Leviticus

Temple Fees

The Lord spoke to Moses and said:

“Tell the Israelites about the fixed price for those who have to be ransomed because of a vow.

A man between twenty and sixty shall be valued at fifty pieces of silver—the official standard;

a woman shall be valued at thirty silver coins;

for those between five and twenty years, a boy shall be valued at twenty silver coins, while a girl shall be valued at ten silver coins;

between one month and five years, a boy shall be valued at five silver coins, and a girl at three silver coins;

at sixty years and older, a man shall be valued at fifteen silver coins, and a woman at ten silver coins.

If the person who made the vow is unable to pay the standard price, he must present the person involved to the priest, who shall set a value based on the financial situation of the person who made the vow.

As for an animal suitable for offering to the Lord, any such animal given to the Lord is holy.

It cannot be exchanged or a substitute offered—good for bad, bad for good. If one animal is substituted for another, both shall belong to the Lord.

If it is an unclean animal and not suitable for offering to the Lord, whatever it may be, it must be presented to the priest.

He will set a price for it, deciding whether it is good or bad.

You must adhere to his price. The person wanting to repurchase it must pay one-fifth more than the established price.

If a man dedicates his house to the Lord, the priest shall evaluate its value to determine whether it is great or small. You must follow the priest’s assessment.

If the man who has vowed his house wishes to buy it back, he must add one-fifth to the price, which will then be returned to him.

If a man dedicates one of the fields of his inheritance to the Lord, its value shall be assessed based on its productivity at the rate of fifty silver coins per bushel of barley.

He must follow this price if he dedicates the field during the Jubilee year.

However, if he dedicates it after the Jubilee, the priest shall determine the price based on the years remaining until the next Jubilee, and the price shall be adjusted accordingly.

If he wants to buy back the field, he must add one-fifth to the price, and the field will be returned to him.

If he does not repurchase it but sells it to someone else, the right of redemption ceases;

when the buyer has to give it up in the Jubilee year, it becomes something dedicated to the Lord, just like a field that has been banned: the man’s property passes to the priest.

If he dedicates to the Lord a field that he has purchased, but which is not part of his inheritance,

the priest shall evaluate the price based on the number of years remaining until the Jubilee year; and the man shall pay this amount on the same day, as for something dedicated to the Lord.

In the Jubilee year, the field shall revert to the seller, to the man to whom the land belongs.

All prices must be determined according to the official Sanctuary standards at twenty gerahs for one silver piece.

No one may dedicate the firstborn of his cattle, for it rightfully belongs to the Lord: whether ox or sheep, it belongs to the Lord.

But if it is an unclean animal, it may be repurchased for the price plus one-fifth; if it is not repurchased, the animal shall be sold at the set price.

Nothing dedicated to the Lord by anathema may be repurchased, whether it is a person, an animal, or a field of inheritance. What is dedicated by anathema becomes most holy and belongs to the Lord.

A person marked by anathema cannot be redeemed; he must be put to death.

One-tenth of all the earth’s produce or tree fruits belongs to the Lord.

If a man wishes to buy back part of his tithe, he must add one-fifth to its value.

In all tithes of flock or herd, the tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff shall be dedicated to the Lord;

there must be no selecting of good or bad, and no substitutions. If a substitution occurs, both the animal and its replacement shall be dedicated, and neither can be redeemed.

These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai for the people of Israel.