Study Desk

"‘In the future, when you enter your country, you will plant many kinds of trees for food. After planting a tree, wait three years before using its fruit.

Then in the fifth year, you may eat the fruit from the tree. The tree will then produce more fruit for you. I am the Lord your God.

You must not cut your body to show sadness for someone who died or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord .

"‘Do not go to mediums or fortune-tellers for advice, or you will become unclean. I am the Lord your God.

"‘I will be against anyone who goes to mediums and fortune-tellers for advice, because that person is being unfaithful to me. So I will cut him off from his people.

"‘It is shameful for a brother to marry his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and to have sexual relations with her. In front of everyone they must both be cut off from their people. The man has shamed his sister, and he is guilty of sin.

"‘It is unclean for a man to marry his brother's wife. That man has shamed his brother, and they will have no children.

So you must treat clean animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you.

unmarried sister who is close to him because she has no husband. The priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.

They must be holy to their God and show respect for God's name, because they present the offerings made by fire to the Lord , which is the food of their God. So they must be holy.

He must not go into a house where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even if it is for his own father or mother.

so the people will respect his children as his own. I am the Lord . I have set the high priest apart for his special job.'"

Say to them: ‘If any one of your descendants from now on is unclean and comes near the offerings that the Israelites made holy for me, that person must be cut off from appearing before me. I am the Lord .

"‘If someone eats some of the holy offering by mistake, that person must pay back the priest for that holy food, adding another one-fifth of the price of that food.

The priests must not allow those who are not priests to eat the holy offerings. If they do, they cause the ones who eat the holy offerings to become guilty, and they will have to pay for it. I am the Lord , who makes them holy.'"

"Tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel: ‘A citizen of Israel or a foreigner living in Israel might want to bring a whole burnt offering, either for some special promise he has made or for a special gift he wants to give to the Lord .

If he does, he must bring a male animal that has nothing wrong with it—a bull, a sheep, or a goat—so it might be accepted for him.

He must not bring an animal that has something wrong with it, or it will not be accepted for him.

"‘If someone brings a fellowship offering to the Lord , either as payment for a special promise the person has made or as a special gift the person wants to give the Lord , it might be from the herd or from the flock. But it must be healthy, with nothing wrong with it, so that it will be accepted.

"‘If an ox or lamb is smaller than normal or is not perfectly formed, you may give it as a special gift to the Lord ; it will be accepted. But it will not be accepted as payment for a special promise you have made.