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The Use of Holy Offerings

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Direct Aaron and his sons to deal carefully with the sacred donations of the Israelites, which they dedicate to me, so that they may not profane my holy name: I am the Lord.(A) Say to them, ‘If anyone among all your offspring throughout your generations comes near the sacred donations, which the Israelites dedicate to the Lord, while he is in a state of uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.’(B) No one of Aaron’s offspring who has a defiling skin disease or suffers a discharge may eat of the sacred donations until he is clean. Whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse or a man who has had an emission of semen,(C) and whoever touches any swarming thing by which he may be made unclean or any human being by whom he may be made unclean—whatever his uncleanness may be(D) the person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening and shall not eat of the sacred donations unless he has washed his body in water. When the sun sets he shall be clean, and afterward he may eat of the sacred donations, for they are his food. That which died or was torn by wild animals he shall not eat, becoming unclean by it: I am the Lord.(E) They shall keep my charge, so that they may not incur guilt and die because of it for having profaned them: I am the Lord; I sanctify them.(F)

10 “No layperson shall eat of the sacred donations. No bound or hired servant of the priest shall eat of the sacred donations,(G) 11 but if a priest acquires anyone by purchase, the person may eat of them, and those who are born in his house may eat of his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the sacred donations, 13 but if a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, without offspring, and returns to her father’s house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food. No layperson shall eat of it.(H) 14 If a man eats of the sacred donation unintentionally, he shall add one-fifth of its value to it and give the sacred donation to the priest.(I) 15 No one shall profane the sacred donations of the Israelites, which they offer to the Lord, 16 causing them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their sacred donations, for I am the Lord; I sanctify them.”(J)

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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