Leviticus 16; Leviticus 17; Leviticus 18

1 Now two of Aaron's sons had died while offering incense to the Lord, and after that time the Lord spoke to Moses.

2 The Lord said to him, "Tell your brother Aaron that there are times when he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place where the Ark is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the lid on the Ark, he will die.

3 "This is how Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place: Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a sin offering and a male sheep for a whole burnt offering.

4 He must put on the holy linen inner robe, with the linen underclothes next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt, and he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes, so he must bathe his body in water before he puts them on.

5 "Aaron must take from the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one male sheep for a burnt offering.

6 Then he will offer the bull for the sin offering for himself to remove sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord.

7 "Next Aaron will take the two goats and bring them before the Lord at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.

8 He will throw lots for the two goats -- one will be for the Lord and the other for the goat that removes sin.

9 Then Aaron will take the goat that was chosen for the Lord by throwing the lot, and he will offer it as a sin offering.

10 The other goat, which was chosen by lot to remove the sin, must be brought alive before the Lord. The priest will use it to perform the acts that remove Israel's sin so they will belong to the Lord. Then this goat will be sent out into the desert as a goat that removes sin.

11 "Then Aaron will offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, to remove the sins from him and his family so they will belong to the Lord; he will kill the bull for the sin offering for himself.

12 Then he must take a pan full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of sweet incense that has been ground into powder. He must bring it into the room behind the curtain.

13 He must put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense will cover the lid on the Ark. Then when Aaron comes in, he will not die.

14 Also, he must take some of the blood from the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the lid; with his finger he will sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the lid.

15 "Then Aaron must kill the goat of the sin offering for the people and bring its blood into the room behind the curtain. He must do with the goat's blood as he did with the bull's blood, sprinkling it on the lid and in front of the lid.

16 Because the people of Israel have been unclean, Aaron will perform the acts to make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord. Then it will be clean from the sins and crimes of the Israelites. He must also do this for the Meeting Tent, because it stays in the middle of unclean people.

17 When Aaron makes the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord, no one is allowed in the Meeting Tent until he comes out. So Aaron will perform the acts to remove sins from himself, his family, and all the people of Israel, so they will belong to the Lord.

18 Afterward he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and will make it ready for service to the Lord. Aaron will take some of the bull's blood and some of the goat's blood and put it on the corners of the altar on all sides.

19 Then, with his finger, he will sprinkle some of the blood on the altar seven times to make the altar holy for the Lord and clean from all the sins of the Israelites.

20 "When Aaron has finished making the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord, he will offer the living goat.

21 He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat, and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people's sins on the goat's head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert, and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away.

22 So the goat will carry on itself all the people's sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.

23 "Then Aaron will enter the Meeting Tent and take off the linen clothes he had put on before he went into the Most Holy Place; he must leave these clothes there.

24 He will bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his regular clothes. Then he will come out and offer the whole burnt offering for himself and for the people, to remove sins from himself and the people so they will belong to the Lord.

25 Then he will burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

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

27 "The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make it ready for service to the Lord, must be taken outside the camp; the animals' skins, bodies, and intestines will be burned in the fire.

28 Then the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water. After that, he may come back into the camp.

29 "This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must not eat and you must not do any work. The travelers or foreigners living with you must not work either.

30 It is on this day that the priests will make you clean so you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed.

31 This is a very important day of rest for you, and you must not eat. This law will continue forever.

32 "The priest appointed to take his father's place, on whom the oil was poured, will perform the acts for making things ready for service to the Lord. He must put on the holy linen clothes

33 and make the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord. He must also remove the sins of the priests and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the Lord.

34 That law for removing the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord will continue forever. You will do these things once a year." So they did the things the Lord had commanded Moses.

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 "Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel. Tell them: 'This is what the Lord has commanded.

3 If an Israelite kills an ox, a lamb, or a goat either inside the camp or outside it,

4 when he should have brought the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent as a gift to the Lord in front of the Lord's Holy Tent, he is guilty of killing. He has killed, and he must be cut off from the people.

5 This rule is so people will bring their sacrifices, which they have been sacrificing in the open fields, to the Lord. They must bring those animals to the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent; they must bring them to the priest and offer them as fellowship offerings.

6 Then the priest will sprinkle the blood from those animals on the Lord's altar near the entrance of the Meeting Tent. And he will burn the fat from those animals on the altar, as a smell pleasing to the Lord.

7 They must not offer any more sacrifices to their goat idols, which they have chased like prostitutes. These rules will continue for people from now on.'

8 "Tell the people this: 'If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,

9 that person must take his sacrifice to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to the Lord. If he does not do this, he must be cut off from the people.

10 "'I will be against any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you who eats blood. I will cut off that person from the people.

11 This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life.

12 So I tell the people of Israel this: "None of you may eat blood, and no foreigner living among you may eat blood."

13 "'If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living among you catches a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt.

14 If blood is still in the meat, the animal's life is still in it. So I give this command to the people of Israel: "Don't eat meat that still has blood in it, because the animal's life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off."

15 "'If a person, either a citizen or a foreigner, eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean.

16 If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will be guilty of sin.'"

1 The Lord said to Moses,

2 "Tell the people of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God.

3 In the past you lived in Egypt, but you must not do what was done in that country. And you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their customs.

4 You must obey my rules and follow them. I am the Lord your God.

5 Obey my laws and rules; a person who obeys them will live because of them. I am the Lord.

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

7 "'You must not shame your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have sexual relations with her.

8 You must not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would shame your father.

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

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

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

12 "'You must not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.

13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother's sister; she is your mother's close relative.

14 You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother, because this would shame him. She is your aunt.

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

16 "'You must not have sexual relations with your brother's wife. That would shame your brother.

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

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

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

20 "'You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and make yourself unclean with her.

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

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

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

24 "'Don't make yourself unclean by any of these wrong things. I am forcing nations out of their countries because they did these sins, and I am giving their land to you.

25 The land has become unclean, and I punished it for its sins, so the land is throwing out those people who live there.

26 "'You must obey my laws and rules, and you must not do any of these hateful sins. These rules are for the citizens of Israel and for the people who live with you.

27 The people who lived in the land before you did all these hateful things and made the land unclean.

28 If you do these things, you will also make the land unclean, and it will throw you out as it threw out the nations before you.

29 Anyone who does these hateful sins must be cut off from the people.

30 Keep my command not to do these hateful sins that were done by the people who lived in the land before you. Don't make yourself unclean by doing them. I am the Lord your God.'"