Leviticus 17-18

New Life Version

Blood Must Not Be Eaten

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord has told us to do. ³ If any man of the house of Israel kills a bull, lamb or goat, among the tents or away from the tents, ⁴ and has not brought it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, he will be guilty for that blood, and will not be among God’s people. ⁵ The reason is so that the people of Israel may bring their gifts which were killed in the open field to the Lord, to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. Then they can be given as peace gifts to the Lord. ⁶ The religious leader will put the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. And he will burn the fat for a pleasing smell to the Lord. ⁷ So they will no longer give their gifts to the goat-like gods to whom they sell themselves. This will be a Law to them for all their people forever.’

⁸ “Then say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, who gives a burnt gift or other gift, ⁹ and does not bring it to the door of the meeting tent to give it to the Lord, will be cut off from his people.

¹⁰ ‘If any man of the house of Israel, or visiting from another land, eats any blood, I will turn against that person who eats blood, and he will not be among God’s people. ¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make your souls free from sin. For the blood makes you free from sin because of the life in it.’ ¹² So I have said to the people of Israel, ‘None of you should eat blood. And the man who visits you from another land should not eat blood.’ ¹³ If any man from the people of Israel, or from other people living among them, catches an animal or bird which may be eaten, he should pour out its blood and cover it with dust.

¹⁴ “For blood is the life of every living thing. So I said to the people of Israel, ‘Do not eat the blood of any living thing. For the life of every living thing is its blood. Whoever eats it will be cut off.’ ¹⁵ Every person, both living in the land or one who has come from another land, who eats an animal that dies or is killed by wild animals, must wash his clothes and wash himself in water. He will be unclean until evening. Then he will be clean. ¹⁶ But if he does not wash them or wash his body, he will suffer for his own sin.”

Laws about Sex

18 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God. ³ Do not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived. And do not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. Do not follow their laws. ⁴ You are to do what I say and keep My Laws and live by them. I am the Lord your God. ⁵ So keep My Laws and do what I say. If a man obeys them, My Laws will be life for him. I am the Lord.

⁶ ‘You should not go near a person of your own family to have sex. I am the Lord. ⁷ Do not put your father to shame by taking the clothes off your mother. She is your mother. Do not take her clothes off. ⁸ Do not take the clothes off your father’s wife. Her body is for your father. ⁹ Do not take the clothes off your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, if she is born at home or away from home. ¹⁰ Do not take the clothes off your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter. For they are of your own family. ¹¹ Do not take the clothes off your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father. She is your sister. ¹² Do not take the clothes off your father’s sister. She is of your father’s own family. ¹³ Do not take the clothes off your mother’s sister. She is of your mother’s own family. ¹⁴ Do not put your father’s brother to shame. Do not go near to take the clothes off his wife. She is of your family. ¹⁵ Do not take the clothes off your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Do not take her clothes off. ¹⁶ Do not take the clothes off your brother’s wife. Her body is for your brother. ¹⁷ Do not take the clothes off a woman and her daughter. And do not take the clothes off her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter. They are of her own family. It is sin. ¹⁸ While your wife is still living do not marry her sister making her as important to you. Do not take off her sister’s clothes.

¹⁹ ‘And you are not to go near a woman to take off her clothes during the time when she has a flow of blood. ²⁰ Do not have sex with your neighbor’s wife. You would be unclean. ²¹ Do not give any of your children as a gift on an altar to the false god Molech. Do not put the name of your God to shame. I am the Lord. ²² Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman. It is a sinful thing. ²³ Do not have sex with any animal, or you will be unclean. And no woman should give herself to an animal to lie with it. It is a sin.

²⁴ ‘Do not allow yourself to sin in any of these ways. For by doing all these things the nations that I am driving out in front of you became unclean. ²⁵ For the land is unclean. So I have punished its sin. The land has spit out its people. ²⁶ But as for you, you are to keep My Laws and do what I have decided. Do not do any of these sinful things, not you or the man who lives among you from another land. ²⁷ For the men who have lived in the land before you have done all of these sinful things. The land is unclean. ²⁸ Do none of these things or the land will spit you out when you make it sinful, as it has spit out the nation that was before you. ²⁹ Whoever does any of these sinful things will be cut off from his people. ³⁰ So do what I say. Do not do any of these sinful things that were done before you. Do not make yourselves sin by doing them. I am the Lord your God.’”