Category: Leviticus

The Sin of Nadab and Abihu

1 Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan, put live coals in it, added incense, and presented it to theLord. But this fire was not holy, because theLordhad not commanded them to present it.

2 Suddenly theLordsent fire, and it burned them to death there in the presence of theLord.

3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what theLordwas 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, and said to them, “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 and carried them outside the camp, just as Moses had commanded.

6 Then 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, and theLordwill be angry with the whole community. But all other Israelites are allowed to mourn this death caused by the fire which theLordsent.

7 Do not leave the entrance of the Tent or you will die, because you have been consecrated by the anointing oil of theLord.” So they did as Moses said.

Rules for Priests

8 TheLordsaid to Aaron,

9 “You and your sons are not to enter the Tent of my presence after drinking wine or beer; if you do, you will die. This is a law to be kept by all your descendants.

10 You must distinguish between what belongs to God and what is for general use, between what is ritually clean and what is unclean.

11 You must teach the people of Israel all the laws which I have given to you through Moses.”

12 Moses said to Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offered to theLord, make unleavened bread with it and eat it beside the altar, 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 theLord. That is what theLordcommanded me.

14 But you and your families may eat the breast and the hind leg that are presented as the special gift and the special contribution to theLordfor 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 theLord. These parts belong to you and your children forever, just as theLordcommanded.”

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

17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in a sacred place? It is very holy, and theLordhas given 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 theLordhave approved? The people presented their sin offering to theLordtoday, and they brought their burnt offering, but still these terrible things have happened to me.”

20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/10-5f13687cd5489d9de7bc75839b5bc799.mp3?version_id=68—

Animals That May Be Eaten

1 TheLordgave Moses and Aaron the following regulations

2 for the people of Israel. You may eat any land animal

3 that has divided hoofs and that also chews the cud,

4-6 but you must not eat camels, rock badgers, or rabbits. These must be considered unclean; they chew the cud, but do not have divided hoofs.

7 Do not eat pigs. They must be considered unclean; they have divided hoofs, but do not chew the cud.

8 Do not eat these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean.

9 You may eat any kind of fish that has fins and scales,

10 but anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales must not be eaten.

11 Such creatures must be considered unclean. You must not eat them or even touch their dead bodies.

12 You must not eat anything that lives in the water and does not have fins and scales.

13-19 You must not eat any of the following birds: eagles, owls, hawks, falcons; buzzards, vultures, crows; ostriches; seagulls, storks, herons, pelicans, cormorants;hoopoes; or bats.

20 All winged insects are unclean,

21 except those that hop.

22 You may eat locusts, crickets, or grasshoppers.

23 But all other small things that have wings and also crawl must be considered unclean.

24-28 If you touch the dead bodies of the following animals, you will be unclean until evening: all animals with hoofs, unless their hoofs are divided and they chew the cud, and all four-footed animals with paws. If you carry their dead bodies, you must wash your clothes, but you will still be unclean until evening.

29-30 Moles, rats, mice, and lizards must be considered unclean.

31 Whoever touches them or their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

32 And if their dead bodies fall on anything, it will be unclean. This applies to any article of wood, cloth, leather, or sacking, no matter what it is used for. It shall be dipped in water, but it will remain unclean until evening.

33 And if their bodies fall into a clay pot, everything that is in it shall be unclean, and you must break the pot.

34 Any food which could normally be eaten, but on which water from such a pot has been poured, will be unclean, and anything drinkable in such a pot is unclean.

35 Anything on which the dead bodies fall is unclean; a clay stove or oven shall be broken,

36 but a spring or a cistern remains clean, although anything else that touches their dead bodies is unclean.

37 If one of them falls on seed that is going to be planted, the seed remains clean.

38 But if the seed is soaking in water and one of them falls on it, the seed is unclean.

39 If any animal that may be eaten dies, anyone who touches it will be unclean until evening.

40 And if any of you eat any part of the animal, you must wash your clothes, but you will still be unclean until evening; any of you who carry the dead body must wash your clothes, but you will still be unclean until evening.

41 You must not eat any of the small animals that move on the ground,

42 whether they crawl, or walk on four legs, or have many legs.

43 Do not make yourselves unclean by eating any of these.

44 I am theLordyour God, and you must keep yourselves holy, because I am holy.

45 I am theLordwho brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. You must be holy, because I am holy.

46 This, then, is the law about animals and birds, about everything that lives in the water, and everything that moves on the ground.

47 You must be careful to distinguish between what is ritually clean and unclean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/11-014dde1728fe71d4803e915f2d38d5dd.mp3?version_id=68—

The Purification of Women after Childbirth

1 TheLordgave Moses the following regulations

2 for the people of Israel. For seven days after a woman gives birth to a son, she is ritually unclean, as she is during her monthly period.

3 On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.

4 Then it will be thirty-three more days until she is ritually clean from her loss of blood; she must not touch anything that is holy or enter the sacred Tent until the time of her purification is completed.

5 For fourteen days after a woman gives birth to a daughter, she is ritually unclean, as she is during her monthly period. Then it will be sixty-six more days until she is ritually clean from her loss of blood.

6 When the time of her purification is completed, whether for a son or daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.

7 The priest shall present her offering to theLordand perform the ritual to take away her impurity, and she will be ritually clean. This, then, is what a woman must do after giving birth.

8 If the woman cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall perform the ritual to take away her impurity, and she will be ritually clean.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/12-cdc69c0267a8825ac8172a104259e856.mp3?version_id=68—

Laws concerning Skin Diseases

1 TheLordgave Moses and Aaron these regulations.

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

3 The priest shall examine the sore, and 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 shall pronounce you unclean.

4 But 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 shall isolate you for seven days.

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

6 The priest shall examine you again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread, he shall pronounce you ritually clean; it is only a sore. You shall wash your clothes and be ritually clean.

7 But if the sore spreads after the priest has examined you and pronounced you clean, you must appear before the priest again.

8 The priest will examine you again, and if it has spread, he shall pronounce you unclean; it is a dreaded skin disease.

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

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

11 it is a chronic skin disease. The priest shall pronounce you unclean; there is no need to isolate you, because you are obviously unclean.

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

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

14 But from the moment an open sore appears, you are unclean.

15 The priest shall examine you again, and if he sees an open sore, he shall pronounce you unclean. An open sore means a dreaded skin disease, and you are unclean.

16 But when the sore heals and becomes white again, you shall go to the priest,

17 who will examine you again. If the sore has turned white, you are ritually clean, and the priest shall pronounce you clean.

18 If any of 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 shall go to the priest.

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

21 But 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 shall isolate you for seven days.

22 If the spot spreads, the priest shall pronounce you unclean; you are diseased.

23 But if it remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar left from the boil, and the priest shall 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 shall examine you. If the hairs in the spot have turned white and it appears deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease that has started in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean.

26 But if the hairs in it have not turned white and it is not deeper than the surrounding skin, but is light in color, the priest shall isolate you for seven days.

27 The priest shall examine you again on the seventh day, and if it is spreading, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean.

28 But if the spot remains unchanged and does not spread and is light in color, it is not a dreaded skin disease. The priest shall 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 shall 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, and he shall pronounce you unclean.

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

32 The priest shall examine the sore again on the seventh day, and 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 shall shave the head except the area around the sore. The priest shall then isolate you for another seven days.

34 On the seventh day the priest shall again examine the sore, and if it has not spread and does not seem to be deeper than the surrounding skin, he shall pronounce you ritually clean. You shall wash your clothes, and you will be clean.

35 But if the sore spreads after you have been pronounced clean,

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

37 But if in the priest’s opinion the sore has not spread and healthy hairs are growing in it, the sore has healed, and the priest shall pronounce you ritually clean.

38 When any of 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.

40-41 If you lose your hair at the back or the front of your head, this does not make you unclean.

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

43 The priest shall examine you, and if there is a reddish-white sore,

44 the priest shall pronounce you unclean, because of the 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, and you must live outside the camp, away from others.

Laws concerning Mildew

47 When there is mildewon clothing, whether wool or linen,

48 or on any 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 shall examine it again on the seventh day, and if the mildew has spread, the object is unclean.

52 The priest shall burn it, because it is a spreading mildew which must be destroyed by fire.

53 But if, when he examines it, the priest finds that the mildew has not spread on the object,

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

55 Then he shall examine it, 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 But if, when the priest examines it again, the mildew has faded, he shall tear it out of the clothing or leather.

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

58 If he washes the object and the spot disappears, he shall wash it again, and it will be ritually clean.

59 This, then, 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.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/13-c913e671ccd86a74bb8f2bac14bbac0d.mp3?version_id=68—

Purification after Having Skin Diseases

1 TheLordgave 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 shall be brought to the priest,

3 and the priest shall take you outside the camp and examine you. If the disease is healed,

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

5 Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over a clay bowl containing fresh spring water.

6 He shall 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 shall sprinkle the blood seven times on the one of you who is to be purified from your skin disease, and then he shall pronounce you clean. He shall let the live bird fly away over the open fields.

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

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

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

11 The priest shall take you and these offerings to the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence.

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

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

14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the lamb and put it on the lobe of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one of you to be declared ritually clean.

15 The priest shall take some of the olive oil and pour it in the palm of his own left hand,

16 dip a finger of his right hand in it, and sprinkle some of it seven times there in theLord’s presence.

17 He shall take some of the oil that is in the palm of his hand and some of the blood of the lamb and put them on the lobe of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one of you to be declared ritually clean.

18 He shall put the rest of the oil that is in the palm of his hand on your head. In this way he shall perform the ritual of purification.

19 Then the priest shall offer the sin offering and perform the ritual of purification. After that, he shall kill the animal for the burnt offering

20 and offer it with the grain offering on the altar. In this way the priest shall perform the ritual of purification, and you will be ritually clean.

21 If you are poor and cannot afford any more, you shall bring for your purification only one male lamb as your repayment offering, a special gift to theLordfor the priest. You shall bring only two pounds of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering and half a pint of olive oil.

22 You shall also bring two doves or two pigeons, one for the sin offering and one for the burnt offering.

23 On the eighth day of your purification you shall bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent.

24 The priest shall take the lamb and the olive oil and present them as a special gift to theLordfor the priest.

25 He shall kill the lamb and take some of the blood and put it on the lobe of your right ear, on the thumb of your right hand, and on the big toe of your right foot.

26 The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand

27 and with a finger of his right hand sprinkle some of it seven times there in theLord’s presence.

28 He shall put some of the oil on the same places he put the blood: on the lobe of your right ear, on the thumb of your right hand, and on the big toe of your right foot.

29 The rest of the oil that is in his palm he shall put on your head and in this way perform the ritual of purification.

30 Then he shall offer one of the doves or pigeons

31 as the sin offering and the other as the burnt offering with the grain offering. In this way the priest shall perform the ritual of purification.

32 This is the law for those who have a dreaded skin disease but who cannot afford the normal offerings required for his purification.

Mildew in Houses

33 TheLordgave Moses and Aaron

34-35 the following regulations about houses affected by spreading mildew. (These were to apply after the people of Israel entered the land of Canaan, which theLordwas going to give them as their possession.) If any of you find that theLordhas sent mildew on your house, then you must go and tell the priest about it.

36 The priest shall order everything to be moved out of the house before he goes to examine the mildew; otherwise everything in the house will be declared unclean. Then he shall go to the house

37 and examine the mildew. If there are greenish or reddish spots that appear to be eating into the wall,

38 he shall leave the house and lock it up for seven days.

39 On the seventh day he shall return and examine it again. If the mildew has spread,

40 he shall order that the stones on which the mildew is found be removed and thrown into some unclean place outside the city.

41 After that he must have all the interior walls scraped and the plaster dumped in an unclean place outside the city.

42 Then other stones are to be used to replace the stones that were removed, and new plaster will be used to cover the walls.

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 shall 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 Any who enter the house while it is locked up will be unclean until evening.

47 Any who lie down or eat in the house must wash their clothes.

48 If, when the priest comes to look, the mildew has not reappeared after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house ritually clean, because the mildew has been completely removed.

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

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

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

52 In this way he shall 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 he shall let the live bird fly away outside the city over the open fields. In this way he shall perform the ritual of purification for the house, and it will be ritually clean.

54 These are the laws about dreaded skin diseases;

55-56 sores, boils, or inflammations; and about mildew in clothes or houses.

57 These laws determine when something is unclean and when it is clean.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/14-1c8ee0727c140a26383ac01373c54706.mp3?version_id=68—

Unclean Bodily Discharges

1 TheLordgave Moses and Aaron the following regulations

2 for the people of Israel. When any man has a discharge from his penis, the discharge is unclean,

3 whether the penis runs with it or is stopped up by it.

4 Any bed on which he sits or lies is unclean.

5 Anyone who touches his bed

6 or sits on anything the man has sat on must wash his clothes and take a bath, and he remains unclean until evening.

7 Anyone who touches the man with the discharge must wash his clothes and take a bath, and he remains unclean until evening.

8 If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is ritually clean, that person must wash his clothes and take a bath, and he remains unclean until evening.

9 Any saddle or seat on which the man with the discharge sits is unclean.

10 Anyone who touches anything on which the man sat is unclean until evening. Anyone who carries anything on which the man sat must wash his clothes and take a bath, and he remains unclean until evening.

11 If a man who has a discharge touches one of you without first having washed his hands, you must wash your clothes and take a bath, and you remain unclean until evening.

12 Any clay pot that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden bowl that he touches must be washed.

13 After the man is cured of his discharge, he must wait seven days and then wash his clothes and take a bath in fresh spring water, and he will be ritually clean.

14 On the eighth day he shall take two doves or two pigeons to the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence and give them to the priest.

15 The priest shall offer one of them as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way he will perform the ritual of purification for the man.

16 When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body, and he remains unclean until evening.

17 Anything made of cloth or leather on which the semen falls must be washed, and it remains unclean until evening.

18 After sexual intercourse both the man and the woman must take a bath, and they remain unclean until evening.

19 When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her is unclean until evening.

20 Anything on which she sits or lies during her monthly period is unclean.

21-23 Any who touch her bed or anything on which she has sat must wash their clothes and take a bath, and they remain unclean until evening.

24 If a man has sexual intercourse with her during her period, he is contaminated by her impurity and remains unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies is unclean.

25 If a woman has a flow of blood for several days outside her monthly period or if her flow continues beyond her regular period, she remains unclean as long as the flow continues, just as she is during her monthly period.

26 Any bed on which she lies and anything on which she sits during this time is unclean.

27 Any who touch them are unclean and must wash their clothes and take a bath; they remain unclean until evening.

28 After her flow stops, she must wait seven days, and then she will be ritually clean.

29 On the eighth day she shall take two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence.

30 The priest shall offer one of them as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and in this way he will perform the ritual of purification for her.

31 TheLordtold Moses to warn the people of Israel about their uncleanness, so that they would not defile the Tent of his presence, which was in the middle of the camp. If they did, they would be killed.

32 These are the regulations about a man who has a discharge or an emission of semen,

33 a woman during her monthly period, or a man who has sexual intercourse with a woman who is ritually unclean.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/15-f0204c6b90bb1f34cf7f90d296225411.mp3?version_id=68—

The Day of Atonement

1 TheLordspoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who were killed when they offered unholy fire to theLord.

2 He said, “Tell your brother Aaron that only at the proper time is he to go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place, because that is where I appear in a cloud above the lid on the Covenant Box. If he disobeys, he will be killed.

3 He may enter the Most Holy Place only after he has brought a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.”

4 Then theLordgave the following instructions. Before Aaron goes into the Most Holy Place, he must take a bath and put on the priestly garments: the linen robe and shorts, the belt, and the turban.

5 The community of Israel shall give Aaron two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

6 He shall offer a bull as a sacrifice to take away his own sins and those of his family.

7 Then he shall take the two goats to the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence.

8 There he shall draw lots, using two stones, one marked “for theLord” and the other “for Azazel.”

9 Aaron shall sacrifice the goat chosen by lot for theLordand offer it as a sin offering.

10 The goat chosen for Azazel shall be presented alive to theLordand sent off into the desert to Azazel, in order to take away the sins of the people.

11 When Aaron sacrifices the bull as the sin offering for himself and his family,

12 he shall take a fire pan full of burning coals from the altar and two handfuls of fine incense and bring them into the Most Holy Place.

13 There in theLord’s presence he shall put the incense on the fire, and the smoke of the incense will hide the lid of the Covenant Box so that he will not see it and die.

14 He shall take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the lid and then sprinkle some of it seven times in front of the Covenant Box.

15 After that, he shall kill the goat for the sin offering for the people, bring its blood into the Most Holy Place, and sprinkle it on the lid and then in front of the Covenant Box, as he did with the bull’s blood.

16 In this way he will perform the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place from the uncleanness of the people of Israel and from all their sins. He must do this to the Tent, because it stands in the middle of the camp, which is ritually unclean.

17 From the time Aaron enters the Most Holy Place to perform the ritual of purification until he comes out, there must be no one in the Tent. When he has performed the ritual for himself, his family, and the whole community,

18 he must then go out to the altar for burnt offerings and purify it. He must take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it all over the projections at the corners of the altar.

19 With his finger he must sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times. In this way he is to purify it from the sins of the people of Israel and make it holy.

The Scapegoat

20 When Aaron has finished performing the ritual to purify the Most Holy Place, the rest of the Tent of theLord’s presence, and the altar, he shall present to theLordthe live goat chosen for Azazel.

21 He shall put both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the evils, sins, and rebellions of the people of Israel, and so transfer them to the goat’s head. Then the goat is to be driven off into the desert by someone appointed to do it.

22 The goat will carry all their sins away with him into some uninhabited land.

23 Then Aaron shall go into the Tent, take off the priestly garments that he had put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.

24 He must take a bath in a holy place and put on his own clothes. After that, he shall go out and offer the burnt offering to remove his own sins and those of the people.

25 He shall burn on the altar the fat of the animal for the sin offering.

26 The man who drove the goat into the desert to Azazel must wash his clothes and take a bath before he comes back into 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, shall be carried outside the camp and burned. Skin, meat, and intestines shall all be burned.

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

Observing the Day of Atonement

29 The following regulations are to be observed for all 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 all time to come.

32 The High Priest, properly ordained and consecrated to succeed his father, is to perform the ritual of purification. He shall put on the priestly garments

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

34 These regulations are to be observed for all time to come. This ritual must be performed once a year to purify the people of Israel from all their sins.

So Mosesdid as theLordhad commanded.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/16-5cba898799b5a9efd441c32c608be814.mp3?version_id=68—

The Sacredness of Blood

1 TheLordcommanded Moses

2 to give Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel the following regulations.

3-4 Any Israelites who kill a cow or a sheep or a goat as an offering to theLordanywhere except at the entrance of the Tent of theLord’s presence have broken the Law. They have shed blood and shall no longer be considered God’s people.

5 The meaning of this command is that the people of Israel shall now bring to theLordthe animals which they used to kill in the open country. They shall now bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent and kill them as fellowship offerings.

6 The priest shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar at the entrance of the Tent and burn the fat to produce an odor that is pleasing to theLord.

7 The people of Israel must no longer be unfaithful to theLordby killing their animals in the fields as sacrifices to the goat demons. The people of Israel must keep this regulation for all time to come.

8 Any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community who offer a burnt offering or any other sacrifice

9 as an offering to theLordanywhere except at the entrance of the Tent shall no longer be considered God’s people.

10 If any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community eat meat with blood still in it, theLordwill turn against them and no longer consider them his people.

11 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why theLordhas commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away the people’s sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins.

12 That is why theLordhas told the people of Israel that neither they nor any foreigner living among them shall eat any meat with blood still in it.

13 If any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community catch an animal or a bird which is ritually clean, they must pour its blood out on the ground and cover it with dirt.

14 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why theLordhas told the people of Israel that they shall not eat any meat with blood still in it and that anyone who does so will no longer be considered one of his people.

15 Any people, Israelites or foreigners, who eat meat from an animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals must wash their clothes, take a bath, and wait until evening before they are ritually clean.

16 If they do not, they must suffer the consequences.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/17-c956856949b38fff4744efbb93a089f4.mp3?version_id=68—

Forbidden Sexual Practices

1 TheLordtold Moses

2 to say to the people of Israel, “I am theLordyour God.

3 Do not follow the practices of the people of Egypt, where you once lived, or of the people in the land of Canaan, where I am now taking you.

4 Obey my laws and do what I command. I am theLordyour God.

5 Follow the practices and the laws that I give you; you will save your life by doing so. I am theLord.”

6 TheLordgave the following regulations. Do not have sexual intercourse with any of your relatives.

7 Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother. You must not disgrace your own mother.

8 Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with any of his other wives.

9 Do not have intercourse with your sister or your stepsister, whether or not she was brought up in the same house with you.

10 Do not have intercourse with your granddaughter; that would be a disgrace to you.

11 Do not have intercourse with a half sister; she, too, is your sister.

12-13 Do not have intercourse with an aunt, whether she is your father’s sister or your mother’s sister.

14 Do not have intercourse with your uncle’s wife; she, too, is your aunt.

15 Do not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law

16 or with your brother’s wife.

17 Do not have intercourse with the daughter or granddaughter of a woman with whom you have had intercourse; they may be related to you, and that would be incest.

18 Do not take your wife’s sister as one of your wives, as long as your wife is living.

19 Do not have intercourse with a woman during her monthly period, because she is ritually unclean.

20 Do not have intercourse with another man’s wife; that would make you ritually unclean.

21 Do not hand over any of your children to be used in the worship of the god Molech, because that would bring disgrace on the name of God, theLord.

22 No man is to have sexual relations with another man; God hates that.

23 No man or woman is to have sexual relations with an animal; that perversion makes you ritually unclean.

24 Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these acts, for that is how the pagans made themselves unclean, those pagans who lived in the land before you and whom theLordis driving out so that you can go in.

25 Their actions made the land unclean, and so theLordis punishing the land and making it reject the people who lived there.

26-27 They did all these disgusting things and made the land unclean, but you must not do them. All of you, whether Israelites or foreigners living with you, must keep theLord’s laws and commands,

28 and then the land will not reject you, as it rejected the pagans who lived there before you.

29 You know that whoever does any of these disgusting things will no longer be considered one of God’s people.

30 And theLordsaid, “Obey the commands I give and do not follow the practices of the people who lived in the land before you, and do not make yourselves unclean by doing any of these things. I am theLordyour God.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/18-96381c8bd6cc2fdef8c2428b59b05df3.mp3?version_id=68—

Laws of Holiness and Justice

1 TheLordtold Moses

2 to say to the community of Israel, “Be holy, because I, theLordyour God, am holy.

3 Each of you must respect your mother and your father, and must keep the Sabbath, as I have commanded. I am theLordyour God.

4 “Do not abandon me and worship idols; do not make gods of metal and worship them. I am theLordyour God.

5 “When you kill an animal for a fellowship offering, keep the regulations that I have given you, and I will accept the offering.

6 The meat must be eaten on the day the animal is killed or on the next day. Any meat left on the third day must be burned,

7 because it is ritually unclean, and if anyone eats it, I will not accept the offering.

8 Any who eat it will be guilty of treating as ordinary what is dedicated to me, and they will no longer be considered my people.

9 “When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the fields, and do not go back to cut the heads of grain that were left.

10 Do not go back through your vineyard to gather the grapes that were missed or to pick up the grapes that have fallen; leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am theLordyour God.

11 “Do not steal or cheat or lie.

12 Do not make a promise in my name if you do not intend to keep it; that brings disgrace on my name. I am theLordyour God.

13 “Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night.

14 Do not curse the deaf or put something in front of the blind so as to make them stumble over it. Obey me; I am theLordyour God.

15 “Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; do not show favoritism to the poor or fear the rich.

16 Do not spread lies about anyone, and when someone is on trial for his life, speak out if your testimony can help him. I am theLord.

17 “Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them.

18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am theLord.

19 “Obey my commands. Do not crossbreed domestic animals. Do not plant two kinds of seed in the same field. Do not wear clothes made of two kinds of material.

20 “If a slave woman is the recognized concubine of a man and she has not been paid for and freed, then if another man has sexual relations with her, they will be punished, but notput to death, since she is a slave.

21 The man shall bring a ram to the entrance of the Tent of my presence as his repayment offering,

22 and with it the priest shall perform the ritual of purification to remove the man’s sin, and God will forgive him.

23 “When you come into the land of Canaan and plant any kind of fruit tree, consider the fruit ritually unclean for the first three years. During that time you must not eat it.

24 In the fourth year all the fruit shall be dedicated as an offering to show your gratitude to me,theLord.

25 But in the fifth year you may eat the fruit. If you do all this, your trees will bear more fruit. I am theLordyour God.

26 “Do not eat any meat with blood still in it. Do not practice any kind of magic.

27 Do not cut the hair on the sides of your head or trim your beard

28 or tattoo yourselves or cut gashes in your body to mourn for the dead. I am theLord.

29 “Do not disgrace your daughters by making them temple prostitutes;if you do, you will turn to other gods and the land will be full of immorality.

30 Keep the Sabbath, and honor the place where I am worshiped. I am theLord.

31 “Do not go for advice to people who consult the spirits of the dead. If you do, you will be ritually unclean. I am theLordyour God.

32 “Show respect for old people and honor them. Reverently obey me; I am theLord.

33 “Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land.

34 Treat them as you would an Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am theLordyour God.

35 “Do not cheat anyone by using false measures of length, weight, or quantity.

36 Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am theLordyour God, and I brought you out of Egypt.

37 Obey all my laws and commands. I am theLord.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/LEV/19-4e1844700e0898462e6ed936fe86811a.mp3?version_id=68—