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Eating the Priests’ Share of the Sacrifice

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings which the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am the Lord.

“Tell them: In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for the Lord, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am the Lord.

“No descendant of Aaron who has a skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the holy offerings until he is clean. Any person who has an emission of semen or touches a dead body, an unclean swarming creature or an unclean person will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy offerings unless he has washed himself. When the sun has set, he will be clean. Then he may eat the holy offerings because they are his food. He must never eat the meat of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am the Lord. The priests must do what I order, or their sin will bring them death because they dishonored a holy offering. I am the Lord, who sets them apart as holy.

10 “Laypeople must never eat any holy offering, even if they are visiting a priest or are working for him. 11 But if a priest buys a slave, the slave and anyone born in his household may eat the priest’s food. 12 However, if a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she must never eat the food taken from the holy contributions. 13 If a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, doesn’t have any children, and comes back to live in her father’s home, she may eat her father’s food. But a layperson must never eat it.

14 “Those who eat a holy offering by mistake must give another holy offering to the priest and add one-fifth more to it. 15 Priests must not dishonor the holy offerings that the Israelites contribute to the Lord. 16 They must make those people pay the penalty for their guilt because they have eaten the priests’ holy offerings. I am the Lord, who sets them apart as holy.”

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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)’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.