Leviticus 24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Lamp
24 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for the lamp, that a light may be kept burning regularly.(A) 3 Aaron shall set it up in the tent of meeting, outside the curtain of the covenant, to burn from evening to morning before the Lord regularly; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 4 He shall set up the lamps on the lampstand of pure gold[a] before the Lord regularly.(B)
The Bread for the Tabernacle
5 “You shall take choice flour and bake twelve loaves of it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf.(C) 6 You shall place them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before the Lord.[b](D) 7 You shall put pure frankincense with each row, to be a token offering for the bread, as an offering by fire[c] to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron shall set them in order before the Lord regularly as a commitment of the Israelites, as a covenant forever.(E) 9 They shall be for Aaron and his descendants, who shall eat them in a holy place, for they are most holy portions for him from the offerings by fire[d] to the Lord, a perpetual due.”(F)
Blasphemy and Its Punishment
10 A man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was an Egyptian came out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman’s son and a certain Israelite began fighting in the camp. 11 The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name in a curse. And they brought him to Moses—now his mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan(G)— 12 and they put him in custody, until the decision of the Lord should be made clear to them.(H)
13 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and let all who were within hearing lay their hands on his head, and let the whole congregation stone him.(I) 15 And speak to the Israelites, saying: Anyone who curses God shall incur guilt. 16 One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as the native-born, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death.(J) 17 Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to death.(K) 18 Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, life for life.(L) 19 Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury in return: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; the injury inflicted is the injury to be suffered.(M) 21 One who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, but one who kills a human being shall be put to death.(N) 22 You shall have one law for the alien and for the native-born, for I am the Lord your God.”(O) 23 Moses spoke thus to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him to death. The Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Leviticus 24
Common English Bible
The sanctuary’s lamp and bread
24 The Lord said to Moses: 2 Command the Israelites to bring pure, pressed olive oil to you for the lamp, to keep a light burning constantly. 3 Aaron will tend the lamp, which will be inside the meeting tent but outside the inner curtain of the covenant document, from evening until morning before the Lord. This is a permanent rule throughout your future generations. 4 Aaron must continually tend the lights on the pure lampstand[a] before the Lord.
5 You will take choice flour and bake twelve loaves of flatbread, two-tenths of an ephah[b] for each loaf. 6 You must place them in two stacks, six in a stack, on the pure table[c] before the Lord. 7 Put pure frankincense on each stack, as a token portion for the bread; it is a food gift for the Lord. 8 Aaron will always set it out before the Lord, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of[d] the Israelites, as a permanent covenant. 9 It will belong to Aaron and his sons. They must eat it in a holy place because it is the most holy part of their share of the Lord’s food gifts, a permanent portion.
Assault and blasphemy
10 The son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father came out among the Israelites. A fight broke out between this half-Israelite[e] and another Israelite man in the camp, 11 during which the half-Israelite blasphemed the Lord’s name and cursed. So he was brought to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, Dibri’s daughter from the tribe of Dan.) 12 He was put under guard until they could determine the Lord’s verdict.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses: 14 Take the one who cursed outside the camp. All who heard him will press their hands on his head. Then the whole community will stone him. 15 Tell the Israelites: Anyone who curses God will be liable to punishment. 16 And anyone who blasphemes the Lord’s name must be executed. The whole community will stone that person. Immigrant and citizen alike: whenever someone blasphemes the Lord’s name, that person will be executed.
17 If anyone kills another person, they must be executed. 18 Someone who kills an animal may make amends for it: a life for a life. 19 If someone injures a fellow citizen, they will suffer the same injury they inflicted: 20 broken bone for broken bone, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The same injury the person inflicted on the other will be inflicted on them. 21 Someone who kills an animal must make amends for it, but whoever kills a human being must be executed. 22 There is but one law on this matter for you, immigrant or citizen alike, because I am the Lord your God.
23 Moses told this to the Israelites. So they took the one who had cursed outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did just as the Lord commanded Moses.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 24:4 Perhaps pure gold lampstand
- Leviticus 24:5 Approximately four quarts dry
- Leviticus 24:6 Perhaps pure gold table
- Leviticus 24:8 Or from or as a gift of; Heb uncertain
- Leviticus 24:10 Or Israelite woman’s son; also in 24:11
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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