on what the person can afford.

9 »‘If the vow is to give the kind of animal that people offer to Jehovah, it will be considered holy.

10 »‘Do not exchange or substitute animals, a good one for a bad one or a bad one for a good one. If you do exchange one animal for another, then both animals will be holy.

11 »‘If it is an unclean animal that cannot be brought to Jehovah as an offering, bring it in front of the priest.

12 »‘The priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides.

13 »‘If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.

14 »‘If you give your house to Jehovah as something holy, the priest will determine what its value is. The value will be whatever the priest decides.

15 »‘If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.

16 »‘If a person gives part of a field to Jehovah as something holy, its value will be based on the seed planted on it. Ground planted with two quarts of barley will be worth twenty ounces of silver.

17 »‘If you give your field in the jubilee year, it will have its full value.

18 »‘Should you give the field after the jubilee year, the priest will estimate its value based on the number of years left until the next jubilee year.

19 »‘If you want to buy it back, you must pay its full value plus one-fifth more.

20 »‘If you do not buy it back and it is sold to someone else, it may not be redeemed.

21 »‘When the field is released in the jubilee year, it will be holy like a field claimed by Jehovah. It will become the property of the priest.

22 »‘You may give a field you bought, not one that was a part of your family property, to Jehovah as something holy.

23 »‘The priest must figure out the field's value until the jubilee year. You will pay its value on that day as something holy, belonging to Jehovah.

24 »‘In the jubilee year the field will go back to the person from whom it was bought, to whom it belongs as family property.

25 »‘All values will be set using the standard weight of the holy place.

26 »‘A firstborn animal already belongs to Jehovah because it was born first. Therefore, it cannot be set apart as holy. Whether it is a bull or a sheep, it belongs to Jehovah.

27 »‘If it is an unclean animal it must be bought back. The payment will be its full value plus one-fifth more. If it is not bought back, it must be sold at the value given it.

28 »‘However, everything dedicated to Jehovah for destruction, a person, an animal, or a field that belongs to you, must not be sold or bought back. Everything dedicated in that way is very holy. It belongs to Jehovah.

29 »‘People dedicated this way may not be bought back. They must be put to death.

30 »‘One-tenth of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy and belongs to Jehovah.

31 »‘If you buy back any part of it, you must add one-fifth more to it.

32 »‘Every tenth head of cattle or sheep that you counted is holy and belongs to Jehovah.

33 »‘You must not look to see if it is good or bad or exchange it. If you do exchange it, both the first animal and its substitute will be holy. They may not be bought back.’«

34 These are the commandments Jehovah gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.