Garments for the Priesthood^(A)

28 “Now take ^(B)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as ^(C)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: ^(D)Nadab, Abihu, ^(E)Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁷ Therefore ^(A)you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and ^(B)behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a ^(C)gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Qualifications for High Priesthood

5 For every high priest taken from among men ^(A)is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can ^[a]have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to ^(B)weakness. ³ Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for ^(C)himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. ⁴ And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as ^(D)Aaron was.

A Priest Forever

^5 (E)So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:

¹⁸ And they withstood King Uzziah, and said to him, “It ^(A)is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the ^(B)priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have trespassed! You shall have no honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹ Then Uzziah became furious; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense. And while he was angry with the priests, ^(C)leprosy broke out on his forehead, before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the incense altar. ²⁰ And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and there, on his forehead, he was leprous; so they thrust him out of that place. Indeed he also ^(D)hurried to get out, because the Lord had struck him.

^21 (E)King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an ^(F)isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land.

¹⁰ Johanan begot Azariah (it was he ^(A)who ministered as priest in the ^(B)temple^[a] that Solomon built in Jerusalem);

⁶ (Now the children of Israel journeyed from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron ^(A)died, and where he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his ^[a]stead.

⁶¹ And ^(A)Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord.

² “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. ³ And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. ⁴ Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before ^(A)the Testimony, ^(B)where I meet with you. ⁵ And it shall be that the rod of the man ^(C)whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, ^(D)which they make against you.”

⁶ So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. ⁷ And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in ^(E)the tabernacle of witness.

⁸ Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the ^(F)rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. ⁹ Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.

⁹ Is it ^(A)a small thing to you that the God of Israel has ^(B)separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the work of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to serve them; ¹⁰ and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? ¹¹ Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the Lord. ^(C)And what is Aaron that you complain against him?”