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Leviticus 21-24
New American Standard Bible

Regulations concerning Priests

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:

‘(A)No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, 2 (B)except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother, 3 also for his virgin sister who is near to him [a]because she has not had a husband; for her, he may defile himself. 4 He shall not defile himself as a [b]relative by marriage among his people, so as to profane himself. 5 (C)They shall not shave any area on their heads bald, (D)nor shave off the edges of their beards, (E)nor make any cuts in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy to their God and (F)not profane the name of their God, because they present the offerings by fire [c]to the Lord, (G)the food of their God; so they shall be holy. 7 (H)They shall not take a woman who is a prostitute and [d]profaned, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. 8 You shall consecrate him, therefore, because he offers (I)the food of your God. He shall be holy to you; for I the Lord, who sanctifies you, am holy. 9 (J)Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by prostitution, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

10 ‘The priest who is [e]highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and [f]who has been consecrated to wear the garments, (K)shall not [g]uncover his head nor tear his clothes; 11 (L)nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother; 12 (M)nor shall he leave the sanctuary nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for (N)the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the Lord. 13 He shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 (O)A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by prostitution, these he shall not take; but rather he is to [h]marry a virgin of his own people, 15 so that he will not profane his [i]children among his people; for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”

16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘None of your [j]descendants throughout their generations who has an impairment shall approach to offer the (P)food of his God. 18 (Q)For no one who has an impairment shall approach: a man who is blind, or one who limps, or one who has a (R)slit nose, or one with any conspicuous feature, 19 or someone who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or a contorted back, or one who is a dwarf, or has a spot in his eye, or a festering rash or scabs, or (S)crushed testicles. 21 No man among the [k]descendants of Aaron the priest who has an impairment is to come forward to offer the Lord’s offerings by fire; since he has an impairment, he shall not come forward to offer (T)the food of his God. 22 He may eat (U)the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, 23 only he shall not come up to the veil or approach the altar, since he has an impairment, so that he does not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Various Rules for Priests

22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the Lord. 3 Say to them, ‘(V)Any man among all your [l]descendants throughout your generations who approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel consecrate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from My presence; I am the Lord. 4 (W)No man of the [m]descendants of Aaron, who has [n]leprosy or has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. (X)And one who touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or (Y)a man who has a seminal emission, 5 or (Z)a man who touches any swarming things by which he is made unclean, or touches any person by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; 6 a [o]person who touches any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his [p]body in water. 7 But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy gifts, for (AA)it is his [q]food. 8 He shall not eat (AB)an animal which dies or is torn by animals, becoming unclean by it; I am the Lord. 9 They shall therefore perform their (AC)duty to Me, so that (AD)they do not bear sin because of it and die by it because they profane it; I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10 ‘(AE)No [r]layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a foreign resident with the priest or a hired worker shall not eat the holy gift. 11 (AF)But if a priest buys a [s]slave as his property with his money, [t]that person may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his [u]food. 12 If a priest’s daughter is married to a [v]layman, she shall not eat of the [w]offering of the holy gifts. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s [x]food; (AG)but no [y]layman shall eat of it. 14 (AH)If, however, someone eats a holy food unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy food to the priest. 15 And (AI)they shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, 16 and thereby (AJ)bring upon them [z]punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”

Flawless Animals for Sacrifice

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the sons of Israel, and say to them, ‘(AK)Anyone of the house of Israel or of the strangers in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their [aa]vows or any of their [ab]voluntary offerings, which they present to the Lord as a burnt offering— 19 (AL)for you to be accepted—it must be a male without defect [ac]from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. 20 (AM)Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. 21 When someone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord (AN)to fulfill a special vow or for a [ad]voluntary offering, [ae]of the herd or [af]of the flock, it must be without defect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22 Those that are blind, fractured, maimed, or have a wart, a festering rash, or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the Lord. 23 Now as for an ox or a lamb which has an [ag]overgrown or stunted member, you may present it as a [ah]voluntary offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. 24 Also (AO)anything with its testicles squashed, crushed, torn off, or cut off, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor [ai]sacrifice in your land, 25 nor shall you offer any of these animals taken from the hand of a [aj]foreigner (AP)as the [ak]food of your God; for their deformity is in them, they have an impairment. They will not be accepted for you.’”

26 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall [al]remain (AQ)seven days [am]with its mother, and from the eighth day on it will be considered acceptable as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the Lord. 28 (AR)But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young in one day. 29 When you sacrifice (AS)a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30 It shall be eaten on the same day; you shall leave none of it until morning. I am the Lord. 31 (AT)So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the Lord.

32 “And you shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 (AU)who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the Lord.”

Laws of Holy Days

23 The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(AV)The Lord’s appointed times which you shall (AW)proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:

3 ‘(AX)For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwellings.

4 ‘These are the (AY)appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 5 (AZ)In the [an]first month, on the fourteenth day of the month [ao]at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the (BA)Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall (BB)not do any laborious work. 8 But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.’”

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and you (BC)gather its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its (BD)grain offering shall then be [ap]two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the Lord for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a [aq]fourth of a hin of wine. 14 Until this very day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, (BE)you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new produce. It is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.

15 ‘(BF)You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a (BG)new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread as a wave offering, made of [ar]two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked (BH)with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. 18 Along with the bread you shall present seven one-year-old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 19 You shall also offer (BI)one male goat as a [as]sin offering, and two male lambs one year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering with two lambs before the Lord; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On this very day you shall (BJ)make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious (BK)work. It is to be a permanent statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

22 ‘(BL)When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the stranger. I am the Lord your God.’”

23 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(BM)In the [at]seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a [au]rest, a (BN)reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall (BO)not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’”

The Day of Atonement

26 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “On exactly (BP)the tenth day of this seventh month is (BQ)the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble [av]yourselves and present an offering by fire to the Lord. 28 You shall not do any work on this very day, for it is a (BR)Day of Atonement, (BS)to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 If there is any [aw]person who does not humble himself on this very day, (BT)he shall be cut off from his people. 30 As for any person who does any work on this very day, that person I will eliminate from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble [ax]yourselves; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening, you shall keep your Sabbath.”

33 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On (BU)the fifteenth of this [ay]seventh month is the (BV)Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall (BW)not do any laborious work. 36 (BX)For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On (BY)the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is an assembly. You shall not do any laborious work.

37 ‘These are (BZ)the appointed times of the Lord which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the Lord—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, (CA)each day’s matter on its own day— 38 besides those of the Sabbaths of the Lord, and besides your gifts and besides all your [az]vowed and [ba]voluntary offerings, which you give to the Lord.

39 ‘On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, (CB)when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a [bb]rest on the first day and a [bc]rest on the eighth day. 40 Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the [bd]foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and branches of trees with thick branches and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 So you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall live (CC)in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that (CD)your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’” 44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel (CE)the appointed times of the Lord.

The Lamp and the Bread of the Sanctuary

24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you (CF)clear oil from beaten olives for the [be]light, to make a lamp [bf]burn continually. 3 Outside the veil of the testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a permanent statute throughout your generations. 4 He shall keep the lamps in order on the (CG)pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.

5 “(CH)Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve [bg]cakes with it; [bh]two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 And you shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the (CI)pure gold table before the Lord. 7 You shall put pure frankincense on each row so that it may be (CJ)a memorial portion for the bread, an offering by fire to the Lord. 8 (CK)Every Sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord (CL)continually; it is an everlasting covenant [bi]for the sons of Israel. 9 And (CM)it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the Lord’s offerings by fire, his portion forever.”

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman—his father was an Egyptian—went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man had a fight within the camp. 11 And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the (CN)Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they put him in custody, waiting for Moses to give them a clear decision in accordance with (CO)the command of the Lord.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and have all who heard him (CP)lay their hands on his head; then (CQ)have all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall also speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(CR)If anyone curses his God, then he will bear the responsibility for his sin. 16 Moreover, the one who (CS)blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The stranger as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

An Eye for an Eye

17 ‘Now (CT)if someone [bj]takes any human life, he must be put to death. 18 But (CU)the one who [bk]takes the life of an animal shall make restitution, life for life. 19 If someone injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so shall it be done to him: 20 (CV)fracture for fracture, (CW)eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a person, so shall it be [bl]inflicted on him. 21 So the one who [bm]kills an animal shall make restitution, but (CX)the one who [bn]kills a person shall be put to death. 22 There shall be only (CY)one [bo]standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’” 23 Then Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, and they brought the one who had cursed outside the camp, and stoned him with stones. So the sons of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:3 Or who has not belonged to a man
  2. Leviticus 21:4 Lit husband among
  3. Leviticus 21:6 Lit of
  4. Leviticus 21:7 I.e., deflowered
  5. Leviticus 21:10 I.e., the high priest
  6. Leviticus 21:10 Lit whose hand has been filled
  7. Leviticus 21:10 Lit unbind
  8. Leviticus 21:14 Lit take as wife
  9. Leviticus 21:15 Lit seed
  10. Leviticus 21:17 Lit seed
  11. Leviticus 21:21 Lit seed
  12. Leviticus 22:3 Lit seed
  13. Leviticus 22:4 Lit seed
  14. Leviticus 22:4 I.e., leprosy or another serious skin disease
  15. Leviticus 22:6 Lit soul
  16. Leviticus 22:6 Lit flesh
  17. Leviticus 22:7 Lit bread
  18. Leviticus 22:10 Or unauthorized person
  19. Leviticus 22:11 Lit soul
  20. Leviticus 22:11 Lit he may
  21. Leviticus 22:11 Lit bread
  22. Leviticus 22:12 Lit stranger
  23. Leviticus 22:12 Or uplifted offering
  24. Leviticus 22:13 Lit bread
  25. Leviticus 22:13 Lit stranger
  26. Leviticus 22:16 Or wrongdoing requiring a guilt offering
  27. Leviticus 22:18 Or vowed offerings
  28. Leviticus 22:18 Or freewill offerings
  29. Leviticus 22:19 Lit among
  30. Leviticus 22:21 Or freewill offering
  31. Leviticus 22:21 Lit among
  32. Leviticus 22:21 Lit among
  33. Leviticus 22:23 Or a deformed
  34. Leviticus 22:23 Or freewill offering
  35. Leviticus 22:24 Lit do
  36. Leviticus 22:25 Lit son of a stranger
  37. Leviticus 22:25 Lit bread
  38. Leviticus 22:27 Lit be
  39. Leviticus 22:27 Lit under
  40. Leviticus 23:5 I.e., Nisan = March/April
  41. Leviticus 23:5 Lit between the two evenings
  42. Leviticus 23:13 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
  43. Leviticus 23:13 About 0.25 gallon or 1 liter
  44. Leviticus 23:17 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
  45. Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
  46. Leviticus 23:24 I.e., Tishri = September/October
  47. Leviticus 23:24 Lit Sabbath rest
  48. Leviticus 23:27 Lit your souls
  49. Leviticus 23:29 Lit soul
  50. Leviticus 23:32 Lit your souls
  51. Leviticus 23:34 I.e., Tishri = September/October
  52. Leviticus 23:38 Lit vows, and besides all your
  53. Leviticus 23:38 Or freewill offerings
  54. Leviticus 23:39 Lit Sabbath rest
  55. Leviticus 23:39 Lit Sabbath rest
  56. Leviticus 23:40 Lit products; or fruit
  57. Leviticus 24:2 Or luminary
  58. Leviticus 24:2 Lit ascend
  59. Leviticus 24:5 I.e., ring-shaped bread loaves
  60. Leviticus 24:5 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
  61. Leviticus 24:8 Lit from
  62. Leviticus 24:17 Lit strikes
  63. Leviticus 24:18 Lit strikes
  64. Leviticus 24:20 Lit given
  65. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  66. Leviticus 24:21 Lit strikes down
  67. Leviticus 24:22 Lit judgment
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Leviticus 21-24
New International Version

Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(A) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(B) for any of his people who die,(C) 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(D) his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(E) 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.

5 “‘Priests must not shave(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(G) or cut their bodies.(H) 6 They must be holy to their God(I) and must not profane the name of their God.(J) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(K) the food of their God,(L) they are to be holy.(M)

7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(N) because priests are holy to their God.(O) 8 Regard them as holy,(P) because they offer up the food of your God.(Q) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(R)

9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(S)

10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(T) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(U) must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes.(V) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(W) He must not make himself unclean,(X) even for his father or mother,(Y) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(Z) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(AA) of his God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(AB) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(AC) may come near to offer the food of his God.(AD) 18 No man who has any defect(AE) may come near: no man who is blind(AF) or lame,(AG) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(AH) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(AI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(AJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(AK) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(AL) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(AM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(AN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(AO)’”

24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

22 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings(AP) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.(AQ) I am the Lord.(AR)

3 “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,(AS) that person must be cut off from my presence.(AT) I am the Lord.

4 “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[c] or a bodily discharge,(AU) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse(AV) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5 or if he touches any crawling thing(AW) that makes him unclean, or any person(AX) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 The one who touches any such thing will be unclean(AY) till evening.(AZ) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.(BA) 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.(BB) 8 He must not eat anything found dead(BC) or torn by wild animals,(BD) and so become unclean(BE) through it. I am the Lord.(BF)

9 “‘The priests are to perform my service(BG) in such a way that they do not become guilty(BH) and die(BI) for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(BJ)

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.(BK) 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.(BL) 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(BM) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value(BN) to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings(BO) the Israelites present to the Lord(BP) 16 by allowing them to eat(BQ) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt(BR) requiring payment.(BS) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(BT)’”

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(BU)—presents a gift(BV) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow(BW) or as a freewill offering,(BX) 19 you must present a male without defect(BY) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.(BZ) 20 Do not bring anything with a defect,(CA) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.(CB) 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock(CC) a fellowship offering(CD) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,(CE) it must be without defect or blemish(CF) to be acceptable.(CG) 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[d] 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.(CH) 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.(CI) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.(CJ)’”

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

29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering(CP) 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.(CQ) I am the Lord.(CR)

31 “Keep(CS) my commands and follow them.(CT) I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name,(CU) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.(CV) I am the Lord, who made you holy(CW) 33 and who brought you out of Egypt(CX) to be your God.(CY) I am the Lord.”

The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,(CZ) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.(DA)

The Sabbath

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

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread(DE)

4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:(DF) 5 The Lord’s Passover(DG) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.(DH) 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread(DI) begins; for seven days(DJ) you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly(DK) and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.(DL) And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

9 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(DM) and you reap its harvest,(DN) bring to the priest a sheaf(DO) of the first grain you harvest.(DP) 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord(DQ) so it will be accepted(DR) 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(DS) without defect,(DT) 13 together with its grain offering(DU) of two-tenths of an ephah[e](DV) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering(DW) of a quarter of a hin[f] of wine.(DX) 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,(DY) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.(DZ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,(EA) wherever you live.(EB)

The Festival of Weeks(EC)

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,(ED) 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(EE) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits(EF) 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(EG)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering[g] 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,(EH) 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(EI) and do no regular work.(EJ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

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

The Festival of Trumpets(EN)

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(EO) commemorated with trumpet blasts.(EP) 25 Do no regular work,(EQ) but present a food offering to the Lord.(ER)’”

The Day of Atonement(ES)

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month(ET) is the Day of Atonement.(EU) Hold a sacred assembly(EV) and deny yourselves,[h] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work(EW) 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.(EX) 30 I will destroy from among their people(EY) anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance(EZ) for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a day of sabbath rest(FA) 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.”(FB)

The Festival of Tabernacles(FC)

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh(FD) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles(FE) begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly;(FF) do no regular work.(FG) 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly(FH) and present a food offering to the Lord.(FI) 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(FJ) required for each day. 38 These offerings(FK) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths(FL) and[i] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings(FM) 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(FN) to the Lord for seven days;(FO) 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(FP) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees(FQ)—and rejoice(FR) 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(FS) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know(FT) 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.

Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord(FU)

24 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 3 Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance(FV) for the generations to come. 4 The lamps on the pure gold lampstand(FW) before the Lord must be tended continually.

5 “Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,(FX) using two-tenths of an ephah[j](FY) for each loaf. 6 Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold(FZ) before the Lord. 7 By each stack put some pure incense(GA) as a memorial[k] portion(GB) to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. 8 This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly,(GC) Sabbath after Sabbath,(GD) on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons,(GE) who are to eat it in the sanctuary area,(GF) because it is a most holy(GG) part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.”

A Blasphemer Put to Death

10 Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name(GH) with a curse;(GI) so they brought him to Moses.(GJ) (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.)(GK) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.(GL)

13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.(GM) 15 Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God(GN) will be held responsible;(GO) 16 anyone who blasphemes(GP) the name of the Lord is to be put to death.(GQ) The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

17 “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death.(GR) 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution(GS)—life for life. 19 Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.(GT) The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution,(GU) but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.(GV) 22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner(GW) and the native-born.(GX) I am the Lord your God.’”

23 Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him.(GY) The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
  2. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
  3. Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  4. Leviticus 22:23 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  5. Leviticus 23:13 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms; also in verse 17
  6. Leviticus 23:13 That is, about 1 quart or about 1 liter
  7. Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
  8. Leviticus 23:27 Or and fast; similarly in verses 29 and 32
  9. Leviticus 23:38 Or These festivals are in addition to the Lord’s Sabbaths, and these offerings are
  10. Leviticus 24:5 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms
  11. Leviticus 24:7 Or representative
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Leviticus 20
Leviticus 25
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