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Laws for Burnt Offerings

Then[a] Yahweh called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of assembly, saying, “Speak to the Israelites,[b] and say to them, ‘When a person[c] from you presents an offering to Yahweh, you shall present your offering from domestic animals, from the cattle[d] or from the flock.[e] If his offering is a burnt offering from the cattle,[f] then he must present[g] an unblemished male; he must present it at the door of the tent of assembly for his acceptance before[h] Yahweh.

“‘He[i] must lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted[j] for him in order to make atonement for him. He[k] must slaughter the young bull[l] before[m] Yahweh, then[n] Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the blood and sprinkle the blood all around the altar that is at the door of the tent of assembly. Then[o] he must remove the skin of the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of[p] Aaron the priest will put fire on the altar and arrange the wood on the fire. Then[q] Aaron’s sons, the priests, will arrange the pieces of meat,[r] the head, and the suet on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar. Then[s] he must wash its inner parts[t] and its lower leg bones with water, and the priest will turn into smoke the whole animal on the altar as a burnt offering by fire, as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

10 “‘But if his offering is from the flock,[u] from the sheep or from the goats for a burnt offering, he must present[v] an unblemished[w] male. 11 He[x] must slaughter it on the north side of the altar before[y] Yahweh; then[z] Aaron’s sons, the priests, will sprinkle its blood all around the altar. 12 Then[aa] he must cut it into pieces along with its head and its suet; and the priest will arrange them on the wood that is on the fire that is on the altar. 13 Then[ab] he must wash the inner parts[ac] and the lower leg bones with water and the priest shall present the whole animal and will turn it[ad] into smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.

14 “‘But if his offering for Yahweh is a burnt offering from the birds, then he must present his offering from the turtledoves or from the young doves.[ae] 15 The priest[af] will present it at the altar and must wring off its head and turn it into smoke on the altar, and its blood will be drained out on the wall[ag] of the altar. 16 He[ah] must remove its crop with its plumage and throw it to the east beside the altar on the place of the fatty ashes. 17 Then[ai] he must tear it apart by its wings but must not sever it; then[aj] the priest will turn it into smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering by fire as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 1:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 1:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 1:2 Or “man”—the singular noun is generic, thus the “you” and “your” in the remainder of the verse are all plural
  4. Leviticus 1:2 Or “herd”
  5. Leviticus 1:2 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  6. Leviticus 1:3 Or “herd”
  7. Leviticus 1:3 Hebrew “present it”
  8. Leviticus 1:3 Literally “to the face of”
  9. Leviticus 1:4 Or “And he”
  10. Leviticus 1:4 Same root word as “acceptance” in v. 3
  11. Leviticus 1:5 Or “And he”
  12. Leviticus 1:5 Literally “the son of the herd” or “the son of the cattle”
  13. Leviticus 1:5 Literally “to the face of”
  14. Leviticus 1:5 Or “and”
  15. Leviticus 1:6 Or “And”
  16. Leviticus 1:7 Or “And the sons of”
  17. Leviticus 1:8 Or “And”
  18. Leviticus 1:8 Verse 6 in the context uses the same word with reference to the meat
  19. Leviticus 1:9 Or “And”
  20. Leviticus 1:9 Or “entrails”
  21. Leviticus 1:10 The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)
  22. Leviticus 1:10 Hebrew “present it”
  23. Leviticus 1:10 Same word as in v. 3
  24. Leviticus 1:11 Or “And he”
  25. Leviticus 1:11 Literally “to the face of”
  26. Leviticus 1:11 Or “and”
  27. Leviticus 1:12 Or “And”
  28. Leviticus 1:13 Or “And”
  29. Leviticus 1:13 Or “entrails”
  30. Leviticus 1:13 Understood direct object
  31. Leviticus 1:14 Literally “the sons of the dove”
  32. Leviticus 1:15 Or “And the priest”
  33. Leviticus 1:15 Or “side”
  34. Leviticus 1:16 Or “And he”
  35. Leviticus 1:17 Or “And”
  36. Leviticus 1:17 Or “and”

Procedures for the Burnt Offering

The Lord called to Moses from the Tabernacle[a] and said to him, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an offering to the Lord, you may take it from your herd of cattle or your flock of sheep and goats.

“If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you[b] may be accepted by the Lord. Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.[c] Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will present the animal’s blood by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the Tabernacle. Then skin the animal and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest will build a wood fire on the altar. They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

10 “If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the flock, it may be either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a male with no defects. 11 Slaughter the animal on the north side of the altar in the Lord’s presence, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. 12 Then cut the animal in pieces, and the priests will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. 13 But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

14 “If you present a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, choose either a turtledove or a young pigeon. 15 The priest will take the bird to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. But first he must drain its blood against the side of the altar. 16 The priest must also remove the crop and the feathers[d] and throw them in the ashes on the east side of the altar. 17 Then, grasping the bird by its wings, the priest will tear the bird open, but without tearing it apart. Then he will burn it as a burnt offering on the wood burning on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 1:3, 5.
  2. 1:3 Or it.
  3. 1:4 Or to make atonement for you.
  4. 1:16 Or the crop and its contents. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.