The Priests Begin Their Ministry

9 On the eighth day^(A) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders^(B) of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering^[a] and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. ³ Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat^(C) for a sin offering,^(D) a calf^(E) and a lamb^(F)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, ⁴ and an ox^[b](G) and a ram for a fellowship offering^(H) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.^(I)’”

⁵ They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord^(J) may appear to you.”

⁷ Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;^(K) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.^(L)”

⁸ So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering^(M) for himself. ⁹ His sons brought the blood to him,^(N) and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.^{(O) 10} On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; ¹¹ the flesh and the hide^(P) he burned up outside the camp.^(Q)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.^(R) His sons handed him the blood,^(S) and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹³ They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.^{(T) 14} He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.^(U)

¹⁵ Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.^(V) He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.

¹⁶ He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.^{(W) 17} He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.^(X)

¹⁸ He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.^(Y) His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. ¹⁹ But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— ²⁰ these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. ²¹ Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering,^(Z) as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.^(AA) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

²³ Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.^(AB) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord^(AC) appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire^(AD) came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.^(AE)

Warnings From Israel’s History

10 For I do not want you to be ignorant^(A) of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud^(B) and that they all passed through the sea.^{(C) 2} They were all baptized into^(D) Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food^{(E) 4} and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock^(F) that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.^(G)

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples^(H) to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters,^(I) as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”^{[a](J) 8} We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.^{(K) 9} We should not test Christ,^[b](L) as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.^{(M) 10} And do not grumble, as some of them did^(N)—and were killed^(O) by the destroying angel.^(P)

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples^(Q) and were written down as warnings for us,^(R) on whom the culmination of the ages has come.^{(S) 12} So, if you think you are standing firm,^(T) be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation^[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful;^(U) he will not let you be tempted^[d] beyond what you can bear.^(V) But when you are tempted,^[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends,^(W) flee from idolatry.^{(X) 15} I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break^(Y) a participation in the body of Christ?^{(Z) 17} Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,^(AA) for we all share the one loaf.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices^(AB) participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?^{(AC) 20} No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,^(AD) not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.^{(AE) 22} Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?^(AF) Are we stronger than he?^(AG)

The Believer’s Freedom

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(AH) “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.^(AI)

²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience,^{(AJ) 26} for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[f](AK)

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you^(AL) without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience.^{(AM) 29} I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom^(AN) being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?^(AO)

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.^{(AP) 32} Do not cause anyone to stumble,^(AQ) whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God^(AR)— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way.^(AS) For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,^(AT) so that they may be saved.^(AU)

Psalm 99