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
Leviticus 23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Holy Days
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: These are My appointed times,(A) the times of the Lord that you will proclaim as sacred assemblies.(B)
3 “Work may be done for six days, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest,(C) a sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; it is a Sabbath(D) to the Lord wherever you live.
4 “These are the Lord’s appointed times, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5 The Passover(E) to the Lord comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. 6 The Festival of Unleavened Bread(F) to the Lord is on the fifteenth day of the same month. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any daily work. 8 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day there will be a sacred assembly; you must not do any daily work.”
9 The Lord spoke to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you and reap its harvest,[a] you are to bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. 11 He will wave the sheaf before the Lord so that you may be accepted; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you are to offer a year-old male lamb[b] without blemish(G) as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering is to be four quarts[c] of fine flour mixed with oil as a fire offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, and its drink offering will be one quart[d] of wine. 14 You must not eat bread, roasted grain, or any new grain[e] until this very day, and until you have brought the offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live.
15 “You are to count seven[f] complete weeks[g](H) starting from the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the presentation offering.(I) 16 You are to count 50 days until the day after the seventh Sabbath and then present an offering of new grain[h] to the Lord. 17 Bring two loaves of bread from your settlements as a presentation offering, each of them made from four quarts[i] of fine flour, baked with yeast, as firstfruits(J) to the Lord. 18 You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 You are also to prepare one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a fellowship sacrifice. 20 The priest will wave the lambs with the bread of firstfruits as a presentation offering before the Lord; the bread and the two lambs will be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to make a proclamation and hold a sacred assembly. You are not to do any daily work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap all the way to the edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident;(K) I am Yahweh your God.”
23 The Lord spoke to Moses: 24 “Tell the Israelites: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you are to have a day of complete rest, commemoration, and joyful shouting[j](L)—a sacred assembly.(M) 25 You must not do any daily work, but you must present a fire offering to the Lord.”
26 The Lord again spoke to Moses: 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement.(N) You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial;[k](O) you are to present a fire offering to the Lord. 28 On this particular day you are not to do any work, for it is a Day of Atonement to make atonement for yourselves before the Lord your God. 29 If any person does not practice self-denial on this particular day, he must be cut off from his people. 30 I will destroy among his people anyone who does any work on this same day. 31 You are not to do any work. This is a permanent statute throughout your generations wherever you live. 32 It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you must practice self-denial. You are to observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”
33 The Lord spoke to Moses: 34 “Tell the Israelites: The Festival of Booths[l](P) to the Lord begins on the fifteenth day of this seventh month and continues for seven days. 35 There is to be a sacred assembly on the first day; you are not to do any daily work. 36 You are to present a fire offering to the Lord for seven days. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present a fire offering to the Lord. It is a solemn gathering;(Q) you are not to do any daily work.
37 “These are the Lord’s appointed times that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting fire offerings to the Lord, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38 These are in addition to the offerings for the Lord’s Sabbaths, your gifts, all your vow offerings, and all your freewill offerings that you give to the Lord.
39 “You are to celebrate the Lord’s festival on the fifteenth day of the seventh month for seven days after you have gathered the produce of the land. There will be complete rest on the first day and complete rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you are to take the product(R) of majestic trees—palm fronds,(S) boughs of leafy trees,(T) and willows of the brook(U)—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for you throughout your generations; you must celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You are to live in booths(V) for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must live in booths, 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 Yahweh your God.” 44 So Moses declared the Lord’s appointed times to the Israelites.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 23:10 = the barley harvest
- Leviticus 23:12 Or a male lamb in its first year
- Leviticus 23:13 Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]
- Leviticus 23:13 Lit one-fourth of a hin
- Leviticus 23:14 Grain or bread from the new harvest
- Leviticus 23:15 Lit count; they will be seven
- Leviticus 23:15 Or Sabbaths
- Leviticus 23:16 = the wheat harvest; Ex 34:22
- Leviticus 23:17 Lit two-tenths [of an ephah]
- Leviticus 23:24 Or blast; traditionally trumpet blasts
- Leviticus 23:27 Traditionally, fasting, abstinence from sex, and refraining from personal grooming
- Leviticus 23:34 Or Feast of Tabernacles
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.
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