22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons so that they (A)abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they (B)dedicate to me, so that they do not (C)profane my holy name: I am the Lord. Say to them, ‘If any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while (D)he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord. None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a (E)discharge may eat of the holy things (F)until he is clean. (G)Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead or (H)a man who has had an emission of semen, and (I)whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or (J)a person from whom he may take uncleanness, whatever his uncleanness may be— the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening and shall not eat of the holy things unless he has (K)bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the holy things, because (L)they are his food. (M)He shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it: I am the Lord.’ They shall therefore keep my charge, (N)lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it: (O)I am the Lord who sanctifies them.

10 (P)“A lay person shall not eat of a holy thing; no foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing, 11 but if a priest buys a slave[a] as his property for money, the slave[b] may eat of it, and (Q)anyone born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. 13 But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and (R)returns to her father's house, (S)as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it. 14 (T)And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add (U)the fifth of its value to it and give the holy thing to the priest. 15 They (V)shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord, 16 and so cause them (W)to bear iniquity and guilt, by eating their holy things: (X)for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:11 Or servant; twice in this verse
  2. Leviticus 22:11 Hebrew he

Holy Offerings

22 Later on, the Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons that they are to separate themselves for the sacred things of the Israelis and that they are not to defile my holy name. I am the Lord. Tell them that whoever among your descendants throughout your generations approaches the sacred things that the Israelis had consecrated to the Lord while still remaining unclean is to be eliminated from my presence. I am the Lord. If one of Aaron’s descendants has an infectious skin disease or a discharge, he is not to eat anything sacred until he has been cleansed. Anyone who touches an unclean thing on account of the dead, or who has a seminal discharge, or who becomes unclean by touching a creeping creature or another human being, whatever the uncleanness may be— such a person[a] who comes in contact with anything like this will become unclean until evening. As a result, he is not to eat the sacred things unless he has bathed himself[b] with water. When the sun has gone down and he has been cleansed, he may eat of the sacred things, since that’s his food. He is not to eat the carcass of an animal that was torn by animals,[c] thereby defiling himself with it. I am the Lord. They are to keep my charge. By doing so, they won’t bear the punishment of sin because of it and therefore die if they’ve been defiled by it. I am the Lord, who sets them apart.”

Other Prohibitions

10 “No resident alien is to eat anything sacred. Neither the visitor[d] of the priest nor a hired laborer is to eat anything sacred. 11 If a priest acquires a slave as property with his own money, he may eat with him. Those who were born in his house may eat his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a resident alien, she is not to eat the sacred raised offerings. 13 If the priest’s daughter is a widow, or is divorced and childless,[e] so that she has to return to her father’s house as in her younger days,[f] she may eat her father’s food, but no resident alien may eat it. 14 If a person eats anything sacred inadvertently, he is to add a fifth part to it and then give the sacred thing to the priest. 15 They are not to defile the sacred things of the Israelis that they have offered[g] to the Lord, 16 thereby causing them to bear the punishment of their iniquity for wrongdoing when they eat their sacred things, because I am the Lord, who sets them apart.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 22:6 Lit. soul
  2. Leviticus 22:6 Lit. his body
  3. Leviticus 22:8 The Heb. lacks by animals
  4. Leviticus 22:10 Lit. sojourner
  5. Leviticus 22:13 Lit. There’s no offspring to her
  6. Leviticus 22:13 Lit. early life
  7. Leviticus 22:15 Lit. to rise