“Tell the Israelites: If any of you bring a sacrifice to Yahweh, you must offer an animal from your cattle, sheep, or goats.

“Tell the Israelites: If a person unintentionally does something wrong—even one thing that is forbidden by any of Yahweh’s commands—this is what he must do.

Offerings for Wrongdoing by the Whole Congregation

“If the whole congregation of Israel unintentionally does something wrong, without the assembly being aware of it, if they do even one thing that is forbidden by any of Yahweh’s commands, they will be guilty.

“Tell the Israelites: Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats.

“Tell the Israelites: Anyone who offers Yahweh a fellowship offering must bring a part of that sacrifice as a gift to Yahweh.

From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that was presented to me and the thigh from the contribution offering. I have given them to the priest Aaron and his sons. This is a permanent law for generations to come.

Yahweh commanded the Israelites to give it to them on the day he anointed them. This is a permanent law for generations to come.”

On Mount Sinai Yahweh gave Moses commands about these offerings at the same time that he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to Yahweh in the Sinai Desert.

Aaron’s First Sacrifices

On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the leaders of Israel.

Also tell the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat as an offering for sin, a calf and a lamb (each one year old and without defects) as a burnt offering,

Moses told Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar: “Do not mourn by leaving your hair uncombed or tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die and Yahweh will become angry with the whole congregation. All the other Israelites may cry over the fire Yahweh sent, but you may not.

Also teach the Israelites all the laws that Yahweh gave them through Moses.”

Also eat the breast presented to the Lord and the thigh that was given as a contribution. You and your sons and daughters may eat them in a clean place because they are your part of the fellowship offerings from the Israelites.

Laws about Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat

Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron,

“Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat:

“Tell the Israelites: When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period.

“Tell the Israelites: If a man has a discharge from his penis, his discharge is unclean.

“You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise, they will die because they make my tent, which is among them, unclean.

He will take two male goats from the congregation of Israel as an offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering.

So he will make peace with the Lord for all the sins the Israelites committed against the holy place. These sins happened because the Israelites were unclean and because they committed rebellious acts. He will do the same for the tent of meeting which is among an unclean people.

No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron enters the holy place to do this until he comes out. Aaron will make peace with the Lord for his own sins, his family’s sins, and the sins of the entire assembly of Israel.

With his finger he will sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times. Because the Israelites made it unclean, he will cleanse it and declare it holy.

Aaron will place both hands on its head. He will confess over it all the sins, all the rebellious acts, and all the things the Israelites did wrong. He will transfer them to the goat’s head. A man will be appointed to release the goat in the desert.

“This will be a permanent law for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month both native Israelites and foreigners must humble themselves. They must do no work.

“This permanent law tells you how to make peace with the Lord once a year for all the sins the Israelites committed.” Aaron did as Yahweh had commanded Moses.