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
English Standard Version
Laws for Burnt Offerings
1 (A)The Lord called Moses and spoke to him (B)from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, (C)When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer (D)a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 (E)He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be (F)accepted for him (G)to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood (H)and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 6 Then he shall flay the burnt offering and cut it into pieces, 7 and the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and (I)arrange wood on the fire. 8 And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as (J)a burnt offering, a food offering[a] with a (K)pleasing aroma to the Lord.
10 “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall bring a male without blemish, 11 (L)and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw its blood against the sides of the altar. 12 And he shall cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar, 13 but the entrails and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is (M)a burnt offering, a food offering with (N)a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
14 “If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering of (O)turtledoves or pigeons. 15 And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. 16 He shall remove its crop with its contents[b] and cast it (P)beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes. 17 He shall tear it open by its wings, but (Q)shall not sever it completely. And the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 1:9 Or an offering by fire; so throughout Leviticus
- Leviticus 1:16 Or feathers
Leviticus 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. Ritual of Sacrifices
A. Instructions for the Israelites
Chapter 1
Burnt Offerings. 1 The Lord called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting:(A) 2 Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any one of you[a] brings an offering of livestock to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the herd or from the flock.(B)
3 [b](C)If a person’s offering is a burnt offering[c] from the herd, the offering must be a male without blemish.(D) The individual shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to find favor with the Lord, 4 and shall lay a hand[d] on the head(E) of the burnt offering, so that it may be acceptable(F) to make atonement(G) for the one who offers it. 5 The bull shall then be slaughtered[e] before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer its blood by splashing it on all the sides of the altar which is at the entrance of the tent of meeting.(H) 6 Then the burnt offering shall be flayed and cut into pieces. 7 After Aaron’s sons, the priests, have put burning embers on the altar and laid wood on them, 8 they shall lay the pieces of meat, together with the head and the suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; 9 but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.(I)
10 If a person’s burnt offering is from the flock, that is, a sheep or a goat, the offering must 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 splash its blood on all the sides of the altar. 12 When it has been cut into pieces, the priest shall lay these, together with the head and suet, on top of the wood and the embers on the altar; 13 but the inner organs and the shanks shall be washed with water. The priest shall then offer all of it, burning it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.
14 If a person offers a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, the offering brought must be a turtledove or a pigeon.(J) 15 Having brought it to the altar, the priest shall wring its head off and burn it on the altar. The blood shall be drained out against the side of the altar.(K) 16 He shall remove its crissum[f] by means of its feathers and throw it on the ash heap at the east side of the altar. 17 Then, having torn the bird open by its wings without separating the halves, the priest shall burn it on the altar, on the wood and the embers. It is a burnt offering, a sweet-smelling oblation to the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1:2 Any one of you: women as well as men bring sacrifices (see 12:6–8; 15:28–30) and are explicitly obligated in other ritual matters (e.g., 13:29, 38; Nm 5:6; 6:2; Lk 2:24). Thus, though the Hebrew formulates sacrificial and other law with male reference, the translation reflects the inclusion of women in ritual requirements. From the herd or from the flock: the only animals which could be used as sacrificial victims were domestic animals either of the bovine class (bulls, cows and calves) or the ovine class (sheep and lambs, goats and kids). Excluded, therefore, were not only all wild animals, but also such “unclean” domestic animals as the camel and the donkey (cf. 11:1–47; 27:26–27).
- 1:3–5 Entrance of the tent of meeting…before the Lord: probably the forecourt from the entrance of the court to the entrance of the tent (cf. Ex 27). Thus the altar in front of the tent was entirely accessible to the laity.
- 1:3 The burnt offering is used for regular daily (6:1–6) offerings, public festivals (Nm 28–29), purification rituals (Lv 12:6–8; 14:19–20; 15:15, 30), and individuals’ vows and voluntary offerings (22:18–20).
- 1:4 Lay a hand: the imposition of a single hand for the sacrifices in chaps. 1–5 may be a means of designating the animal as belonging to the offerer. See note on 16:21. Atonement: see note on 16:6.
- 1:5 Shall then be slaughtered: lit., “he shall slaughter the bull.” Slaughtering is not something the offerer must do (as opposed to, for example, hand placement [v. 4] or the presentation of sacrificial portions as an elevated offering [7:29–34]). Thus the verb is construed impersonally here.
- 1:16 Crissum: the area around the anus of the bird, lying beneath the bird’s tail.
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