19 (A)You shall consecrate to the Lord your God all the firstborn males that are born in your herd and in your flock; you shall not work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 (B)You and your household shall eat it every year before the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses. 21 (C)But if it has any impairment, such as a limp, or blindness, or any serious impairment, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 You shall eat it within your gates; (D)the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as (E)a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only (F)you shall not eat its blood; you are to pour it out on the ground like water.

The Feasts of Passover, of Weeks, and of Booths

16 “Observe (G)the month of Abib and [a](H)celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name. (I)You shall not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in a hurry), so that you will remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt (J)all the days of your life. For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in your entire territory, and (K)none of the meat which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall be left overnight until the morning. You are not allowed to sacrifice the Passover in any of your [b]towns which the Lord your God is giving you; but only (L)at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name, you shall sacrifice the Passover in the evening at sunset, at the time that you came out of Egypt. You shall (M)cook and eat it in the place which the Lord your God chooses. In the morning you are to return to your tents. For six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and (N)on the seventh day there shall be (O)a festive assembly to the Lord your God; you shall do no work on it.

(P)You shall count seven weeks for yourself; you shall begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. 10 Then you shall [c]celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God with a [d]voluntary offering of your hand in a proportional amount, which you shall give just as the Lord your God blesses you; 11 and you shall (Q)rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and (R)the Levite who is in your [e]town, and (S)the stranger, the [f]orphan, and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name. 12 (T)You shall also remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful and [g]comply with these statutes.

13 (U)You shall [h]celebrate the Feast of [i]Booths for seven days when you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your wine vat; 14 and you shall (V)rejoice in your feast, you, your son and your daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the Levite, the stranger, the [j]orphan, and the widow who are in your [k]towns. 15 For seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord chooses, because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful.

16 (W)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths; and (X)they are not to appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17 Everyone [l]shall give as he is able, in accordance with the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:1 Lit perform
  2. Deuteronomy 16:5 Lit gates
  3. Deuteronomy 16:10 Lit perform
  4. Deuteronomy 16:10 Or freewill offering
  5. Deuteronomy 16:11 Lit gates
  6. Deuteronomy 16:11 Or fatherless
  7. Deuteronomy 16:12 Lit perform these
  8. Deuteronomy 16:13 Lit perform
  9. Deuteronomy 16:13 Or Tabernacles
  10. Deuteronomy 16:14 Or fatherless
  11. Deuteronomy 16:14 Lit gates
  12. Deuteronomy 16:17 Lit according to the gift of his hand

The Firstborn Animals

19 Set apart for the Lord(A) your God every firstborn male(B) of your herds and flocks.(C) Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.(D) 20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose.(E) 21 If an animal has a defect,(F) is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.(G) 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.(H) 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(I)

The Passover(J)

16 Observe the month of Aviv(K) and celebrate the Passover(L) of the Lord your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. Sacrifice as the Passover to the Lord your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the Lord will choose as a dwelling for his Name.(M) Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction,(N) because you left Egypt in haste(O)—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.(P) Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days. Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening(Q) of the first day remain until morning.(R)

You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the Lord your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary[a](S) of your departure from Egypt. Roast(T) it and eat it at the place the Lord your God will choose. Then in the morning return to your tents. For six days eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly(U) to the Lord your God and do no work.(V)

The Festival of Weeks(W)

Count off seven weeks(X) from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain.(Y) 10 Then celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. 11 And rejoice(Z) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name(AA)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, the Levites(AB) in your towns, and the foreigners,(AC) the fatherless and the widows living among you.(AD) 12 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,(AE) and follow carefully these decrees.

The Festival of Tabernacles(AF)

13 Celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor(AG) and your winepress.(AH) 14 Be joyful(AI) at your festival—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns. 15 For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy(AJ) will be complete.

16 Three times a year all your men must appear(AK) before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(AL) the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles.(AM) No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed:(AN) 17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 16:6 Or down, at the time of day