Priests and Their Food

22 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons to deal respectfully with the holy offerings of the Israelites that they have consecrated to Me, so they do not profane My holy name;(A) I am Yahweh. Say to them: If any man from any of your descendants throughout your generations is in a state of uncleanness yet approaches the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person will be cut off from My presence; I am Yahweh. No man of Aaron’s descendants who has a skin disease[a] or a discharge is to eat from the holy offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a dead person or by a man who has an emission of semen, or whoever touches any swarming creature that makes him unclean or any person who makes him unclean—whatever his uncleanness— the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening(B) and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water. When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the holy offerings, for that is his food.(C) He must not eat an animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts,[b](D) making himself unclean by it; I am Yahweh. They must keep My instruction,(E) or they will be guilty and die because they profane it; I am Yahweh who sets them apart.

10 “No one outside a priest’s family[c](F) is to eat the holy offering. A foreigner staying with a priest or a hired hand is not to eat the holy offering. 11 But if a priest purchases someone with his money, that person may eat it, and those born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter is married to a man outside a priest’s family,[d] she is not to eat from the holy contributions.[e] 13 But if the priest’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, has no children, and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may share her father’s food. But no outsider may share it. 14 If anyone eats a holy offering in error,(G) he must add a fifth to its value and give the holy offering to the priest.(H) 15 The priests must not profane the holy offerings the Israelites give to the Lord 16 by letting the people eat their holy offerings and having them bear the penalty of restitution.(I) For I am Yahweh who sets them apart.”

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Notas al pie

  1. Leviticus 22:4 Or has leprosy or scale disease
  2. Leviticus 22:8 Lit eat a carcass or a mauled beast
  3. Leviticus 22:10 Lit No stranger
  4. Leviticus 22:12 Lit man, a stranger
  5. Leviticus 22:12 Lit the contribution of holy offerings

22 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons to be very careful with the sacred gifts that the Israelites set apart for me, so they do not bring shame on my holy name. I am the Lord. Give them the following instructions.

“In all future generations, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean when he approaches the sacred offerings that the people of Israel consecrate to the Lord, he must be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord.

“If any of Aaron’s descendants has a skin disease[a] or any kind of discharge that makes him ceremonially unclean, he may not eat from the sacred offerings until he has been pronounced clean. He also becomes unclean by touching a corpse, or by having an emission of semen, or by touching a small animal that is unclean, or by touching someone who is ceremonially unclean for any reason. The man who is defiled in any of these ways will remain unclean until evening. He may not eat from the sacred offerings until he has bathed himself in water. When the sun goes down, he will be ceremonially clean again and may eat from the sacred offerings, for this is his food. He may not eat an animal that has died a natural death or has been torn apart by wild animals, for this would defile him. I am the Lord.

“The priests must follow my instructions carefully. Otherwise they will be punished for their sin and will die for violating my instructions. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

10 “No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offerings. Even guests and hired workers in a priest’s home are not allowed to eat them. 11 However, if the priest buys a slave for himself, the slave may eat from the sacred offerings. And if his slaves have children, they also may share his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries someone outside the priestly family, she may no longer eat the sacred offerings. 13 But if she becomes a widow or is divorced and has no children to support her, and she returns to live in her father’s home as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food again. Otherwise, no one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offerings.

14 “Any such person who eats the sacred offerings without realizing it must pay the priest for the amount eaten, plus an additional 20 percent. 15 The priests must not let the Israelites defile the sacred offerings brought to the Lord 16 by allowing unauthorized people to eat them. This would bring guilt upon them and require them to pay compensation. I am the Lord who makes them holy.”

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Notas al pie

  1. 22:4 Traditionally rendered leprosy; see note on 13:2a.