Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(A)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: (B)“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and (C)the garments, (D)the anointing oil, a (E)bull as the sin offering, two (F)rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; and gather all the congregation together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.”

So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. And the congregation was gathered together at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. And Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord commanded to be done.”

Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons and (G)washed them with water. And he (H)put the tunic on him, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the intricately woven band of the ephod, and with it tied the ephod on him. Then he put the breastplate on him, and he (I)put the [a]Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate. (J)And he put the turban on his head. Also on the turban, on its front, he put the golden plate, the holy crown, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 (K)Also Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the laver and its base, to [b]consecrate them. 12 And he (L)poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.

13 (M)Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons and put tunics on them, girded them with sashes, and put [c]hats on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

14 (N)And he brought the bull for the sin offering. Then Aaron and his sons (O)laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering, 15 and Moses killed it. (P)Then he took the blood, and put some on the horns of the altar all around with his finger, and purified the altar. And he poured the blood at the base of the altar, and consecrated it, to make [d]atonement for it. 16 (Q)Then he took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar. 17 But the bull, its hide, its flesh, and its offal, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord (R)had commanded Moses.

18 (S)Then he brought the ram as the burnt offering. And Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 19 and Moses killed it. Then he sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 20 And he cut the ram into pieces; and Moses (T)burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 Then he washed the entrails and the legs in water. And Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt sacrifice for a [e]sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord, (U)as the Lord had commanded Moses.

22 And (V)he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of (W)its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the (X)blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. 25 (Y)Then he took the fat and the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh; 26 (Z)and from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one unleavened cake, a cake of bread anointed with oil, and one wafer, and put them on the fat and on the right thigh; 27 and he put all these (AA)in Aaron’s hands and in his sons’ hands, and waved them as a wave offering before the Lord. 28 (AB)Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar, on the burnt offering. They were consecration offerings for a sweet aroma. That was an offering made by fire to the Lord. 29 And (AC)Moses took the (AD)breast and waved it as a wave offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ (AE)part of the ram of consecration, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

30 Then (AF)Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar, and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, (AG)“Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32 (AH)What remains of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 And you shall not go outside the door of the tabernacle of meeting for seven days, until the days of your consecration are ended. For (AI)seven days he shall consecrate you. 34 (AJ)As he has done this day, so the Lord has commanded to do, to make atonement for you. 35 Therefore you shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting day and night for seven days, and (AK)keep the [f]charge of the Lord, so that you may not die; for so I have been commanded.” 36 So Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses.

The Priestly Ministry Begins

It came to pass on the (AL)eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young (AM)bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, (AN)‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and (AO)a grain offering mixed with oil; for (AP)today the Lord will appear to you.’ ”

So they brought what Moses commanded before the tabernacle of meeting. And all the congregation drew near and stood [g]before the Lord. Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded you to do, and the glory of the Lord will appear to you.” And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, (AQ)offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. (AR)Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”

Aaron therefore went to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself. Then the sons of Aaron brought the blood to him. And he dipped his finger in the blood, put it on the horns of the altar, and poured the blood at the base of the altar. 10 (AS)But the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe from the liver of the sin offering he burned on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 (AT)The flesh and the hide he burned with fire outside the camp.

12 And he killed the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, (AU)which he sprinkled all around on the altar. 13 (AV)Then they presented the burnt offering to him, with its pieces and head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 (AW)And he washed the entrails and the legs, and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

15 (AX)Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one. 16 And he brought the burnt offering and offered it (AY)according to the [h]prescribed manner. 17 Then he brought the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, (AZ)besides the burnt sacrifice of the morning.

18 He also killed the bull and the ram as (BA)sacrifices of peace offerings, which were for the people. And Aaron’s sons presented to him the blood, which he sprinkled all around on the altar, 19 and the fat from the bull and the ram—the fatty tail, what covers the entrails and the kidneys, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver; 20 and they put the fat on the breasts. (BB)Then he burned the fat on the altar; 21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved (BC)as a wave offering before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted his hand toward the people, (BD)blessed them, and came down from offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, 24 and (BE)fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they (BF)shouted and fell on their (BG)faces.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 8:8 Lit. Lights and the Perfections, Ex. 28:30
  2. Leviticus 8:11 set them apart for the Lord
  3. Leviticus 8:13 headpieces
  4. Leviticus 8:15 Lit. covering
  5. Leviticus 8:21 pleasing
  6. Leviticus 8:35 office
  7. Leviticus 9:5 in the presence of
  8. Leviticus 9:16 ordinance

The Ordination of Aaron and His Sons(A)

The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron and his sons,(B) their garments,(C) the anointing oil,(D) the bull for the sin offering,[a](E) the two rams(F) and the basket containing bread made without yeast,(G) and gather the entire assembly(H) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.(I) Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.(J) He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him. He also fastened the ephod with a decorative waistband, which he tied around him.(K) He placed the breastpiece(L) on him and put the Urim and Thummim(M) in the breastpiece. Then he placed the turban(N) on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred emblem,(O) on the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses.(P)

10 Then Moses took the anointing oil(Q) and anointed(R) the tabernacle(S) and everything in it, and so consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.(T) 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed(U) him to consecrate him.(V) 13 Then he brought Aaron’s sons(W) forward, put tunics(X) on them, tied sashes around them and fastened caps on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.(Y)

14 He then presented the bull(Z) for the sin offering,(AA) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.(AB) 15 Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood,(AC) and with his finger he put it on all the horns of the altar(AD) to purify the altar.(AE) He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it.(AF) 16 Moses also took all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar. 17 But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its intestines(AG) he burned up outside the camp,(AH) as the Lord commanded Moses.

18 He then presented the ram(AI) for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 19 Then Moses slaughtered the ram and splashed the blood against the sides of the altar. 20 He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat.(AJ) 21 He washed the internal organs and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.

22 He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination,(AK) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head.(AL) 23 Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.(AM) 24 Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he splashed blood against the sides of the altar.(AN) 25 After that, he took the fat(AO), the fat tail, all the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. 26 And from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the Lord, he took one thick loaf, one thick loaf with olive oil mixed in, and one thin loaf,(AP) and he put these on the fat portions and on the right thigh. 27 He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and they waved them before the Lord(AQ) as a wave offering. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, a food offering presented to the Lord. 29 Moses also took the breast, which was his share of the ordination ram,(AR) and waved it before the Lord as a wave offering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

30 Then Moses(AS) took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments(AT) and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated(AU) Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.

31 Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting(AV) and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded: ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32 Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. 33 Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.(AW) 34 What has been done today was commanded by the Lord(AX) to make atonement for you. 35 You must stay at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and do what the Lord requires,(AY) so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.”

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

The Priests Begin Their Ministry

On the eighth day(AZ) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders(BA) of Israel. He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering[b] and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat(BB) for a sin offering,(BC) a calf(BD) and a lamb(BE)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, and an ox[c](BF) and a ram for a fellowship offering(BG) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.(BH)’”

They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord(BI) may appear to you.”

Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;(BJ) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.(BK)

So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering(BL) for himself. His sons brought the blood to him,(BM) and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.(BN) 10 On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; 11 the flesh and the hide(BO) he burned up outside the camp.(BP)

12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.(BQ) His sons handed him the blood,(BR) and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 13 They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.(BS) 14 He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.(BT)

15 Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.(BU) He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.

16 He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.(BV) 17 He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.(BW)

18 He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.(BX) His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 19 But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— 20 these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. 21 Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering,(BY) as Moses commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.(BZ) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

23 Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.(CA) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord(CB) appeared to all the people. 24 Fire(CC) came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.(CD)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 8:2 Or purification offering; also in verse 14
  2. Leviticus 9:2 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  3. Leviticus 9:4 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female; also in verses 18 and 19.