Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



because every firstborn is mine. The day I killed every firstborn male in Egypt, I set apart as holy every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They will be mine. I am Jehovah.

Consecrate (appoint) (sanctify) all the first-born males to me. Every first-born male Israelite and every first-born male animal belongs to me!

sacrifice every firstborn male offspring to Jehovah. The firstborn male offspring of each of your animals belongs to Jehovah. It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy any firstborn donkey back from Jehovah. You must break the donkey's neck if you do not buy it back. You must also buy every firstborn son back from Jehovah. In the future when your children ask you, 'What does this mean?' tell them: 'Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring us out of slavery in Egypt.'' read more.
Pharaoh was too stubborn to let us go. Because of this every firstborn male in Egypt-human and animal was killed. This is why we sacrifice every firstborn male to Jehovah and buy every firstborn son back from Jehovah. This festival will be like a mark on your hand and like a band on your forehead, because Jehovah used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt.

Do not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. Give the firstborn of your sons to me. Do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. Its mother may keep it for seven days. On the eighth day give it to me.

Every first male offspring is mine. The firstborn males of all your livestock, whether cattle, sheep, or goats are mine. It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy back the firstborn donkey. If you do not buy it back, then you must break the donkey's neck. You must buy back every firstborn of your sons. No one may come into my presence without an offering.

A firstborn animal already belongs to Jehovah because it was born first. Therefore, it cannot be set apart as holy. Whether it is a bull or a sheep, it belongs to Jehovah.

When I killed all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated as my own the oldest son of each Israelite family and the first-born of every animal. I am now taking the Levites instead of all the first-born of the Israelites.

To Jehovah your God you shall consecrate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. You and your household shall eat it every year before Jehovah your God in the place Jehovah chooses. If it has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to Jehovah your God. read more.
Eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as a gazelle or a deer. Do not eat its blood! Pour it out on the ground like water.

As well as the first of our sons and of our cattle, as it is recorded in the law. The first lambs of our herds and of our flocks, which are to be taken to the house of our God, to the priests who are servants in the house of our God:


Never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water.

He must not eat the meat of any animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am Jehovah.

This is a long lasting law for generations to come wherever you live. Never eat any fat or blood.'


Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor-whatever you choose. Then you and your family will eat and enjoy yourselves there in the presence of Jehovah your God.

Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope (chamois) and the mountain sheep. read more.
You may eat any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud. Do not eat of these that chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan. Even though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof. They are unclean for you. The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. Do not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses. These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat. Do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you. You may eat any clean bird. These are the ones you should not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, the swan, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the teeming life with wings is unclean to you. Do not eat them. You may eat any clean bird. Do not eat anything that dies by itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it. You may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

The flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings will be eaten on the day of his offering. He should not leave any of it over until morning. If the sacrifice of his offering is a votive or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice as well as on the next day. Anything left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned. read more.
If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted. It will not be considered for his benefit. It will be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it will bear his own iniquity. The flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten. It should be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh.

Tell the Israelites: 'Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats. The fat from an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals you may use for any other purpose. However, you must not eat it. Those who eat the fat from an animal they sacrificed by fire to Jehovah must be excluded from the people. read more.
Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live. Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.'

Tell the Israelites: 'Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: You may eat all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. You must not eat those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs. These are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. read more.
Never eat rock badgers. Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. You must never eat rabbits. Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. Never eat pigs. Pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud. They are also unclean. Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you. Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water that you may eat. You may eat anything in the seas and streams that have fins and scales. On the other hand, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies repulsive. Every creature in the water without fins or scales is offensive to you. Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, kites, all types of buzzards, all types of crows, ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, little owls, cormorants, great owls, swans, pelicans, ospreys, storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats. Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that do not chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean. All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you: the weasels, mole rats, mice, and all types of lizards, geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. Of all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. He who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. read more.
When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. It will then be clean again. If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean. If water from that pottery touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean. Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you. A spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean. If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean. If water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you. When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes. They will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten. Do not eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting. Do not become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Do not allow yourselves to become unclean because of them.

This is the law about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground. This law helps you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.'

If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. This is because life of every living thing is in the blood. I have given this blood to you to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with me on the altar. Blood is needed to pay compensation for wrongdoing and make peace with me.' That is why I have said to the people of Israel: 'Neither you nor foreigners should ever eat blood.' read more.
If Israelites or foreigners hunt any animal or bird that may be eaten, they must pour out the animal's blood and cover it with dirt. This is because the life of any creature is in its blood. So I have said to the people of Israel: 'Never eat any blood, because the life of any creature is in its blood. Whoever eats blood must be excluded from the people.' Native Israelites or foreigners who eat the body of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by another animal must wash their clothes and their bodies. They will be unclean until evening. Then they will be clean.

When you bring a peace offering to Jehovah, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted. Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted. read more.
Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Jehovah. They must be excluded from the people.

Jehovah your God will expand your country's borders as he promised. You will say: I am hungry for meat. Then eat as much meat as you want. If the place Jehovah your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that Jehovah has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this. Eat it as you would eat a gazelle or a deer. Clean and unclean people may eat it together. read more.
Make sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat. Never eat blood! Pour it on the ground like water. If you do not eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what Jehovah considers right.

Eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as a gazelle or a deer. Do not eat its blood! Pour it out on the ground like water.