Leviticus, 17
1. The LORD said to Moses,
1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:
2. "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I, the LORD, am your God.
2. 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and say: "This is the order that Yahweh has given:
3. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you once lived, nor shall you do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; do not conform to their customs.
3. "Any man of the House of Israel who slaughters a bull, lamb or goat, whether inside the camp or outside it,
4. My decrees you shall carry out, and my statutes you shall take care to follow. I, the LORD, am your God.
4. without bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to make an offering of it to Yahweh in front of his Dwelling, that man will be answerable for bloodshed; he has shed blood, and that man will be outlawed from his people.
5. Keep, then, my statutes and decrees, for the man who carries them out will find life through them. I am the LORD.
5. The purpose of this is that the Israelites should instead bring their sacrifices, which they would otherwise offer in the countryside, to Yahweh at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, to the priest, and offer them as communion sacrifices to Yahweh;
6. "None of you shall approach a close relative to have sexual intercourse with her. I am the LORD.
6. and the priest will sprinkle the blood on Yahweh's altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and will burn the fat as a smell pleasing to Yahweh.
7. You shall not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother. Besides, since she is your own mother, you shall not have intercourse with her.
7. No longer may they offer their sacrifices to the satyrs in whose service they used to prostitute themselves. This is a perpetual law for them and for their descendants."
8. You shall not have intercourse with your father's wife, for that would be a disgrace to your father.
8. 'You will also say to them, "Any member of the House of Israel or any resident alien who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice
9. You shall not have intercourse with your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in your own household or born elsewhere.
9. without bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to offer it to Yahweh, will be outlawed from his people.
10. You shall not have intercourse with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter, for that would be a disgrace to your own family.
10. "If any member of the House of Israel or any resident alien consumes blood of any kind, I shall set my face against that individual who consumes blood and shall outlaw him from his people.
11. You shall not have intercourse with the daughter whom your father's wife bore to him, since she, too, is your sister.
11. For the life of the creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you for performing the rite of expiation on the altar for your lives, for blood is what expiates for a life.
12. You shall not have intercourse with your father's sister, since she is your father's relative.
12. That is why I told the Israelites: None of you will consume blood, nor will any resident alien consume blood.
13. You shall not have intercourse with your mother's sister, since she is your mother's relative.
13. "Anyone, whether Israelite or resident alien, who hunts and catches game, whether animal or bird, which it is lawful to eat, must pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
14. You shall not disgrace your father's brother by being intimate with his wife, since she, too, is your aunt.
14. For the life of every creature is its blood, and I have told the Israelites: You will not consume the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood, and anyone who consumes it will be outlawed.
15. You shall not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, and therefore you shall not disgrace her.
15. "Anyone, citizen or alien, who eats an animal that has died a natural death or been savaged, must wash clothing and body, and will be unclean until evening, but will then be clean.
16. You shall not have intercourse with your brother's wife, for that would be a disgrace to your brother.
16. But anyone who does not wash clothing and body will bear the consequences of his guilt." '
17. You shall not have intercourse with a woman and also with her daughter, nor shall you marry and have intercourse with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; this would be shameful, because they are related to her.
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18. While your wife is still living you shall not marry her sister as her rival; for thus you would disgrace your first wife.
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19. "You shall not approach a woman to have intercourse with her while she is unclean from menstruation.
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20. You shall not have carnal relations with your neighbor's wife, defiling yourself with her.
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21. You shall not offer any of your offspring to be immolated to Molech, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the LORD.
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22. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; such a thing is an abomination.
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23. You shall not have carnal relations with an animal, defiling yourself with it; nor shall a woman set herself in front of an animal to mate with it; such things are abhorrent.
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24. "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things by which the nations whom I am driving out of your way have defiled themselves.
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25. Because their land has become defiled, I am punishing it for its wickedness, by making it vomit out its inhabitants.
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26. You, however, whether natives or resident aliens, must keep my statutes and decrees forbidding all such abominations
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27. by which the previous inhabitants defiled the land;
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28. otherwise the land will vomit you out also for having defiled it, just as it vomited out the nations before you.
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29. Everyone who does any of these abominations shall be cut off from among his people.
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30. Heed my charge, then, not to defile yourselves by observing the abominable customs that have been observed before you. I, the LORD, am your God."
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