Leviticus 23
New American Standard Bible
Laws of Holy Days
23 The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(A)The Lord’s appointed times which you shall (B)proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these:
3 ‘(C)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 (D)appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them. 5 (E)In the [a]first month, on the fourteenth day of the month [b]at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the (F)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 (G)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 (H)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 (I)grain offering shall then be [c]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 [d]fourth of a hin of wine. 14 Until this very day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, (J)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 ‘(K)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 (L)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 [e]two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked (M)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 (N)one male goat as a [f]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 (O)make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious (P)work. It is to be a permanent statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.
22 ‘(Q)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, ‘(R)In the [g]seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a [h]rest, a (S)reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall (T)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 (U)the tenth day of this seventh month is (V)the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble [i]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 (W)Day of Atonement, (X)to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 If there is any [j]person who does not humble himself on this very day, (Y)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 [k]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 (Z)the fifteenth of this [l]seventh month is the (AA)Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall (AB)not do any laborious work. 36 (AC)For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord. On (AD)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 (AE)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, (AF)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 [m]vowed and [n]voluntary offerings, which you give to the Lord.
39 ‘On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, (AG)when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a [o]rest on the first day and a [p]rest on the eighth day. 40 Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the [q]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 (AH)in booths for seven days; all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that (AI)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 (AJ)the appointed times of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 23:5 I.e., Nisan = March/April
- Leviticus 23:5 Lit between the two evenings
- Leviticus 23:13 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
- Leviticus 23:13 About 0.25 gallon or 1 liter
- Leviticus 23:17 About 0.13 cubic feet or 0.004 cubic meters
- Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
- Leviticus 23:24 I.e., Tishri = September/October
- Leviticus 23:24 Lit Sabbath rest
- Leviticus 23:27 Lit your souls
- Leviticus 23:29 Lit soul
- Leviticus 23:32 Lit your souls
- Leviticus 23:34 I.e., Tishri = September/October
- Leviticus 23:38 Lit vows, and besides all your
- Leviticus 23:38 Or freewill offerings
- Leviticus 23:39 Lit Sabbath rest
- Leviticus 23:39 Lit Sabbath rest
- Leviticus 23:40 Lit products; or fruit
Leviticus 23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Appointed Festivals
23 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are the appointed festivals of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed festivals.(A)
The Sabbath, Passover, and Unleavened Bread
3 “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it is a Sabbath to the Lord throughout your settlements.(B)
4 “These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, the holy convocations, that you shall celebrate at the time appointed for them.(C) 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight,[a] there shall be a Passover offering to the Lord,(D) 6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations.(E) 8 For seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings by fire;[b] on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall not work at your occupations.”
The Offering of First Fruits
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.(F) 11 He shall raise the sheaf before the Lord, that you may find acceptance; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall raise it. 12 On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire[c] of pleasing odor to the Lord, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin.(G) 14 You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements.
The Festival of Weeks
15 “And from the day after the Sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count seven full weeks.(H) 16 You shall count until the day after the seventh Sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain to the Lord.(I) 17 You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation offering, each made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to the Lord.(J) 18 You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, one bull of the herd, and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, along with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire[d] of pleasing odor to the Lord. 19 You shall also offer one male goat for a purification offering and two lambs a year old as a sacrifice of well-being.(K) 20 The priest shall raise them with the bread of the first fruits as an elevation offering before the Lord, together with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you shall make proclamation; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a statute forever in all your settlements throughout your generations.(L)
22 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.”(M)
The Festival of Trumpets
23 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the Israelites, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts.(N) 25 You shall not work at your occupations, and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.”[e]
The Day of Atonement
26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall humble yourselves[f] and present the Lord’s offering by fire,[g](O) 28 and you shall do no work during that entire day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. 29 For those who do not humble themselves[h] during that entire day shall be cut off from the people.(P) 30 And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people.(Q) 31 You shall do no work. This is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of complete rest, and you shall humble yourselves;[i] on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your Sabbath.”
The Festival of Booths
33 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the Israelites, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and lasting seven days, there shall be the Festival of Booths[j] to the Lord.(R) 35 The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 36 Seven days you shall present the Lord’s offerings by fire;[k] on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the Lord’s offerings by fire;[l] it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations.(S)
37 “These are the appointed festivals of the Lord that you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord offerings by fire[m]—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day(T)— 38 apart from the Sabbaths of the Lord and apart from your gifts and apart from all your votive offerings and apart from all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.
39 “Now, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the festival of the Lord, lasting seven days, a complete rest on the first day and a complete rest on the eighth day.(U) 40 On the first day you shall take the fruit of majestic[n] trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.(V) 41 You shall keep it as a festival to the Lord lasting seven days in the year; you shall keep it in the seventh month as a statute forever throughout your generations. 42 You shall live in booths for seven days; all who are native-born in Israel shall live in booths,(W) 43 so that your generations may know that I made the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
44 Thus Moses declared to the Israelites the appointed festivals of the Lord.(X)
Footnotes
- 23.5 Heb between the two evenings
- 23.8 Or the Lord’s gifts
- 23.13 Or a gift
- 23.18 Or a gift
- 23.25 Or the Lord’s gift
- 23.27 Or shall fast
- 23.27 Or the Lord’s gift
- 23.29 Or do not fast
- 23.32 Or shall fast
- 23.34 Or Tabernacles
- 23.36 Or the Lord’s gifts
- 23.36 Or the Lord’s gifts
- 23.37 Or gifts
- 23.40 Meaning of Heb uncertain
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.