Leviticus 27

1 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2 “Tell the Israeli people [that this is what I am saying to them]: If anyone solemnly promises to dedicate another person to [work solely] for me, the person who is dedicated to me is allowed to be free from having to do that by someone paying [to the priest] a fixed amount of money. The money that is given must be calculated by comparing it with the official pieces of silver in the Sacred Tent.

Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: The man that shall have made a vow, and promised his soul to God, shall give the price according to estimation.

3 [These are the amounts that must be paid]: 50 pieces of silver for men who are between 20 and 60 years old,

If it be a man from twenty years old unto sixty years old, he shall give fifty sides of silver, after the weight of the sanctuary:

4 30 pieces of silver for adult women [who are between 20 and 60 years old],

If a woman, thirty.

5 20 pieces of silver for young men who are between five and 20 years old, ten pieces of silver for young women who are between five and 20 years old,

But from the fifth year until the twentieth, a man shall give twenty sicles: a woman ten.

6 five pieces of silver for boys who are between one month and five years old, three pieces of silver for girls who are between one month and five years old,

From one month until the fifth year. for a male shall be given five sides: for a female three.

7 15 pieces of silver for men who are more than 60 years old, ten pieces of silver for women who are more than 60 years old.

A man that is sixty years old or upward, shall give fifteen aisles: a woman ten.

8 ‘If anyone who has made such a solemn promise is very poor and unable to pay, to free that person from doing what he had promised, he must take that person to the priest. The priest will set the price [for freeing him] to be what the person who made that solemn promise is able to pay.

If he be poor, and not able to pay tile estimation, he shall stand before tile priest: and as much as he shall value him at, and see him able to pay, so much shall he give.

9 ‘If someone solemnly promises to give an animal that is acceptable to be an offering to me, that animal becomes sacred [and belongs to me].

But a beast that may be sacrificed to the Lord, if ally one shall vow, shall be holy,

10 The person who promised to give it must not give another animal instead of the one that he promised; he must not substitute a bad animal for a good one or even a better one than the one offered. If he would substitute one animal for the other, both animals would belong to me.

And cannot be changed, that is to say, neither a better for a worse, nor a worse for a better. And if he shall change it: both that which was changed, and that for which it was changed, shall be consecrated to the Lord.

11 If the animal that he wishes to dedicate to me is a kind that is unacceptable to be an offering to me, he must take that animal to the priest.

An unclean beast, which cannot be sacrificed to the Lord, if my man shall vow, shall be brought before the priest:

12 The priest will then decide what its value is, according to the animal’s good and bad points. Whatever value the priests sets will be the value of the animal, [and that is the price that the priest must pay for the animal].

Who judging whether it be good or bad, shall set the price:

13 If the man who gave the animal later decides that he wants to buy it back, he must pay [to the priest] that price plus an additional 20 percent.

Which if he that offereth it will give, he shall add above the estimation the fifth part.

14 ‘[Similarly], if someone dedicates his house to be a sacred gift to belong to me, the priest will decide how much it is worth, which will depend on whether the house is in good condition. Whatever the priest says that it is worth, that will be its value [and that is the price that the priest must pay for it].

If a man shall vow his house, and sanctify it to the Lord, the priest shall consider it, whether it be good or bad, and it shall be sold according to the price, which he shall appoint.

15 If the man who dedicated his house to me later wants to buy it back, he must pay that price plus an additional 20 percent, and then the house will belong to him again.

But if he that vowed, will redeem it, he shall give the fifth part of the estimation over and above, and shall have the house.

16 ‘If someone dedicates to me some of the property that belongs to him and his family, its value will be determined by the number of bushels of seed that will be needed to plant seeds on that land: Its value will be ten pieces of silver for each bushel of seed.

And if he vow the field of his possession, and consecrate it to the Lord, the price shall be rated according to the measure of the seed. If the ground be sowed with thirty bushels of barley, let it be sold for fifty sides of silver.

17 If he dedicates the land during the Year of Celebration, its full value will be that amount.

If he vow his field immediately from the year of jubilee that is beginning, as much as it may be worth, at so much it shall be rated.

18 But if he dedicates the field after the Year of Celebration, the priest will count the number of years until the next Year of Celebration, and if there are not many years that remain, the price will be much lower [than the full price].

But if some time after, the priest shall reckon the money according to the number of years that remain until the jubilee, and the price shall be abated.

19 If the person who dedicated the field later wants to buy it back, he must pay [to the priest] the price that the priest says it is worth, plus an added one-fifth, and then the field will belong to that man again.

And if he that had vowed, will redeem his field, he shall add the fifth part of the money of the estimation, and shall possess it.

20 However, if he does not buy it back, or if it has been sold (OR, the priest has sold it) to someone else, that person will never be permitted to buy it back again.

And if he will not redeem it, but it be sold to any other man, he that vowed it, may not redeem it any more:

21 In the Year of Celebration, it will become sacred again, and it will be given to the priest.

For when the day of jubilee cometh, it shall be sanctified to the Lord, and as a possession consecrated, pertaineth to the right of the priests.

22 ‘If someone dedicates to me some land that he has bought, land which is not part of the land that his family has always owned,

If a field that was bought, and not of a man’s ancestors’ possession, be sanctified to the Lord,

23 the priest will count the number of years until the next Year of Celebration to determine how much it is worth, and the man must pay that amount to the priest on that day, [and then that land will belong to that man again].

The priest shall reckon the price according to the number of years: unto the jubilee: and he that had vowed, shall give that to the Lord.

24 But in the Year of Celebration, the land will again be owned by the person from whom he bought it, the person whose family had always owned that land.

But in the jubilee, it shall return to the former owner, who had sold it, and had it in the lot of his possession.

25 All the silver that is paid must be compared with the official pieces of silver in the Sacred Tent.

All estimation shall be made according to the side of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.

26 ‘No one is permitted to dedicate to me the firstborn of any cow or sheep, because the firstborn already belongs to me [DOU].

The firstborn, which belong to the Lord, no man may sanctify and vow: whether it be bullock, or sheep, they are the Lord’s.

27 If someone gives to me a kind of animal that is not acceptable to me, that person may later buy it back by paying what it is worth plus an additional 20 percent of its value. If he does not buy it back, it must be sold (OR, the priest must sell it) for its standard price.

And if it be an unclean beast, he that offereth it shall redeem it, according to thy estimation, and shall add the fifth part of the price. If he will not redeem it, it shall be sold to another for how much soever it was estimated by thee.

28 ‘However, no slave or animal or family land that someone owns can be sold or bought back after it has been dedicated to me [and no price has been paid for it]. That kind of gift belongs to me permanently/forever.

Any thing that is devoted to the Lord, whether it be man, or beast, or field, shall not be sold, neither may it be redeemed. Whatsoever is once consecrated shall be holy of holies to the Lord.

29 ‘No person who has [done something that I consider to be very wicked] is permitted to be freed [from being punished]; that person must surely be executed.

And any consecration that is offered by man, shall not be redeemed, but dying shall die.

30 ‘One tenth of all the crops and grain or fruit that is produced on anyone’s land is sacred and belongs to me.

All tithes of the land, whether of corn, or of the fruits of trees, are the Lord’s, and are sanctified to him.

31 If anyone wants to buy back any of that tenth, he must pay [to the priest] what it is worth plus an additional 20 percent.

And if any man will redeem his tithes, he shall add the fifth part of them.

32 One of every ten domestic animals belongs to me. When a shepherd counts his animals [MTY] [to decide which ones he will give to me], he must mark every tenth one as belonging to me.

Of all the tithes of oxen, and sheep, and goats, that pass under the shepherd’s rod, every tenth that cometh shall be sanctified to the Lord.

33 When he does that, he must not pick out the good ones for himself or leave the bad ones, or substitute bad ones for good ones. If he substitutes one animal for another, both animals will belong to me, and he will not be permitted to buy them back (OR, the shepherd cannot buy them back).’”

It shall not be chosen neither good nor bad, neither shall it be changed for another. If any man change it: both that which was changed, and that for which it was changed, shall be sanctified to the Lord, and shall not be redeemed.

34 Those are the commands that Yahweh gave to Moses/me on Sinai Mountain [to tell to the people].

These are the precepts which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.