Leviticus 1
Legacy Standard Bible
The Statutes of Burnt Offerings
1 Then [a](A)Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man from among you brings an [b](B)offering near to Yahweh, you shall bring your [c]offering of animals from (C)the herd or the flock. 3 If his offering is a (D)burnt offering from the herd, he shall bring it near, a male (E)without blemish; he shall bring it near (F)to the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Yahweh. 4 (G)And he shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make (H)atonement on his behalf. 5 (I)Then he shall slaughter the [d]young bull before Yahweh; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring near (J)the blood and (K)splash the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6 (L)And he shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. 7 (M)And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the (N)suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 9 Its (O)entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And (P)the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of (Q)a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
10 ‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall bring near a (R)male without blemish. 11 (S)And he shall slaughter it on the side of the altar northward before Yahweh, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood around on the altar. 12 He shall then cut it into its pieces with its head and its (T)suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13 The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And (U)the priest shall bring all of it near and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
14 ‘But if his offering to Yahweh is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring near his offering from the (V)turtledoves or from young pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it near to the altar and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out (W)on the side of the altar. 16 He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the [e](X)ashes. 17 Then he shall tear it by its wings, but (Y)he shall not separate it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire; (Z)it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 1:1 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
- Leviticus 1:2 Heb qorban
- Leviticus 1:2 Heb qorban
- Leviticus 1:5 Or one of the herd; lit son of the herd
- Leviticus 1:16 Soaked with fat; or fat ashes
Leviticus 1
Contemporary English Version
1 1-3 The Lord spoke to Moses from the sacred tent and gave him instructions for the community of Israel to follow when they offered sacrifices.
Sacrifices To Please the Lord
The Lord said:
Sacrifices to please me[a] must be completely burned on the bronze altar.[b]
Bulls or rams or goats[c] are the animals to be used for these sacrifices. If the animal is a bull, it must not have anything wrong with it. Lead it to the entrance of the sacred tent, and I will let you know if it is[d] acceptable to me. 4 Lay your hand on its head, and I will accept the animal as a sacrifice for taking away your sins.
5 After the bull is killed in my presence, some priests from Aaron's family will offer its blood to me by splattering it against the four sides of the altar.
6 Skin the bull and cut it up, 7 while the priests pile wood on the altar fire to make it start blazing. 8-9 Wash the bull's insides and hind legs, so the priests can lay them on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. A priest will then send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.
10 If you sacrifice a ram or a goat, it must not have anything wrong with it. 11 Lead the animal to the north side of the altar, where it is to be killed in my presence. Then some of the priests will splatter its blood against the four sides of the altar.
12-13 Cut up the animal and wash its insides and hind legs. A priest will put these parts on the altar with the head, the fat, and the rest of the animal. Then he will send all of it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.
14 If you offer a bird for this kind of sacrifice, it must be a dove or a pigeon. 15 A priest will take the bird to the bronze altar, where he will wring its neck and put its head on the fire. Then he will drain out its blood on one side of the altar, 16 remove the bird's craw with what is in it,[e] and throw them on the ash heap at the east side of the altar.[f] 17 Finally, he will take the bird by its wings, tear it partially open,[g] and send it up in smoke with a smell that pleases me.
Footnotes
- 1.1-3 Sacrifices to please me: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “whole burnt offerings” because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the Lord with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the Lord.”
- 1.1-3 bronze altar: This altar for offering sacrifices was in front of the entrance to the sacred tent; it was made of acacia wood covered with bronze. A smaller altar for offering incense was inside the tent; it was made of acacia wood covered with gold.
- 1.1-3 goats: Hebrew “male goats.”
- 1.1-3 if it is: Or “if you are.”
- 1.16 with what is in it: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 1.16 ash heap at the east side of the altar: Ashes were piled here, then once a day they were taken to the ash heap outside the camp (see 4.11,12; 6.10,11).
- 1.17 tear it partially open: Or “tear it open without pulling off the wings.”
Leviticus 1
New King James Version
The Burnt Offering
1 Now the Lord (A)called to Moses, and spoke to him (B)from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (C)‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock.
3 ‘If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male (D)without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord. 4 (E)Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be (F)accepted on his behalf (G)to make atonement for him. 5 He shall kill the (H)bull before the Lord; (I)and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood (J)and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 6 And he shall (K)skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest shall put (L)fire on the altar, and (M)lay the wood in order on the fire. 8 Then the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 9 but he shall wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest shall burn all on the altar as a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a (N)sweet[a] aroma to the Lord.
10 ‘If his offering is of the flocks—of the sheep or of the goats—as a burnt sacrifice, he shall bring a male (O)without blemish. 11 (P)He shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle its blood all around on the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 13 but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an (Q)offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.
14 ‘And if the burnt sacrifice of his offering to the Lord is of birds, then he shall bring his offering of (R)turtledoves or young pigeons. 15 The priest shall bring it to the altar, [b]wring off its head, and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out at the side of the altar. 16 And he shall remove its crop with its feathers and cast it (S)beside the altar on the east side, into the place for ashes. 17 Then he shall split it at its wings, but (T)shall not divide it completely; and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. (U)It is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a [c]sweet aroma to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 1:9 soothing or pleasing aroma
- Leviticus 1:15 Lit. nip or chop off
- Leviticus 1:17 soothing or pleasing aroma
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
