Leviticus 8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Rites of Ordination
8 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull for the purification offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread;(A) 3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” 4 And Moses did as the Lord had commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 5 Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.(B) 7 He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with it. 8 He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.(C) 9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy diadem, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(D)
10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it and consecrated them.(E) 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its base, to consecrate them. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.(F) 13 And Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons and clothed them with tunics and fastened sashes around them and tied headdresses on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(G)
14 He led forward the bull of purification offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bull for the purification offering,(H) 15 and it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood and with his finger put some on each of the horns of the altar, purifying the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he consecrated it, to make atonement for it.(I) 16 Moses took all the fat that was around the entrails and the appendage of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and turned them into smoke on the altar.(J) 17 But the bull itself, its skin and flesh and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(K)
18 Then he brought forward the ram of burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,(L) 19 and it was slaughtered. Moses dashed the blood against all sides of the altar. 20 The ram was cut into its parts, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the parts and the suet. 21 And after the entrails and the legs were washed with water, Moses turned into smoke the rest of the ram on the altar; it was a burnt offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire[a] to the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(M)
22 Then he brought forward the second ram, the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram,(N) 23 and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 After Aaron’s sons were brought forward, Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and Moses dashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. 25 He took the fat—the fatty tail, all the fat that was around the entrails, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—and the right thigh.(O) 26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh.(P) 27 He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons and raised them as an elevation offering before the Lord. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and turned them into smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire[b] to the Lord.(Q) 29 Moses took the breast and raised it as an elevation offering before the Lord; it was Moses’s portion of the ram of ordination, as the Lord had commanded Moses.(R)
30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments and also his sons and their vestments.(S)
31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it,’(T) 32 and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire.(U) 33 You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you;(V) 34 as has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you.(W) 35 You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord’s charge so that you do not die, for so have I been commanded.” 36 Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Leviticus 8
Common English Bible
The priests’ ordination
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, the priestly clothing, the anointing oil, a bull for the purification offering, two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread, 3 and assemble the whole community at the meeting tent’s entrance.
4 Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the community assembled at the meeting tent’s entrance. 5 Moses said to the community, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them in water. 7 Moses put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, and dressed him in the robe. Moses then put the priestly vest on Aaron, tied the woven waistband of the vest around him, and secured the vest to him with it. 8 Then Moses placed the chest piece on Aaron and set the Urim and Thummim into the chest piece. 9 Moses placed the turban on Aaron’s head and put the gold flower ornament, the holy crown, on the turban’s front, just as the Lord had commanded him.
10 Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the dwelling[a] and everything in it, making them holy by doing so. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its equipment, as well as the basin and its base, to make them holy. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head, thereby anointing him to make him holy. 13 Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward, dressed them in tunics, tied sashes around them, and wrapped headbands on them, just as the Lord had commanded him.
14 Next Moses brought forward the bull for the purification offering. Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 15 Moses slaughtered it, then took the blood and, using his finger, put it on all of the altar’s horns, purifying the altar. He poured the rest of the blood out at the altar’s base. Then he made the altar holy so that reconciliation could be performed on it.[b] 16 Moses removed all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and he completely burned it on the altar. 17 But the rest of the bull, including its hide, its flesh, and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp just as the Lord had commanded him.
18 Then Moses presented the ram for the entirely burned offering, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 19 Moses slaughtered it, then tossed the blood against all sides of the altar. 20 He cut up the ram into pieces, and then completely burned the head, pieces, and fat. 21 After he washed the insides and lower legs with water, Moses completely burned the whole ram on the altar. It was an entirely burned offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
22 Moses then presented the second ram, the ram for ordination, and Aaron and his sons pressed their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered it, then took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on his right thumb, and on his right big toe. 24 Then Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, their right thumbs, and their right big toes. Moses tossed the rest of the blood against all of the altar’s sides. 25 Then he took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was around the insides, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat—as well as the right thigh. 26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one loaf of unleavened flatbread, one loaf of flatbread made with oil, and one unleavened wafer, and he placed these on the fat pieces and on the right thigh. 27 Moses set all of this in Aaron’s and his sons’ hands, then lifted them as an uplifted offering before the Lord. 28 Next Moses took this out of their hands and completely burned it on the altar, along with the entirely burned offering. This was an ordination offering for a soothing smell; it was a food gift for the Lord. 29 Next Moses took the breast from the ram for the ordination offering and lifted it as an uplifted offering before the Lord. It belonged to Moses as his portion, just as the Lord had commanded him. 30 Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron and his clothes, and on his sons and their clothes as well. In this way, Moses made holy Aaron, his clothing, and Aaron’s sons and their clothing.
31 Moses said to Aaron and his sons: “Cook the meat at the meeting tent’s entrance. You may eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I was commanded,[c] ‘Aaron and his sons can eat it.’ 32 But you must burn whatever is left over of the meat and bread with fire. 33 You must not leave the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, until the period of your ordination is completed, because your ordination takes seven days. 34 What was done today was commanded by the Lord, to make reconciliation for you. 35 You must stay at the meeting tent’s entrance for seven days, day and night, observing the Lord’s requirement so you don’t die, because that’s what I was commanded.”
36 Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 8:10 Or tabernacle
- Leviticus 8:15 Or to make reconciliation for it (i.e., the altar)
- Leviticus 8:31 LXX, Syr, Tg; cf 8:35; MT as I commanded
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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