10

1And Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire-holder, and they put fire in them and set incense on it. And they brought forward unfitting fire, which He had not commanded them, in front of YHWH. 2And fire came out from in front of YHWH and consumed them! And they died in front of YHWH.*

3And Moses said to Aaron, “That is what YHWH spoke, saying, ‘I shall be made holy through those who are close to me, and I shall be honored in front of all the people.’”

And Aaron was silent.

4And Moses called to Mishael and to Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and said to them, “Come forward. Carry your brothers from in front of the Holy to the outside of the camp.”

5And they came forward and carried them by their coats to the outside of the camp as Moses had spoken.

6And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons, “Don’t let loose the hair of your heads and don’t tear your clothes, so you won’t die and He’ll be angry at all the congregation. And your brothers, all the house of Israel, will weep for the burning that YHWH has made. 7And you shall not go out from the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, or else you’ll die, because YHWH’s anointing oil is on you.”

And they did according to Moses’ word.

8And YHWH spoke to Aaron, saying, 9“You shall not drink wine and beer, you and your sons with you, when you come to the Tent of Meeting, so you won’t die. It is an eternal law through your generations, 10and to distinguish between the holy and the secular, and between the impure and the pure, 11and to instruct the children of Israel all the laws that YHWH has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”

12And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and to Ithamar, his sons who were left, “Take the grain offering that is left from YHWH’s offerings by fire and eat it as unleavened bread beside the altar, because it is the holy of holies. 13And you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your statutory share, and it is your sons’ statutory share from YHWH’s offerings by fire, because that is what I was commanded. 14And you shall eat the breast of the elevation offering and the thigh of the donation in a pure place—you and your sons and your daughters with you — because they have been given as your statutory share and your sons’ statutory share from the peace-offering sacrifices of the children of Israel. 15They shall bring the thigh of the donation and the breast of the elevation offering with the offerings by fire of the fats to elevate, an elevation offering in front of YHWH; and it will be yours and your sons’ with you as an eternal law, as YHWH commanded.”

l6And Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and here it was burnt! And he was angry at Eleazar and at Ithamar, Aaron’s sons who were left, saying, 17“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the place of the Holy— because it’s the holy of holies, and He gave it to you for bearing the congregation’s crime, for making atonement over them in front of YHWH! l8Here, its blood hasn’t been brought to the Holy, inside. You should have eaten it in the Holy as I commanded!”

19And Aaron spoke to Moses: “Here, today they brought forward their sin offering and their burnt offering in front of YHWH. When things like these have happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today would it be good in YHWH’s eyes?”

20And Moses listened, and it was good in his eyes.