The Burnt Offering

1 The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When any of you bring an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.^(A)

³ “If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you shall offer a male without blemish; you shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, for acceptance on your behalf before the Lord.^{(B) 4} You shall lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be acceptable on your behalf as atonement for you.^{(C) 5} The bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer the blood, dashing the blood against all sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^{(D) 6} The burnt offering shall be flayed and cut up into its parts. ⁷ The sons of the priest Aaron shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.^{(E) 8} Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the parts, with the head and the suet, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, ⁹ but its entrails and its legs shall be washed with water. Then the priest shall turn the rest into smoke on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[a] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^(F)

¹⁰ “If your gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, your offering shall be a male without blemish. ¹¹ It shall be slaughtered on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar.^{(G) 12} It shall be cut up into its parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, ¹³ but the entrails and the legs shall be washed with water. Then the priest shall offer the rest and turn it into smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[b] of pleasing odor to the Lord.

¹⁴ “If your offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you shall choose your offering from turtledoves or pigeons.^{(H) 15} The priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and turn it into smoke on the altar, and its blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.^{(I) 16} He shall remove its entrails close to its tail feathers and throw it at the east side of the altar, in the place for ashes.^{(J) 17} He shall tear it open by its wings without severing it. Then the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire^[c] of pleasing odor to the Lord.^(K)

Instructions concerning Sacrifices

^8 [a]The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the rule of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, while the fire on the altar shall be kept burning. ¹⁰ The priest shall put on his linen vestments after putting on his linen undergarments next to his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.^{(A) 11} Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other garments and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp. ¹² The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being. ¹³ A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.