Leviticus 1-17

Christian Standard Bible

The Burnt Offering

1 Then the Lord summoned Moses^(A) and spoke to him from the tent of meeting:^{(B) 2} “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the Lord from the livestock, you may bring your offering from the herd or the flock.

³ “If his offering is a burnt offering^(C) from the herd, he is to bring an unblemished male.^(D) He will bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting so that he^[a] may be accepted by the Lord.^{(E) 4} He is to lay his hand on^(F) the head of the burnt offering so it can be accepted^(G) on his behalf to make atonement for him.^{(H) 5} He is to slaughter the bull before the Lord; Aaron’s sons the priests^(I) are to present the blood^(J) and splatter it^(K) on all sides of the altar that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁶ Then he is to skin the burnt offering^(L) and cut it into pieces.^{[b] 7} The sons of Aaron the priest will prepare a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. ⁸ Aaron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat^(M) on top of the burning wood on the altar. ⁹ The offerer is to wash its entrails^(N) and legs^(O) with water. Then the priest will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, a food offering,^(P) a pleasing aroma^(Q) to the Lord.

¹⁰ “But if his offering for a burnt offering is from the flock, from sheep or goats,^(R) he is to present an unblemished male. ¹¹ He will slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the Lord. Aaron’s sons the priests will splatter its blood against the altar on all sides. ¹² He will cut the animal into pieces with its head and its fat, and the priest will arrange them on top of the burning wood on the altar. ¹³ But he is to wash the entrails and legs with water. The priest will then present all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

¹⁴ “If his offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds,^(S) he is to present his offering from the turtledoves^(T) or young pigeons.^{[c](U) 15} Then the priest is to bring it to the altar, and will twist off its head and burn it on the altar; its blood should be drained at the side of the altar. ¹⁶ He will remove its digestive tract,^[d] cutting off the tail feathers, and throw it on the east side of the altar at the place for ashes.^{(V) 17} He will tear it open by its wings without dividing the bird.^(W) Then the priest is to burn it on the altar on top of the burning wood. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

The Grain Offering

2 “When anyone presents a grain offering^(X) as an offering to the Lord, it is to consist of fine flour.^(Y) He is to pour olive oil^(Z) on it, put frankincense on it,^{(AA) 2} and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest will take a handful of fine flour and oil from it, along with all its frankincense, and will burn this memorial portion^(AB) of it on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ³ But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons; it is the holiest part^(AC) of the food offerings to the Lord.

⁴ “When you present a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to be made of fine flour, either unleavened cakes^(AD) mixed with oil or unleavened wafers^(AE) coated with oil. ⁵ If your offering is a grain offering prepared on a griddle,^(AF) it is to be unleavened bread^(AG) made of fine flour mixed with oil. ⁶ Break it into pieces and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷ If your offering is a grain offering prepared in a pan,^(AH) it is to be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ When you bring to the Lord the grain offering made in any of these ways, it is to be presented to the priest, and he will take it to the altar. ⁹ The priest will remove the memorial portion^[e] from the grain offering and burn it on the altar, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁰ But the rest of the grain offering will belong to Aaron and his sons;^(AI) it is the holiest part of the food offerings to the Lord.

¹¹ “No grain offering that you present to the Lord is to be made with yeast, for you are not to burn^[f] any yeast^(AJ) or honey^(AK) as a food offering to the Lord. ¹² You may present them to the Lord as an offering of firstfruits,^(AL) but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. ¹³ You are to season each of your grain offerings with salt; you must not omit from your grain offering the salt of the covenant^(AM) with your God. You are to present salt with each of your offerings.

¹⁴ “If you present a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, you are to present fresh heads of grain, crushed kernels, roasted on the fire, for your grain offering of firstfruits. ¹⁵ You are to put oil and frankincense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶ The priest will then burn some of its crushed kernels and oil with all its frankincense as a food offering to the Lord.

The Fellowship Offering

3 “If his offering is a fellowship sacrifice,^(AN) and he is presenting an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present one without blemish^(AO) before the Lord. ² He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests will splatter the blood on all sides of the altar.^{(AP) 3} He will present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a food offering to the Lord: the fat^(AQ) surrounding the entrails,^(AR) all the fat that is on the entrails, ⁴ and the two kidneys^(AS) with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver^(AT) with the kidneys. ⁵ Aaron’s sons will burn it on the altar along with the burnt offering^(AU) that is on the burning wood, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

⁶ “If his offering as a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord is from the flock, he is to present a male or female without blemish. ⁷ If he is presenting a lamb for his offering, he is to present it before the Lord. ⁸ He must lay his hand on the head of his offering, then slaughter it before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons will splatter its blood on all sides of the altar. ⁹ He will then present part of the fellowship sacrifice as a food offering to the Lord consisting of its fat and the entire fat tail,^(AV) which he is to remove close to the backbone. He will also remove the fat surrounding the entrails,^(AW) all the fat on the entrails, ¹⁰ the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins, and the fatty lobe of the liver above the kidneys. ¹¹ Then the priest will burn the food on the altar,^(AX) as a food offering to the Lord.

¹² “If his offering is a goat,^(AY) he is to present it before the Lord. ¹³ He must lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the tent of meeting. Aaron’s sons will splatter^[g] its blood on all sides of the altar. ¹⁴ He will present part of his offering as a food offering to the Lord: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, ¹⁵ and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys. ¹⁶ Then the priest will burn the food on the altar, as a food offering for a pleasing aroma.^[h]

“All fat belongs to the Lord. ¹⁷ This is a permanent statute^(AZ) throughout your generations, wherever you live: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”^(BA)

The Sin Offering

4 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally^(BB) against any of the Lord’s commands and does anything prohibited by them—

³ “If the anointed priest^(BC) sins, bringing guilt^(BD) on the people, he is to present to the Lord a young, unblemished^(BE) bull as a sin^[i] offering^(BF) for the sin he has committed. ⁴ He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it before the Lord. ⁵ The anointed priest will then take some of the bull’s blood and bring it into the tent of meeting. ⁶ The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times^(BG) before the Lord in front of the curtain^(BH) of the sanctuary.^{(BI) 7} The priest is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar of fragrant incense^(BJ) that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He must pour out the rest of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering^(BK) that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ He is to remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering: the fat surrounding the entrails, all the fat that is on the entrails, ⁹ and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins. He will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as the fat is removed from the ox of the fellowship sacrifice.^(BL) The priest is to burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹ But the hide^(BM) of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs, and its entrails and waste— ¹² all the rest of the bull—he must bring to a ceremonially clean place^(BN) outside the camp^(BO) to the ash heap, and must burn it on a wood fire. It is to be burned at the ash heap.

¹³ “Now if the whole community of Israel^(BP) errs,^(BQ) and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly,^(BR) so that they violate any of the Lord’s commands and incur guilt^(BS) by doing what is prohibited, ¹⁴ then the assembly must present a young bull as a sin offering. They are to bring it before the tent of meeting when the sin they have committed in regard to the command becomes known. ¹⁵ The elders^(BT) of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord and it is to be slaughtered before the Lord. ¹⁶ The anointed priest will bring some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the curtain. ¹⁸ He is to apply some of the blood to the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹ He is to remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰ He is to offer this bull just as he did with the bull in the sin offering; he will offer it the same way. So the priest will make atonement^(BU) on their behalf, and they will be forgiven.^{(BV) 21} Then he will bring the bull outside the camp^(BW) and burn it just as he burned the first bull. It is the sin offering for the assembly.

²² “When a leader^[j](BX) sins and unintentionally violates any of the commands of the Lord his God by doing what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, ²³ or someone informs him about the sin he has committed, he is to bring an unblemished male goat^(BY) as his offering. ²⁴ He is to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering^(BZ) is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering.^{(CA) 25} Then the priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering.^(CB) The rest of its blood he is to pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. ²⁶ He must burn all its fat on the altar, like the fat of the fellowship sacrifice. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for that person’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷ “Now if any of the common people^[k] sins unintentionally by violating one of the Lord’s commands, does what is prohibited, and incurs guilt, ²⁸ or if someone informs him about the sin he has committed, then he is to bring an unblemished female goat as his offering for the sin that he has committed. ²⁹ He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰ Then the priest is to take some of its blood with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ He is to remove all its fat just as the fat is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf, and he will be forgiven.

³² “Or if the offering that he brings as a sin offering is a lamb,^(CC) he is to bring an unblemished female. ³³ He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it as a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴ Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and apply it to the horns of the altar of burnt offering. He is to pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ He is to remove all its fat just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the fellowship sacrifice. The priest will burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Cases Requiring Sin Offerings

5 “When someone sins in any of these ways:

If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he will bear his iniquity.^(CD)

² Or if someone touches anything unclean^(CE)—a carcass of an unclean wild animal,^(CF) or unclean livestock, or an unclean swarming creature^(CG)—without being aware of it, he is unclean and incurs guilt.^(CH)

³ Or if he touches human uncleanness^(CI)—any uncleanness by which one can become defiled^(CJ)—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt.

⁴ Or if someone swears rashly^(CK) to do what is good or evil—concerning anything a person may speak rashly in an oath—without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt in such an instance.

⁵ If someone incurs guilt in one of these cases, he is to confess^(CL) he has committed that sin. ⁶ He must bring his penalty for guilt^(CM) for the sin he has committed to the Lord: a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement^(CN) on his behalf for his sin.

⁷ “But if he cannot afford an animal from the flock, then he may bring to the Lord two turtledoves or two young pigeons^(CO) as penalty for guilt for his sin—one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. ⁸ He is to bring them to the priest, who will first present the one for the sin offering. He is to twist its head at the back of the neck without severing it.^{(CP) 9} Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood is to be drained out at the base of the altar;^(CQ) it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ He will prepare the second bird as a burnt offering according to the regulation.^(CR) In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

¹¹ “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two young pigeons,^(CS) he may bring two quarts^[l] of fine flour^[m](CT) as an offering for his sin. He must not put olive oil or frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. ¹² He is to bring it to the priest, who will take a handful from it as its memorial portion^(CU) and burn it on the altar along with the food offerings to the Lord; it is a sin offering. ¹³ In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf concerning the sin he has committed in any of these cases, and he will be forgiven. The rest will belong to the priest, like the grain offering.”^(CV)

The Guilt Offering

¹⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁵ “If someone offends^(CW) by sinning unintentionally^(CX) in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things,^[n] he must bring his penalty for guilt to the Lord: an unblemished ram from the flock (based on your assessment of its value in silver shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel^(CY)) as a guilt offering. ¹⁶ He is to make restitution^(CZ) for his sin regarding any holy^(DA) thing, adding a fifth of its value to it,^(DB) and give it to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.^(DC)

¹⁷ “If someone sins and without knowing it violates any of the Lord’s commands concerning anything prohibited, he is guilty, and he will bear his iniquity. ¹⁸ He must bring an unblemished ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a guilt offering to the priest. Then the priest will make atonement on his behalf for the error he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven. ¹⁹ It is a guilt offering; he is indeed guilty before the Lord.”

6 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “When someone sins and offends the Lord by deceiving^(DD) his neighbor in regard to a deposit,^(DE) a security,^[o] or a robbery;^(DF) or defrauds^(DG) his neighbor; ³ or finds something lost and lies about it;^(DH) or swears falsely^(DI) about any of the sinful things a person may do— ⁴ once he has sinned^(DJ) and acknowledged his guilt^(DK)—he must return what he stole or defrauded, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost item he found, ⁵ or anything else about which he swore falsely. He will make full restitution for it and add a fifth of its value to it.^(DL) He is to pay it to its owner on the day he acknowledges his guilt.^{(DM) 6} Then he is to bring his guilt offering^(DN) to the Lord: an unblemished^(DO) ram from the flock according to your assessment of its value as a guilt offering to the priest. ⁷ In this way the priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for anything he may have done to incur guilt.”^(DP)

The Burnt Offering

⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses: ⁹ “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the burnt offering; the burnt offering itself must remain on the altar’s hearth all night until morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it. ¹⁰ The priest is to put on his linen robe and linen undergarments.^[p](DQ) He is to remove the ashes of the burnt offering the fire has consumed on the altar, and place them beside the altar. ¹¹ Then he will take off his garments, put on other clothes,^(DR) and bring the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place. ¹² The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest will burn wood on the fire. He is to arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat portions from the fellowship offerings^(DS) on it. ¹³ Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

¹⁴ “Now this is the law of the grain offering:^(DT) Aaron’s sons will present it before the Lord in front of the altar. ¹⁵ The priest is to remove a handful of fine flour and olive oil from the grain offering, with all the frankincense that is on the offering, and burn its memorial portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁶ Aaron and his sons may eat the rest of it.^(DU) It is to be eaten in the form of unleavened bread^(DV) in a holy place;^(DW) they are to eat it in the courtyard^(DX) of the tent of meeting. ¹⁷ It must not be baked with yeast; I have assigned it as their portion^(DY) from my food offerings.^(DZ) It is especially holy, like the sin offering^(EA) and the guilt offering. ¹⁸ Any male among Aaron’s descendants^(EB) may eat it. It is a permanent portion^[q](EC) throughout your generations from the food offerings to the Lord. Anything that touches the offerings will become holy.”^(ED)

¹⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁰ “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons are to present to the Lord on the day that he is anointed: two quarts^[r] of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹ It is to be prepared with oil on a griddle; you are to bring it well-kneaded. You are to present it as a grain offering of baked pieces,^[s] a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ²² The priest, who is one of Aaron’s sons and will be anointed to take his place, is to prepare it. It must be completely burned as a permanent portion for the Lord. ²³ Every grain offering for a priest will be a whole burnt offering;^(EE) it is not to be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

²⁴ The Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁵ “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering.^(EF) The sin offering is most holy and must be slaughtered before the Lord at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ²⁶ The priest who offers it as a sin offering will eat it. It is to be eaten in a holy place,^(EG) in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Anything that touches its flesh will become holy, and if any of its blood spatters on a garment, then you must wash that garment^[t] in a holy place. ²⁸ A clay pot in which the sin offering is boiled is to be broken; if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, it is to be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹ Any male among the priests may eat it; it is especially holy. ³⁰ But no sin offering may be eaten if its blood has been brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place; it must be burned.

The Guilt Offering

7 “Now this is the law of the guilt^[u] offering;^(EH) it is especially holy. ² The guilt offering is to be slaughtered at the place where the burnt offering^(EI) is slaughtered, and the priest is to splatter its blood on all sides of the altar. ³ The offerer is to present all the fat from it: the fat tail,^(EJ) the fat surrounding the entrails,^{[v] 4} and the two kidneys with the fat on them at the loins; he will also remove the fatty lobe of the liver^(EK) with the kidneys. ⁵ The priest will burn them on the altar as a food offering^(EL) to the Lord; it is a guilt offering. ⁶ Any male among the priests may eat it.^(EM) It is to be eaten in a holy place;^(EN) it is especially holy.^(EO)

⁷ “The guilt offering is like the sin offering;^(EP) the law is the same for both. It belongs to the priest^(EQ) who makes atonement^(ER) with it. ⁸ As for the priest who presents someone’s burnt offering, the hide of the burnt offering he has presented belongs to him; it is the priest’s. ⁹ Any grain offering^(ES) that is baked in an oven or prepared in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who presents it; it is his. ¹⁰ But any grain offering, whether dry or mixed with oil, belongs equally to all of Aaron’s sons.

The Fellowship Sacrifice

¹¹ “Now this is the law of the fellowship sacrifice^(ET) that someone may present to the Lord: ¹² If he presents it for thanksgiving, in addition to the thanksgiving sacrifice,^(EU) he is to present unleavened cakes^(EV) mixed with olive oil, unleavened wafers^(EW) coated with oil, and well-kneaded cakes of fine flour mixed with oil. ¹³ He is to present as his offering cakes of leavened bread with his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship. ¹⁴ From the cakes he is to present one portion of each offering as a contribution^(EX) to the Lord. It will belong to the priest who splatters the blood of the fellowship offering; it is his. ¹⁵ The meat of his thanksgiving sacrifice of fellowship must be eaten on the day he offers it;^(EY) he may not leave any of it until morning.^(EZ)

¹⁶ “If the sacrifice he offers is a vow^(FA) or a freewill offering,^(FB) it is to be eaten on the day he presents his sacrifice, and what is left over may be eaten on the next day. ¹⁷ But what remains of the sacrificial meat by the third day must be burned.^{(FC) 18} If any of the meat of his fellowship sacrifice is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted.^(FD) It will not be credited to the one who presents it; it is repulsive.^(FE) The person who eats any of it will bear his iniquity.^[w]

¹⁹ “Meat that touches anything unclean must not be eaten; it is to be burned. Everyone who is clean may eat any other meat. ²⁰ But the one who eats meat from the Lord’s fellowship sacrifice while he is unclean, that person must be cut off from his people.^{(FF) 21} If someone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, an unclean animal, or any unclean, abhorrent^[x](FG) creature, and eats meat from the Lord’s fellowship sacrifice, that person is to be cut off from his people.”

Fat and Blood Prohibited

²² The Lord spoke to Moses: ²³ “Tell the Israelites: You are not to eat any fat^(FH) of an ox, a sheep, or a goat. ²⁴ The fat of an animal that dies naturally or is mauled by wild beasts^[y](FI) may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.^{(FJ) 25} If anyone eats animal fat from a food offering presented to the Lord, the person who eats it is to be cut off from his people. ²⁶ Wherever you live, you must not eat the blood^(FK) of any bird or animal. ²⁷ Whoever eats any blood is to be cut off from his people.”

The Portion for the Priests

²⁸ The Lord spoke to Moses: ²⁹ “Tell the Israelites: The one who presents a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord is to bring an offering to the Lord from his sacrifice. ³⁰ His own hands will bring the food offerings to the Lord. He will bring the fat together with the breast. The breast is to be presented as a presentation offering^(FL) before the Lord. ³¹ The priest is to burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. ³² You are to give the right thigh^(FM) to the priest as a contribution from your fellowship sacrifices. ³³ The son of Aaron who presents the blood of the fellowship offering and the fat will have the right thigh as a portion. ³⁴ I have taken from the Israelites the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution from their fellowship sacrifices, and have assigned them to the priest Aaron and to his sons as a permanent portion^[z](FN) from the Israelites.”

³⁵ This is the portion from the food offerings to the Lord for Aaron and his sons^(FO) since the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶ The Lord commanded this to be given to them by the Israelites on the day he anointed them.^(FP) It is a permanent portion throughout their generations.

³⁷ This is the law for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering,^(FQ) and the fellowship sacrifice, ³⁸ which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai^(FR) on the day he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the Wilderness of Sinai.^(FS)

Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

8 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Take Aaron, his sons with him, the garments, the anointing oil,^(FT) the bull of the sin^[aa] offering, the two rams, and the basket^(FU) of unleavened bread, ³ and assemble the whole community^(FV) at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” ⁴ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the community assembled at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁵ Moses said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”

⁶ Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. ⁷ He put the tunic on Aaron, wrapped the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod^(FW) on him. He put the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened it to him. ⁸ Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim^(FX) into the breastpiece. ⁹ He also put the turban^(FY) on his head and placed the gold medallion, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the Lord had commanded Moses.^(FZ)

¹⁰ Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it to consecrate^(GA) them. ¹¹ He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.^{(GB) 12} He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed and consecrated him.^{(GC) 13} Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, clothed them with tunics, wrapped sashes around them, and fastened headbands on them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁴ Then he brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull for the sin offering. ¹⁵ Then Moses slaughtered it,^[ab] took the blood, and applied it with his finger to the horns of the altar on all sides, purifying^(GD) the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement can be made on it.^{[ac](GE) 16} Moses took all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys^(GF) with their fat, and he burned them on the altar.^{(GG) 17} He burned the bull with its hide, flesh, and waste outside the camp,^(GH) as the Lord had commanded Moses.

¹⁸ Then he presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁹ Moses slaughtered it and^[ad] splattered the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁰ Moses cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat,^{(GI) 21} but he washed the entrails and legs with water. He then burned the entire ram on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord as he had commanded Moses.

²² Next he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination,^(GJ) and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. ²³ Moses slaughtered it,^[ae] took some of its blood, and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.^{(GK) 24} Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then Moses splattered the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat—the fat tail,^(GL) all the fat that was on the entrails, the fatty lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. ²⁶ From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat portions and the right thigh.^{(GM) 27} He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and presented them before the Lord as a presentation offering. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. ²⁹ He also took the breast and presented it before the Lord as a presentation offering; it was Moses’s portion of the ordination ram as the Lord had commanded him.

³⁰ Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, as well as on his sons and their garments. In this way he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as his sons and their garments.^(GN)

³¹ Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the tent of meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket for the ordination offering as I commanded:^[af] Aaron and his sons are to eat it.^{(GO) 32} Burn up what remains of the meat and bread.^{(GP) 33} Do not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting for seven days, until the time your days of ordination are completed, because it will take seven days to ordain you.^{[ag] 34} The Lord commanded what has been done today in order to make atonement for you.^{(GQ) 35} You must remain at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and keep the Lord’s charge^(GR) so that you will not die,^(GS) for this is what I was commanded.” ³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.

The Priestly Ministry Inaugurated

9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel.^{(GT) 2} He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull for a sin^[ah] offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish,^(GU) and present them before the Lord. ³ And tell the Israelites:^[ai] Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, male yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering; ⁴ an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord is going to appear^(GV) to you.”

⁵ They brought what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord^(GW) may appear to you.” ⁷ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering; make atonement for yourself and the people.^[aj](GX) Sacrifice the people’s offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”

⁸ So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. ⁹ Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. He poured out the blood at the base of the altar. ¹⁰ He burned the fat, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver from the sin offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ He burned the flesh and the hide^(GY) outside the camp.^(GZ)

¹² Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar. ¹³ They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, along with the head, and he burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the burnt offering on the altar.

¹⁵ Aaron presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and made a sin offering with it as he did before. ¹⁶ He presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to the regulation.^{(HA) 17} Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning burnt offering.^(HB)

¹⁸ Finally, he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s fellowship sacrifice. Aaron’s sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat surrounding the entrails, the kidneys, and the fatty lobe of the liver— ²⁰ and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, ²¹ but he presented the breasts^(HC) and the right thigh as a presentation offering^(HD) before the Lord, as Moses had commanded.^[ak]

²² Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed^(HE) them. He came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering. ²³ Moses and Aaron then entered the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came from the Lord and consumed^(HF) the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted^(HG) and fell facedown.^(HH)

Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab^(HI) and Abihu^(HJ) each took his own firepan,^(HK) put fire in it, placed incense on it,^(HL) and presented unauthorized^(HM) fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. ² Then fire came from the Lord^(HN) and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.^{(HO) 3} Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has spoken:

And Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan,^(HS) sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel,^(HT) and said to them, “Come here and carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.”^{(HU) 5} So they came forward and carried them in their tunics outside the camp, as Moses had said.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar,^(HV) “Do not let your hair hang loose^(HW) and do not tear your clothes,^(HX) or else you will die, and the Lord will become angry^(HY) with the whole community. However, your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may weep^(HZ) over the fire that the Lord caused. ⁷ You must not go outside the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, for the Lord’s anointing oil^(IA) is on you.” So they did as Moses said.

Regulations for Priests

⁸ The Lord spoke to Aaron: ⁹ “You and your sons are not to drink wine^(IB) or beer^(IC) when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute^(ID) throughout your generations. ¹⁰ You must distinguish^(IE) between the holy and the common,^(IF) and the clean and the unclean,^{(IG) 11} and teach the Israelites all the statutes^(IH) that the Lord has given to them through Moses.”

¹² Moses spoke to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: “Take the grain offering that is left over from the food offerings^(II) to the Lord, and eat it prepared without yeast beside the altar, because it is especially holy. ¹³ You must eat it in a holy place because it is your portion^[an] and your sons’ from the food offerings to the Lord, for this is what I was commanded. ¹⁴ But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites’ fellowship sacrifices. ¹⁵ They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the presentation offering, together with the food offerings of the fat portions, to present as a presentation offering before the Lord. It will belong permanently^(IJ) to you and your children, as the Lord commanded.”

¹⁶ Then Moses inquired carefully about the male goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons, and asked, ¹⁷ “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?^(IK) For it is especially holy, and he has assigned it to you to take away the guilt^(IL) of the community^(IM) and make atonement for them before the Lord. ¹⁸ Since its blood was not brought inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”^(IN)

¹⁹ But Aaron replied to Moses, “See, today they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the Lord’s sight?” ²⁰ When Moses heard this, it was acceptable to him.^[ao]

Clean and Unclean Land Animals

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ² “Tell the Israelites: You may eat^(IO) all these kinds of land animals.^{(IP) 3} You may eat any animal with divided hooves and that chews the cud. ⁴ But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves you are not to eat these:

⁸ Do not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses—they are unclean for you.^(IS)

Clean and Unclean Aquatic Animals

⁹ “This is what you may eat from all that is in the water: You may eat everything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or streams. ¹⁰ But these are to be abhorrent to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales among all the swarming things and other living creatures^(IT) in the water. ¹¹ They are to remain abhorrent to you; you must not eat any of their meat, and you must abhor their carcasses. ¹² Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales will be abhorrent to you.

Unclean Birds

¹³ “You are to abhor these birds. They must not be eaten because they are abhorrent:

Clean and Unclean Flying Insects

²⁰ “All winged insects that walk on all fours are to be abhorrent to you. ²¹ But you may eat these kinds of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. ²² You may eat these:

²³ All other winged insects that have four feet are to be abhorrent to you.

Purification after Touching Dead Animals

²⁴ “These will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean^(JA) until evening, ²⁵ and whoever carries any of their carcasses is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.^{(JB) 26} All animals that have hooves but do not have a divided hoof and do not chew the cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them becomes unclean. ²⁷ All the four-footed animals^(JC) that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, ²⁸ and anyone who carries their carcasses is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

²⁹ “These creatures that swarm^(JD) on the ground are unclean for you:

³¹ These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² When any one of them dies and falls on anything it becomes unclean—any item of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth,^(JF) or any implement used for work. It is to be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. ³³ If any of them falls into any clay pot, everything in it will become unclean; you are to break it. ³⁴ Any edible food^(JG) coming into contact with that unclean water will become unclean, and any drinkable liquid in any container will become unclean. ³⁵ Anything one of their carcasses falls on will become unclean. If it is an oven or stove, it is to be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ A spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but someone who touches a carcass in it will become unclean. ³⁷ If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean; ³⁸ but if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ “If one of the animals that you use for food dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of its carcass is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. Anyone who carries its carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.

Unclean Swarming Creatures

⁴¹ “All the creatures that swarm on the earth are abhorrent; they must not be eaten. ⁴² Do not eat any of the creatures that swarm on the earth, anything that moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet,^[bi] for they are abhorrent. ⁴³ Do not become contaminated by any creature that swarms; do not become unclean or defiled by them. ⁴⁴ For I am the Lord your God,^(JH) so you must consecrate yourselves^(JI) and be holy because I am holy.^(JJ) Do not defile yourselves by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵ For I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God,^(JK) so you must be holy because I am holy.^(JL)

⁴⁶ “This is the law concerning animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that swarm on the ground, ⁴⁷ in order to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the animals^(JM) that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”

Purification after Childbirth

12 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites: When a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male child,^(JN) she will be unclean seven days, as she is during the days of her menstrual impurity.^{(JO) 3} The flesh of his foreskin^(JP) must be circumcised^(JQ) on the eighth day.^{(JR) 4} She will continue in purification^(JS) from her bleeding^(JT) for thirty-three days. She must not touch any holy thing or go into the sanctuary until completing her days of purification. ⁵ But if she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstrual impurity. She will continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.

⁶ “When her days of purification are complete, whether for a son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old male lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin^[bj] offering. ⁷ He will present them before the Lord and make atonement on her behalf; she will be clean from her discharge of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or female. ⁸ But if she doesn’t have sufficient means^[bk](JU) for a sheep, she may take two turtledoves or two young pigeons,^(JV) one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement on her behalf, and she will be clean.”

Skin Diseases

13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ² “When a person has a swelling,^[bl] scab,^[bm] or spot on the skin of his body, and it may be a serious disease on the skin^(JW) of his body, he is to be brought to the priest Aaron or to one of his sons, the priests. ³ The priest will examine the sore^(JX) on the skin of his body. If the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is in fact a serious skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean. ⁴ But if the spot on the skin of his body is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest will quarantine the stricken person for seven days.^{(JY) 5} The priest will then reexamine him on the seventh day. If he sees that the sore remains unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest will quarantine him for another seven days. ⁶ The priest will examine him again on the seventh day. If the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean;^(JZ) it is a scab. The person is to wash his clothes and will become clean. ⁷ But if the scab spreads further on his skin after he has presented himself to the priest for his cleansing,^(KA) he is to present himself again to the priest. ⁸ The priest will examine him, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest must pronounce him unclean; he has a serious skin disease.

⁹ “When a case of serious skin disease may have developed on a person, he is to be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest will examine him. If there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is a patch of raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is a chronic serious disease on the skin of his body, and the priest must pronounce him unclean.^(KB) He need not quarantine him, for he is unclean. ¹² But if the skin disease breaks out all over the skin so that it covers all the skin of the stricken person from his head to his feet so far as the priest can see, ¹³ the priest will look, and if the skin disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the stricken person clean.^(KC) Since he has turned totally white, he is clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ When the priest examines the raw flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean; this is a serious skin disease. ¹⁶ But if the raw flesh changes^[bn] and^[bo] turns white, he is to go to the priest. ¹⁷ The priest will examine him, and if the sore has turned white, the priest must pronounce the stricken person clean; he is clean.

¹⁸ “When a boil appears on the skin^(KD) of someone’s body^(KE) and it heals, ¹⁹ and a white swelling or a reddish-white spot develops where the boil was, the person is to present himself to the priest. ²⁰ The priest will make an examination, and if the spot seems to be beneath the skin and the hair in it has turned white, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a case of serious skin disease that has broken out in the boil. ²¹ But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin but is faded, the priest will quarantine him seven days. ²² If it spreads further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is in fact a disease. ²³ But if the spot remains where it is and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil. The priest is to pronounce him clean.

²⁴ “When there is a burn on the skin of one’s body produced by fire, and the patch made raw by the burn becomes reddish-white or white, ²⁵ the priest is to examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a serious skin disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a serious skin disease. ²⁶ But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in the spot and it is not beneath the skin but is faded, the priest will quarantine him seven days. ²⁷ The priest will reexamine him on the seventh day. If it has spread further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is in fact a case of serious skin disease. ²⁸ But if the spot has remained where it was and has not spread on the skin but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn. The priest is to pronounce him clean, for it is only the scar from the burn.

²⁹ “When a man or woman has a condition on the head or chin, ³⁰ the priest is to examine the condition. If it appears to be deeper than the skin,^(KF) and the hair in it is yellow and sparse, the priest must pronounce the person unclean. It is a scaly outbreak, a serious skin disease of the head or chin. ³¹ When the priest examines the scaly condition, if it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest will quarantine the person with the scaly condition for seven days. ³² The priest will reexamine the condition on the seventh day. If the scaly outbreak has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, ³³ the person is to shave himself^(KG) but not shave the scaly area. Then the priest will quarantine the person who has the scaly outbreak for another seven days. ³⁴ The priest will examine the scaly outbreak on the seventh day, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce the person clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean. ³⁵ But if the scaly outbreak spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶ the priest is to examine the person. If the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. ³⁷ But if as far as he can see, the scaly outbreak remains unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed; he is clean. The priest is to pronounce the person clean.

³⁸ “When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin of the body, ³⁹ the priest is to make an examination. If the spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is only a rash^[bp] that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.

⁴⁰ “If a man loses the hair of his head, he is bald,^(KH) but he is clean. ⁴¹ Or if he loses the hair at his hairline, he is bald on his forehead, but he is clean. ⁴² But if there is a reddish-white condition on the bald head or forehead, it is a serious skin disease breaking out on his head or forehead.^{(KI) 43} The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the condition on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white, like the appearance of a serious skin disease on his body, ⁴⁴ the man is afflicted with a serious skin disease;^(KJ) he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; the infection is on his head.

⁴⁵ “The person who has a case of serious skin disease is to have his clothes torn^(KK) and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth^(KL) and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He will remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.^(KM)

Contaminated Fabrics

⁴⁷ “If a fabric is contaminated with mildew—in wool or linen fabric, ⁴⁸ in the warp or weft of linen or wool, or in leather or anything made of leather— ⁴⁹ and if the contamination is green or red in the fabric, the leather, the warp, the weft, or any leather article, it is a mildew contamination and is to be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest is to examine the contamination and quarantine the contaminated fabric for seven days. ⁵¹ The priest is to reexamine the contamination on the seventh day. If it has spread in the fabric, the warp, the weft, or the leather, regardless of how it is used, the contamination is harmful mildew; it is unclean.^{(KN) 52} He is to burn the fabric, the warp or weft in wool or linen, or any leather article, which is contaminated. Since it is harmful mildew it must be burned.

⁵³ “When the priest examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the fabric, the warp or weft, or any leather article, ⁵⁴ the priest is to order whatever is contaminated to be washed and quarantined for another seven days. ⁵⁵ After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine the contamination. If the appearance of the contaminated article has not changed, it is unclean. Even though the contamination has not spread, you must burn the fabric. It is a fungus^[bq] on the front or back of the fabric.

⁵⁶ “If the priest examines it, and the contamination has faded after it has been washed, he is to cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, the leather, or the warp or weft. ⁵⁷ But if it reappears in the fabric, the warp or weft, or any leather article, it has broken out again. You must burn whatever is contaminated. ⁵⁸ But if the contamination disappears from the fabric, the warp or weft, or any leather article, which have been washed, it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.

⁵⁹ “This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, warp or weft, or any leather article, in order to pronounce it clean or unclean.”^(KO)

Cleansing of Skin Diseases

14 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “This is the law^(KP) concerning the person afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing.^(KQ) He is to be brought to the priest,^{(KR) 3} who will go outside the camp^(KS) and examine him.^(KT) If the skin disease has disappeared from the afflicted person,^{[br] 4} the priest will order that two live clean birds,^(KU) cedar wood,^(KV) scarlet^(KW) yarn, and hyssop^(KX) be brought for the one who is to be cleansed. ⁵ Then the priest will order that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. ⁶ He is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them all into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. ⁷ He will then sprinkle the blood seven times on the one who is to be cleansed from the skin disease. He is to pronounce him clean and release the live bird over the open countryside.^{(KY) 8} The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; he is clean. Afterward he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ He is to shave off all his hair again on the seventh day: his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; he is clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he must take two unblemished^(KZ) male lambs, an unblemished year-old ewe lamb, a grain offering of six quarts^[bs] of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one-third of a quart^[bt] of olive oil. ¹¹ The priest who performs the cleansing will place the person who is to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² The priest is to take one male lamb and present it as a guilt offering,^(LA) along with the one-third quart of olive oil, and he will present them as a presentation offering^(LB) before the Lord. ¹³ He is to slaughter the male lamb at the place in the sanctuary area where the sin offering^(LC) and burnt offering^(LD) are slaughtered,^(LE) for like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest;^(LF) it is especially holy.^{(LG) 14} The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.^{(LH) 15} Then the priest will take some of the one-third quart of olive oil and pour it into his left palm. ¹⁶ The priest will dip his right finger into the oil in his left palm and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ From the oil remaining in his palm the priest will put some on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.^{(LI) 18} What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord. ¹⁹ The priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness.^(LJ) Afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering. ²⁰ The priest is to offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. The priest will make atonement for him, and he will be clean.^(LK)

²¹ “But if he is poor^(LL) and cannot afford these,^(LM) he is to take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be presented in order to make atonement for him, along with two quarts^[bu] of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, one-third of a quart of olive oil, ²² and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whatever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering. ²³ On the eighth day he is to bring these things for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. ²⁴ The priest will take the male lamb for the guilt offering and the one-third quart of olive oil, and present them as a presentation offering before the Lord. ²⁵ After he slaughters the male lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁶ Then the priest will pour some of the oil into his left palm. ²⁷ With his right finger the priest will sprinkle some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ The priest will also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the same place as the blood of the guilt offering. ²⁹ What is left of the oil in the priest’s palm he is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed to make atonement for him before the Lord.^{(LN) 30} He is to then sacrifice one type of what he can afford, either the turtledoves or young pigeons, ³¹ one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, sacrificing what he can afford together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the Lord for the one to be cleansed. ³² This is the law for someone who has^[bv] a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”

Cleansing of Contaminated Objects

³³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ³⁴ “When you enter the land of Canaan^(LO) that I am giving you as a possession,^(LP) and I place a mildew contamination in a house in the land you possess,^{[bw] 35} the owner of the house is to come and tell the priest: Something like mildew contamination has appeared^[bx] in my house. ³⁶ The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterward the priest will come to examine the house. ³⁷ He will examine it, and if the contamination in the walls of the house consists of green or red indentations^[by] that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, ³⁸ the priest is to go outside the house to its doorway and quarantine the house for seven days. ³⁹ The priest is to return on the seventh day and examine it. If the contamination has spread on the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ the priest must order that the stones with the contamination be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. ⁴¹ He is to have the inside of the house completely scraped, and have the plaster^[bz] that is scraped off dumped in an unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then they are to take different stones to replace the former ones and take additional plaster to replaster the house.

⁴³ “If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered, ⁴⁴ the priest is to come and examine it. If the contamination has spread in the house, it is harmful mildew; the house is unclean. ⁴⁵ It must be torn down with its stones, its beams, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. ⁴⁶ Whoever enters the house during any of the days the priest quarantines it will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Whoever lies down in the house is to wash his clothes, and whoever eats in it is to wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ “But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.^{[ca] 49} He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house, ⁵⁰ and he is to slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot containing fresh water. ⁵¹ He will take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. ⁵² He will purify the house with the blood of the bird, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn. ⁵³ Then he is to release the live bird into the open countryside^(LQ) outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.

⁵⁴ “This is the law for any skin disease or mildew, for a scaly outbreak, ⁵⁵ for mildew in clothing or on a house, ⁵⁶ and for a swelling, scab, or spot, ⁵⁷ to determine when something is unclean or clean. This is the law regarding skin disease and mildew.”

Bodily Discharges

15 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ² “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any man has a discharge^(LR) from his member, he is unclean. ³ This is uncleanness of his discharge: Whether his member secretes the discharge or retains it, he is unclean. All the days that his member secretes or retains anything because of his discharge,^[cb] he is unclean. ⁴ Any bed the man with the discharge lies on will be unclean, and any furniture he sits on will be unclean. ⁵ Anyone who touches his bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁶ Whoever sits on furniture that the man with the discharge was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁷ Whoever touches the body^[cc] of the man with a discharge is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁸ If the man with the discharge spits on anyone who is clean, he is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ⁹ Any saddle the man with the discharge rides on will be unclean.^{(LS) 10} Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹¹ If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands in water,^(LT) the person who was touched is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹² Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, while any wooden utensil is to be rinsed with water.^(LU)

¹³ “When the man with the discharge has been cured of it, he is to count seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; he will be clean. ¹⁴ He must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons on the eighth day, come before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting, and give them to the priest. ¹⁵ The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering.^(LV) In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord because of his discharge.

¹⁶ “When a man has an emission of semen,^(LW) he is to bathe himself completely with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ¹⁷ Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen is to be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. ¹⁸ If a man sleeps with a woman and has an emission of semen, both of them are to bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.^(LX)

¹⁹ “When a woman has a discharge, and it consists of blood from her body, she will be unclean because of her menstruation^(LY) for seven days. Everyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. ²⁰ Anything she lies on during her menstruation will become unclean, and anything she sits on will become unclean. ²¹ Everyone who touches her bed is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²² Everyone who touches any furniture she was sitting on is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²³ If discharge is on the bed or the furniture she was sitting on, when he touches it he will be unclean until evening. ²⁴ If a man sleeps with her, and blood from her menstruation gets on him, he will be unclean for seven days, and every bed he lies on will become unclean.^(LZ)

²⁵ “When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation. ²⁶ Any bed she lies on during the days of her discharge will be like her bed during menstrual impurity; any furniture she sits on will be unclean as in her menstrual period. ²⁷ Everyone who touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain unclean until evening. ²⁸ When she is cured of her discharge, she is to count seven days, and after that she will be clean.^{(MA) 29} On the eighth day she must take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ³⁰ The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the Lord because of her unclean discharge.

³¹ “You must keep the Israelites from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling my tabernacle^(MB) that is among them. ³² This is the law for someone with a discharge: a man who has an emission of semen, becoming unclean by it; ³³ a woman who is in her menstrual period; anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female; and a man who sleeps with a woman who is unclean.”

The Day of Atonement

16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence^(MC) of^[cd] the Lord and died.^{(MD) 2} The Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place^(ME) behind the curtain^(MF) in front of the mercy seat^(MG) on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud^(MH) above the mercy seat.^(MI)

³ “Aaron is to enter the most holy place^(MJ) in this way: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.^{(MK) 4} He is to wear a holy linen tunic, and linen undergarments are to be on his body. He is to tie a linen sash around him and wrap his head with a linen turban.^(ML) These are holy garments; he must bathe his body with water before he wears them. ⁵ He is to take from the Israelite community two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.^(MM)

⁶ “Aaron will present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. ⁷ Next he will take the two goats and place them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸ After Aaron casts lots^(MN) for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for an uninhabitable place,^{[ce][cf](MO) 9} he is to present the goat chosen by lot for the Lord and sacrifice it as a sin offering.^{(MP) 10} But the goat chosen by lot for an uninhabitable place is to be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement with it by sending it into the wilderness^(MQ) for an uninhabitable place.

¹¹ “When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he will slaughter the bull for his sin offering. ¹² Then he is to take a firepan full of blazing coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense,^(MR) and bring them inside the curtain.^{(MS) 13} He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, so that the cloud^(MT) of incense covers the mercy seat that is over the testimony,^(MU) or else he will die.^{(MV) 14} He is to take some of the bull’s blood^(MW) and sprinkle it with his finger against the east side of the mercy seat; then he will sprinkle some of the blood with his finger before the mercy seat seven times.^(MX)

¹⁵ “When he slaughters the male goat for the people’s sin offering and brings its blood inside the curtain, he will do the same with its blood as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it. ¹⁶ He will make atonement for the most holy place in this way for all their sins because of the Israelites’ impurities and rebellious acts.^(MY) He will do the same for the tent of meeting that remains among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. ¹⁷ No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the most holy place until he leaves after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.^{(MZ) 18} Then he will go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on the horns on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse and set it apart^(NA) from the Israelites’ impurities.^(NB)

²⁰ “When he has finished making atonement for the most holy place, the tent of meeting, and the altar, he is to present the live male goat. ²¹ Aaron will lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess^(NC) over it all the Israelites’ iniquities^(ND) and rebellious acts—all their sins.^(NE) He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness^(NF) by the man appointed for the task.^{[cg] 22} The goat will carry all their iniquities into a desolate land,^(NG) and the man will release it there.

²³ “Then Aaron is to enter the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments^(NH) he wore when he entered the most holy place, and leave them there. ²⁴ He will bathe his body with water in a holy place^(NI) and put on his clothes.^(NJ) Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering; he will make atonement for himself and for the people. ²⁵ He is to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar. ²⁶ The man who released the goat for an uninhabitable place is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterward he may reenter the camp. ²⁷ The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the most holy place to make atonement, must be brought outside the camp^(NK) and their hide,^(NL) flesh, and waste burned.^{(NM) 28} The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

²⁹ “This is to be a permanent statute^(NN) for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you are to practice self-denial^(NO) and do no work,^(NP) both the native and the alien^(NQ) who resides among you. ³⁰ Atonement will be made for you on this day to cleanse you,^(NR) and you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. ³¹ It is a Sabbath^(NS) of complete rest for you,^(NT) and you must practice self-denial; it is a permanent statute. ³² The priest who is anointed and ordained^[ch](NU) to serve as high priest^(NV) in place of his father will make atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments, ³³ and make atonement for the most holy place. He will make atonement for the tent of meeting and the altar and will make atonement for the priests and all the people of the assembly. ³⁴ This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement for the Israelites once a year^(NW) because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the Lord commanded Moses.

Forbidden Sacrifices

17 The Lord spoke to Moses: ² “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the Lord has commanded: ³ Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters^(NX) an ox, sheep, or goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp, ⁴ instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before his tabernacle—that person will be considered guilty.^[ci](NY) He has shed blood^(NZ) and is to be cut off from his people.^{(OA) 5} This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices^(OB) they have been offering in the open country. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting and offer them as fellowship sacrifices^(OC) to the Lord. ⁶ The priest will then splatter the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ⁷ They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons^(OD) that they have prostituted^(OE) themselves with. This will be a permanent statute^(OF) for them throughout their generations.

⁸ “Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens^(OG) who reside among them who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice ⁹ but does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord, that person is to be cut off from his people.

Eating Blood and Carcasses Prohibited

¹⁰ “Anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside among them who eats any blood,^(OH) I will turn^[cj] against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people.