Beginning

22 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Here is what I want you to tell Aaron and his sons. Tell them to treat the sacred offerings with respect. They are the offerings the Israelites set apart to honor me. So Aaron and his sons must never treat my name as if it were not holy. I am the Lord.

³ “Say to them, ‘Suppose a man in your family line is “unclean.” And suppose he comes near the sacred offerings. They are the offerings the Israelites set apart to honor me. That man must not be allowed to serve me as a priest. That applies for all time to come. I am the Lord.

⁴ “ ‘Suppose a man in Aaron’s family line has a skin disease. Or suppose liquid waste is flowing out of his body. Then he can’t eat the sacred offerings until he is made pure and clean. Suppose he touches something made “unclean” by coming near a dead body. Or suppose he touches someone who has semen flowing from his body. Then he will be “unclean.” ⁵ Or suppose he touches any crawling thing that makes him “unclean.” Or suppose he touches any person who makes him “unclean.” It does not matter what “unclean” thing he touches. It will make him “unclean.” ⁶ The one who touches anything of that kind will be “unclean” until evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has taken a bath. ⁷ When the sun goes down, he will be “clean.” After that, he can eat the sacred offerings. They are his food. ⁸ He must not eat anything found dead or torn apart by wild animals. If he does, it will make him “unclean.” I am the Lord.

⁹ “ ‘The priests must do what I require. But suppose they make fun of what I require. Then they will become guilty and die. I am the Lord. I make them holy.

¹⁰ “ ‘Only a member of a priest’s family can eat the sacred offering. The guest of a priest can’t eat it. A priest’s hired worker can’t eat it either. ¹¹ But suppose a priest buys a slave with money. Or suppose slaves are born in his house. Then they can eat the sacred food. ¹² Suppose a priest’s daughter marries someone who is not a priest. Then she can’t eat any of the food brought as a sacred gift. ¹³ But suppose the priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced. She does not have any children. And she returns to live in her father’s house, where she lived when she was young. Then she can eat her father’s food. But a person who does not belong to a priest’s family can’t eat any of it.

¹⁴ “ ‘Suppose someone eats a sacred offering by mistake. Then they must pay back the priest for the offering. They must also add a fifth of its value to it. ¹⁵ The priests must not allow the sacred offerings to become “unclean.” They are the offerings the Israelites bring to the Lord. ¹⁶ The priests must not allow the offerings to become “unclean” by letting the people eat them. If they do, they will bring guilt on the people. They will have to pay for what they have done. I am the Lord. I make them holy.’ ”

Sacrifices the Lord Does Not Accept

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ¹⁸ “Speak to Aaron and his sons. Speak to all the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Suppose any of you brings a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord. It does not matter whether you are an Israelite or an outsider who lives in Israel. It does not matter whether you bring the offering to keep a promise or because you choose to give it. ¹⁹ You must bring a male animal without any flaws if you want the Lord to accept it from you. It does not matter whether it is from your cattle, sheep or goats. ²⁰ Do not bring an animal that has any flaws. If you do, the Lord will not accept it from you. ²¹ Suppose any of you brings an animal for a friendship offering to the Lord. Then it must not have any flaws at all. If it does, the Lord will not accept it. It does not matter whether the animal is from your herd or flock. It does not matter whether you bring it to keep a promise or because you choose to give it. ²² Do not offer a blind animal to the Lord. Do not bring a hurt or wounded animal. And do not offer one that has warts or boils or running sores. Do not place any of them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. ²³ But suppose you bring an offering you choose to give. Then you can bring an ox or a sheep whose body is twisted or too small. But the Lord will not accept it if you offer it to keep a promise. ²⁴ You must not offer the Lord a male animal whose sex glands have been hurt. The glands also must not be crushed, torn or cut. You must not offer that kind of animal in your own land. ²⁵ And you must not accept that kind of animal from someone who comes from another land. You must not offer it as food for your God. He will not accept it from you. Its body is twisted and has flaws.’ ”

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁷ “When a calf, lamb or goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, I will accept it as a food offering presented to me. ²⁸ Do not kill a cow and its calf on the same day. Do not kill a female sheep and its lamb on the same day.

²⁹ “Sacrifice a thank offering to me in the right way. Then I will accept it from you. ³⁰ You must eat it that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

³¹ “Obey my commands. Follow them. I am the Lord. ³² Do not treat my name as if it were not holy. The Israelites must recognize me as the holy God. I am the Lord. I made you holy. ³³ I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

The Appointed Feast Days

23 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Here are my appointed feast days. They are the appointed feast days of the Lord. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies.

The Sabbath Day

³ “ ‘There are six days when you can work. But the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest. You must rest on it. Come together on that sacred day. You must not do any work on it. No matter where you live, it is a Sabbath day to honor the Lord.

Passover and Unleavened Bread

⁴ “ ‘Here are the Lord’s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred gatherings at their appointed times. ⁵ The Lord’s Passover begins when the sun goes down on the 14th day of the first month. ⁶ The Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of that month. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. ⁷ On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day. ⁸ On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.’ ”

The First Share of Israel’s Crops Belongs to the Lord

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, bring an offering to the Lord. Gather your crops. Bring the first bundle of grain to the priest. ¹¹ He must lift up the grain and wave it in front of the Lord. Then the Lord will accept it from you. The priest must wave it on the day after the Sabbath. ¹² On the day he waves the grain for you, you must sacrifice a burnt offering to me. It must be a lamb that does not have any flaws. It must be a year old. ¹³ You must bring it together with its grain offering. The grain offering must be seven pounds of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. It has a pleasant smell. You must offer a drink offering along with the burnt offering. It must be a quart of wine. ¹⁴ You must not eat any bread until the day you bring your offering to the Lord your God. You must not eat any cooked grain or any of your first grain until that time. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.

The Feast of Weeks

¹⁵ “ ‘The day you brought the grain for the wave offering was the day after the Sabbath. Count off seven full weeks from that day. ¹⁶ Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath. On that day bring to the Lord an offering of your first grain. ¹⁷ Bring two loaves of bread that are made with seven pounds of the finest flour. They must be baked with yeast. Bring them to me as a wave offering from the first share of your crops. That applies no matter where you live. ¹⁸ Together with the bread, bring seven male lambs. Each lamb must be a year old. It must not have any flaws. Also bring one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord. They will be offered together with their grain offerings and drink offerings. They are food offerings. Their smell pleases the Lord. ¹⁹ Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. Also sacrifice two lambs for a friendship offering. Each of the lambs must be a year old. ²⁰ The priest must lift up the two lambs and wave them in front of me as a wave offering. He must offer them together with the bread made out of the first share of your crops. They are a sacred offering to the Lord. They will be given to the priest. ²¹ On that same day tell the people that they must come together for a special worship service. They must not do any regular work. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.

²² “ ‘Suppose you are gathering your crops. Then do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field. And do not pick up the grain you missed. Leave some for the poor people and the outsiders who live among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets

²³ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁴ “Say to the Israelites, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you must have a day of sabbath rest. It must be a special service announced with trumpet blasts. ²⁵ Do not do any regular work on that day. Instead, bring a food offering to the Lord.’ ”

The Day When Sin Is Paid For

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, ²⁷ “The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. Come together for a special service. Do not eat any food. Bring a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work on that day. It is the day when sin is paid for. On that day your sin will be paid for in my sight. I am the Lord your God. ²⁹ Suppose you do eat food on that day. Then you will be separated from your people. ³⁰ I will destroy anyone among your people who does any work on that day. ³¹ You must not do any work at all. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live. ³² That day is a day of sabbath rest for you. You must rest on it. You must not eat anything on that day. You must follow the rules of the sabbath rest. Follow them from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”

The Feast of Booths

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Say to the Israelites, ‘On the 15th day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Booths begins. It lasts for seven days. ³⁵ On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day. ³⁶ On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the eighth day come together for a special service. Bring a food offering to the Lord. That special service is the closing service. Do not do any regular work on that day.

³⁷ “ ‘These are the Lord’s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies. During those times, the people must bring food offerings to the Lord. They are burnt offerings and grain offerings. They are sacrifices and drink offerings. Each offering must be brought at its required time. ³⁸ The offerings are in addition to those of the days of sabbath rest. The offerings are also in addition to your gifts and anything you have promised. They are also in addition to all the offerings you choose to give to the Lord.

³⁹ “ ‘Begin with the 15th day of the seventh month. That is after you have gathered your crops. On that day celebrate the Lord’s Feast of Booths for seven days. The first day is a day of rest. The eighth day is also a day of rest. ⁴⁰ On the first day you must get branches from palms, willows and other leafy trees. You must be filled with joy in front of the Lord your God for seven days. ⁴¹ Celebrate the Lord’s Feast of Booths for seven days each year. This is a law that will last for all time to come. Celebrate the feast in the seventh month. ⁴² Live in booths for seven days. All the Israelites must live in booths. ⁴³ Then your children after you will know that I made the Israelites live in booths. I made them do it after I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ”

⁴⁴ So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.