Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

8 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Take Aaron, his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil,^(A) the bull of the sin^[a] offering, the two rams, and the basket^(B) of unleavened bread, ³ and assemble the whole community^(C) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” ⁴ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the community assembled at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁵ Moses said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”

⁶ Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷ He put the tunic on Aaron, wrapped the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod^(D) on him. He put the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened it to him. ⁸ Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim^(E) into the breastpiece. ⁹ He also put the turban^(F) on his head and placed the gold medallion, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses.^(G)

¹⁰ Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it to consecrate^(H) them. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.^{(I) 12} He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed and consecrated him.^{(J) 13} Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes around them, and fastened headbands on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ Then he brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. ¹⁵ Then Moses slaughtered it,^[b] took the blood, and applied it with his finger to the horns of the altar on all sides, purifying^(K) the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement can be made on it.^{[c](L) 16} Moses took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys^(M) with their fat, and he burned them on the altar.^{(N) 17} He burned up the bull with its hide, flesh, and dung outside the camp,^(O) as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁸ Then he presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁹ Moses slaughtered it and^[d] sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁰ Moses cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the suet,^{(P) 21} but he washed the entrails and shanks with water. He then burned the entire ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the Lord as He had commanded Moses.

²² Next he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination,^(Q) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ²³ Moses slaughtered it,^[e] took some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.^{(R) 24} Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then Moses sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat—the fat tail,^(S) all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. ²⁶ From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat portions and the right thigh.^{(T) 27} He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the Lord as a presentation offering. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing aroma, a fire offering to the Lord. ²⁹ He also took the breast and waved it before the Lord as a presentation offering; it was Moses’ portion of the ordination ram as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰ Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. In this way he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as his sons and their garments.^(U)

³¹ Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket for the ordination offering as I commanded:^[f] Aaron and his sons are to eat it.^{(V) 32} You must burn up what remains of the meat and bread.^{(W) 33} You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the time your days of ordination are completed, because it will take seven days to ordain you.^{[g] 34} The Lord commanded what has been done today in order to make atonement for you.^{(X) 35} You must remain at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and keep the Lord’s charge^(Y) so that you will not die,^(Z) for this is what I was commanded.” ³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.

The Priestly Ministry Inaugurated

9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.^{(AA) 2} He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull for a sin^[h] offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish,^(AB) and present them before the Lord. ³ And tell the Israelites:^[i] Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, male yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering; ⁴ an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord is going to appear^(AC) to you.”

⁵ They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord^(AD) may appear to you.” ⁷ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people.^[j](AE) Sacrifice the people’s offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”

⁸ So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. ⁹ Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ He burned the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver from the sin offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ He burned up the flesh and the hide^(AF) outside the camp.^(AG)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹³ They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the entrails and the shanks and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ Aaron presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he did before. ¹⁶ He presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to the regulation.^{(AH) 17} Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.^(AI)

¹⁸ Finally, he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s fellowship sacrifice. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat surrounding the entrails, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver— ²⁰ and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, ²¹ but he waved the breasts^(AJ) and the right thigh as a presentation offering^(AK) before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.^[k]

²² Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed^(AL) them. He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. ²³ Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came from the Lord and consumed^(AM) the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted^(AN) and fell facedown on the ground.^(AO)

Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab^(AP) and Abihu^(AQ) each took his own firepan,^(AR) put fire in it, placed incense on it,^(AS) and presented unauthorized^(AT) fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. ² Then fire came from the Lord^(AU) and burned them to death before the Lord.^{(AV) 3} So Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when He said:

But Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,^(AZ) sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,^(BA) and said to them, “Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.”^{(BB) 5} So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^(BC) “Do not let your hair hang loose^(BD) and do not tear your garments,^(BE) or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry^(BF) with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn^(BG) over that tragedy when the Lord sent the fire. ⁷ You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil^(BH) is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

Regulations for Priests

⁸ The Lord spoke to Aaron: ⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine^(BI) or beer^(BJ) when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute^(BK) throughout your generations. ¹⁰ You must distinguish^(BL) between the holy and the common,^(BM) and the clean and the unclean,^{(BN) 11} and teach the Israelites all the statutes^(BO) that the Lord has given to them through Moses.”

¹² Moses spoke to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: “Take the grain offering that is left over from the fire offerings^(BP) to the Lord, and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, because it is especially holy. ¹³ You must eat it in a holy place because it is your portion^[n] and your sons’ from the fire offerings to the Lord, for this is what I was commanded. ¹⁴ But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites’ fellowship sacrifices. ¹⁵ They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the presentation offering, together with the offerings of fat portions made by fire, to wave as a presentation offering before the Lord. It will belong permanently^(BQ) to you and your children, as the Lord commanded.”

¹⁶ Later, Moses inquired about the male goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons, and asked, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?^(BR) For it is especially holy, and He has assigned it to you to take away the guilt^(BS) of the community^(BT) and make atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”^(BU)

¹⁹ But Aaron replied to Moses, “See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the Lord’s sight?” ²⁰ When Moses heard this, it was acceptable to him.^[o]

Paul’s Apostolic Authority

10 Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. ² I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way.^{[a](A) 3} For though we live in the body,^[b] we do not wage war in an unspiritual way,^{[c] 4} since the weapons of our warfare^(B) are not worldly,^[d] but are powerful^(C) through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments ⁵ and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge^(D) of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. ⁶ And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed.

⁷ Look at what is obvious.^[e] If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ,^(E) he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. ⁸ For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up^(F) and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed. ⁹ I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. ¹⁰ For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.” ¹¹ Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.

¹² For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend^(G) themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves,^(H) they lack understanding.^{(I) 13} We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned^(J) to us, which reaches even to you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵ We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope^(K) that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, ¹⁶ so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you,^(L) not boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry.^{(M) 17} So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord.^{(N)[f] 18} For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.^(O)