And these ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination : birds of prey, and eaters of carrion, and the stork, the heron and its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

All winged creeping things that go upon four legs are an abomination unto you. But these may ye eat of all winged creeping things that go upon four legs: those which have legs above their feet, to leap therewith upon the earth; these ye may eat.

And these are they which are unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the lizard and its kind. Whosoever toucheth them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even. And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean.

He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days. This is the law when a man dieth in an house every one that cometh into the house, and every one that is in the house, shall be unclean seven days. And whosoever in the open field toucheth one that is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.

Leprosy. If a man have in the skin of his flesh the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought unto one of the priests; and the priest shall look on the plague in the skin of the flesh; and if it be the plague of leprosy, the priest shall pronounce him unclean.

The leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head unkempt, and he shall cover his beard, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague is in him he shall be unclean; he shall dwell alone; without the city shall his dwelling be. As to garments, if the plague of leprosy be in them,

they shall be shewed to the priest; and if it be leprosy, the garments shall be burned in the fire.

If I put the plague of leprosy in a house, then he that owneth the house shall come and tell the priest; and the priest shall command that they empty the house, that all that is in the house be not made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. And if it be the plague of leprosy, then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which the plague is, and cast them into an unclean place without the city; and he shall cause the house to be scraped within round about, and they shall pour out the mortar that they scrape off without the city in an unclean place; and they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones, and other mortar, and plaster the house. And if the plague come again, and break out in the house, the house shall be broken down, its stones, and its timber, and all the mortar of the house, and carried forth out of the city into an unclean place.

Moreover, he that goeth into the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the even. And he that lieth in the house shall wash his clothes; and he that eateth in the house shall wash his clothes.

CHAPTER VI.

LEVITICUS, xxii., xxvii. NUMBERS, vi., xxx.

LEVITICAL CODES-III.

VOWS AND TITHES.

Character of Offerings-Age of Offerings-Performance of VowsValidity of Women's Vows-Nazirite Vow-Vows of PersonsVows of Sacrificial Beasts-Vows of Other Beasts-Vows of Firstlings Forbidden-Vows of Property-Vow of Utter DevotionTithes of Produce-Tithes of Beasts Unchangeable-Firstlings.

Offerings.-Whosoever of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, offereth his offering, whether any of their vows, or any of their freewill offerings, for a whole burnt offering; it shall be a male without blemish, of the beeves, the sheep, or the goats. Whatsoever hath a blemish, ye shall not offer; for it shall not be accepted for you.

If any man offer peace offerings to Jehovah in fulfilment of a vow, or as a freewill offering, of the herd or the flock, it shall be perfect, there shall be no blemish in it.

A bullock, or sheep, or goat, when it is born, shall be seven days under its dam; and from the eighth day onward it shall be accepted for a fire offering to Jehovah. Whether cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day.

Vows. If a man vow a vow to Jehovah, or swear an oath to bind himself, he shall not profane his word; he shall do according to all that is gone out of his mouth.

If a woman vow a vow unto Jehovah, and bind herself in her father's house in her youth, and her father hear her vow, and her oath wherewith she hath bound herself, and her father hold his peace at her, then all her vows shall stand, and every oath wherewith she hath bound herself shall stand. But if her father disallow her when he heareth thereof; none of her vows or of her oaths wherewith she hath bound herself shall stand; and Jehovah shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. If she belong to a husband, and her husband hear her vows or her oath, and hold his peace at her when he heareth thereof; then her vows shall stand, and her oath wherewith she hath bound herself shall stand. But if her husband disallow her when he heareth thereof; then he maketh void her vow which is upon her, and the rash utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound herself; and Jehovah shall forgive her. But the vow of a widow, or of her that is divorced, shall stand against her.

If man or woman take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself unto Jehovah ; he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made of wine, or vinegar made of strong drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. All the time of his separation he shall eat nothing made of the grapevine, from the kernels to the husk. All the time of his Nazirite vow there shall no razor come upon his head; until the time be fulfilled, for which he separated himself unto Jehovah, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. All the time of his separation unto Jehovah he shall not approach a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or his mother, for his brother, or his sister, if they die; because his separation

REDEMPTION OF VOWS.

159

unto God is upon him. All the time of his separation he is holy unto Jehovah.

If a man vow persons unto Jehovah, the persons shall be redeemed according to the fixed tariff. And if the man be too poor to pay, then he shall be set before the priest; and the priest shall value him according to the ability to pay of him that vowed.

And if a beast be vowed, such as may be offered unto Jehovah, it shall be holy. He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good; and if he change beast for beast, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy.

And if it be any unclean beast, which is not offered unto Jehovah, then he shall set the beast before the priest; and the priest shall value it; as thou the priest valuest it, so shall its value be. If the man will redeem it, he shall add the fifth part unto thy valuation.

But the firstling among beasts, which is consecrated to Jehovah, ox or sheep, no man shall sanctify it; it is Jehovah's.

If a man sanctify his house unto Jehovah, the priest shall value it; as the priest valueth it, so shall it stand. And if he that sanctified it would redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy valuation thereto, and it shall be his.

If a man sanctify unto Jehovah part of the field of his possession, then thy valuation of it shall be according to the seed thereof.

No devoted thing that a man devoteth unto Jehovah of all that he hath, of man or beast, or the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Every devoted thing is most holy unto Jehovah. No devoted person shall be ransomed; he shall be put to death.