The Holiness of the Offerings

22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they (A)separate[a] themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they (B)do not profane My holy name by what they (C)dedicate to Me: I am the Lord. Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the Lord, (D)while he has [b]uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the Lord.

‘Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a (E)leper or has (F)a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings (G)until he is clean. And (H)whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or (I)a man who has had an emission of semen, or (J)whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or (K)any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be— the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he (L)washes his body with water. And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because (M)it is his food. (N)Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the Lord.

‘They shall therefore keep (O)My [c]ordinance, (P)lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the Lord sanctify them.

10 (Q)‘No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who [d]dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. 11 But if the priest (R)buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. 13 But if the priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food; but no outsider shall eat it.

14 ‘And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. 15 They shall not profane the (S)holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, 16 or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ”

Offerings Accepted and Not Accepted

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: (T)‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who [e]offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings, which they offer to the Lord as a burnt offering— 19 (U)you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. 20 (V)Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. 21 And (W)whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, (X)to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22 (Y)Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an [f]ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make (Z)an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb (AA)too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

24 ‘You shall not offer to the Lord what is bruised or crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. 25 Nor (AB)from a foreigner’s hand shall you offer any of these as (AC)the bread of your God, because their (AD)corruption is in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on your behalf.’ ”

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 (AE)“When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her (AF)and her young on the same day. 29 And when you (AG)offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave (AH)none of it until morning: I am the Lord.

31 (AI)“Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord. 32 (AJ)You shall not profane My holy name, but (AK)I will be [g]hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who (AL)sanctifies you, 33 (AM)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”

Feasts of the Lord

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be (AN)holy convocations, these are My feasts.

The Sabbath

(AO)‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread(AP)

(AQ)‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. (AR)On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. (AS)On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no [h]customary work on it. But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ”

The Feast of Firstfruits

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (AT)‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of (AU)the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall (AV)wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a [i]sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks(AW)

15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count (AX)fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer (AY)a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are (AZ)the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice (BA)one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a (BB)peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. (BC)They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 (BD)‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets(BE)

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the (BF)seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, (BG)a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”

The Day of Atonement(BH)

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 (BI)“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, (BJ)to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not (BK)afflicted in soul on that same day (BL)shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, (BM)that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [j]afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall [k]celebrate your sabbath.”

The Feast of Tabernacles(BN)

33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (BO)‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an (BP)offering made by fire to the Lord. (BQ)On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a (BR)sacred[l] assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

37 (BS)‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 (BT)besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.

39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have (BU)gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And (BV)you shall take for yourselves on the first day the [m]fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; (BW)and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 (BX)You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 (BY)You shall dwell in [n]booths for seven days. (BZ)All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 (CA)that your generations may (CB)know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when (CC)I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

44 So Moses (CD)declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:2 keep themselves apart from
  2. Leviticus 22:3 defilement
  3. Leviticus 22:9 charge
  4. Leviticus 22:10 As a visitor
  5. Leviticus 22:18 brings his offering
  6. Leviticus 22:22 running sore
  7. Leviticus 22:32 treated as holy
  8. Leviticus 23:7 occupational
  9. Leviticus 23:13 pleasing
  10. Leviticus 23:32 humble yourselves
  11. Leviticus 23:32 observe your sabbath
  12. Leviticus 23:36 solemn
  13. Leviticus 23:40 foliage
  14. Leviticus 23:42 tabernacles; shelters made of boughs

22 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings(A) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.(B) I am the Lord.(C)

“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.

“‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[a] 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 corpse(G) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, or if he touches any crawling thing(H) that makes him unclean, or any person(I) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. The one who touches any such thing will be unclean(J) till evening.(K) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.(L) When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.(M) He must not eat anything found dead(N) or torn by wild animals,(O) and so become unclean(P) through it. I am the Lord.(Q)

“‘The priests are to perform my service(R) in such a way that they do not become guilty(S) and die(T) 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) 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.(W) 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But 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 mistake(X) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value(Y) to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings(Z) the Israelites present to the Lord(AA) 16 by allowing them to eat(AB) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt(AC) requiring payment.(AD) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(AE)’”

Unacceptable Sacrifices

17 The 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 Israel(AF)—presents a gift(AG) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow(AH) or as a freewill offering,(AI) 19 you must present a male without defect(AJ) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.(AK) 20 Do not bring anything with a defect,(AL) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.(AM) 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock(AN) a fellowship offering(AO) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,(AP) it must be without defect or blemish(AQ) to be acceptable.(AR) 22 Do 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. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[b] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.(AS) You must not do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.(AT) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.(AU)’”

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf, a lamb or a goat(AV) is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.(AW) From the eighth day(AX) on, it will be acceptable(AY) as a food offering presented to the Lord. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.(AZ)

29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering(BA) to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.(BB) I am the Lord.(BC)

31 “Keep(BD) my commands and follow them.(BE) I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name,(BF) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.(BG) I am the Lord, who made you holy(BH) 33 and who brought you out of Egypt(BI) to be your God.(BJ) I am the Lord.”

The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,(BK) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.(BL)

The Sabbath

“‘There are six days when you may work,(BM) but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,(BN) a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;(BO) wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread(BP)

“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:(BQ) The Lord’s Passover(BR) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.(BS) On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread(BT) begins; for seven days(BU) you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day hold a sacred assembly(BV) and do no regular work. For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.(BW) And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you(BX) and you reap its harvest,(BY) bring to the priest a sheaf(BZ) of the first grain you harvest.(CA) 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord(CB) so it will be accepted(CC) on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old(CD) without defect,(CE) 13 together with its grain offering(CF) of two-tenths of an ephah[c](CG) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering(CH) of a quarter of a hin[d] of wine.(CI) 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,(CJ) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.(CK) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,(CL) wherever you live.(CM)

The Festival of Weeks(CN)

15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,(CO) and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah(CP) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits(CQ) to the Lord. 18 Present 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 offerings(CR)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering[e] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering,(CS) together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly(CT) and do no regular work.(CU) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22 “‘When you reap the harvest(CV) of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(CW) Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.(CX) I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets(CY)

23 The 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 assembly(CZ) commemorated with trumpet blasts.(DA) 25 Do no regular work,(DB) but present a food offering to the Lord.(DC)’”

The Day of Atonement(DD)

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month(DE) is the Day of Atonement.(DF) Hold a sacred assembly(DG) and deny yourselves,[f] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work(DH) on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. 29 Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.(DI) 30 I will destroy from among their people(DJ) anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance(DK) for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a day of sabbath rest(DL) 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.”(DM)

The Festival of Tabernacles(DN)

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh(DO) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles(DP) begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly;(DQ) do no regular work.(DR) 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly(DS) and present a food offering to the Lord.(DT) 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 offerings(DU) required for each day. 38 These offerings(DV) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths(DW) and[g] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings(DX) 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 festival(DY) to the Lord for seven days;(DZ) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches(EA) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees(EB)—and rejoice(EC) before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate 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. 42 Live in temporary shelters(ED) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know(EE) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Leviticus 22:23 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  3. Leviticus 23:13 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms; also in verse 17
  4. Leviticus 23:13 That is, about 1 quart or about 1 liter
  5. Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
  6. Leviticus 23:27 Or and fast; similarly in verses 29 and 32
  7. Leviticus 23:38 Or These festivals are in addition to the Lord’s Sabbaths, and these offerings are