1 The LORD called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of cattle from the herd or from the flock.

3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD; 4 he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.  5 Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall present the blood, and throw the blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. 6 And he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces; 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar, and lay wood in order upon the fire; 8 and Aaron’s sons the priests shall lay the pieces, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn the whole on the altar, as a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; 11 and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw its blood against the altar round about.  12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall lay them in order upon the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer the whole, and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

14 “If his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves or of young pigeons.  15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; and its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar; 16 and he shall take away its crop with the feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes; 17 he shall tear it by its wings, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

1 “When any one brings a cereal offering as an offering to the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense on it, 2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense; and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion upon the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  3 And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD.

4 “When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil.  5 And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil; 6 you shall break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering.  7 And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil.  8 And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to the LORD; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.  9 And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  10 And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD.

11 “No cereal offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven; for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as an offering by fire to the LORD.  12 As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to the LORD, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing odor.  13 You shall season all your cereal offerings with salt; you shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be lacking from your cereal offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.

14 “If you offer a cereal offering of first fruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the cereal offering of your first fruits crushed new grain from fresh ears, parched with fire.  15 And you shall put oil upon it, and lay frankincense on it; it is a cereal offering.  16 And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion part of the crushed grain and of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

1-17     Leviticus 7:11-18

1 “If a man’s offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.  2 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering and kill it at the door of the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall throw the blood against the altar round about.  3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as an offering by fire to the LORD, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys.  5 Then Aaron’s sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt offering, which is upon the wood on the fire; it is an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

6 “If his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD is an animal from the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.  7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD, 8 laying his hand upon the head of his offering and killing it before the tent of meeting; and Aaron’s sons shall throw its blood against the altar round about.  9 Then from the sacrifice of the peace offering as an offering by fire to the LORD he shall offer its fat, the fat tail entire, taking it away close by the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, 10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys.  11 And the priest shall burn it on the altar as food offered by fire to the LORD.

12 “If his offering is a goat, then he shall offer it before the LORD, 13 and lay his hand upon its head, and kill it before the tent of meeting; and the sons of Aaron shall throw its blood against the altar round about.  14 Then he shall offer from it, as his offering for an offering by fire to the LORD, the fat covering the entrails, and all the fat that is on the entrails, 15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys.  16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food offered by fire for a pleasing odor.

All fat is the LORD’s.  17 It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

2-12       Numbers 15:27-29
13-21     Numbers 15:22-26
27-31     Numbers 15:27-28

1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, If any one sins unwittingly in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and does any one of them,

3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer for the sin which he has committed a young bull without blemish to the LORD for a sin offering.  4 He shall bring the bull to the door of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the LORD.  5 And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting; 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the LORD in front of the veil of the sanctuary.  7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the LORD which is in the tent of meeting, and the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the door of the tent of meeting.  8 And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall take from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys 10 (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings), and the priest shall burn them upon the altar of burnt offering.  11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung, 12 the whole bull he shall carry forth outside the camp to a clean place, where the ashes are poured out, and shall burn it on a fire of wood; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

13 “If the whole congregation of Israel commits a sin unwittingly and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done and are guilty; 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a young bull for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting; 15 and the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be killed before the LORD.  16 Then the anointed priest shall bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting, 17 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD in front of the veil.  18 And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is in the tent of meeting before the LORD; and the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the door of the tent of meeting.  19 And all its fat he shall take from it and burn upon the altar.  20 Thus shall he do with the bull; as he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this; and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.  21 And he shall carry forth the bull outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

22 “When a ruler sins, doing unwittingly any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 23 if the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, 24 and shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering.  25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering.  26 And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings; so the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven.

27 “If any one of the common people sins unwittingly in doing any one of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and is guilty, 28 when the sin which he has committed is made known to him he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed.  29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.  30 And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.  31 And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a pleasing odor to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

32 “If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish, 33 and lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering.  34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, upon the offerings by fire to the LORD; and the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.

1 “If any one sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity.  2 Or if any one touches an unclean thing, whether the carcass of an unclean beast or a carcass of unclean cattle or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him, and he has become unclean, he shall be guilty.  3 Or if he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it he shall be guilty.  4 Or if any one utters with his lips a rash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that men swear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it he shall in any of these be guilty.  5 When a man is guilty in any of these, he shall confess the sin he has committed, 6 and he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin which he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.

7 “But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring, as his guilt offering to the LORD for the sin which he has committed, two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.  8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering; he shall wring its head from its neck, but shall not sever it, 9 and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering.  10 Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the ordinance; and the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.

11 “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons, then he shall bring, as his offering for the sin which he has committed, a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.  12 And he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it as its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, upon the offerings by fire to the LORD; it is a sin offering.  13 Thus the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven. And the remainder shall be for the priest, as in the cereal offering.”

14 The LORD said to Moses, 15 “If any one commits a breach of faith and sins unwittingly in any of the holy things of the LORD, he shall bring, as his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you in shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; it is a guilt offering. 16 He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing, and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

17 “If any one sins, doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity.  18 He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the error which he committed unwittingly, and he shall be forgiven.  19 It is a guilt offering; he is guilty before the LORD.”

1-7     Exodus 22:7-15; Numbers 5:5-8

1-7     Walter Brueggemann, Finally Comes the Poet, p. 23-35
13      Richard Foster, Prayer, p. 197

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “If any one sins and commits a breach of faith against the LORD by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 3 or has found what was lost and lied about it, swearing falsely — in any of all the things which men do and sin therein, 4 when one has sinned and become guilty, he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he got by oppression, or the deposit which was committed to him, or the lost thing which he found, 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely; he shall restore it in full, and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs, on the day of his guilt offering.  6 And he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued by you at the price for a guilt offering; 7 and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things which one may do and thereby become guilty.”

8 The LORD said to Moses, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.  10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and put his linen breeches upon his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has consumed the burnt offering on the altar, and put them beside the altar.  11 Then he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.  12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it, it shall not go out; the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall lay the burnt offering in order upon it, and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.  13 Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out.

14 “And this is the law of the cereal offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD, in front of the altar.  15 And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the cereal offering with its oil and all the frankincense which is on the cereal offering, and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  16 And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; it shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it.  17 It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my offerings by fire; it is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering.  18 Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed for ever throughout your generations, from the LORD’s offerings by fire; whoever touches them shall become holy.”

19 The LORD said to Moses, 20 “This is the offering which Aaron and his sons shall offer to the LORD on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular cereal offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening.  21 It shall be made with oil on a griddle; you shall bring it well mixed, in baked pieces like a cereal offering, and offer it for a pleasing odor to the LORD.  22 The priest from among Aaron’s sons, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it to the LORD as decreed for ever; the whole of it shall be burned. 23 Every cereal offering of a priest shall be wholly burned; it shall not be eaten.”

24 The LORD said to Moses, 25 “Say to Aaron and his sons, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy.  26 The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it; in a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting.  27 Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy; and when any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was sprinkled in a holy place.  28 And the earthen vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured, and rinsed in water.  29 Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy.  30 But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place; it shall be burned with fire.

26-27     Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10-14, 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:16, 15:23

12     Richard Foster, Prayer, p. 83

1 “This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy; 2 in the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown on the altar round about.  3 And all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, 4 the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver which he shall take away with the kidneys; 5 the priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering. 6 Every male among the priests may eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.  8 And the priest who offers any man’s burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has offered.  9 And every cereal offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it.  10 And every cereal offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be for all the sons of Aaron, one as well as another.

11 “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which one may offer to the LORD. 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thank offering unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well mixed with oil.  13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with cakes of leavened bread.  14 And of such he shall offer one cake from each offering, as an offering to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings.  15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.  16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a votive offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the morrow what remains of it shall be eaten, 17 but what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire.  18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him; it shall be an abomination, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity.

19 “Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, 20 but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD’s peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people.  21 And if any one touches an unclean thing, whether the uncleanness of man or an unclean beast or any unclean abomination, and then eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD’s peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 “Say to the people of Israel, You shall eat no fat, of ox, or sheep, or goat.  24 The fat of an animal that dies of itself, and the fat of one that is torn by beasts, may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it.  25 For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which an offering by fire is made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings.  27 Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

28 The LORD said to Moses, 29 “Say to the people of Israel, He that offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD; from the sacrifice of his peace offerings 30 he shall bring with his own hands the offerings by fire to the LORD; he shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD.  31 The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons.  32 And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as an offering from the sacrifice of your peace offerings; 33 he among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion.  34 For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel.  35 This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the offerings made by fire to the LORD, consecrated to them on the day they were presented to serve as priests of the LORD; 36 the LORD commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, on the day that they were anointed; it is a perpetual due throughout their generations.”

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the cereal offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the consecration, and of the peace offerings, 38 which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

1-36     Exodus 29:1-37

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; 3 and assemble all the congregation at the door of the tent of meeting.”  4 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him; and the congregation was assembled at the door of the tent of meeting.  5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded to be done.”

6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water.  7 And he put on him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and girded him with the skilfully woven band of the ephod, binding it to him therewith.  8 And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.  9 And he set the turban upon his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses.

10 Then Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.  11 And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to consecrate them.  12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, and anointed him, to consecrate him.  13 And Moses brought Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with coats, and girded them with girdles, and bound caps on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.

14 Then he brought the bull of the sin offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bull of the sin offering.  15 And Moses killed it, and took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar round about, and purified the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make atonement for it.  16 And he took all the fat that was on the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.  17 But the bull, and its skin, and its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the LORD commanded Moses.

18 Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.  19 And Moses killed it, and threw the blood upon the altar round about.  20 And when the ram was cut into pieces, Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat. 21 And when the entrails and the legs were washed with water, Moses burned the whole ram on the altar, as a burnt offering, a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

22 Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.  23 And Moses killed it, and took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the great toe of his right foot. 24 And Aaron’s sons were brought, and Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet; and Moses threw the blood upon the altar round about.  25 Then he took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and the right thigh; 26 and out of the basket of unleavened bread which was before the LORD he took one unleavened cake, and one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and waved them as a wave offering before the LORD.  28 Then Moses took them from their hands, and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering, as an ordination offering, a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD.  29 And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the LORD; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, as the LORD commanded Moses.

30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron and his garments, and also upon his sons and his sons’ garments; so he consecrated Aaron and his garments, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the door of the tent of meeting, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’; 32 and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire.  33 And you shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you.  34 As has been done today, the LORD has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. 35 At the door of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the LORD has charged, lest you die; for so I am commanded.”  36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD commanded by Moses.

6       John 14:22-24
7       Hebrews 7:27
18     Leviticus 3:1-11
22     Numbers 6:22-26

1 On the eighth day Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; 2 and he said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and offer them before the LORD.  3 And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old without blemish, for a burnt offering, 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a cereal offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’”  5 And they brought what Moses commanded before the tent of meeting; and all the congregation drew near and stood before the LORD.  6 And Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD commanded you to do; and the glory of the LORD will appear to you.”  7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar, and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people; and bring the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as the LORD has commanded.”

8 So Aaron drew near to the altar, and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. 9 And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar, and poured out the blood at the base of the altar; 10 but the fat and the kidneys and the appendage of the liver from the sin offering he burned upon the altar, as the LORD commanded Moses.  11 The flesh and the skin he burned with fire outside the camp.

12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons delivered to him the blood, and he threw it on the altar round about.  13 And they delivered the burnt offering to him, piece by piece, and the head; and he burned them upon the altar.  14 And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 Then he presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and killed it, and offered it for sin, like the first sin offering.  16 And he presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance.  17 And he presented the cereal offering, and filled his hand from it, and burned it upon the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

18 He killed the ox also and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings for the people; and Aaron’s sons delivered to him the blood, which he threw upon the altar round about, 19 and the fat of the ox and of the ram, the fat tail, and that which covers the entrails, and the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver; 20 and they put the fat upon the breasts, and he burned the fat upon the altar, 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering before the LORD; as Moses commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.  23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting; and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.  24 And fire came forth from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

1-5          Acts 5:1-11
3             Matthew 5:16
8             Ezekiel 44:21
12-13     Leviticus 6:14-18
14-15     Leviticus 7:30-34
17           Leviticus 6:24-26

1 Now Nadab and Abi’hu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer, and put fire in it, and laid incense on it, and offered unholy fire before the LORD, such as he had not commanded them.  2 And fire came forth from the presence of the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.  3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD has said,
‘I will show myself holy
among those who are near me,
and before all the people
I will be glorified.’”
And Aaron held his peace.

4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.”  5 So they drew near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said.  6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not rend your clothes, lest you die, and lest wrath come upon all the congregation; but your brethren, the whole house of Israel, may bewail the burning which the LORD has kindled.  7 And do not go out from the door of the tent of meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine nor strong drink, you nor your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.  10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.”

12 And Moses said to Aaron and to Elea’zar and Ith’amar, his sons who were left, “Take the cereal offering that remains of the offerings by fire to the LORD, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy; 13 you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the offerings by fire to the LORD; for so I am commanded.  14 But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered you shall eat in any clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they are given as your due and your sons’ due, from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel.  15 The thigh that is offered and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the offerings by fire of the fat, to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours, and your sons’ with you, as a due for ever; as the LORD has commanded.”

16 Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned! And he was angry with Elea’zar and Ith’amar, the sons of Aaron who were left, saying, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?  18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”  19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?” 20 And when Moses heard that, he was content.

2-47     Deuteronomy 14:3-21
44         Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16
46         Numbers 5:2-3

1 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel,

These are the living things which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.  3 Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.  4 Nevertheless among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.  5 And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.  6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.  7 And the swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.  8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.

9 “These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.  10 But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is an abomination to you.  11 They shall remain an abomination to you; of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall have in abomination.  12 Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you.

13 “And these you shall have in abomination among the birds, they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, 14 the kite, the falcon according to its kind, 15 every raven according to its kind, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk according to its kind, 17 the owl, the cormorant, the ibis, 18 the water hen, the pelican, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron according to its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 “All winged insects that go upon all fours are an abomination to you.  21 Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet, with which to leap on the earth.  22 Of them you may eat: the locust according to its kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind.  23 But all other winged insects which have four feet are an abomination to you.

24 “And by these you shall become unclean; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.  26 Every animal which parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you; every one who touches them shall be unclean.  27 And all that go on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 28 and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you.

29 “And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm upon the earth: the weasel, the mouse, the great lizard according to its kind, 30 the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.  31 These are unclean to you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.  32 And anything upon which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any vessel that is used for any purpose; it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean.  33 And if any of them falls into any earthen vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it.  34 Any food in it which may be eaten, upon which water may come, shall be unclean; and all drink which may be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.  35 And everything upon which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces; they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.  36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean; but whatever touches their carcass shall be unclean.  37 And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed for sowing that is to be sown, it is clean; 38 but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

39 “And if any animal of which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening, 40 and he who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; he also who carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.

41 “Every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, all the swarming things that swarm upon the earth, you shall not eat; for they are an abomination. 43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any swarming thing that swarms; and you shall not defile yourselves with them, lest you become unclean.  44 For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls upon the earth.  45 For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

46 This is the law pertaining to beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

3    Genesis 17:12; Luke 2:21
8    Luke 2:24

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, If a woman conceives, and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.  3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying; she shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the door of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement for her; then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female.  8 And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.”

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

2 “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 3 and the priest shall examine the diseased spot on the skin of his body; and if the hair in the diseased spot has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous disease; when the priest has examined him he shall pronounce him unclean.  4 But if the spot is white in the skin of his body, and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall shut up the diseased person for seven days; 5 and the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up seven days more; 6 and the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased spot is dim and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.  7 But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest; 8 and the priest shall make an examination, and if the eruption has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy.

9 “When a man is afflicted with leprosy, he shall be brought to the priest; 10 and the priest shall make an examination, and if there is a white swelling in the skin, which has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling, 11 it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not shut him up, for he is unclean.  12 And if the leprosy breaks out in the skin, so that the leprosy covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, 13 then the priest shall make an examination, and if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean.  14 But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.  15 And the priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean; raw flesh is unclean, for it is leprosy.  16 But if the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest, 17 and the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean; he is clean.

18 “And when there is in the skin of one’s body a boil that has healed, 19 and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, then it shall be shown to the priest; 20 and the priest shall make an examination, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is the disease of leprosy, it has broken out in the boil.  21 But if the priest examines it, and the hair on it is not white and it is not deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall shut him up seven days; 22 and if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is diseased.  23 But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

24 “Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, 25 the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is leprosy; it has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease.  26 But if the priest examines it, and the hair in the spot is not white and it is no deeper than the skin, but is dim, the priest shall shut him up seven days, 27 and the priest shall examine him the seventh day; if it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease.  28 But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but is dim, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar of the burn.

29 “When a man or woman has a disease on the head or the beard, 30 the priest shall examine the disease; and if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an itch, a leprosy of the head or the beard.  31 And if the priest examines the itching disease, and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days, 32 and on the seventh day the priest shall examine the disease; and if the itch has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin, 33 then he shall shave himself, but the itch he shall not shave; and the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days more; 34 and on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.  35 But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing, 36 then the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean.  37 But if in his eyes the itch is checked, and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed, he is clean; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

38 “When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots, 39 the priest shall make an examination, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is tetter that has broken out in the skin; he is clean.

40 “If a man’s hair has fallen from his head, he is bald but he is clean.  41 And if a man’s hair has fallen from his forehead and temples, he has baldness of the forehead but he is clean.  42 But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased spot, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.  43 Then the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the body, 44 he is a leprous man, he is unclean; the priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.

45 “The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean, unclean.’  46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean; he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp.

47 “When there is a leprous disease in a garment, whether a woolen or a linen garment, 48 in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin, 49 if the disease shows greenish or reddish in the garment, whether in warp or woof or in skin or in anything made of skin, it is a leprous disease and shall be shown to the priest.  50 And the priest shall examine the disease, and shut up that which has the disease for seven days; 51 then he shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in warp or woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a malignant leprosy; it is unclean.  52 And he shall burn the garment, whether diseased in warp or woof, woolen or linen, or anything of skin, for it is a malignant leprosy; it shall be burned in the fire.

53 “And if the priest examines, and the disease has not spread in the garment in warp or woof or in anything of skin, 54 then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up seven days more; 55 and the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the diseased spot has not changed color, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire, whether the leprous spot is on the back or on the front.

56 “But if the priest examines, and the disease is dim after it is washed, he shall tear the spot out of the garment or the skin or the warp or woof; 57 then if it appears again in the garment, in warp or woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading; you shall burn with fire that in which is the disease.  58 But the garment, warp or woof, or anything of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean.”

59 This is the law for a leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in warp or woof, or in anything of skin, to decide whether it is clean or unclean.

2     Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14, 17:14

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing.

He shall be brought to the priest; 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall make an examination. Then, if the leprous disease is healed in the leper, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two living clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet stuff and hyssop; 5 and the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water.  6 He shall take the living bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet stuff and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water; 7 and he shall sprinkle it seven times upon him who is to be cleansed of leprosy; then he shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird go into the open field.  8 And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean; and after that he shall come into the camp, but shall dwell outside his tent seven days.  9 And on the seventh day he shall shave all his hair off his head; he shall shave off his beard and his eyebrows, all his hair. Then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a cereal offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil.  11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the door of the tent of meeting.  12 And the priest shall take one of the male lambs, and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD; 13 and he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place; for the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.  15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand, 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.  17 And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the guilt offering; 18 and the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD.  19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering; 20 and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the cereal offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a cereal offering, and a log of oil; 22 also two turtledoves or two young pigeons, such as he can afford; the one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.  23 And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting, before the LORD; 24 and the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering, and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.  25 And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering; and the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot.  26 And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand; 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD; 28 and the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put; 29 and the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.  30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or young pigeons such as he can afford, 31 one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a cereal offering; and the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed.  32 This is the law for him in whom is a leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”

33 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession, 35 then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘There seems to me to be some sort of disease in my house.’  36 Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house.  37 And he shall examine the disease; and if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 38 then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house, and shut up the house seven days.  39 And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look; and if the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 40 then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city; 41 and he shall cause the inside of the house to be scraped round about, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour into an unclean place outside the city; 42 then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.

43 “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 44 then the priest shall go and look; and if the disease has spread in the house, it is a malignant leprosy in the house; it is unclean.  45 And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house; and he shall carry them forth out of the city to an unclean place.  46 Moreover he who enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening; 47 and he who lies down in the house shall wash his clothes; and he who eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

48 “But if the priest comes and makes an examination, and the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed.  49 And for the cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet stuff and hyssop, 50 and shall kill one of the birds in an earthen vessel over running water, 51 and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet stuff, along with the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the running water, and sprinkle the house seven times.  52 Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the running water, and with the living bird, and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet stuff; 53 and he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field; so he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.”

54 This is the law for any leprous disease: for an itch, 55 for leprosy in a garment or in a house, 56 and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot, 57 to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprosy.

24      Leviticus 18:19

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel,

When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.  3 And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is stopped from discharge, it is uncleanness in him.  4 Every bed on which he who has the discharge lies shall be unclean; and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.  5 And any one who touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  6 And whoever sits on anything on which he who has the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  7 And whoever touches the body of him who has the discharge shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  8 And if he who has the discharge spits on one who is clean, then he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  9 And any saddle on which he who has the discharge rides shall be unclean.  10 And whoever touches anything that was under him shall be unclean until the evening; and he who carries such a thing shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  11 Any one whom he that has the discharge touches without having rinsed his hands in water shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  12 And the earthen vessel which he who has the discharge touches shall be broken; and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water.

13 “And when he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his body in running water, and shall be clean.  14 And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and come before the LORD to the door of the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest; 15 and the priest shall offer them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD for his discharge.

16 “And if a man has an emission of semen, he shall bathe his whole body in water, and be unclean until the evening.  17 And every garment and every skin on which the semen comes shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the evening.  18 If a man lies with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them shall bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the evening.

19 “When a woman has a discharge of blood which is her regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.  20 And everything upon which she lies during her impurity shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be unclean.  21 And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  22 And whoever touches anything upon which she sits shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening; 23 whether it is the bed or anything upon which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening.  24 And if any man lies with her, and her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean.  26 Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her impurity.  27 And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.  28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean.  29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting.  30 And the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.

31 “Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst.”

32 This is the law for him who has a discharge and for him who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean thereby; 33 also for her who is sick with her impurity; that is, for any one, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean.

2              Hebrews 6:19
3              Hebrews 9:7
15            Hebrews 9:12
23            Ezekiel 44:19
27            Hebrews 13:11
29-34     Leviticus 23:26-32; Numbers 29:7-11

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD and died; 2 and the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is upon the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.  3 But thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and shall have the linen breeches on his body, be girded with the linen girdle, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water, and then put them on.  5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

6 “And Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house.  7 Then he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting; 8 and Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.  9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer it as a sin offering; 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Aza’zel.

11 “Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house; he shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.  12 And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small; and he shall bring it within the veil 13 and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat which is upon the testimony, lest he die; 14 and he shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times.

15 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood within the veil, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat; 16 thus he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins; and so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which abides with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.  17 There shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he enters to make atonement in the holy place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.  18 Then he shall go out to the altar which is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar round about.  19 And he shall sprinkle some of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

20 “And when he has made an end of atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat; 21 and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness.  22 The goat shall bear all their iniquities upon him to a solitary land; and he shall let the goat go in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there; 24 and he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people.  25 And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn upon the altar.  26 And he who lets the goat go to Azazel shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.  27 And the bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth outside the camp; their skin and their flesh and their dung shall be burned with fire.  28 And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

29 “And it shall be a statute to you for ever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves, and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you; 30 for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD.  31 It is a sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute for ever. 32 And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments; 33 he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar, and he shall make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly.  34 And this shall be an everlasting statute for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Moses did as the LORD commanded him.

10    Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 7:26-27, 19:26; Deuteronomy 12:16, 12:23, 15:23
11    Hebrews 9:22

1 And the LORD said to Moses,

2 “Say to Aaron and his sons, and to all the people of Israel, This is the thing which the LORD has commanded.  3 If any man of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, 4 and does not bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, to offer it as a gift to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man; he has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people.  5 This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they slay in the open field, that they may bring them to the LORD, to the priest at the door of the tent of meeting, and slay them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD; 6 and the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasing odor to the LORD.  7 So they shall no more slay their sacrifices for satyrs, after whom they play the harlot. This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations.

8 “And you shall say to them, Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9 and does not bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, to sacrifice it to the LORD; that man shall be cut off from his people.

10 “If any man of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.  11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life.  12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.  13 Any man also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust.

14 “For the life of every creature is the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.  15 And every person that eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean.  16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.”

5            Nehemiah 9:29; Ezekiel 18:9, 20:11-13; Luke 10:28; Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12
8-23     Leviticus 20:1-21
8            Deuteronomy 22:30, 27:20
9            Deuteronomy 27:22
17          Deuteronomy 27:23
19          Leviticus 15:24
22         Deuteronomy 23:18
23         Exodus 22:19; Deuteronomy 27:21

1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, I am the LORD your God.  3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes.  4 You shall do my ordinances and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God.  5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, by doing which a man shall live: I am the LORD.

6 “None of you shall approach any one near of kin to him to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD.  7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.  8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.  9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad.  10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness.  11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father, since she is your sister.  12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s near kinswoman.  13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s near kinswoman.  14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.  15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.  16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are your near kinswomen; it is wickedness.  18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is yet alive.

19 “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.  20 And you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, and defile yourself with her.  21 You shall not give any of your children to devote them by fire to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.  22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.  23 And you shall not lie with any beast and defile yourself with it, neither shall any woman give herself to a beast to lie with it: it is perversion.

24 “Do not defile yourselves by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am casting out before you defiled themselves; 25 and the land became defiled, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for all of these abominations the men of the land did, who were before you, so that the land became defiled); 28 lest the land vomit you out, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.  29 For whoever shall do any of these abominations, the persons that do them shall be cut off from among their people.  30 So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs which were practiced before you, and never to defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.”

John Dominic Crossan, The Greatest Prayer, p. 59

Kelley Nikondeha, Adopted, p. 175

1-18     Ezekiel 22:6-12
2           Exodus 19:6; Leviticus 20:7, 20:26; Deuteronomy 28:9; Psalm 99:3-9; 1 John 3:3
4           Deuteronomy 4:15-19, 27:15
9-10     Deuteronomy 24:20-21; Ephesians 4:28
13          James 5:4
15          Deuteronomy 1:17
18          Matthew 5:43, 6:12; 16:19, 19:19, 22:39; Mark 3:22, 12:31; Luke 10:27; John 20:23; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8
19          Deuteronomy 22:9-11; Mark 2:21
31          Leviticus 20:6, 20:27

9-10     Walter Brueggemann, Finally Comes the Poet, p. 23-35
2           Michel Bouttier, Prayers for My Village, p. 54

2           Raymond Brown, “1 Peter 1:15-16,” Churches the Apostles Left Behind, p. 77-78
2           John Dominic Crossan, The Greatest Prayer, p. 59

2           Mary Oliver, “In Backwater Woods,” White Pine, p. 32

2          Pinchas Sadeh, “A Journey through the Land of Israel,” Pushcart Prize III (1978), p. 125

2          John Wesley, “Sermon XX—Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: V,” Fifty-Three Sermons, p.294 f.

4          Ivan Steiger, Ivan Steiger Sees the Bible, p. 31
9-10    Thomas Jefferson, “Answer to Demeunier’s(?) Queries,” Public and Private Papers, p. 262

18       Wendell Berry, “Conserving Communities,” Another Turn of the Crank, p. 19-20

18       Wendell Berry, “A Defense of the Family Farm,” Home Economics, p. 173

18       Wendell Berry, “Seven Amish Farms,” The Gift of Good Land, p. 261

18       Wendell Berry, What Are People For?, p. 134

18       Wendell Berry, “Two Minds,” Citizenship Papers, p. 103

18      Meister Eckhart, “German Sermon #4,” Teacher and Preacher, p. 249 f.

18      Kristen Johnson Ingram, “The Two Faces of Caring,” Weavings (September/November 2005), p. 24

18      Anne Lamott, Plan B, p. 306

18      Jacob Milgrom, “The Most Basic Law in the Bible,” Bible Review, (August 1995), p. 48 f.

18      Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak, p. 17, 71

18           Ivan Steiger, Ivan Steiger Sees the Bible, p. 33
33-34    Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 320

34        Jacob Milgrom, “The Most Basic Law in the Bible,” Bible Review (8/4/95), p. 48 f.

1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.  3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.  4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted.  6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, or on the morrow; and anything left over until the third day shall be burned with fire.  7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be accepted, 8 and every one who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned a holy thing of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people.

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.

11 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.  12 And you shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.  14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

15 “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.  16 You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand forth against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him.  18 You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

19 “You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; nor shall there come upon you a garment of cloth made of two kinds of stuff.

20 “If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave, betrothed to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, an inquiry shall be held. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring a guilt offering for himself to the LORD, to the door of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering.  22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed; and the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

23 “When you come into the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden; three years it shall be forbidden to you, it must not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all their fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD.  25 But in the fifth year you may eat of their fruit, that they may yield more richly for you: I am the LORD your God.

26 “You shall not eat any flesh with the blood in it. You shall not practice augury or witchcraft. 27 You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.  28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

29 “Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land become full of wickedness.  30 You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

31 “Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

32 “You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.  34 The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity.  36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.  37 And you shall observe all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD.”

1-21       Leviticus 18:8-23
6             Leviticus 19:31, 20:27
7             Leviticus 11:44, 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16
9             Exodus 21:17; Deuteronomy 27:16; Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10
10           Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18
11            Deuteronomy 22:30, 27:20
14           Deuteronomy 27:23
15-16     Exodus 22:19; Deuteronomy 27:21
17           Deuteronomy 27:22
27           Leviticus 19:31, 20:6

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel,

Any man of the people of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who gives any of his children to Molech shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.  3 I myself will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.  4 And if the people of the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in playing the harlot after Molech.

6 “If a person turns to mediums and wizards, playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.  7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the LORD your God.  8 Keep my statutes, and do them; I am the LORD who sanctify you.  9 For every one who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his blood is upon him.

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.  11 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.  12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed incest, their blood is upon them.  13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.  14 If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is wickedness; they shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you.  15 If a man lies with a beast, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the beast.  16 If a woman approaches any beast and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall be put to death, their blood is upon them.

17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people; he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness, he shall bear his iniquity.  18 If a man lies with a woman having her sickness, and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood; both of them shall be cut off from among their people.  19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to make naked one’s near kin; they shall bear their iniquity.  20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin, they shall die childless.  21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness, they shall be childless.

22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them; that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.  24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the LORD your God, who have separated you from the peoples.  25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.  26 You shall be holy to me; for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, their blood shall be upon them.”

1-3     Ezekiel 44:25
5         Leviticus 19:27-28; Deuteronomy 14:1

1 And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them that none of them shall defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his nearest of kin, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself).  4 He shall not defile himself as a husband among his people and so profane himself.  5 They shall not make tonsures upon their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.  6 They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God; for they offer the offerings by fire to the LORD, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.  7 They shall not marry a harlot or a woman who has been defiled; neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.  8 You shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy.  9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

10 “The priest who is chief among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor rend his clothes; 11 he shall not go in to any dead body, nor defile himself, even for his father or for his mother; 12 neither shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.  13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity.  14 A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a harlot, these he shall not marry; but he shall take to wife a virgin of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his children among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctify him.”

16 And the LORD said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron, None of your descendants throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God.  18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles; 21 no man of the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the LORD’s offerings by fire; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.  22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not come near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries; for I am the LORD who sanctify them.”  24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.

12       Leviticus 7:31-36
20      Deuteronomy 17:1

1 And the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to keep away from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name; I am the LORD.  3 Say to them, ‘If any one of all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy things, which the people of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the LORD.  4 None of the line of Aaron who is a leper or suffers a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 and whoever touches a creeping thing by which he may be made unclean or a man from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be—6 the person who touches any such shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water.  7 When the sun is down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because such are his food.  8 That which dies of itself or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, defiling himself by it: I am the LORD.’  9 They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: I am the LORD who sanctify them.

10 “An outsider shall not eat of a holy thing. A sojourner of the priest’s or a hired servant shall not eat of a holy thing; 11 but if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it; and those that are born in his house may eat of his food.  12 If a priest’s daughter is married to an outsider she shall not eat of the offering of the holy things.  13 But if a priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; yet no outsider shall eat of it.  14 And if a man eats of a holy thing unwittingly, he shall add the fifth of its value to it, and give the holy thing to the priest.  15 The priests shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they offer to the LORD, 16 and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: for I am the LORD who sanctify them.”

17 And the LORD said to Moses, 18 “Say to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents his offering, whether in payment of a vow or as a freewill offering which is offered to the LORD as a burnt offering, 19 to be accepted you shall offer a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.

21 And when any one offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, to fulfil a vow or as a freewill offering, from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it.  22 Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD or make of them an offering by fire upon the altar to the LORD. 23 A bull or a lamb which has a part too long or too short you may present for a freewill offering; but for a votive offering it cannot be accepted.  24 Any animal which has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD or sacrifice within your land; 25 neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner. Since there is a blemish in them, because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you.”

26 And the LORD said to Moses, 27 “When a bull or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable as an offering by fire to the LORD.  28 And whether the mother is a cow or a ewe, you shall not kill both her and her young in one day.  29 And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted.  30 It shall be eaten on the same day, you shall leave none of it until morning: I am the LORD.

31 “So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the LORD.  32 And you shall not profane my holy name, but I will be hallowed among the people of Israel; I am the LORD who sanctify you, 33 who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the LORD.”

26-32     Exodus 20:8-10; Deuteronomy 5:12-14
5-8          Exodus 12:1-20; Deuteronomy 16:1-8
15-21      Exodus 23:16, 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:9-12
22           Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-22
26-32     Leviticus 16:29-34
33-36     Deuteronomy 16:13-15

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, The appointed feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed feasts, are these.

3 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.  5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening, is the LORD’s passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.  7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.  8 But you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD seven days; on the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.”

9 And the LORD said to Moses, 10 “Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.  12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD.  13 And the cereal offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, to be offered by fire to the LORD, a pleasing odor; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin.  14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 “And you shall count from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven full weeks shall they be, 16 counting fifty days to the morrow after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a cereal offering of new grain to the LORD.  17 You shall bring from your dwellings two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one young bull, and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their cereal offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings.  20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.  21 And you shall make proclamation on the same day; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field to its very border, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.”

23 And the LORD said to Moses, 24 “Say to the people of Israel, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no laborious work; and you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.”

26 And the LORD said to Moses, 27 “On the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present an offering by fire to the LORD. 28 And you shall do no work on this same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God.  29 For whoever is not afflicted on this same day shall be cut off from his people.  30 And whoever does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.  31 You shall do no work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.  32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves; on the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your sabbath.”

33 And the LORD said to Moses, 34 “Say to the people of Israel, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the feast of booths to the LORD.  35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work.  36 Seven days you shall present offerings by fire to the LORD; on the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work.

37 “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD offerings by fire, burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day; 38 besides the sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts, and besides all your votive offerings, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.

39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.  40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.  41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD seven days in the year; it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; you shall keep it in the seventh month.  42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days; all that are native in Israel shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”  44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the LORD.

1-4      Exodus 27:20-21
5-6     Exodus 25:30
9         Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4
11       Job 31:30
14      Job 31:30
17       Exodus 21:12
20      Exodus 21:23-25; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:38
22      Numbers 15:16

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the people of Israel to bring you pure oil from beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning continually.  3 Outside the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.  4 He shall keep the lamps in order upon the lampstand of pure gold before the LORD continually.

5 “And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake.  6 And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, upon the table of pure gold.  7 And you shall put pure frankincense with each row, that it may go with the bread as a memorial portion to be offered by fire to the LORD.  8 Every sabbath day Aaron shall set it in order before the LORD continually on behalf of the people of Israel as a covenant for ever.  9 And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the offerings by fire to the LORD, a perpetual due.”

10 Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel quarreled in the camp, 11 and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. And they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.  12 And they put him in custody, till the will of the LORD should be declared to them.

13 And the LORD said to Moses, 14 “Bring out of the camp him who cursed; and let all who heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.  15 And say to the people of Israel, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.  16 He who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him; the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.  17 He who kills a man shall be put to death.  18 He who kills a beast shall make it good, life for life.  19 When a man causes a disfigurement in his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured.  21 He who kills a beast shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.  22 You shall have one law for the sojourner and for the native; for I am the LORD your God.” 23 So Moses spoke to the people of Israel; and they brought him who had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Wendell Berry, “Two Economies,” Home Economics, p. 66

Wendell Berry, “The Whole Horse,” Citizenship Papers, p. 117

Walter Brueggemann, Finally Comes the Poet, p. 101-104

Walter Brueggemann, The Prophetic Imagination, p. 98

Mary Ann Cejka, “Drumming Up Peace,” Maryknoll (September 1999), p. 25

Robert Frost, “A Masque of Mercy,” The Poetry of Robert Frost, p. 509

Richard Kool, quoted by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Flow, p. 80

C. Norman Kraus, The Community of the Spirit, p. 139 ff.

Gerhard Lenski, quoted by John Dominic Crossan in The Historical Jesus, p. 45

Michael Lerner, Jewish Renewal, p. 81

Huey Long, Lend Me Your Ears, p. 581

Kelley Nikondeha, Adopted, p. 120

Kay Ryan, “Retroactive,” The Best of It, p. 20

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, “Reclaiming Our Day of Rest,” Utne (January/February 2004), p. 84 f.

Hans-Ruedi Weber, “Land and Liberty,” Experiments with Bible Study, p. 85

Wendy M. Wright, “Resting Reaping Times,” Weavings (January/February 1999), p. 10-13

John Howard Yoder, “The Implications of the Jubilee,” The Politics of Jesus, p. 64

1-55       Nehemiah 10:31
1-7          Exodus 23:10-11; Deuteronomy 31:9-13; Nehemiah 10:31
8-55      Numbers 36:4; Isaiah 49:8-9; 61:1-2; Jeremiah 34:8-22; Zephaniah 3:14-20
8-24       Jeremiah 32:44
10           Isaiah 61:1; Ezekiel 45:8, 46:17; James 1:25, 2:12
17-22     2 Kings 19:29
35           Deuteronomy 15:7-8
37           Exodus 22:25; Deuteronomy 23:19-20
35-55     Job 3:18-19; 1 Corinthians 7:23
35-43     Nehemiah 5:1-13
39-46    Exodus 21:2-6; Deuteronomy 15:12-18
47-55     Nehemiah 5:8

1              Frank Moore Cross, Bible Review (12/1/92), p. 27

1-7           Robert Frost, “Unharvested,” The Poetry of Robert Frost, p. 304

1-7           Michael Lerner, Jewish Renewal, p. 330

4-5          Rabbi Arthur Waskow, “Reclaiming Our Day of Rest,” Utne (January/February 2004), p. 84

8-10        Frederick Douglass, “Independence Day Speech,” The American Reader, p. 115 ff.

9-13         Theodor H. Gaster, The Dead Sea Scriptures, p. 433 f.
10             Wendell Berry, “1991 – IX [The Farm],” A Timbered Choir, p. 139

10             Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream,” Lend Me Your Ears (Safire), p. 499 f.

10             Michael Lerner, Jewish Renewal, p. 71

10             Priscilla J. Owens, “Jesus Saves!,” Hymns for the Family of God, # 667

10             Rabbi Arthur Waskow, “Reclaiming Our Day of Rest,” Utne (January/February 2004), p. 84

13             Wendell Berry, The Gift of Good Land, p. 271

21-23      W.B. Yeats, Selected Poems and Plays, p. 180

1 The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you, the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.  3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruits; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.  5 What grows of itself in your harvest you shall not reap, and the grapes of your undressed vine you shall not gather; it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.  6 The sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you; 7 for your cattle also and for the beasts that are in your land all its yield shall be for food.

8 “And you shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-nine years.  9 Then you shall send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall send abroad the trumpet throughout all your land.  10 And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.  11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you; in it you shall neither sow, nor reap what grows of itself, nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines.  12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat what it yields out of the field.

13 “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.  14 And if you sell to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.  15 According to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years for crops he shall sell to you.  16 If the years are many you shall increase the price, and if the years are few you shall diminish the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.  17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the LORD your God.

18 “Therefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my ordinances and perform them; so you will dwell in the land securely.  19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell in it securely.  20 And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ 21 I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, so that it will bring forth fruit for three years.  22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating old produce; until the ninth year, when its produce comes in, you shall eat the old.  23 The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me.  24 And in all the country you possess, you shall grant a redemption of the land.

25 “If your brother becomes poor, and sells part of his property, then his next of kin shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it, and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, 27 let him reckon the years since he sold it and pay back the overpayment to the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return to his property.  28 But if he has not sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the year of jubilee; in the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.

29 “If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, he may redeem it within a whole year after its sale; for a full year he shall have the right of redemption.  30 If it is not redeemed within a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not be released in the jubilee.  31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country; they may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee.  32 Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.  33 And if one of the Levites does not exercise his right of redemption, then the house that was sold in a city of their possession shall be released in the jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the people of Israel.  34 But the fields of common land belonging to their cities may not be sold; for that is their perpetual possession.

35 “And if your brother becomes poor, and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and a sojourner he shall live with you.  36 Take no interest from him or increase, but fear your God; that your brother may live beside you.  37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.  38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

39 “And if your brother becomes poor beside you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:  40 he shall be with you as a hired servant and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee; 41 then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own family, and return to the possession of his fathers.  42 For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.  43 You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.  44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you.  45 You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property.  46 You may bequeath them to your sons after you, to inherit as a possession for ever; you may make slaves of them, but over your brethren the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.

47 “If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you, or to a member of the stranger’s family, 48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed; one of his brothers may redeem him, 49 or his uncle, or his cousin may redeem him, or a near kinsman belonging to his family may redeem him; or if he grows rich he may redeem himself.  50 He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his release shall be according to the number of years; the time he was with his owner shall be rated as the time of a hired servant.  51 If there are still many years, according to them he shall refund out of the price paid for him the price for his redemption.  52 If there remain but a few years until the year of jubilee, he shall make a reckoning with him; according to the years of service due from him he shall refund the money for his redemption.  53 As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him; he shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight.  54 And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the year of jubilee, he and his children with him.  55 For to me the people of Israel are servants, they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

1             Exodus 20:4; Leviticus 19:4; Deuteronomy 4:5-18, 5:8, 16:21-22, 27:1, 27:15
3-6         Matthew 5:6
3-5         Deuteronomy 11:13-15, 28:1-14
10            Mark 2:21-22
11-12      Ezekiel 37:27
12            2 Corinthians 6:16
13            Isaiah 9:4; Hebrews 12:12-13
14-33     Deuteronomy 28:15-68
40-41     Acts 7:51
42           Genesis 17:7-8, 26:3-4, 28:13-14

1 “You shall make for yourselves no idols and erect no graven image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land, to bow down to them; for I am the LORD your God.  2 You shall keep my sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  5 And your threshing shall last to the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last to the time for sowing; and you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land securely.  6 And I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will remove evil beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.  7 And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  9 And I will have regard for you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and will confirm my covenant with you.  10 And you shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new.  11 And I will make my abode among you, and my soul shall not abhor you.  12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.  13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

14 “But if you will not hearken to me, and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 I will do this to you: I will appoint over you sudden terror, consumption, and fever that waste the eyes and cause life to pine away. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it; 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be smitten before your enemies; those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.  18 And if in spite of this you will not hearken to me, then I will chastise you again sevenfold for your sins, 19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like brass; 20 and your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.

21 “Then if you walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring more plagues upon you, sevenfold as many as your sins.  22 And I will let loose the wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number, so that your ways shall become desolate.

23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me, but walk contrary to me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will smite you sevenfold for your sins.  25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall execute vengeance for the covenant; and if you gather within your cities I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and shall deliver your bread again by weight; and you shall eat, and not be satisfied.

27 “And if in spite of this you will not hearken to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and chastise you myself sevenfold for your sins.  29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters.  30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your incense altars, and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols; and my soul will abhor you.  31 And I will lay your cities waste, and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing odors.  32 And I will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be astonished at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.  34 “Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its sabbaths.  35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest which it had not in your sabbaths when you dwelt upon it.  36 And as for those of you that are left, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; the sound of a driven leaf shall put them to flight, and they shall flee as one flees from the sword, and they shall fall when none pursues.  37 They shall stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues; and you shall have no power to stand before your enemies.  38 And you shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.  39 And those of you that are left shall pine away in your enemies’ lands because of their iniquity; and also because of the iniquities of their fathers they shall pine away like them.

40 “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery which they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity; 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.  43 But the land shall be left by them, and enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.  44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God; 45 but I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.”

46 These are the statutes and ordinances and laws which the LORD made between him and the people of Israel on Mount Sinai by Moses.

28           Numbers 18:14
30-33     Numbers 18:21; Deuteronomy 14:22-29

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, When a man makes a special vow of persons to the LORD at your valuation, 3 then your valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.  4 If the person is a female, your valuation shall be thirty shekels.  5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.  6 If the person is from a month old up to five years old, your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.  7 And if the person is sixty years old and upward, then your valuation for a male shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.  8 And if a man is too poor to pay your valuation, then he shall bring the person before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him who vowed the priest shall value him.

9 “If it is an animal such as men offer as an offering to the LORD, all of such that any man gives to the LORD is holy.  10 He shall not substitute anything for it or exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; and if he makes any exchange of beast for beast, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy.  11 And if it is an unclean animal such as is not offered as an offering to the LORD, then the man shall bring the animal before the priest, 12 and the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be. 13 But if he wishes to redeem it, he shall add a fifth to the valuation.

14 “When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, the priest shall value it as either good or bad; as the priest values it, so it shall stand.  15 And if he who dedicates it wishes to redeem his house, he shall add a fifth of the valuation in money to it, and it shall be his.

16 “If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the land which is his by inheritance, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it; a sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.  17 If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, it shall stand at your full valuation; 18 but if he dedicates his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall compute the money-value for it according to the years that remain until the year of jubilee, and a deduction shall be made from your valuation.  19 And if he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth of the valuation in money to it, and it shall remain his.  20 But if he does not wish to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more; 21 but the field, when it is released in the jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a field that has been devoted; the priest shall be in possession of it.  22 If he dedicates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not a part of his possession by inheritance, 23 then the priest shall compute the valuation for it up to the year of jubilee, and the man shall give the amount of the valuation on that day as a holy thing to the LORD. 24 In the year of jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to whom the land belongs as a possession by inheritance.  25 Every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.

26 “But a firstling of animals, which as a firstling belongs to the LORD, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the LORD’s.  27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at your valuation, and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at your valuation.

28 “But no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD, of anything that he has, whether of man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.  29 No one devoted, who is to be utterly destroyed from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall be put to death.

30 “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.  31 If a man wishes to redeem any of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it.  32 And all the tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD.  33 A man shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”

34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.