The Burnt Offering
1The LORD called to Mosesa and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.b He said, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD,c bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.d
3“ ‘If the offering is a burnt offeringe from the herd,f you are to offer a male without defect.g You must present it at the entrance to the tenth of meeting so that it will be acceptablei to the LORD. 4You are to lay your hand on the headj of the burnt offering,k and it will be acceptedl on your behalf to make atonementm for you. 5You are to slaughtern the young bullo before the LORD, and then Aaron’s sonsp the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altarq at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 6You are to skinr the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.s 7The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange woodt on the fire. 8Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat,u on the woodv that is burning on the altar. 9You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water,w and the priest is to burn all of itx on the altar.y It is a burnt offering,z a food offering,a an aroma pleasing to the LORD.b
10“ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheepc or the goats,d you are to offer a male without defect. 11You are to slaughter it at the north side of the altare before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar.f 12You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat,g on the wood that is burning on the altar. 13You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water,h and the priest is to bring all of them and burn themi on the altar.j It is a burnt offering,k a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
14“ ‘If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, you are to offer a dove or a young pigeon.l 15The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the headm and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar.n 16He is to remove the crop and the feathers1 and throw them down east of the altar where the asheso are. 17He shall tear it open by the wings, not dividing it completely,p and then the priest shall burn it on the woodq that is burning on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
The Grain Offering
1“ ‘When anyone brings a grain offeringa to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour.b They are to pour olive oilc on it,d put incense on ite 2and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flourf and oil, together with all the incense,g and burn this as a memorial1 portionh on the altar, a food offering,i an aroma pleasing to the LORD.j 3The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons;k it is a most holyl part of the food offerings presented to the LORD.
4“ ‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven,m it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loavesn made without yeast and brushed with olive oil.o 5If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle,p it is to be made of the finest flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. 6Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7If your grain offering is cooked in a pan,q it is to be made of the finest flour and some olive oil. 8Bring the grain offering made of these things to the LORD; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. 9He shall take out the memorial portionr from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.s 10The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons;t it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the LORD.u
11“ ‘Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast,v for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the LORD. 12You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits,w but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13Season all your grain offerings with salt.x Do not leave the salt of the covenanty of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
14“ ‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruitsz to the LORD, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. 15Put oil and incensea on it; it is a grain offering. 16The priest shall burn the memorial portionb of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense,c as a food offering presented to the LORD.d
The Fellowship Offering
1“ ‘If your offering is a fellowship offering,a and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the LORD an animal without defect.b 2You are to lay your hand on the headc of your offering and slaughter itd at the entrance to the tent of meeting.e Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splashf the blood against the sidesg of the altar.h 3From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the LORD: the internal organsi and all the fatj that is connected to them, 4both kidneysk with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. 5Then Aaron’s sonsl are to burn it on the altarm on top of the burnt offeringn that is lying on the burning wood;o it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.p
6“ ‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offeringq to the LORD, you are to offer a male or female without defect. 7If you offer a lamb,r you are to present it before the LORD,s 8lay your hand on its head and slaughter itt in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. 9From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offeringu to the LORD: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, 10both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. 11The priest shall burn them on the altarv as a food offeringw presented to the LORD.x
12“ ‘If your offering is a goat,y you are to present it before the LORD, 13lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splashz its blood against the sides of the altar.a 14From what you offer you are to present this food offering to the LORD: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, 15both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys.b 16The priest shall burn them on the altarc as a food offering,d a pleasing aroma.e All the fatf is the LORD’s.g
17“ ‘This is a lasting ordinanceh for the generations to come,i wherever you live:j You must not eat any fat or any blood.k’ ”
The Sin Offering
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionallya and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commandsb—
3“ ‘If the anointed priestc sins,d bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bulle without defectf as a sin offering1,g for the sin he has committed.h 4He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD.i He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the LORD. 5Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s bloodj and carry it into the tent of meeting. 6He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinklek some of it seven times before the LORD,l in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.m 7The priest shall then put some of the blood on the hornsn of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altaro of burnt offeringp at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8He shall remove all the fatq from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, 9both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneysr— 10just as the fat is removed from the ox2,s sacrificed as a fellowship offering.t Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.u 11But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestinesv— 12that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the campw to a place ceremonially clean,x where the ashesy are thrown, and burn itz there in a wood fire on the ash heap.a Photo
13“ ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionallyb and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt 14and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bullc as a sin offeringd and present it before the tent of meeting. 15The elderse of the community are to lay their handsf on the bull’s headg before the LORD, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the LORD.h 16Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s bloodi into the tent of meeting. 17He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinklej it before the LORDk seven times in front of the curtain. 18He is to put some of the bloodl on the horns of the altar that is before the LORDm in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altarn of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 19He shall remove all the fato from it and burn it on the altar,p 20and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonementq for the community, and they will be forgiven.r 21Then he shall take the bull outside the camps and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.t
22“ ‘When a leaderu sins unintentionallyv and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the LORD his God, when he realizes his guilt 23and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goatw without defect. 24He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the LORD.x It is a sin offering.y 25Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altarz of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.a 26He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonementb for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.c Chart: Old Testament Sacrifices
27“ ‘If any member of the community sins unintentionallyd and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, when they realize their guilt 28and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offeringe for the sin they committed a female goatf without defect. 29They are to lay their hand on the headg of the sin offeringh and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering.i 30Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offeringj and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altark as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.l In this way the priest will make atonementm for them, and they will be forgiven.n
32“ ‘If someone brings a lambo as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect.p 33They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter itq for a sin offeringr at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered.s 34Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.t 35They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altaru on top of the food offerings presented to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.
1“ ‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testifya regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.b
2“ ‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground)c and they are unaware that they have become unclean,d but then they come to realize their guilt; 3or if they touch human uncleannesse (anything that would make them unclean)f even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; 4or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oathg to do anything, whether good or evilh (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confessi in what way they have sinned. 6As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goatj from the flock as a sin offering1;k and the priest shall make atonementl for them for their sin.
7“ ‘Anyone who cannot affordm a lambn is to bring two doves or two young pigeonso to the LORD as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck,p not dividing it completely,q 9and is to splashr some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar;s the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar.t It is a sin offering. 10The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed wayu and make atonementv for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.w
11“ ‘If, however, they cannot affordx two doves or two young pigeons,y they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah2,z of the finest floura for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. 12They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial3 portionb and burn it on the altarc on top of the food offerings presented to the LORD. It is a sin offering. 13In this way the priest will make atonementd for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest,e as in the case of the grain offering.f’ ”
The Guilt Offering
14The LORD said to Moses: 15“When anyone is unfaithful to the LORD by sinning unintentionallyg in regard to any of the LORD’s holy things, they are to bring to the LORD as a penaltyh a rami from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.4,j It is a guilt offering.k 16They must make restitutionl for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its valuem and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.
17“If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though they do not know it,n they are guilty and will be held responsible.o 18They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offeringp a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven.q 19It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of5 wrongdoing against the LORD.”r
1The LORD said to Moses: 2“If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORDa by deceiving a neighborb about something entrusted to them or left in their carec or about something stolen, or if they cheatd their neighbor, 3or if they find lost property and lie about it,e or if they swear falselyf about any such sin that people may commit— 4when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must returng what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitutionh in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.i 6And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, their guilt offering,j a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.k 7In this way the priest will make atonementl for them before the LORD, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”
The Burnt Offering
8The LORD said to Moses: 9“Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offeringm: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.n 10The priest shall then put on his linen clothes,o with linen undergarments next to his body,p and shall remove the ashesq of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.r 12The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewoods and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fatt of the fellowship offeringsu on it. 13The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
The Grain Offering
14“ ‘These are the regulations for the grain offering:v Aaron’s sons are to bring it before the LORD, in front of the altar. 15The priest is to take a handful of the finest flour and some olive oil, together with all the incensew on the grain offering,x and burn the memorial2 portiony on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 16Aaron and his sonsz shall eat the resta of it, but it is to be eaten without yeastb in the sanctuary area;c they are to eat it in the courtyardd of the tent of meeting.e 17It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their sharef of the food offerings presented to me.g Like the sin offering3 and the guilt offering, it is most holy.h 18Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it.i For all generations to comej it is his perpetual sharek of the food offerings presented to the LORD. Whatever touches them will become holy.4,l’ ”
19The LORD also said to Moses, 20“This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the LORD on the day he5 is anointed:m a tenth of an ephah6,n of the finest flouro as a regular grain offering,p half of it in the morning and half in the evening. 21It must be prepared with oil on a griddle;q bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken7 in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 22The son who is to succeed him as anointed priestr shall prepare it. It is the LORD’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.s 23Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten.”
The Sin Offering
24The LORD said to Moses, 25“Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering:t The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORDu in the placev the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. 26The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area,w in the courtyardx of the tent of meeting.y 27Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy,z and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. 28The clay pota the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. 29Any male in a priest’s family may eat it;b it is most holy.c 30But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonementd in the Holy Placee must not be eaten; it must be burned up.f
The Guilt Offering
1“ ‘These are the regulations for the guilt offering,a which is most holy: 2The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. 3All its fatb shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the internal organs, 4both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.c 5The priest shall burn them on the altard as a food offering presented to the LORD. It is a guilt offering. 6Any male in a priest’s family may eat it,e but it must be eaten in the sanctuary area; it is most holy.f
7“ ‘The same law applies to both the sin offering1,g and the guilt offering:h They belong to the priesti who makes atonement with them.j 8The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hidek for himself. 9Every grain offering baked in an ovenl or cooked in a panm or on a griddlen belongs to the priest who offers it, 10and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.
The Fellowship Offering
11“ ‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the LORD:
12“ ‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offeringo they are to offer thick loavesp made without yeastq and with olive oil mixed in, thin loavesr made without yeast and brushed with oil,s and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. 13Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgivingt they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast.u 14They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. 15The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.v
16“ ‘If, however, their offering is the result of a voww or is a freewill offering,x the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day.y 17Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.z 18If any meat of the fellowship offeringa is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted.b It will not be reckonedc to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.d
19“ ‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. 20But if anyone who is uncleane eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the LORD, they must be cut off from their people.f 21Anyone who touches something uncleang—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature that moves along the ground2—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the LORD must be cut off from their people.’ ”
Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden
22The LORD said to Moses, 23“Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats.h 24The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animalsi may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. 25Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be3 presented to the LORD must be cut off from their people. 26And wherever you live, you must not eat the bloodj of any bird or animal. 27Anyone who eats bloodk must be cut off from their people.’ ”
The Priests’ Share
28The LORD said to Moses, 29“Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the LORD is to bring part of it as their sacrifice to the LORD. 30With their own hands they are to present the food offering to the LORD; they are to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the LORD as a wave offering.l 31The priest shall burn the fat on the altar,m but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.n 32You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution.o 33The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. 34From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thighp that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sonsq as their perpetual share from the Israelites.’ ”
35This is the portion of the food offerings presented to the LORD that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests. 36On the day they were anointed,r the LORD commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their perpetual share for the generations to come.
37These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering,s the grain offering,t the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offeringu and the fellowship offering, 38which the LORD gave Mosesv at Mount Sinaiw in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the LORD.x
The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons
8:1-36pp — Ex 29:1-37
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Bring Aaron and his sons,a their garments,b the anointing oil,c the bull for the sin offering,1,d the two ramse and the basket containing bread made without yeast,f 3and gather the entire assemblyg at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” 4Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
5Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.h” 6Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.i 7He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also fastened the ephod with a decorative waistband, which he tied around him.j 8He placed the breastpiecek on him and put the Urim and Thummiml in the breastpiece. 9Then he placed the turbanm on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred emblem,n on the front of it, as the LORD commanded Moses.o
10Then Moses took the anointing oilp and anointedq the tabernacler and everything in it, and so consecrated them. 11He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.s 12He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointedt him to consecrate him.u 13Then he brought Aaron’s sonsv forward, put tunicsw on them, tied sashes around them and fastened caps on them, as the LORD commanded Moses.x
14He then presented the bully for the sin offering,z and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.a 15Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood,b and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altarc to purify the altar.d He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it.e 16Moses also took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar. 17But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its intestinesf he burned up outside the camp,g as the LORD commanded Moses.
18He then presented the ramh for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 19Then Moses slaughtered the ram and splashed the blood against the sides of the altar. 20He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat.i 21He washed the internal organs and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
22He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination,j and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.k 23Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.l 24Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splashed blood against the sides of the altar.m 25After that, he took the fatn, the fat tail, all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. 26And from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the LORD, he took one thick loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf,o and he put these on the fat portions and on the right thigh. 27He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and they waved them before the LORDp as a wave offering. 28Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the LORD. 29Moses also took the breast, which was his share of the ordination ram,q and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD commanded Moses.
30Then Mosesr took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garmentss and on his sons and their garments. So he consecratedt Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.
31Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meetingu and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. 33Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.v 34What has been done today was commanded by the LORDw to make atonement for you. 35You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and do what the LORD requires,x so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.”
36So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD commanded through Moses.
The Priests Begin Their Ministry
1On the eighth daya Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the eldersb of Israel. 2He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering1 and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD. 3Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goatc for a sin offering,d a calfe and a lambf—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, 4and an ox2,g and a ram for a fellowship offeringh to sacrifice before the LORD, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.i’ ”
5They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the LORD. 6Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORDj may appear to you.”
7Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;k sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.l”
8So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offeringm for himself. 9His sons brought the blood to him,n and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.o 10On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD commanded Moses; 11the flesh and the hidep he burned up outside the camp.q Photo
12Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.r His sons handed him the blood,s and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 13They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.t 14He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.u
15Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.v He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.
16He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.w 17He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.x
18He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.y His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 19But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— 20these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. 21Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the LORD as a wave offering,z as Moses commanded.
22Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.a And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.
23Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.b When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORDc appeared to all the people. 24Fired came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.e
The Death of Nadab and Abihu
1Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihua took their censers,b put fire in themc and added incense;d and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD,e contrary to his command.f 2So fire came outg from the presence of the LORD and consumed them,h and they died before the LORD.i 3Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:
“ ‘Among those who approach mej
I will be proved holy;k
in the sight of all the people
I will be honored.l’ ”
Aaron remained silent.
4Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,m sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,n and said to them, “Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp,o away from the front of the sanctuary.p” 5So they came and carried them, still in their tunics,q outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
6Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,r “Do not let your hair become unkempt1,s and do not tear your clothes,t or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community.u But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mournv for those the LORD has destroyed by fire. 7Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meetingw or you will die, because the LORD’s anointing oilx is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
8Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9“You and your sons are not to drink winey or other fermented drinkz whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinancea for the generations to come, 10so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,b 11and so you can teachc the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.d”
12Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offeringe left over from the food offerings prepared without yeast and presented to the LORD and eat it beside the altar,f for it is most holy. 13Eat it in the sanctuary area,g because it is your share and your sons’ share of the food offerings presented to the LORD; for so I have been commanded.h 14But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breasti that was waved and the thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place;j they have been given to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings. 15The thighk that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the fat portions of the food offerings, to be waved before the LORD as a wave offering.l This will be the perpetual share for you and your children, as the LORD has commanded.”
16When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering2,m and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, 17“Why didn’t you eat the sin offeringn in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilto of the community by making atonement for them before the LORD. 18Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place,p you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.q”
19Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offeringr before the LORD, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the LORD have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?” 20When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Clean and Unclean Food
11:1-23pp — Dt 14:3-20
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:a 3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.
4“ ‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them.b The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. 5The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 7And the pig,c though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.d
9“ ‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. 10But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean.e 11And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.f 12Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.g
13“ ‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,1 the vulture, the black vulture, 14the red kite, any kindh of black kite, 15any kind of raven,i 16the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl,j the desert owl, the osprey, 19the stork,k any kindl of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.m
20“ ‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you.n 21There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust,o katydid, cricket or grasshopper. 23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.
24“ ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these;p whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.q 25Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes,r and they will be unclean till evening.s
26“ ‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean. 27Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening. 28Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.t These animals are unclean for you.
29“ ‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you:u the weasel, the rat,v any kind of great lizard, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon. 31Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening. 32When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth.w Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean. 33If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.x 34Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean. 35Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean. 36A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean. 37If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean. 38But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39“ ‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies,y anyone who touches its carcassz will be unclean till evening. 40Anyone who eats some of its carcassa must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.b Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.
41“ ‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten. 42You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean. 43Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures.c Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. 44I am the LORD your God;d consecrate yourselvese and be holy,f because I am holy.g Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.h 45I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypti to be your God;j therefore be holy, because I am holy.k
46“ ‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground. 47You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.l’ ”
Purification After Childbirth
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period.a 3On the eighth dayb the boy is to be circumcised.c 4Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. 5If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding.
6“ ‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over,d she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lambe for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.1,f 7He shall offer them before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.
“ ‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. 8But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons,g one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering.h In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.i’ ”
Regulations About Defiling Skin Diseases
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“When anyone has a swellinga or a rash or a shiny spotb on their skin that may be a defiling skin disease,1,c they must be brought to Aaron the priestd or to one of his sons2 who is a priest. 3The priest is to examine the sore on the skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling skin disease. When the priest examines that person, he shall pronounce them ceremonially unclean.e 4If the shiny spotf on the skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days.g 5On the seventh dayh the priest is to examine them,i and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to isolate them for another seven days. 6On the seventh day the priest is to examine them again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them clean;j it is only a rash. They must wash their clothes,k and they will be clean.l 7But if the rash does spread in their skin after they have shown themselves to the priest to be pronounced clean, they must appear before the priest again.m 8The priest is to examine that person, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.
9“When anyone has a defiling skin disease, they must be brought to the priest. 10The priest is to examine them, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11it is a chronic skin diseasen and the priest shall pronounce them unclean. He is not to isolate them, because they are already unclean.
12“If the disease breaks out all over their skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the affected person from head to foot, 13the priest is to examine them, and if the disease has covered their whole body, he shall pronounce them clean. Since it has all turned white, they are clean. 14But whenever raw flesh appears on them, they will be unclean. 15When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce them unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; they have a defiling disease.o 16If the raw flesh changes and turns white, they must go to the priest. 17The priest is to examine them, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the affected person clean;p then they will be clean.
18“When someone has a boilq on their skin and it heals, 19and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-whiter spots appears, they must present themselves to the priest. 20The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean. It is a defiling skin diseaset that has broken out where the boil was. 21But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days. 22If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling disease. 23But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.u
24“When someone has a burn on their skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, 25the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is a defiling disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease.v 26But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to isolate them for seven days.w 27On the seventh day the priest is to examine that person,x and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease. 28If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce them clean; it is only a scar from the burn.y
29“If a man or woman has a sore on their headz or chin, 30the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce them unclean; it is a defiling skin disease on the head or chin. 31But if, when the priest examines the sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to isolate the affected person for seven days.a 32On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore,b and if it has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, 33then the man or woman must shave themselves, except for the affected area, and the priest is to keep them isolated another seven days. 34On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore,c and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce them clean. They must wash their clothes, and they will be clean.d 35But if the sore does spread in the skin after they are pronounced clean, 36the priest is to examine them, and if he finds that the sore has spread in the skin, he does not need to look for yellow hair; they are unclean.e 37If, however, the sore is unchanged so far as the priest can see, and if black hair has grown in it, the affected person is healed. They are clean, and the priest shall pronounce them clean.
38“When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, 39the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; they are clean.
40“A man who has lost his hair and is baldf is clean. 41If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is a defiling disease breaking out on his head or forehead. 43The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like a defiling skin disease, 44the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.
45“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes,g let their hair be unkempt,3 cover the lower part of their faceh and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’i 46As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.j
Regulations About Defiling Molds
47“As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold—any woolen or linen clothing, 48any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather— 49if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest.k 50The priest is to examine the affected areal and isolate the article for seven days. 51On the seventh day he is to examine it,m and if the mold has spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a persistent defiling mold; the article is unclean.n 52He must burn the fabric, the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has been spoiled; because the defiling mold is persistent, the article must be burned.o
53“But if, when the priest examines it, the mold has not spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, 54he shall order that the spoiled article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. 55After the article has been washed, the priest is to examine it again, and if the mold has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it, no matter which side of the fabric has been spoiled. 56If, when the priest examines it, the mold has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the spoiled part out of the fabric, the leather, or the woven or knitted material. 57But if it reappears in the fabric, in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is a spreading mold; whatever has the mold must be burned. 58Any fabric, woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mold, must be washed again. Then it will be clean.”
59These are the regulations concerning defiling molds in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.
Cleansing From Defiling Skin Diseases
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“These are the regulations for any diseased person at the time of their ceremonial cleansing, when they are brought to the priest:a 3The priest is to go outside the camp and examine them.b If they have been healed of their defiling skin disease,1,c 4the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssopd be brought for the person to be cleansed.e 5Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.f 6He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.g 7Seven timesh he shall sprinklei the one to be cleansed of the defiling disease, and then pronounce them clean. After that, he is to release the live bird in the open fields.j
8“The person to be cleansed must wash their clothes,k shave off all their hair and bathe with water;l then they will be ceremonially clean.m After this they may come into the camp,n but they must stay outside their tent for seven days. 9On the seventh dayo they must shave off all their hair;p they must shave their head, their beard, their eyebrows and the rest of their hair. They must wash their clothes and bathe themselves with water, and they will be clean.q
10“On the eighth dayr they must bring two male lambs and one ewe lambs a year old, each without defect, along with three-tenths of an ephah2,t of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering,u and one log3 of oil.v 11The priest who pronounces them clean shall presentw both the one to be cleansed and their offerings before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting.x
12“Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and offer it as a guilt offering,y along with the log of oil; he shall wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.z 13He is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary areaa where the sin offering4 and the burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;b it is most holy. 14The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.c 15The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand,d 16dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the LORD seven times.e 17The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.f 18The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansedg and make atonement for them before the LORD.
19“Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from their uncleanness.h After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 20and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for them,i and they will be clean.j
21“If, however, they are poork and cannot afford these,l they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah5 of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of oil, 22and two doves or two young pigeons,m such as they can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.n
23“On the eighth day they must bring them for their cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting,o before the LORD.p 24The priest is to take the lamb for the guilt offering,q together with the log of oil,r and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering.s 25He shall slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.t 26The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,u 27and with his right forefinger sprinkle some of the oil from his palm seven times before the LORD. 28Some of the oil in his palm he is to put on the same places he put the blood of the guilt offering—on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. 29The rest of the oil in his palm the priest shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for them before the LORD.v 30Then he shall sacrifice the doves or the young pigeons, such as the person can afford,w 31one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering,x together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD on behalf of the one to be cleansed.y”
32These are the regulations for anyone who has a defiling skin diseasez and who cannot afford the regular offeringsa for their cleansing.
Cleansing From Defiling Molds
33The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34“When you enter the land of Canaan,b which I am giving you as your possession,c and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land, 35the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like a defiling mold in my house.’ 36The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mold, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house. 37He is to examine the mold on the walls, and if it has greenish or reddishd depressions that appear to be deeper than the surface of the wall, 38the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.e 39On the seventh dayf the priest shall return to inspect the house. If the mold has spread on the walls, 40he is to order that the contaminated stones be torn out and thrown into an unclean place outside the town.g 41He must have all the inside walls of the house scraped and the material that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the town. 42Then they are to take other stones to replace these and take new clay and plaster the house.
43“If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean.h 45It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.
46“Anyone who goes into the house while it is closed up will be unclean till evening.i 47Anyone who sleeps or eats in the house must wash their clothes.j
48“But if the priest comes to examine it and the mold has not spread after the house has been plastered, he shall pronounce the house clean,k because the defiling mold is gone. 49To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.l 50He shall kill one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.m 51Then he is to take the cedar wood, the hyssop,n the scarlet yarn and the live bird, dip them into the blood of the dead bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times.o 52He shall purify the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the scarlet yarn. 53Then he is to release the live bird in the open fieldsp outside the town. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.q”
54These are the regulations for any defiling skin disease,r for a sore, 55for defiling moldss in fabric or in a house, 56and for a swelling, a rash or a shiny spot,t 57to determine when something is clean or unclean.
These are the regulations for defiling skin diseases and defiling molds.u
Discharges Causing Uncleanness
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any man has an unusual bodily discharge,a such a discharge is unclean. 3Whether it continues flowing from his body or is blocked, it will make him unclean. This is how his discharge will bring about uncleanness:
4“ ‘Any bed the man with a discharge lies on will be unclean, and anything he sits on will be unclean. 5Anyone who touches his bed must wash their clothesb and bathe with water,c and they will be unclean till evening.d 6Whoever sits on anything that the man with a discharge sat on must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
7“ ‘Whoever touches the mane who has a dischargef must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
8“ ‘If the man with the discharge spitsg on anyone who is clean, they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
9“ ‘Everything the man sits on when riding will be unclean, 10and whoever touches any of the things that were under him will be unclean till evening; whoever picks up those thingsh must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
11“ ‘Anyone the man with a discharge touches without rinsing his hands with water must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
12“ ‘A clay poti that the man touches must be broken, and any wooden articlej is to be rinsed with water.
13“ ‘When a man is cleansed from his discharge, he is to count off seven daysk for his ceremonial cleansing; he must wash his clothes and bathe himself with fresh water, and he will be clean.l 14On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeonsm and come before the LORD to the entrance to the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15The priest is to sacrifice them, the one for a sin offering1,n and the other for a burnt offering.o In this way he will make atonement before the LORD for the man because of his discharge.p
16“ ‘When a man has an emission of semen,q he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening.r 17Any clothing or leather that has semen on it must be washed with water, and it will be unclean till evening. 18When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen,s both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
19“ ‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly periodt will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.
20“ ‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21Anyone who touches her bed will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.u 22Anyone who touches anything she sits on will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 23Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, they will be unclean till evening. Article: Uncleanness
24“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with her and her monthly flowv touches him, he will be unclean for seven days; any bed he lies on will be unclean.
25“ ‘When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly periodw or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27Anyone who touches them will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.
28“ ‘When she is cleansed from her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29On the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeonsx and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 30The priest is to sacrifice one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way he will make atonement for her before the LORD for the uncleanness of her discharge.y
31“ ‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,2,z which is among them.’ ”
32These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen,a 33for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.b
The Day of Atonement
16:2-34pp — Lev 23:26-32; Nu 29:7-11
1The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD.a 2The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he choosesb into the Most Holy Placec behind the curtaind in front of the atonement covere on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appearf in the cloudg over the atonement cover. Article: The Day of Atonement
3“This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place:h He must first bring a young bulli for a sin offering1 and a ram for a burnt offering.j 4He is to put on the sacred linen tunic,k with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban.l These are sacred garments;m so he must bathe himself with watern before he puts them on.o 5From the Israelite communityp he is to take two male goatsq for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.
6“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.r 7Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8He is to cast lotss for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.2,t 9Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonementu by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.
11“Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household,v and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12He is to take a censer full of burning coalsw from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incensex and take them behind the curtain. 13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement covery above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die.z 14He is to take some of the bull’s blooda and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.b
15“He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the peoplec and take its blood behind the curtaind and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinklee it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16In this way he will make atonementf for the Most Holy Placeg because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting,h which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.
18“Then he shall come out to the altari that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.j 19He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.k
20“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.l 21He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goatm and confessn over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22The goat will carry on itself all their sinso to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.
23“Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garmentsp he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.q 24He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary arear and put on his regular garments.s Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people,t to make atonement for himself and for the people.u 25He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoatv must wash his clothesw and bathe himself with water;x afterward he may come into the camp. 27The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp;y their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.z
29“This is to be a lasting ordinancea for you: On the tenth day of the seventh monthb you must deny yourselves3,c and not do any workd—whether native-borne or a foreigner residing among you— 30because on this day atonement will be madef for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.g 31It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves;h it is a lasting ordinance.i 32The priest who is anointed and ordainedj to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garmentsk 33and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.l
34“This is to be a lasting ordinancem for you: Atonement is to be made once a yearn for all the sins of the Israelites.”
And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Eating Blood Forbidden
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to Aaron and his sonsa and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the LORD has commanded: 3Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,1 a lambb or a goatc in the camp or outside of it 4instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meetingd to present it as an offering to the LORD in front of the tabernacle of the LORDe—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.f 5This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the LORD, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.g 6The priest is to splash the blood against the altarh of the LORDi at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.j 7They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols2,k to whom they prostitute themselves.l This is to be a lasting ordinancem for them and for the generations to come.’n
8“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice 9and does not bring it to the entrance to the tento of meetingp to sacrifice it to the LORDq must be cut off from the people of Israel.
10“ ‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood,r and I will cut them off from the people. 11For the life of a creature is in the blood,s and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.3,t 12Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
13“ ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,u 14because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”v
15“ ‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anythingw found dead or torn by wild animalsx must wash their clothes and bathe with water,y and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;z then they will be clean. 16But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.a’ ”
Unlawful Sexual Relations
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God.a 3You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.b 4You must obey my lawsc and be careful to follow my decrees.d I am the LORD your God.e 5Keep my decrees and laws,f for the person who obeys them will live by them.g I am the LORD.
6“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
7“ ‘Do not dishonor your fatherh by having sexual relations with your mother.i She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;j that would dishonor your father.k
9“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,l either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.m
10“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
11“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;n she is your father’s close relative.
13“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,o because she is your mother’s close relative.
14“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.p
15“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.q She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.r
16“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;s that would dishonor your brother.
17“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.t Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sisteru as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleannessv of her monthly period.w
20“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wifex and defile yourself with her.
21“ ‘Do not give any of your childreny to be sacrificed to Molek,z for you must not profane the name of your God.a I am the LORD.b
22“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;c that is detestable.d
23“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.e
24“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before youf became defiled.g 25Even the land was defiled;h so I punished it for its sin,i and the land vomited out its inhabitants.j 26But you must keep my decrees and my laws.k The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28And if you defile the land,l it will vomit you outm as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29“ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30Keep my requirementsn and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.o’ ”
Various Laws
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the entire assembly of Israela and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God,b am holy.c
3“ ‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,d and you must observe my Sabbaths.e I am the LORD your God.f
4“ ‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.g I am the LORD your God.h
5“ ‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.i 7If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.j 8Whoever eats it will be held responsiblek because they have desecrated what is holyl to the LORD; they must be cut off from their people.m
9“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edgesn of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.o 10Do not go over your vineyard a second timep or pick up the grapes that have fallen.q Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.r I am the LORD your God.
“ ‘Do not lie.t
“ ‘Do not deceive one another.u
12“ ‘Do not swear falselyv by my namew and so profanex the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13“ ‘Do not defraud or roby your neighbor.z
“ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired workera overnight.b
14“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,c but fear your God.d I am the LORD.
15“ ‘Do not pervert justice;e do not show partialityf to the poor or favoritism to the great,g but judge your neighbor fairly.h
16“ ‘Do not go about spreading slanderi among your people.
“ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.j I am the LORD.
17“ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.k Rebuke your neighbor franklyl so you will not share in their guilt.
18“ ‘Do not seek revengem or bear a grudgen against anyone among your people,o but love your neighborp as yourself.q I am the LORD.
“ ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.
“ ‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.s
“ ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.t
20“ ‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another manu but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.1 Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD.v 22With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.w
23“ ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.2 For three years you are to consider it forbidden3; it must not be eaten. 24In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,x an offering of praise to the LORD. 25But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26“ ‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.y
“ ‘Do not practice divinationz or seek omens.a
27“ ‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.b
28“ ‘Do not cutc your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29“ ‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,d or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.e
30“ ‘Observe my Sabbathsf and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD.g
31“ ‘Do not turn to mediumsh or seek out spiritists,i for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32“ ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respectj for the elderlyk and revere your God.l I am the LORD.m
33“ ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.n Love them as yourself,o for you were foreignersp in Egypt.q I am the LORD your God.
35“ ‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.r 36Use honest scaless and honest weights, an honest ephah4,t and an honest hin.5,u I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.v
37“ ‘Keep all my decreesw and all my lawsx and follow them. I am the LORD.’ ”
Punishments for Sin
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.a The members of the community are to stone him.b 3I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;c for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiledd my sanctuarye and profaned my holy name.f 4If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,g 5I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.
6“ ‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.h
7“ ‘Consecrate yourselvesi and be holy,j because I am the LORD your God.k 8Keep my decreesl and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.m
9“ ‘Anyone who curses their fathern or mothero is to be put to death.p Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.q
10“ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wifer—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.s
11“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.t Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.u
12“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,v both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.
13“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.w They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
14“ ‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,x it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,y so that no wickedness will be among you.z
15“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,a he is to be put to death,b and you must kill the animal.
16“ ‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
17“ ‘If a man marries his sisterc, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removedd from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.e
18“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,f he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.g
19“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,h for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
20“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,i he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.j
21“ ‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,k it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.l
22“ ‘Keep all my decrees and lawsm and follow them, so that the landn where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23You must not live according to the customs of the nationso I am going to drive out before you.p Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.q 24But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”r I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations.s
25“ ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.t Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26You are to be holy to meu because I, the LORD, am holy,v and I have set you apart from the nationsw to be my own.
27“ ‘A man or woman who is a mediumx or spiritist among you must be put to death.y You are to stone them;z their blood will be on their own heads.’ ”
Rules for Priests
1The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,a and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially uncleanb for any of his people who die,c 2except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,d his son or daughter, his brother, 3or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.e 4He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,1 and so defile himself.
5“ ‘Priests must not shavef their heads or shave off the edges of their beardsg or cut their bodies.h 6They must be holy to their Godi and must not profane the name of their God.j Because they present the food offerings to the LORD,k the food of their God,l they are to be holy.m
7“ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,n because priests are holy to their God.o 8Regard them as holy,p because they offer up the food of your God.q Consider them holy, because I the LORD am holy—I who make you holy.r
9“ ‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.s
10“ ‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his headt and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,u must not let his hair become unkempt2 or tear his clothes.v 11He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.w He must not make himself unclean,x even for his father or mother,y 12nor leave the sanctuaryz of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oila of his God. I am the LORD.
13“ ‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.b 14He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.’ ”
16The LORD said to Moses, 17“Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defectc may come near to offer the food of his God.d 18No man who has any defecte may come near: no man who is blindf or lame,g disfigured or deformed; 19no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.h 21No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defecti is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD.j He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.k 22He may eat the most holy food of his God,l as well as the holy food; 23yet because of his defect,m he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.n I am the LORD, who makes them holy.o’ ”
24So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offeringsa the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.b I am the LORD.c
3“Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD,d that person must be cut off from my presence.e I am the LORD.
4“ ‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease1 or a bodily discharge,f he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpseg or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5or if he touches any crawling thingh that makes him unclean, or any personi who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6The one who touches any such thing will be uncleanj till evening.k He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.l 7When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.m 8He must not eat anything found deadn or torn by wild animals,o and so become uncleanp through it. I am the LORD.q
9“ ‘The priests are to perform my servicer in such a way that they do not become guiltys and diet for treating it with contempt. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.u
10“ ‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.v 11But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.w 12If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.
14“ ‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistakex must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the valuey to it. 15The priests must not desecrate the sacred offeringsz the Israelites present to the LORDa 16by allowing them to eatb the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guiltc requiring payment.d I am the LORD, who makes them holy.e’ ”
Unacceptable Sacrifices
17The LORD said to Moses, 18“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israelf—presents a giftg for a burnt offering to the LORD, either to fulfill a vowh or as a freewill offering,i 19you must present a male without defectj from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.k 20Do not bring anything with a defect,l because it will not be accepted on your behalf.m 21When anyone brings from the herd or flockn a fellowship offeringo to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,p it must be without defect or blemishq to be acceptable.r 22Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the LORD. 23You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox2 or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.s You must not do this in your own land, 25and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.t They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.u’ ”
26The LORD said to Moses, 27“When a calf, a lamb or a goatv is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.w From the eighth dayx on, it will be acceptabley as a food offering presented to the LORD. 28Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.z
29“When you sacrifice a thank offeringa to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.b I am the LORD.c
31“Keepd my commands and follow them.e I am the LORD. 32Do not profane my holy name,f for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.g I am the LORD, who made you holyh 33and who brought you out of Egypti to be your God.j I am the LORD.”
The Appointed Festivals
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,a the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.b Chart: Old Testament Festivals and Other Sacred Days
The Sabbath
3“ ‘There are six days when you may work,c but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,d a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;e wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the LORD.
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
23:4-8pp — Ex 12:14-20; Nu 28:16-25; Dt 16:1-8
4“ ‘These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:f 5The LORD’s Passoverg begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.h 6On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD’s Festival of Unleavened Breadi begins; for seven daysj you must eat bread made without yeast. 7On the first day hold a sacred assemblyk and do no regular work. 8For seven days present a food offering to the LORD.l And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’ ”
Offering the Firstfruits
9The LORD said to Moses, 10“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give youm and you reap its harvest,n bring to the priest a sheafo of the first grain you harvest.p 11He is to wave the sheaf before the LORDq so it will be acceptedr on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year olds without defect,t 13together with its grain offeringu of two-tenths of an ephah1,v of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offeringw of a quarter of a hin2 of wine.x 14You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,y until the very day you bring this offering to your God.z This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,a wherever you live.b
The Festival of Weeks
23:15-22pp — Nu 28:26-31; Dt 16:9-12
15“ ‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,c and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephahd of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruitse to the LORD. 18Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offeringsf—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 19Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering3 and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20The priest is to wave the two lambs before the LORD as a wave offering,g together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the LORD for the priest. 21On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assemblyh and do no regular work.i This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.
22“ ‘When you reap the harvestj of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.k Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.l I am the LORD your God.’ ”
The Festival of Trumpets
23:23-25pp — Nu 29:1-6
23The LORD said to Moses, 24“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assemblym commemorated with trumpet blasts.n 25Do no regular work,o but present a food offering to the LORD.p’ ”
The Day of Atonement
23:26-32pp — Lev 16:2-34; Nu 29:7-11
26The LORD said to Moses, 27“The tenth day of this seventh monthq is the Day of Atonement.r Hold a sacred assemblys and deny yourselves,4 and present a food offering to the LORD. 28Do not do any workt on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.u 30I will destroy from among their peoplev anyone who does any work on that day. 31You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinancew for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32It is a day of sabbath restx for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”y
The Festival of Tabernacles
23:33-43pp — Nu 29:12-39; Dt 16:13-17
33The LORD said to Moses, 34“Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventhz month the LORD’s Festival of Tabernaclesa begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35The first day is a sacred assembly;b do no regular work.c 36For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assemblyd and present a food offering to the LORD.e It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.
37(“ ‘These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the LORD—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offeringsf required for each day. 38These offeringsg are in addition to those for the LORD’s Sabbathsh and5 in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offeringsi you give to the LORD.)
39“ ‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festivalj to the LORD for seven days;k the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40On the first day you are to take branchesl from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy treesm—and rejoicen before the LORD your God for seven days. 41Celebrate this as a festival to the LORD for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42Live in temporary shelterso for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43so your descendants will knowp that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ”
44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the LORD.
Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the LORD
24:1-3pp — Ex 27:20-21
1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the LORD from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinancea for the generations to come. 4The lamps on the pure gold lampstandb before the LORD must be tended continually.
5“Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,c using two-tenths of an ephah1,d for each loaf. 6Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure golde before the LORD. 7By each stack put some pure incensef as a memorial2 portiong to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the LORD. 8This bread is to be set out before the LORD regularly,h Sabbath after Sabbath,i on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. 9It belongs to Aaron and his sons,j who are to eat it in the sanctuary area,k because it is a most holyl part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the LORD.”
A Blasphemer Put to Death
10Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Namem with a curse;n so they brought him to Moses.o (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.)p 12They put him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.q
13Then the LORD said to Moses: 14“Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.r 15Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their Gods will be held responsible;t 16anyone who blasphemesu the name of the LORD is to be put to death.v The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.
17“ ‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death.w 18Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitutionx—life for life. 19Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.y The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21Whoever kills an animal must make restitution,z but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.a 22You are to have the same law for the foreignerb and the native-born.c I am the LORD your God.’ ”
23Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him.d The Israelites did as the LORD commanded Moses.