Leviticus 9-11

Names of God Bible

Aaron’s First Sacrifices

9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the leaders of Israel. ² He told Aaron, “Take a calf that has no defects for yourself as an offering for sin and a ram that has no defects as a burnt offering. Sacrifice them in Yahweh’s presence. ³ Also tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat as an offering for sin, a calf and a lamb (each one year old and without defects) as a burnt offering, ⁴ a bull and a ram as a fellowship offering, and a grain offering mixed with olive oil to sacrifice in Yahweh’s presence. Yahweh will appear to you today.’”

⁵ So they took the things Moses commanded and brought them in front of the tent of meeting. The whole congregation came and stood in Yahweh’s presence.

⁶ Moses said, “Yahweh has commanded you to offer these sacrifices so that you may see Yahweh’s glory.”

⁷ Moses told Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice an offering for sin and a burnt offering to make peace with the Lord for your sins and the sins of the people. Also make an offering for the people, to make peace with the Lord for them as Yahweh commanded.”

⁸ Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as his own offering for sin. ⁹ Aaron’s sons brought him the blood. He dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar. Then he poured out the blood at the bottom of the altar. ¹⁰ On the altar he burned the fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver from the offering for sin as Yahweh had commanded Moses. ¹¹ He burned the meat and the skin outside the camp.

¹² He slaughtered the animal for the burnt offering. Aaron’s sons gave him the blood, and he threw it against the altar on all sides. ¹³ They also gave him the burnt offering, which was cut in pieces and included the head. He burned it on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the internal organs and the legs and laid them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ He brought the people’s offerings. He took the male goat for the people’s offering for sin and slaughtered it. He sacrificed it to take away sins as he had done before. ¹⁶ Following the proper procedures, he brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it. ¹⁷ He also brought the grain offering. He took a handful of grain and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering. ¹⁸ He slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people’s fellowship offering. Aaron’s sons gave him the blood, which he threw against the altar on all sides. ¹⁹ However, the fat from the bull and the ram (the fat from the tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver) ²⁰ they placed on the breasts. Aaron burned them all on the altar. ²¹ However, he first took the breasts and the right thighs and presented them to Yahweh as Moses commanded.

²² Then Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. He sacrificed the offering for sin, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. Then he came down from the altar. ²³ Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people. Then Yahweh’s glory appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from Yahweh’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted and bowed with their faces touching the ground.

Improper Conduct for Priests

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner and put burning coals and incense in it. Then in Yahweh’s presence they offered this unauthorized fire. ² A fire flashed from Yahweh and burned them, and they died in the presence of Yahweh.

³ Moses said to Aaron, “This is exactly what Yahweh said:

Aaron was speechless.

⁴ Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle, Uzziel. He told them, “Come and take your relatives away from in front of the holy place. Take them outside the camp.” ⁵ So they came and took them away to a place outside the camp, as Moses told them. The dead men were still in their linen robes.

⁶ Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: “Do not mourn by leaving your hair uncombed or tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die and Yahweh will become angry with the whole congregation. All the other Israelites may cry over the fire Yahweh sent, but you may not. ⁷ You must not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or else you, too, will die, because Yahweh has anointed you with his oil.” They obeyed Moses.

Proper Conduct for Priests

⁸ Yahweh spoke to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons must not drink any wine or liquor when you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a permanent law for generations to come. ¹⁰ Teach them the difference between what is holy and what is unholy, what is clean and what is unclean.^{[a] 11} Also teach the Israelites all the laws that Yahweh gave them through Moses.”

¹² Moses told Aaron and his surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering left over from the offering by fire to Yahweh. Make unleavened bread, and eat it next to the altar because it is very holy. ¹³ Eat it in a holy place because it is the part of the offering by fire to Yahweh that belongs to you and your children. That is the command I received. ¹⁴ Also eat the breast presented to the Lord and the thigh that was given as a contribution. You and your sons and daughters may eat them in a clean place because they are your part of the fellowship offerings from the Israelites. ¹⁵ They will bring the thigh given as a contribution, the breast presented to the Lord, and the fat that is to be burned and present them to Yahweh. These parts will belong to you and your children. This will be a permanent law, as Yahweh has commanded.”

Eleazar and Ithamar Sacrifice the Offering for Sin

¹⁶ Moses tried to find out what had happened to the male goat that was supposed to be the offering for sin. To his surprise, it had already been burned. So he became angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons. ¹⁷ He asked them, “Why didn’t you eat the offering for sin in the holy place? It is very holy and was given to you to take away the sins of the congregation and to make peace with the Lord for them. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you certainly should have eaten it there, as I commanded.”

¹⁹ Aaron answered Moses, “Today they sacrificed their offering for sin and their burnt offering in Yahweh’s presence, and look what happened to me. If I had eaten the offering for sin today, would Yahweh have approved?”

²⁰ When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Laws about Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat^(A)

11 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, ² “Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: ³ all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. ⁴ However, from those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs, these are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. (Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁵ You must never eat rock badgers. (Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁶ You must never eat rabbits. (Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁷ You must never eat pigs. (Because pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud, they are also unclean.) ⁸ Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you.

⁹ “Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water which you may eat—anything in the seas and streams that has fins and scales. ¹⁰ However, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. ¹¹ They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies disgusting. ¹² Every creature in the water without fins or scales is disgusting to you.

¹³ “Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴ kites, all types of buzzards, ¹⁵ all types of crows, ¹⁶ ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, ¹⁷ little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸ barn owls, pelicans, ospreys, ¹⁹ storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

²⁰ “Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. ²¹ However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. ²² You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. ²³ Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.

²⁴ “Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁵ Whoever carries any part of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. ²⁶ All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that don’t chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean. ²⁷ All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ “The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you—moles, mice, and all types of lizards: ³⁰ geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. ³¹ Among all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ³² When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean again.

³³ “If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean. ³⁴ If water from that pottery touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean. ³⁵ Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ However, a spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean. ³⁷ If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean. ³⁸ But if water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you.

³⁹ “When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ “Any creature that swarms on the ground is disgusting and must not be eaten. ⁴² Don’t eat any creature with many legs that goes on its belly or on the ground like a four-legged animal, or any creature that swarms on the ground. Consider them disgusting. ⁴³ Don’t become disgusting by eating anything that swarms on the ground. Never allow yourselves to become unclean because of them.

⁴⁴ “Here is the reason: I am Yahweh your Elohim. You must live holy lives. Be holy because I am holy. Never become unclean by touching anything that swarms or crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵ Here is the reason again: I am Yahweh. I brought you out of Egypt to be your Elohim. Be holy because I am holy.

⁴⁶ “These are the instructions about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground. ⁴⁷ These instructions help you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.”