Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

16:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD. 16:2 And the LORD said to Moses: “ Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. 16:3 This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 16:4 He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them. 16:5 And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 16:6 Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 16:7 Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 16:8 After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, 16:9 he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. 16:10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. 16:11 When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 16:12 Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. 16:13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 16:14 And he is to take some of the bull ’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat. 16:15 Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull ’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. 16:16 So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. 16:17 No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel. 16:18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull ’s blood and some of the goat ’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 16:19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. 16:20 When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. 16:21 Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat ’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. 16:22 The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness. 16:23 Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. 16:24 He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people ’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.

16:25 He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 16:26 The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp. 16:27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. 16:28 The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 16:29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work —whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you — 16:30 because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 16:31 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute. 16:32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments 16:33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 16:34 This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses. 17:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 17:2 “ Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded: 17:3 ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it 17:4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle — that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people. 17:5 For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace to the LORD. 17:6 The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 17:7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’

17:8 Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 17:9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people. Laws against Eating Blood 17:10 If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 17:12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘ None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’ 17:13 And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt. 17:14 For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, ‘ You must not eat the blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.’ 17:15 And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 17:16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.” 18:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 18:2 “ Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God. 18:3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs. 18:4 You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. 18:5 Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD. 18:6 None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. 18:7 You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her. 18:8 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father. 18:9 You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. 18:10 You must not have sexual relations with your son ’s daughter or your daughter ’s daughter, for that would shame your family. 18:11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister. 18:12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative. 18:13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative. 18:14 You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt. 18:15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son ’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her. 18:16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother. 18:17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son ’s daughter or her daughter ’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved. 18:18 You must not take your wife ’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive. 18:19 You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period. 18:20 You must not lie carnally with your neighbor ’s wife and thus defile yourself with her. 18:21 You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

18:22 You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination. 18:23 You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion. 18:24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. 18:25 Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. 18:26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations — neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. 18:27 For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled. 18:28 So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you. 18:29 Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people. 18:30 You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.” 19:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 19:2 “ Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. 19:3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God. 19:4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God. 19:5 When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance. 19:6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the next day; but what remains on the third day must be burned up. 19:7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted. 19:8 Whoever eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the LORD. That person must be cut off from his people. Love Your Neighbor (Romans 13:8–10) 19:9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 19:10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God. 19:11 You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another. 19:12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 19:13 You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand. 19:14 You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.

19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 19:16 You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD. 19:17 You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him. 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Keep My Statutes 19:19 You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material. 19:20 If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 19:21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD. 19:22 The priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven the sin he has committed. 19:23 When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten. 19:24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD. 19:25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God. 19:26 You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery. 19:27 You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. 19:28 You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. 19:29 You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 19:30 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD. 19:31 You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. 19:32 You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.

19:33 When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 19:34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 19:35 You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. 19:36 You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 19:37 You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.” 20:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 20:2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘ Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him. 20:3 And I will set My face against that man and cut him off from his people, because by giving his offspring to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name. 20:4 And if the people of the land ever hide their eyes and fail to put to death the man who gives one of his children to Molech, 20:5 then I will set My face against that man and his family and cut off from among their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves with Molech. 20:6 Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. 20:7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

20:8 And you shall keep My statutes and practice them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 20:9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood shall be upon him. Punishments for Sexual Immorality (Proverbs 5:1–23; 1 Corinthians 5:1–8) 20:10 If a man commits adultery with another man ’s wife— with the wife of his neighbor — both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death. 20:11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 20:12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is upon them. 20:13 If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 20:14 If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you. 20:15 If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal. 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 20:17 If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity. 20:18 If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people. 20:19 You must not have sexual relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is exposing one ’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity. 20:20 If a man lies with his uncle ’s wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear their sin; they shall die childless. 20:21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless. Distinguish between Clean and Unclean 20:22 You are therefore to keep all My statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. 20:23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 20:24 But I have told you that you will inherit their land, since I will give it to you as an inheritance — a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples. 20:25 You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. 20:26 You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own. 20:27 A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”