Old/New Testament

Aaron and His Sons Appointed

8 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Bring Aaron and his sons and their clothes. Bring the special olive oil used in appointing people and things to the service of the Lord. Also bring the bull of the sin offering and the two male sheep. And bring the basket of bread made without yeast. ³ Then gather the people together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.” ⁴ Moses did as the Lord commanded him. The people met together at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.

⁵ Then Moses spoke to the people. He said, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.” ⁶ Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward. He washed them with water. ⁷ He put the inner robe on Aaron. And he tied the cloth belt around Aaron. Then he put the outer robe on him. Next he put the holy vest on Aaron. Then he tied the skillfully woven belt around him. So the holy vest was tied to Aaron. ⁸ Then Moses put the chest covering on him. And he put the Urim and the Thummim in the chest covering. ⁹ He also put the turban on Aaron’s head. He put the strip of gold on the front of the turban. This strip of gold is the holy crown. Moses did this as the Lord commanded him to do.

¹⁰ Then Moses put the special oil on the Holy Tent and everything in it. In this way Moses made them holy for the Lord. ¹¹ He sprinkled some oil on the altar seven times. He sprinkled the altar and all its tools. He also sprinkled special oil on the large bowl and its base. In this way he made them holy for the Lord. ¹² Then he poured some of the special oil on Aaron’s head. In this way he made Aaron holy for the Lord. ¹³ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons forward. And he put the inner robes on them. He tied cloth belts around them. Then he put headbands on them. He did these things as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁴ Then Moses brought the bull for the sin offering. And Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ¹⁵ Moses killed the bull and took some of the blood. With his finger he put some of the blood on all the corners of the altar. In this way he made the altar pure. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. So he made it holy and ready for service to God. ¹⁶ Moses took all the fat from the inner organs of the bull. He took the best part of the liver. And he took both kidneys and the fat on them. Then he burned them on the altar. ¹⁷ But he took the bull’s skin, its meat and its intestines outside the camp. He burned them in a fire outside the camp. Moses did all these things as the Lord had commanded him.

¹⁸ Next Moses brought the male sheep of the burnt offering. Aaron and his sons put their hands on its head. ¹⁹ Then Moses killed it. He sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁰ Moses cut the male sheep into pieces. And he burned the head, the pieces and the fat. ²¹ He washed the inner organs and legs with water. Then he burned the whole sheep on the altar. It was a burnt offering made by fire to the Lord. Its smell was pleasing to the Lord. Moses did these things as the Lord had commanded him.

²² Then Moses brought the other male sheep. It was used in appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. They put their hands on its head. ²³ Then Moses killed the sheep. He put some of its blood on the bottom of Aaron’s right ear. He put some on the thumb of Aaron’s right hand. And he put some on the big toe of his right foot. ²⁴ Then Moses brought Aaron’s sons close to the altar. He put some of the blood on the bottom of their right ears. He put it on the thumbs of their right hands. And he put it on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled blood on all sides of the altar. ²⁵ He took the fat and the fat tail from the sheep. He took all the fat on the inner organs. He took the best part of the liver. He also took both kidneys, their fat and the right thigh. ²⁶ A basket of bread made without yeast is put before the Lord each day. From the basket Moses took a loaf of bread. And he took a loaf made with oil and a wafer. He put these pieces of bread on the fat and right thigh of the male sheep. ²⁷ He put all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. He presented the pieces as an offering before the Lord. ²⁸ Then Moses took them from their hands. And he burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. So this was the offering for appointing Aaron and his sons as priests. It was an offering made by fire to the Lord. Its smell was pleasing to the Lord. ²⁹ Moses took the breast and presented it as an offering before the Lord. It was Moses’ share of the male sheep used in appointing the priests. This was as the Lord had commanded Moses.

³⁰ Moses took some of the special oil and some of the blood which was on the altar. He sprinkled some of the oil on Aaron and Aaron’s clothes. He also sprinkled some on Aaron’s sons and their clothes. In this way Moses made Aaron, his clothes, his sons and their clothes holy for the Lord.

³¹ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “I gave you a command. I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat these things.’ So take the meat and basket of bread from the offering for appointing priests. Boil the meat at the door of the Meeting Tent. Eat it there with the bread. ³² If any of the meat or bread is left, burn it. ³³ The time of appointing will last seven days. You must not go outside the entrance of the Meeting Tent until that time is up. Stay there until the time of your appointing is finished. ³⁴ The Lord commanded the things that were done today. He commanded these things to remove your sins so you will belong to him. ³⁵ You must stay at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. Stay there day and night for seven days. If you don’t obey the Lord’s commands, you will die! The Lord has given me these commands.”

³⁶ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded through Moses.

Aaron and His Sons Offer Sacrifices

9 On the eighth day after the time of appointing, Moses called for Aaron and his sons. He also called for the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf and a male sheep. There must be nothing wrong with these animals. The calf will be a sin offering. And the male sheep will be a whole burnt offering. Offer these animals to the Lord. ³ Tell the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering. And take a calf and a lamb for a whole burnt offering. The calf and the lamb must each be one year old. There must be nothing wrong with these animals. ⁴ Take a bull and a male sheep for fellowship offerings. Take with these animals a grain offering mixed with oil. Offer these things to the Lord. This is because the Lord will appear to you today.’”

⁵ So all the people came to the front of the Meeting Tent. They brought the things Moses had commanded them to bring. And they stood before the Lord. ⁶ Moses said, “You have done what the Lord commanded. So you will see the Lord’s glory.”

⁷ Then Moses told Aaron, “Go to the altar. There offer sin offerings and whole burnt offerings. Do this to remove your sins and the people’s sins so you will belong to God. Offer the sacrifices for the people. And perform the acts to remove their sins for them so they will belong to the Lord. Do this as the Lord has commanded.”

⁸ So Aaron went to the altar. He killed the bull calf as a sin offering for himself. ⁹ Then his sons brought the blood to him. Aaron dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the corners of the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. ¹⁰ Aaron took the fat, the kidneys and the best part of the liver from the sin offering. He burned these things on the altar. He did this the way the Lord had commanded Moses. ¹¹ Aaron burned the meat and skin outside the camp.

¹² Then Aaron killed the animal for the whole burnt offering. Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him. And he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹³ Aaron’s sons gave the pieces and head of the burnt offering to Aaron. And he burned them on the altar. ¹⁴ Aaron also washed the inner organs and the legs of the burnt offering. And he burned them on the altar.

¹⁵ Then Aaron brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat of the people’s sin offering. He killed and offered the goat of the sin offering. He did this just as he had done the first sin offering.

¹⁶ Then Aaron brought the whole burnt offering and offered it. He did it as the Lord had commanded. ¹⁷ He also brought the grain offering to the altar. He took a handful of the grain and burned it on the altar. This was in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.

¹⁸ Aaron also killed the bull and the male sheep. These were the fellowship offerings for the people. Aaron’s sons brought the blood from these animals to Aaron. He sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. ¹⁹ Aaron’s sons also brought to Aaron the fat of the bull and the male sheep. They brought the fat tail and the fat covering the inner organs. They also brought the kidneys and the best part of the liver. ²⁰ Aaron’s sons put these fat parts on the breasts of the bull and sheep. Then Aaron burned these fat parts on the altar. ²¹ He presented the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as the priests’ share of the offering. He did this as Moses had commanded.

²² Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. Aaron had finished offering the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering. Then he stepped down from the altar.

²³ Moses and Aaron went into the Meeting Tent. Then they came out and blessed the people. Then the Lord’s glory came to all the people. ²⁴ Fire came out from the Lord. It burned up the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy. They bowed facedown on the ground.

God Destroys Nadab and Abihu

10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their pans for burning incense. They put fire in them and added incense. But they did not use the special fire Moses had commanded them to use. ² So fire came down from the Lord and destroyed Nadab and Abihu. They died in front of the Lord. ³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said,

So Aaron did not say anything about the death of his sons.

⁴ Aaron’s uncle Uzziel had two sons named Mishael and Elzaphan. Moses said to them, “Come here. Pick up your cousins’ bodies. Carry them outside the camp away from the front of the Holy Place.” ⁵ So Mishael and Elzaphan obeyed Moses. They carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu outside the camp. Nadab and Abihu were still wearing the special priest’s inner robes.

⁶ Then Moses spoke to Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. Moses told them, “Don’t show any sadness. Don’t tear your clothes or leave your hair uncombed. If you do those things, you will die, and the Lord will be angry with all the people. All the people of Israel are your relatives. They may cry loudly about the Lord burning Nadab and Abihu. ⁷ But you must not even leave the Meeting Tent. If you go out of the entrance, you will die! This is because the Lord has appointed you to his service.” So Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar obeyed Moses.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Aaron, ⁹ “You and your sons must not drink wine or beer when you go into the Meeting Tent. If you do, you will die! This law will continue from now on. ¹⁰ You must keep what is holy separate from what is not holy. You must keep what is clean separate from what is unclean. ¹¹ The Lord gave his laws to Moses. And Moses gave them to the people. You must teach the people all the laws.”

¹² Moses talked to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar. Moses said, “Some of the grain offering is left from the sacrifices offered by fire to the Lord. Eat that part of the grain offering. But do not add yeast to it. Eat it near the altar because it is most holy. ¹³ The Law I gave you says this part belongs to you and your sons. But you must eat it in a holy place. It is part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord. I have been commanded to tell you this.

¹⁴ “Also, you, your sons and daughters may eat the breast and thigh of the fellowship offering. They were presented to the Lord. You must eat them in a clean place. They are your share of the fellowship offerings given by the Israelites. ¹⁵ The people must bring the fat from their animals. It is part of the offering made by fire. They must also bring the thigh and the breast of the fellowship offering. These will be presented to the Lord. They will be the regular share of the offerings for you and your children. The Lord has commanded it.”

¹⁶ Moses looked for the goat of the sin offering. But it had already been burned up. So he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. He said, ¹⁷ “You were supposed to eat that goat in a holy place before the Lord! It is most holy! He gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people. The goat was for removing the sins of the people so they will belong to the Lord. ¹⁸ You didn’t bring the goat’s blood inside the Holy Place. So you were supposed to eat the goat in a holy place, as I commanded!”

¹⁹ But Aaron said to Moses, “Today they brought their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord. But these terrible things have still happened to me today! Do you think the Lord would be any happier if I ate the sin offering today?” ²⁰ When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

The King Will Judge All People

³¹ “The Son of Man will come again in his great glory. All his angels will come with him. He will be King and sit on his great throne. ³² All the people of the world will be gathered before him. Then he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ The Son of Man will put the sheep, the good people, on his right and the goats, the bad people, on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to the good people on his right, ‘Come. My Father has given you his blessing. Come and receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. ³⁵ I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. ³⁶ I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

³⁷ “Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’

⁴⁰ “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’

⁴¹ “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘Go away from me. God has said that you will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever. That fire was prepared for the devil and his helpers. ⁴² I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. ⁴³ I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

⁴⁴ “Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you alone and away from home? Or when did we see you without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?’

⁴⁵ “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth. Anything you refused to do for any of my people here, you refused to do for me.’

⁴⁶ “These people will go off to be punished forever. But the good people will go to live forever.”