Leviticus 1:1-14:32

Common English Bible

1 Then the Lord called to Moses and said to him from the meeting tent, ² Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When any of you present a livestock offering to the Lord, you can present it from either the herd or the flock.

The entirely burned offering

³ If the offering is an entirely burned offering from the herd, you must present a flawless male, bringing it to the meeting tent’s entrance for its acceptance before the Lord. ⁴ You must press your hand on the head of the entirely burned offering so that it will be accepted for you, to make reconciliation for you. ⁵ Then you will slaughter the bull before the Lord. Aaron’s sons the priests will present the blood and toss it against every side of the altar at the meeting tent’s entrance. ⁶ Then the entirely burned offering will be skinned and cut up into pieces. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the priest^[a] will light the altar and lay wood on the fire. ⁸ Then Aaron’s sons the priests will arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat on the wood that is on the altar fire, ⁹ but the animal’s insides and lower legs must be washed with water. The priest will then completely burn all of it on the altar as an entirely burned offering, a food gift^[b] of soothing smell to the Lord.

¹⁰ If the offering is an entirely burned offering from the flock—whether sheep or goat—you must present a flawless male. ¹¹ You must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord. Aaron’s sons the priests will toss its blood against every side of the altar. ¹² Once it has been cut into pieces, including the head and the fat, the priest will arrange these out on the wood that is on the altar fire, ¹³ but its insides and lower legs must be washed with water. Then the priest will present all of it and completely burn it on the altar. It is an entirely burned offering, a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord.

¹⁴ If the offering for the Lord is an entirely burned offering from the birds, you can present your offering from the doves or pigeons. ¹⁵ The priest will bring it to the altar. He will tear off its head and completely burn it on the altar. Its blood will be drained against the side of the altar. ¹⁶ Then the priest will remove its throat along with its contents^[c] and throw it by the east side of the altar, into the place for the ashes. ¹⁷ He will then tear the bird open by its wings, without splitting it. The priest will completely burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the altar fire. It is an entirely burned offering, a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord.

The grain offering

2 When anyone presents a grain offering to the Lord, the offering must be of choice flour. They must pour oil on it and put frankincense on it, ² then bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests. A priest will take a handful of its choice flour and oil, along with all of its frankincense, and will completely burn this token portion on the altar as a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord. ³ The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons as a most holy portion from the Lord’s food gifts.

⁴ When you present a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be of choice flour: unleavened flatbread mixed with oil or unleavened wafers spread with oil. ⁵ If your offering is grain prepared on a griddle, it must be of choice flour mixed with oil and it must be unleavened. ⁶ Crumble it into pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your offering is grain prepared in a pan, it must be made of choice flour with oil. ⁸ You will bring the grain offering made in one of these ways to the Lord, presenting it to the priest, who will then bring it to the altar. ⁹ The priest will remove from the grain offering the token portion and completely burn it on the altar as a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord. ¹⁰ The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons as a most holy portion from the Lord’s food gifts.

¹¹ No grain offering that you give to the Lord can be made with yeast. You must not completely burn any yeast or honey as a food gift for the Lord. ¹² You can present those as first-choice offerings to the Lord, but they must not be entirely burned up on the altar as a soothing smell.

¹³ You must season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not omit the salt of your God’s covenant from your grain offering. You must offer salt with all your offerings.

¹⁴ If you present a grain offering to the Lord from the first produce, you must make such an offering from the crushed heads of newly ripe grain, roasted with fire. ¹⁵ You must put oil and frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶ The priest will completely burn the token portion—some of the crushed new grain and oil along with all of the frankincense—as a food gift for the Lord.

The well-being sacrifice

3 If the offering is a communal sacrifice of well-being,^[d] the one who offers the herd animal—whether it is male or female—must present a flawless specimen before the Lord. ² You must press your hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it at the meeting tent’s entrance. Aaron’s sons the priests will toss the blood against every side of the altar. ³ Then you can offer a food gift to the Lord from the communal sacrifice of well-being: the fat that covers and surrounds the insides; ⁴ the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which should be removed with the kidneys. ⁵ Aaron’s sons will completely burn all of this on the altar—along with the entirely burned offering on the wood that is on the altar fire—as a food gift of soothing smell to the Lord.

⁶ If the offering for a communal sacrifice of well-being for the Lord is from the flock—whether it is male or female—you must present a flawless specimen. ⁷ If you present a sheep as the offering, you must present it before the Lord. ⁸ You must press your hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it before the meeting tent. Aaron’s sons will toss the blood against every side of the altar. ⁹ Then you may offer the fat from the communal sacrifice of well-being as a food gift for the Lord: the whole fat tail, which should be removed close to the tailbone; the fat that covers and surrounds the insides; ¹⁰ the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which should be removed with the kidneys. ¹¹ The priest will then completely burn all of this on the altar as food—as a food gift for the Lord.

¹² If the offering is a goat, you must present it before the Lord. ¹³ You must press your hand on its head and slaughter it before the meeting tent. Aaron’s sons will toss its blood against every side of the altar. ¹⁴ Then you may present as your offering—a food gift for the Lord—the fat that covers and surrounds the insides; ¹⁵ the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which should be removed with the kidneys. ¹⁶ The priest will then completely burn all of this on the altar as food—as a food gift for a soothing smell.

All fat belongs to the Lord. ¹⁷ This is a permanent rule for your future generations, wherever you live: you must not eat any fat or blood.

The purification offering

4 The Lord said to Moses, ² Say to the Israelites: Do the following whenever someone sins unintentionally against any of the Lord’s commands, doing something that shouldn’t be done:

³ If it is the anointed priest who has sinned, making the people guilty of sin, he must present to the Lord a flawless bull from the herd as a purification offering^[e] for the sin he has committed. ⁴ He will bring the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the meeting tent and press his hand on the bull’s head. Then he will slaughter the bull before the Lord. ⁵ The anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood and take it into the meeting tent. ⁶ The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, toward the sanctuary’s inner curtain. ⁷ Then the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of perfumed incense, which is in the meeting tent before the Lord. But he will pour out all the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings, which is at the meeting tent’s entrance. ⁸ Then he will remove all the fat from the bull for the purification offering: the fat that covers and surrounds the insides; ⁹ the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as this is removed from the ox for the communal sacrifice of well-being. Then the priest will completely burn these on the altar of entirely burned offerings. ¹¹ But the bull’s hide and all of its flesh, along with its head, lower legs, entrails, and dung— ¹² all that remains of the bull—will be taken to a clean location outside the camp, to the ash heap. It should be burned there at the ash heap on a wood fire.

¹³ If it is the entire Israelite community that has done something wrong unintentionally and the deed escapes the assembly’s notice—but they’ve done something that shouldn’t be done in violation of the Lord’s commands, becoming guilty of sin— ¹⁴ once the sin that they committed becomes known, the assembly must present a bull from the herd as a purification offering. They will bring it before the meeting tent. ¹⁵ The community elders will press their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord and then slaughter it before the Lord. ¹⁶ The anointed priest will take some of the bull’s blood into the meeting tent. ¹⁷ The priest will dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord toward the inner curtain. ¹⁸ Then he will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the meeting tent. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings that is at the meeting tent’s entrance. ¹⁹ Then he will remove all the fat from it and completely burn it on the altar. ²⁰ He will do the same with this bull as he did with the other bull for the purification offering; that is exactly what he must do. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for them, and they will be forgiven. ²¹ Then the priest will take the bull outside the camp and burn it, just as the first bull was burned. It is the purification offering for the assembly.

²² If a leader sins by unintentionally breaking any of the commands of the Lord his God, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and becomes guilty of sin— ²³ once the sin that he committed is made known to him—he must bring as his offering a flawless male goat. ²⁴ He will press his hand on the goat’s head. It will be slaughtered^[f] at the place where an entirely burned offering would be slaughtered before the Lord. It is a purification offering. ²⁵ The priest will take some of the blood from the purification offering and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar of entirely burned offerings. ²⁶ He will completely burn all of its fat on the altar just as the fat of the communal sacrifice of well-being is burned. In this way the priest will make reconciliation for the leader to remove his sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷ If any ordinary person^[g] sins unintentionally by breaking one of the Lord’s commands, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and becomes guilty of sin— ²⁸ once the sin they committed is made known to them—they must bring as their offering a flawless female goat because of the sin that was committed. ²⁹ They will press their hand on the head of the purification offering. It will be slaughtered^[h] at the place for the entirely burned offerings. ³⁰ The priest will take some of its blood and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. ³¹ He will remove all of its fat, just as the fat from a communal sacrifice of well-being is removed. Then the priest will completely burn it on the altar as a soothing smell to the Lord. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for them, and they will be forgiven.

³² If you offer a sheep as a purification offering, it must be a flawless female. ³³ You must press your hand on the head of the purification offering. It will be slaughtered^[i] as a purification offering in the place where the entirely burned offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ Then the priest will take some of the blood from the purification offering and, using his finger, will put it on the horns of the altar of entirely burned offerings. But he will pour all the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He will remove all of its fat, just as the fat of a sheep would be removed from the communal sacrifice of well-being. Then the priest will completely burn it on the altar along with the Lord’s food gifts. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you for the sin you committed, and you will be forgiven.

Unintentional sin

5 If you sin:

⁵ at that point, when you have become guilty of sin in one of these ways, you must confess how you have sinned ⁶ and bring to the Lord as compensation for the sin that was committed a female from the flock, either a sheep or goat, as a purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for you, to remove your sin.

Alternative offerings

⁷ If you can’t afford an animal from the flock, you can bring to the Lord as compensation for your sin two doves or two pigeons, one as a purification offering and the other as an entirely burned offering. ⁸ You will bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the purification offering. He will pinch off its head at the back of its neck without splitting it. ⁹ Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the purification offering on the side of the altar. The rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a purification offering. ¹⁰ Then, with the second bird, the priest will perform an entirely burned offering according to the regulation. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you because of the sin you committed, and you will be forgiven.

¹¹ If you cannot afford two doves or two pigeons, you can bring as the offering for your sin a tenth of an ephah^[j] of choice flour as a purification offering. You must not put any oil on it, nor any frankincense, because it is a purification offering. ¹² You will bring it to the priest, and the priest will take a handful from it—the token portion—and will burn it completely on the altar along with the food gifts for the Lord. It is a purification offering. ¹³ In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for you for whichever one of the sins you committed, and you will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.

The compensation offering

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁵ Whenever you commit wrongdoing, unintentionally sinning against any of the Lord’s holy things, you must bring to the Lord as your compensation a flawless ram from the flock, its value calculated in silver shekels according to the sanctuary’s shekel, as a compensation offering. ¹⁶ You will make amends for the way you have sinned against the holy thing: you will add one-fifth to its value and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make reconciliation for you with the ram for the compensation offering, and you will be forgiven.

¹⁷ If you sin by breaking any of the Lord’s commands, but without realizing it, doing something that shouldn’t be done, and then become guilty and liable to punishment, ¹⁸ you must bring a flawless ram from the flock, at the standard value, as a compensation offering to the priest. The priest will make reconciliation for you for the unintentional fault that you committed, even though you didn’t realize it, and you will be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a compensation offering. You have definitely become guilty before the Lord.

6 ^[k] The Lord said to Moses, ² If you sin:

⁴ at that point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found, ⁵ or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty. ⁶ You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the Lord a flawless ram from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering. ⁷ The priest will make reconciliation for you before the Lord, and you will be forgiven for anything you may have done that made you guilty.

Priestly instructions

^8 [l] The Lord said to Moses: ⁹ Command Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the entirely burned offering—the entirely burned offering that must remain on the altar hearth all night until morning, while the fire is kept burning. ¹⁰ The priest will dress in his linen robe, with linen undergarments on his body. Because the fire will have devoured the entirely burned offering on the altar, he must remove the ashes and place them beside the altar. ¹¹ The priest will then take off his clothes, dress in a different set of clothes, and take the ashes outside the camp to a clean location. ¹² The altar fire must be kept burning; it must not go out. Each morning the priest will burn wood on it, will lay out the entirely burned offering on it, and will completely burn the fat of the well-being offering on it. ¹³ A continuous fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not go out.

¹⁴ This is the Instruction for the grain offering: Aaron’s sons will present it before the Lord in front of the altar. ¹⁵ The priest will remove a handful of the choice flour and oil from the grain offering, and all of the frankincense that is on it, and burn this token portion completely on the altar as a soothing smell to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons will eat the rest of it. It must be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; the priests must eat it in the meeting tent’s courtyard. ¹⁷ It must not be baked with leaven. I have made it the priests’ share from my food gifts. It is most holy like the purification offering and the compensation offering. ¹⁸ Only the males from Aaron’s descendants can eat it as a permanent portion from the Lord’s food gifts throughout your future generations. Anything that touches these food gifts will become holy.

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁰ This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the Lord on the day of his anointment: one-tenth of an ephah^[m] of choice flour as a regular grain offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It must be prepared on a griddle with oil. You must bring it thoroughly mixed up and must present it as a grain offering of crumbled pieces^[n] as a soothing smell to the Lord. ²² The priest who is anointed from among Aaron’s sons to succeed him will prepare the offering as a permanent portion for the Lord. It will be completely burned as a complete offering. ²³ Every priestly grain offering must be a complete offering; it must not be eaten.

²⁴ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁵ Say to Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the purification offering: The purification offering must be slaughtered before the Lord at the same place the entirely burned offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. ²⁶ The priest who offers it as a purification offering will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the meeting tent’s courtyard. ²⁷ Anything that touches the purification offering’s flesh will become holy. If some of its blood splashes on a garment, you must wash the bloodied part in a holy place. ²⁸ A pottery container in which the purification offering is cooked must be broken, but if it is cooked in a bronze container, that must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male priest can eat it; it is most holy. ³⁰ But no purification offering can be eaten if blood from it is brought into the meeting tent to make reconciliation in the holy place; it must be burned with fire.

7 This is the Instruction for the compensation offering: It is most holy. ² The compensation offering must be slaughtered at the same place where the entirely burned offering is slaughtered, and its blood must be tossed against all sides of the altar. ³ All of its fat will be offered: the fat tail; the fat that covers the insides; ⁴ the two kidneys and the fat around them at the loins; and the lobe on the liver, which must be removed with the kidneys. ⁵ The priest must burn them completely on the altar as a food gift for the Lord; it is a compensation offering. ⁶ Any male priest can eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

⁷ The compensation offering is like the purification offering—they share the same Instruction: It belongs to the priest who makes reconciliation with it. ⁸ The hide of the entirely burned offering that a priest has offered belongs to the priest who offered it. ⁹ Any grain offering that is baked in an oven or that is prepared in a pan or on a griddle also belongs to the priest who offered it. ¹⁰ But every other grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, will belong to all of Aaron’s sons equally.

¹¹ This is the Instruction for the communal sacrifice of well-being that someone may offer to the Lord: ¹² If you are offering it for thanksgiving, you must offer the following with the communal sacrifice of thanksgiving: unleavened flatbread mixed with oil, unleavened thin loaves spread with oil, and flatbread of choice flour thoroughly mixed with oil. ¹³ You must present this offering, plus the leavened flatbread, with the communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being. ¹⁴ From this you will present one of each kind of offering as a gift to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who tosses the blood of the well-being offering.

¹⁵ The flesh of your communal thanksgiving sacrifice of well-being must be eaten on the day you offer it; you cannot save any of it until morning. ¹⁶ But if your communal sacrifice of well-being is payment for a solemn promise or if it is a spontaneous gift, it may be eaten on the day you offer it as your communal sacrifice, and whatever is left over can be eaten the next day. ¹⁷ But whatever is left over of the flesh of the communal sacrifice on the third day must be burned with fire. ¹⁸ If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it. It will be considered foul, and the person who eats of it will be liable to punishment.

¹⁹ Flesh that touches any unclean thing must not be eaten; it must be burned with fire. Any clean person may eat the flesh, ²⁰ but anyone who eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the Lord while in an unclean state will be cut off from their people. ²¹ Whenever anyone touches any unclean thing—whether it is human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean and disgusting creature—and then eats the flesh of a communal sacrifice of well-being that belongs to the Lord, that person will be cut off from their people.

²² The Lord said to Moses: ²³ Tell the Israelites: You must not eat the fat of an ox, sheep, or goat. ²⁴ The fat of an animal that has died naturally or the fat of an animal that was killed by another animal may be put to any use, but you must definitely not eat it. ²⁵ If anyone eats the fat of an animal from which a food gift could be offered to the Lord, that person will be cut off from their people. ²⁶ You must not consume any blood whatsoever—whether bird or animal blood—wherever you may live. ²⁷ Any person who consumes any blood whatsoever will be cut off from their people.

²⁸ The Lord said to Moses: ²⁹ Say to the Israelites: If you wish to offer a communal sacrifice of well-being to the Lord, you are allowed to bring your offering to the Lord as your communal sacrifice of well-being.^{[o] 30} Your own hands must bring the Lord’s food gifts. You will bring the fat with the breast so that the breast can be lifted as an uplifted offering before the Lord. ³¹ The priest will completely burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will go to Aaron and his sons. ³² You will give the right thigh of your communal sacrifice of well-being to the priest as a gift. ³³ The right thigh will belong to the son of Aaron who offers the blood and fat of the well-being offering. ³⁴ I have taken the breast of the uplifted offering and the thigh that is given by the Israelites from their communal sacrifices of well-being, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a permanent portion from the Israelites.

³⁵ This is what Aaron and his sons are allotted from the Lord’s food gifts once they have been presented to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶ The Lord commanded that these things be given to the priests by the Israelites, following their anointment. It is their permanent portion throughout their future generations.

Conclusion concerning offerings

³⁷ This concludes the Instructions for the entirely burned offering, the grain offering, the purification offering, the compensation offering, the ordination offering, and the communal sacrifice of well-being, ³⁸ which the Lord commanded Moses at Mount Sinai on the day when he ordered the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord, in the Sinai desert.

The priests’ ordination

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² Take Aaron and his sons with him, the priestly clothing, the anointing oil, a bull for the purification offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread, ³ and assemble the whole community at the meeting tent’s entrance.

⁴ Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the community assembled at the meeting tent’s entrance. ⁵ Moses said to the community, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do.” ⁶ Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them in water. ⁷ Moses put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, and dressed him in the robe. Moses then put the priestly vest on Aaron, tied the woven waistband of the vest around him, and secured the vest to him with it. ⁸ Then Moses placed the chest piece on Aaron and set the Urim and Thummim into the chest piece. ⁹ Moses placed the turban on Aaron’s head and put the gold flower ornament, the holy crown, on the turban’s front, just as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁰ Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the dwelling^[p] and everything in it, making them holy by doing so. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its equipment, as well as the basin and its base, to make them holy. ¹² He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, thereby anointing him to make him holy. ¹³ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward, dressed them in tunics, tied sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them, just as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁴ Next Moses brought forward the bull for the purification offering. Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. ¹⁵ Moses slaughtered it, then took the blood and, using his finger, put it on all of the altar’s horns, purifying the altar. He poured the rest of the blood out at the altar’s base. Then he made the altar holy so that reconciliation could be performed on it.^{[q] 16} Moses removed all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and he completely burned it on the altar. ¹⁷ But the rest of the bull, including its hide, its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp just as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁸ Then Moses presented the ram for the entirely burned offering, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. ¹⁹ Moses slaughtered it, then tossed the blood against all sides of the altar. ²⁰ He cut up the ram into pieces, and then completely burned the head, pieces, and fat. ²¹ After he washed the insides and lower legs with water, Moses completely burned the whole ram on the altar. It was an entirely burned offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

²² Moses then presented the second ram, the ram for ordination, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. ²³ Moses slaughtered it, then took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. ²⁴ Then Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, their right thumbs, and their right big toes. Moses tossed the rest of the blood against all of the altar’s sides. ²⁵ Then he took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat—as well as the right thigh. ²⁶ From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one loaf of unleavened flatbread, one loaf of flatbread made with oil, and one unleavened wafer, and he placed these on the fat pieces and on the right thigh. ²⁷ Moses set all of this in Aaron’s and his sons’ hands, then lifted them as an uplifted offering before the Lord. ²⁸ Next Moses took this out of their hands and completely burned it on the altar, along with the entirely burned offering. This was an ordination offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord. ²⁹ Next Moses took the breast from the ram for the ordination offering and lifted it as an uplifted offering before the Lord. It belonged to Moses as his portion, just as the Lord had commanded him. ³⁰ Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes, and on his sons and their clothes as well. In this way, Moses made holy Aaron, his clothing, and Aaron’s sons and their clothing.

³¹ Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “Cook the meat at the meeting tent’s entrance. You may eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I was commanded,^[r] ‘Aaron and his sons can eat it.’ ³² But you must burn whatever is left over of the meat and bread with fire. ³³ You must not leave the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, until the period of your ordination is completed, because your ordination takes seven days. ³⁴ What was done today was commanded by the Lord, to make reconciliation for you. ³⁵ You must stay at the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, day and night, observing the Lord’s requirement so you don’t die, because that’s what I was commanded.”

³⁶ Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.

The priests’ initiation

9 On the eighth day, Moses called for Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and Israel’s elders. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull from the herd as a purification offering and a ram as an entirely burned offering, both flawless animals, and bring them before the Lord. ³ Then tell the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat as a purification offering; a young bull and a sheep—both one-year-old flawless animals—as an entirely burned offering; ⁴ an ox and a ram as a well-being sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today the Lord will appear to you.’”

⁵ They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the meeting tent. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “The Lord has ordered you to do this so that the Lord’s glorious presence will appear to you.” ⁷ Moses said to Aaron, “Come up to the altar and perform your purification offering and your entirely burned offering, making reconciliation for yourself and the people. Then perform the people’s offering in order to make reconciliation for them, just as the Lord commanded.”

⁸ Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the young bull for his purification offering. ⁹ Then Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the altar’s horns. He poured the rest of the blood out at the altar’s base. ¹⁰ He completely burned on the altar the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver from the purification offering, just as the Lord commanded Moses. ¹¹ But he burned the flesh and hide with fire outside the camp.

¹² Then Aaron slaughtered the entirely burned offering. Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he tossed it against all sides of the altar. ¹³ They handed him the entirely burned offering in pieces, including the head, and he completely burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ Then he washed the insides and lower legs and completely burned them on the altar along with the rest of the entirely burned offering.

¹⁵ Next, Aaron presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s purification offering, slaughtered it, and offered it as a purification offering like the first purification offering. ¹⁶ He presented the entirely burned offering and did with it according to the regulation. ¹⁷ Then he presented the grain offering, took a handful from it, and completely burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning’s entirely burned offering.

¹⁸ Aaron then slaughtered the ox and the ram—the people’s communal sacrifice of well-being. Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, which he tossed against all sides of the altar, ¹⁹ and the fat pieces of the ox and ram—the fat tail, the covering fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver. ²⁰ They placed these fat pieces on the animals’ breasts, and Aaron completely burned them on the altar. ²¹ But Aaron lifted up the breasts and the right thigh as an uplifted offering before the Lord, just as Moses had commanded.

²² Aaron then raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. After performing the purification offering, the entirely burned offering, and the well-being sacrifice, he came down. ²³ Moses and Aaron then entered the meeting tent. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Lord’s glorious presence appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire flew out from before the Lord and devoured the entirely burned offering and the fat pieces on the altar. All the people saw it. They shouted for joy and fell facedown.

Nadab and Abihu

10 Now Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron’s sons, each took an incense pan. They put fire and incense on them and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. ² Then fire flew out from before the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.

³ Moses said to Aaron, “When the Lord said, ‘I will show that I am holy among those near me, and before all the people I will manifest my glorious presence,’ this is what he meant!” But Aaron was silent.

⁴ Then Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan the sons of Uzziel, Aaron’s uncle, and told them, “Go carry your relatives out from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” ⁵ So they went forward and carried Nadab and Abihu out by their tunics to a place outside the camp, just as Moses had ordered. ⁶ Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Don’t dishevel your hair and don’t rip your clothes into pieces, or you will die and bring anger upon the whole community. Your family—all of Israel’s house—will mourn the burning the Lord has done. ⁷ But you must not leave the meeting tent, or you will die because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.” So they did what Moses ordered.

Priestly drinking and eating

⁸ The Lord said to Aaron: ⁹ Both you and your sons must not drink wine or beer when you enter the meeting tent so that you don’t die—this is a permanent rule throughout your future generations— ¹⁰ so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, ¹¹ and so that you can teach the Israelites all the rules that the Lord spoke to them through Moses.

¹² Moses then told Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that is left over from the Lord’s food gifts and eat it unleavened next to the altar, because it is most holy. ¹³ You must eat it in a holy place because it is your portion and your sons’ portion from the Lord’s food gifts, as I have been commanded. ¹⁴ You must eat the breast for the uplifted offering and the thigh for the gift offering in a clean place—both you and your sons and daughters. These things are designated as your portion and your children’s portion from the Israelites’ communal sacrifices of well-being. ¹⁵ The Israelites must bring the thigh for the gift and the breast for the uplifted offering along with the food gifts of the fat pieces, to be lifted up as an uplifted offering before the Lord. These will belong to both you and your children as a permanent portion, just as the Lord has commanded.”

¹⁶ Then Moses asked about the male goat for the purification offering, and discovered that it had already been burned. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the purification offering in the holy area? It’s most holy, and it was assigned to you for bearing the community’s punishment by making reconciliation for them before the Lord. ¹⁸ Since its blood wasn’t brought into the sanctuary’s interior, you were to have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I was commanded.”^[s]

¹⁹ “Look,” Aaron said to Moses, “today they offered their purification offerings and their entirely burned offerings before the Lord, but these things still happened to me! Would the Lord have approved if I had eaten a purification offering today?” ²⁰ When Moses heard that, he approved.^[t]

Dietary rules

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ² Say to the Israelites: These are the creatures that you are allowed to eat from the land animals: ³ You can eat any animal that has divided hoofs, completely split, and that rechews food. ⁴ But of animals that rechew food and have divided hoofs you must not eat the following: the camel—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you; ⁵ the rock badger—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you; ⁶ the hare—though it rechews food, it does not have divided hoofs, so it is unclean for you; ⁷ the pig—though it has completely divided hoofs, it does not rechew food, so it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat the flesh of these animals or touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.

⁹ You are allowed to eat the following from all water animals: You may eat anything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in sea or stream. ¹⁰ But anything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales—whether it be any of the swarming creatures in the water or any of the other living creatures in the water—is detestable to you ¹¹ and must remain so. You must not eat their flesh, and you must detest their dead bodies. ¹² Anything in the water that does not have fins or scales is detestable to you.

¹³ Of the birds, the following are the ones you must detest—they must not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the black vulture, the bearded vulture, ¹⁴ the kite, any kind of falcon, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the tawny owl, the fisher owl, the screech owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, the scops owl, the osprey, ¹⁹ the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.^[u]

²⁰ Any flying insect that walks on four feet is detestable to you, ²¹ but you can eat four-footed flying insects that have jointed legs above their feet with which they hop on the ground. ²² Of these you can eat the following: any kind of migrating locust, any kind of bald locust, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper. ²³ But every other flying insect that has four feet is detestable to you.

Unclean animals

²⁴ You make yourself unclean by the following animals—whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening, ²⁵ and anyone who carries any part of their dead bodies must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening: ²⁶ All animals that have divided hoofs, but they are not completely split, and that do not rechew food are unclean for you—whoever touches them will be unclean. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the ones that walk on their paws are unclean for you—anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ Anyone who carries one of their dead bodies must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ The following are unclean for you among the small creatures that move about on the ground: the rat, the mouse, any kind of large lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the spotted lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.^{[v] 31} Of all small moving creatures, these are unclean for you—anyone who touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² Moreover, anything on which one of these creatures falls when it is dead will be unclean, whether it is wood, cloth, skin, or funeral clothing—any such item that can be used to do work. It must be put into water and will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean again. ³³ If any of these creatures fall into a pottery jar, everything inside it will be unclean; you must smash the pot. ³⁴ If water from such a jar gets on any edible food, it will be unclean; any drinkable beverage in such a jar will be unclean. ³⁵ Anything on which a part of these animals’ dead bodies might fall will be unclean. If it is an oven or stove, it must be destroyed; they are unclean for you and must remain that way. ³⁶ Now, a spring or cistern that collects water is clean, but anyone who touches one of these animals’ dead bodies in it will be unclean.^{[w] 37} If any part of these animals’ dead bodies falls on seed that is to be planted, the seed is still clean. ³⁸ But if water is poured on some seed and part of their dead bodies falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ If one of the animals that you are allowed to eat dies naturally, anyone who touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats from the dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Anyone who carries such a dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ Every creature that swarms on the earth is detestable; it must not be eaten. ⁴² Among all such creatures that swarm on the earth, you must not eat anything that moves on its belly or anything that walks on four or more feet because they are detestable. ⁴³ Do not make yourselves detestable by means of any swarming creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean with them or be made unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God. You must keep yourselves holy and be holy, because I am holy. You must not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵ I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. You must be holy, because I am holy.

Conclusion concerning animals and diet

⁴⁶ This concludes the Instruction concerning animals, birds, all creatures that live in water, and all the creatures that swarm on the earth, ⁴⁷ in order to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between creatures that can be eaten and those that cannot.

Purification after childbirth

12 The Lord said to Moses: ² Say to the Israelites: If a woman conceives a child and gives birth to a son, she will be unclean for seven days—just as she is during her menstrual period. ³ On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised. ⁴ For thirty-three days the mother will be in a state of blood purification. She must not touch anything holy or enter the sacred area until her time of purification is completed. ⁵ But if the woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be unclean for two weeks—just as she is during her menstrual period—and will be in a state of blood purification^[x] for sixty-six days.

⁶ When the time of purification is complete, whether for a son or a daughter, the mother must bring a one-year-old lamb as an entirely burned offering and a pigeon or turtledove as a purification offering to the priest at the meeting tent’s entrance. ⁷ The priest will present it before the Lord and make reconciliation for her. She will then be cleansed from her blood flow. This is the Instruction for any woman who has a child, male or female. ⁸ But if the mother cannot afford a sheep, she can bring two turtledoves or two pigeons—one for the entirely burned offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will then make reconciliation for her, and she will be clean.

Diagnosis of skin disease

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² When a person has a swelling, a scab, or a shiny spot on their skin, and it becomes an infection of skin disease^[y] on their skin, they will be brought to the priests, either to Aaron or one of his sons. ³ The priest will examine the infection on the skin. If hair in the infected area has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin, then it is an infection of skin disease. Once the priest sees this, he will declare the person unclean. ⁴ But if the shiny spot on the skin is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin and the hair has not turned white, the priest will quarantine the infected person for seven days. ⁵ On the seventh day the priest will again examine the infection. If he sees that it has remained the same—the infection has not spread on the skin—the priest will quarantine the person for seven more days. ⁶ On the seventh day the priest will examine it again. If the infection has faded and has not spread over the skin, the priest will declare the person clean; it is just a rash. The person must wash their clothes, then they will be clean again. ⁷ But if the rash continues to spread over the skin after they appeared before the priest for purification, they must again show themselves to the priest. ⁸ If the priest sees that the rash has spread over the skin, the priest will declare the person unclean; it is a case of skin disease.

⁹ Whenever someone has an infection of skin disease, they will be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ If the priest sees that there is a white swelling on the skin, it has turned the hair white, and there is a patch of raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ then it is a case of chronic skin disease on their skin. The priest will declare the person unclean. The priest will not quarantine such persons, because they are already unclean. ¹² But if the skin disease continues to break out so that the disease covers all of the infected person’s skin from head to toe, as far as the priest can tell— ¹³ then the priest will make an examination. If the skin disease has covered the person’s whole body, the priest will declare the infected person clean. The person has turned entirely white; he is clean. ¹⁴ But as soon as raw flesh appears in the swelling, they will be unclean. ¹⁵ When the priest sees the raw flesh, he will declare the person unclean. Raw flesh is unclean; it is a case of skin disease. ¹⁶ But if the raw flesh turns white again, the person will go back to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest will examine it. If the infection has turned white, the priest will declare the infected person clean; at that point, the person is clean.

¹⁸ Whenever someone has a boil on their skin, it heals, ¹⁹ and in place of the boil there is a white swelling or reddish-white shiny spot, it must be shown to the priest. ²⁰ If the priest sees that it appears to be lower than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest will declare the person unclean. It is an infection of skin disease that has broken out in the boil. ²¹ But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it, it is not lower than the skin, and it is faded, the priest will quarantine the person seven days. ²² If it continues to spread over the skin, the priest will declare the person unclean; it is an infection. ²³ But if the shiny spot remains where it was and does not spread, it is just a scar from the boil. The priest will declare the person clean.

²⁴ Whenever there is a burn on someone’s skin, and the raw patch of the burn becomes a reddish-white or white shiny spot, ²⁵ the priest will examine it. If the hair has turned white in the shiny spot, and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a case of skin disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest will declare the person unclean; it is an infection of skin disease. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it, and there is no white hair in the shiny spot, it is not lower than the skin, and it is faded, the priest will quarantine the person seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day the priest will again examine it. If it has continued to spread over the skin, the priest will declare the person unclean; it is an infection of skin disease. ²⁸ But if the shiny spot remains where it was, has not spread over the skin, and is faded, it is just swelling from the burn. The priest will declare the person clean, because it is just the scar from the burn.

²⁹ Whenever a man or woman has an infection, whether on the head or in the beard, ³⁰ the priest will examine it. If it appears to be deeper than the skin, and there is thin yellow hair in it, the priest will declare the person unclean; it is a case of scabies—a skin disease of the head or beard. ³¹ When the priest examines the scabies infection, if it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, but there is no black hair in it, the priest will quarantine the person with the scabies infection for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest will examine the infection again. If the scabies has not spread, there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ³³ the person must shave the area, without shaving the scabies. The priest will then quarantine that person another seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest will again examine the scabies. If it has not spread over the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest will declare the person clean. They must wash their clothes; then they will be clean again. ³⁵ But if the scabies continues to spread over the skin after the person’s purification, ³⁶ the priest must examine it again. If the scabies has spread over the skin at all, the priest does not need to look for the yellow hair; the person is unclean. ³⁷ But if the priest sees that the scabies has remained the same, and black hair has grown in it, the scabies has healed. The person is clean, and the priest will declare them to be so.

³⁸ Whenever a man or woman has many white shiny spots on their skin, ³⁹ if the priest sees that there are faded white shiny spots on the skin of the body, it is just a rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.

⁴⁰ If someone loses their hair, they are bald, but they are clean. ⁴¹ If the hair is lost at the sides of the forehead, the person has a receding hairline, but they are clean. ⁴² But whenever there is a reddish-white infection in the bald spot or in the receding hairline, it is a case of skin disease breaking out there. ⁴³ The priest must examine it. If the swelling of the infection is reddish white in the bald spot or receding hairline and resembles skin disease on the body, ⁴⁴ the person is afflicted with skin disease; they are unclean. The priest must declare them unclean on account of the head infection.

⁴⁵ Anyone with an infection of skin disease must wear torn clothes, dishevel their hair, cover their upper lip, and shout out, “Unclean! Unclean!” ⁴⁶ They will be unclean as long as they are infected. They are unclean. They must live alone outside the camp.

Articles with skin disease

⁴⁷ Whenever there is an infection of skin disease on clothing—on wool or linen clothing, ⁴⁸ in the weaving of the linen or wool, or on a skin or skin item— ⁴⁹ and the infection is greenish or reddish on the clothing, the weaving, or the skin or skin item, it is an infection of skin disease. It must be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest will examine the infection and quarantine the infected item seven days. ⁵¹ On the seventh day he will examine the infection again. If the infection has spread in the clothing, the weaving, or the skin, whatever it is used for, the infection is a case of infectious skin disease; the item is unclean. ⁵² The priest will burn the clothing, the weaving of the wool or linen, or whatever skin item in which the infection was found, because it is an infectious skin disease; it must be burned with fire.

⁵³ But if the priest sees that the infection has not spread in the clothing, the weaving, or on any skin item, ⁵⁴ the priest will order that the infected piece be washed, and he will quarantine it for another seven days. ⁵⁵ After it has been washed, if the priest sees that the infection has not changed its appearance, even though the infection has not spread, it is unclean. You must burn it with fire. It is a fungus,^[z] whether it is on the inside or outside.

⁵⁶ But if, after it is washed, the priest sees that the infection has faded, he will tear the infected part out of the cloth, the weaving, or the skin. ⁵⁷ If it appears again in the cloth, the weaving, or any item of skin, it is starting to break out. You must burn the infected item with fire. ⁵⁸ But if the infection disappears from the cloth, the weaving, or any item of skin that you washed, it must be washed again. Then it will be clean.

⁵⁹ This concludes the Instruction about the infection of skin disease in a woolen or linen cloth, weaving, or any skin item, in order to declare whether it is clean or unclean.

Persons with skin disease

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² This will be the Instruction for anyone with skin disease^[aa] at the time of purification: When it has been reported to the priest, ³ he will go outside the camp. If the priest sees that the person afflicted with skin disease has been healed of the infection, ⁴ the priest will order that two birds—wild^[ab] and clean—and cedarwood, crimson yarn, and hyssop be brought for the person who needs purification. ⁵ The priest will order that one bird be slaughtered over fresh water in a pottery jar. ⁶ He will then take the other wild bird, along with the cedarwood, crimson yarn, and hyssop, and will dip all of this into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. ⁷ He will sprinkle the person who needs purification from skin disease seven times and declare that they are clean. Then the priest will release the wild bird into the countryside. ⁸ The person who needs purification will then wash their clothes, shave off all of their hair, and bathe in water; at that point, they will be clean. After that, they can return to the camp, but they must live outside their tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day, the person must shave off all their hair again: head, beard, and eyebrows—everything. They must wash their clothes and bathe in water; then they will be clean again.

¹⁰ On the eighth day, that person must take two flawless male sheep, one flawless one-year-old ewe, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah^[ac] of choice flour mixed with oil, and one log^[ad] of oil. ¹¹ The priest performing the purification will place these and the person needing purification before the Lord at the meeting tent’s entrance.

¹² The priest will take one of the male sheep and present it as a compensation offering, along with the log of oil, and will lift them as an uplifted offering before the Lord. ¹³ The priest will slaughter the sheep at the same place where the purification offering and the entirely burned offering are slaughtered: in the holy area. The compensation offering, like the purification offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy. ¹⁴ The priest will take some of the blood from the compensation offering and will put it on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person needing purification. ¹⁵ Then the priest will take some of the log of oil and pour it into his left palm. ¹⁶ The priest will then dip his right finger into the oil and sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then the priest will put some of the oil that is left in his hand on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person needing purification—this oil will be placed on top of the blood of the compensation offering. ¹⁸ The priest will put whatever is left of the oil in his hand on the head of the person needing purification. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for the person before the Lord.

¹⁹ The priest will then perform the purification offering and make reconciliation for the person needing purification from their uncleanness. After that, the entirely burned offering will be slaughtered. ²⁰ The priest will offer up the entirely burned offering and the grain offering on the altar. In this way, the priest will make reconciliation for the person, and they will be clean again.

²¹ Now if the person is poor and cannot afford these things, they can bring one male sheep as a compensation offering, to be lifted up in order to make reconciliation for them; a grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil; a log of oil; ²² and two turtledoves or two pigeons, whatever they can afford—one as a purification offering and the other as an entirely burned offering. ²³ On the eighth day, they must bring these items for their purification to the priest at the meeting tent’s entrance before the Lord.

²⁴ The priest will take the male sheep for the compensation offering and the log of oil, and will lift them as an uplifted offering before the Lord. ²⁵ The priest will slaughter the sheep for the compensation offering and will take some of its blood and put it on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person needing purification. ²⁶ The priest will pour some of the oil into his left palm. ²⁷ Next, the priest will sprinkle some of the oil seven times before the Lord using his right finger. ²⁸ The priest will then put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person needing purification—on top of the same places as the blood of the compensation offering. ²⁹ The priest will put whatever is left of the oil in his hand on the head of the person needing purification, to make reconciliation for them before the Lord.

³⁰ The person will then offer one of the turtledoves or pigeons, whatever they can afford— ³¹ one as a purification offering and the other as an entirely burned offering along with the grain offering.^[ae] In this way, the priest will make reconciliation before the Lord for the person needing purification.

³² This is the Instruction concerning those who have an infection of skin disease but who cannot afford the normal means of purification.