⁴⁰ as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense^(A) before the Lord,^(B) or he would become like Korah and his followers.^(C)

¹⁰ Appoint Aaron^(A) and his sons to serve as priests;^(B) anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.”^(C)

¹⁶ But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride^(A) led to his downfall.^(B) He was unfaithful^(C) to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense^(D) on the altar of incense. ¹⁷ Azariah^(E) the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord followed him in. ¹⁸ They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests,^(F) the descendants^(G) of Aaron,^(H) who have been consecrated to burn incense.^(I) Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

¹⁹ Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy^[a](J) broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.

²¹ King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house^[b](K)—leprous, and banned from the temple of the Lord. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.

⁴ They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are.^(A)

⁵ “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar,^(B) so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. ⁶ I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you,^(C) dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the tent of meeting.^{(D) 7} But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain.^(E) I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.^(F) Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.^(G)”

¹¹ Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;^(A) they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error;^(B) they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.^(C)

The Man of God From Judah

13 By the word of the Lord a man of God^(A) came from Judah to Bethel,^(B) as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. ² By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah^(C) will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places^(D) who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” ³ That same day the man of God gave a sign:^(E) “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”

³⁸ Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east^(A) of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the tent of meeting.^(B) They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary^(C) on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.^(D)

⁵¹ Whenever the tabernacle^(A) is to move,^(B) the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it.^(C) Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death.^(D)

¹⁰ “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.^(A)