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The Holy Oil

24 The Lord spoke to Moses:

Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil from beaten[a] olives for the Light so the lamps will be kept burning continually.[b] Aaron shall set the Light before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is in front of the Testimony, every night from the evening to the morning. It is a permanent regulation throughout your generations. He shall set the lamps regularly on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord.

The Holy Bread

You shall take fine flour and bake twelve round loaves from it. Each loaf shall be made with four quarts of flour. You shall put them in two stacks, six to each stack, on the pure gold table before the Lord. Upon the stacks you shall place clear frankincense as a memorial portion for the bread. It is a gift of food[c] to the Lord. On every Sabbath day he shall arrange it before the Lord regularly. It is a permanent covenant on behalf of the Israelites. The bread shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat it in a holy place, for it belongs to him as a most holy thing from the gifts of food to the Lord, a perpetual allotment.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Name

10 A man who was the son of an Israelite woman and of an Egyptian man came along with the Israelites. This son of the Israelite woman fought with another Israelite in the camp. 11 The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name[d] and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri, belonging to the tribe of Dan.) 12 They put him in custody to wait for a decision from the mouth of the Lord.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 14 “Take the man who cursed outside the camp, and all those who heard it shall lay their hands on his head, and the whole community shall stone him. 15 Then speak to the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he shall bear his sin, 16 but if anyone blasphemes the name of the Lord, he must certainly be put to death; the whole community must stone him. Whether he is an alien or a citizen, when he has blasphemed the Name, he must be put to death.”

17 “If anyone hits someone and kills him, he must certainly be put to death. 18 But one who strikes and kills an animal must make restitution for it, a life for a life. 19 If anyone injures his fellow citizen, he shall have the same thing done to him as he has done: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he injured that other person, the same is to be done to him. 21 One who strikes an animal so that it dies shall make restitution for it, but one who strikes a human being and kills him shall be put to death. 22 You shall have the same standard of justice for the alien who lives with you and for the citizen, for I am the Lord your God.”

23 After Moses had spoken this to the Israelites, the man who had cursed was taken outside the camp and stoned to death. The Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:2 The basic meaning of the Hebrew verb ktt is “beat.” The translation assumes that oil from beaten olives is the highest grade “extra virgin” olive oil from the first crushing or pressing of the olive, done by hand.
  2. Leviticus 24:2 Continually here seems to mean all through the night, every night, as the next verse says, or it may mean that one lamp was always kept burning night and day.
  3. Leviticus 24:7 Elsewhere this word is translated an offering made by fire, a meaning that does not seem to fit the context here.
  4. Leviticus 24:11 The Name refers to the Tetragrammaton, Yahweh, which was usually written and pronounced as Lord (Adonai). Even today Jews often substitute the Name for Lord when they are speaking about God.

The Sanctuary’s Lamp and Bread

24 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the Israelites[b] that[c] they should bring pure olive oil from beaten olives for the light to present[d] a lamp continually. Aaron shall arrange for it outside[e] the curtain of the testimony in the tent of assembly from evening until morning before[f] Yahweh continually; it shall be a lasting statute[g] throughout your generations. On the pure golden[h] lampstand he shall arrange for the lamps before[i] Yahweh continually.

“And you shall take finely milled flour, and you shall bake with it twelve ring-shaped bread cakes: each one shall be two-tenths of an ephah. And you shall place them in two rows, six to the row, on the pure gold[j] table before[k] Yahweh. And you shall put pure frankincense on each[l] row so that[m] it shall be for the bread as a memorial offering, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. On every Sabbath[n] he shall arrange it in rows before[o] Yahweh continually; they are from the Israelites[p] as an everlasting[q] covenant. And it shall be for Aaron and for his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy thing[r] for him from Yahweh’s offerings made by fire—a lasting rule.”[s]

Punishment for Blasphemy

10 And an Israelite woman’s son, and he was an Egyptian man’s son, went out in the midst of the Israelites;[t] and the Israelite woman’s son and an[u] Israelite man fought in the camp. 11 Then[v] the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name, and he cursed, so[w] they brought him to Moses—and the name of his mother was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 Then[x] they put him in custody so that[y] the matter might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.

13 Then[z] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring the curser outside the camp,[aa] and all the hearers shall place their hands on his head, and the whole community shall stone him. 15 And you shall speak to the Israelites,[ab] saying, ‘Any man[ac] when he curses his God shall bear[ad] his sin. 16 And he who blasphemes Yahweh’s name certainly shall be put to death; the whole community certainly shall stone him. As the alien, so the native shall be put to death at blaspheming his name.

17 “‘And when a man kills any human being, he certainly shall be put to death. 18 And he who kills[ae] a domestic animal must repay for it life in place of life. 19 And when a man causes[af] a physical defect in his fellow citizen according to[ag] what he has done, so it shall be done to him: 20 fracture in place of fracture, eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth—according to[ah] the physical defect he causes[ai] to the person, likewise it shall be caused[aj] to him. 21 And a killer of a domestic animal must repay for it, and a killer of a human shall be put to death. 22 You must have[ak] one norm; as for the alien, so[al] it must be for the native, because I am Yahweh your God.’”

23 Thus[am] Moses spoke to the Israelites,[an] and they brought the curser outside the camp,[ao] and they stoned him with stones, and the Israelites[ap] did just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 24:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 24:2 Or “and”
  4. Leviticus 24:2 Literally “to cause raising up”; or “set up” (HALOT 830 s.v. 4.d)
  5. Leviticus 24:3 Literally “from the outside of to”
  6. Leviticus 24:3 Literally “to the faces of”
  7. Leviticus 24:3 Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration”
  8. Leviticus 24:4 Supplied by context and the description of the lampstand in Exod 25:31
  9. Leviticus 24:4 Literally “to the faces of”
  10. Leviticus 24:6 Supplied by context and the description of the table in Exod 25:24
  11. Leviticus 24:6 Literally “to the faces of”
  12. Leviticus 24:7 Hebrew “the”
  13. Leviticus 24:7 Or “and”
  14. Leviticus 24:8 Literally “On the day of the Sabbath on the day of the Sabbath”
  15. Leviticus 24:8 Literally “to the faces of”
  16. Leviticus 24:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  17. Leviticus 24:8 Or “eternal” or “enduring” or “perpetual”
  18. Leviticus 24:9 Literally “a holy thing of holy things”
  19. Leviticus 24:9 Literally “rule of eternity” or “rule of long duration”
  20. Leviticus 24:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  21. Leviticus 24:10 Hebrew “the”
  22. Leviticus 24:11 Or “And”
  23. Leviticus 24:11 Or “and”
  24. Leviticus 24:12 Or “And”
  25. Leviticus 24:12 Literally “to”
  26. Leviticus 24:13 Or “And”
  27. Leviticus 24:14 Literally “to from an outside place of the camp”
  28. Leviticus 24:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  29. Leviticus 24:15 Literally “A man a man”
  30. Leviticus 24:15 Or “and he shall bear”
  31. Leviticus 24:18 Literally “he who kills the soul of” or “he who kills the life of”
  32. Leviticus 24:19 Literally “gives”
  33. Leviticus 24:19 Literally “as that”
  34. Leviticus 24:20 Literally “as that”
  35. Leviticus 24:20 Literally “gives”
  36. Leviticus 24:20 Literally “given”
  37. Leviticus 24:22 Literally “it shall be for you”
  38. Leviticus 24:22 Hebrew “as”
  39. Leviticus 24:23 Or “And”
  40. Leviticus 24:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  41. Leviticus 24:23 Literally “to from an outside place of the camp”
  42. Leviticus 24:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”

Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord(A)

24 The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. 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(B) for the generations to come. The lamps on the pure gold lampstand(C) before the Lord must be tended continually.

“Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,(D) using two-tenths of an ephah[a](E) for each loaf. Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold(F) before the Lord. By each stack put some pure incense(G) as a memorial[b] portion(H) to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly,(I) Sabbath after Sabbath,(J) on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons,(K) who are to eat it in the sanctuary area,(L) because it is a most holy(M) 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(N) with a curse;(O) so they brought him to Moses.(P) (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.)(Q) 12 They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.(R)

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.(S) 15 Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God(T) will be held responsible;(U) 16 anyone who blasphemes(V) the name of the Lord is to be put to death.(W) 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.(X) 18 Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution(Y)—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.(Z) The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. 21 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution,(AA) but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.(AB) 22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner(AC) and the native-born.(AD) I am the Lord your God.’”

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

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 24:5 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms
  2. Leviticus 24:7 Or representative