Leviticus 1-4

New Life Version

Burnt Gifts on the Altar

1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the meeting tent, saying, ² “Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘When any of you bring a gift in worship to the Lord, bring your gift of animals from the herd or the flock. ³ If his gift is a burnt gift from the cattle, he should bring a male that is perfect. He should give it at the door of the meeting tent, so he will be pleasing to the Lord. ⁴ He will lay his hand on the head of the burnt gift and it will be received to take away his sins. ⁵ He will kill the young bull before the Lord. Then Aaron’s sons, the religious leaders, will take the blood and put it around on the altar that is at the door of the meeting tent. ⁶ He will skin the burnt gift and cut it into pieces. ⁷ The sons of Aaron the religious leader will put fire on the altar and lay wood on the fire. ⁸ Then Aaron’s sons, the religious leaders, will lay the pieces, the head and the fat on the wood that is on the altar fire. ⁹ But he will wash its legs and inside parts with water. Then the religious leader will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.

¹⁰ ‘If his gift is a burnt gift from the sheep or the goats of the flock, he should give a male that is perfect. ¹¹ He should kill it on the north side of the altar before the Lord. Aaron’s sons, the religious leaders, will put its blood around on the altar. ¹² Then he will cut it into pieces with its head and its fat. And the religious leader will lay them on the wood that is on the altar fire. ¹³ But he will wash the legs and inside parts with water. The religious leader will burn all of it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.

¹⁴ ‘If his gift is a burnt gift of birds, he should bring his gift from the turtle-doves or young pigeons. ¹⁵ The religious leader will bring it to the altar and take off its head. Then he will burn it on the altar. Its blood will flow down on the side of the altar. ¹⁶ He will take the part of its body where the food it eats is kept and with its feathers throw them on the ashes on the east side of the altar. ¹⁷ Then he will tear it by its wings, but not divide it. And the religious leader will burn it on the altar as a burnt gift. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord.

Grain Gifts

2 ‘When anyone gives a grain gift to the Lord, it should be of fine flour. He should pour oil on it and put special perfume on it. ² Then he will take it to Aaron’s sons, the religious leaders. The religious leader will fill his hand with the fine flour, oil and special perfume and will burn it on the altar as a part to be remembered. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord. ³ The rest of the grain gift will belong to Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the gifts by fire to the Lord.

⁴ ‘When you bring a gift of grain that has been baked, it should be loaves of fine flour without yeast and mixed with oil, or hard bread without yeast and spread with oil. ⁵ If your gift of grain has been cooked on top of the stove, it should be of fine flour without yeast and mixed with oil. ⁶ Break it into pieces and pour oil on it. It is a grain gift. ⁷ If your gift of grain has been cooked in a pot, it should be made of fine flour with oil. ⁸ Bring the grain gift that is made of these things to the Lord. It will be given to the religious leader, and he will bring it to the altar. ⁹ The religious leader will take the part to be remembered from the grain gift and burn it on the altar. It will be a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord. ¹⁰ The rest of the grain gift belongs to Aaron and his sons. It is a most holy part of the gifts by fire to the Lord.

¹¹ ‘No grain gift that you bring to the Lord will be made with yeast. For you must never burn yeast or honey in any gift by fire to the Lord. ¹² You may bring them to the Lord as a gift of first-fruits, but not for a pleasing smell upon the altar. ¹³ You should add salt to all your grain gifts. The salt of the agreement of your God must be in your grain gift. Give salt with all your gifts.

¹⁴ ‘If you give a grain gift of first-fruits to the Lord, give crushed new grain from new plants, dried by fire. ¹⁵ Put oil and special perfume on it. It is a grain gift. ¹⁶ The religious leader will burn part of its crushed grain and oil with all its special perfume, as its part to be remembered. It is a gift by fire to the Lord.

Peace Gifts

3 ‘If this gift given on the altar is a peace gift taken from the herd, male or female, he should give one to the Lord that is perfect. ² He will lay his hand on the head of his gift, and kill it at the door of the meeting tent. Aaron’s sons, the religious leaders, will put the blood around on the altar. ³ And from the peace gift, a gift by fire to the Lord, he will give all the fat that covers and is upon the inside parts, ⁴ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part that is on the liver, which he will take away with the kidneys. ⁵ Then Aaron’s sons will burn it on the altar, on the burnt gift that is on the wood of the fire. It is a gift by fire, a pleasing smell to the Lord. ⁶ If his peace gift to the Lord is from the flock, male or female, he will give one that is perfect. ⁷ If he gives a lamb, then he will give it to the Lord. ⁸ He will lay his hand on the head of his gift, and kill it in front of the meeting tent. Aaron’s sons will put its blood around on the altar. ⁹ And from the peace gifts he will bring as a gift by fire to the Lord, its fat, the whole fat tail, taking it off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers and is upon the inside parts, ¹⁰ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part that is on the liver, which he will take away with the kidneys. ¹¹ Then the religious leader will burn them on the altar, a food gift by fire to the Lord.

¹² ‘If his gift is a goat, then he will give it to the Lord. ¹³ He will lay his hand on its head, and kill it in front of the meeting tent. The sons of Aaron will put its blood around on the altar. ¹⁴ Then he will give from it as his gift by fire to the Lord, the fat that covers and is on the inside parts, ¹⁵ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part that is on the liver, which he will take away with the kidneys. ¹⁶ The religious leader will burn them on the altar, a food gift by fire for a pleasing smell. All fat is the Lord’s. ¹⁷ It will be a Law forever for all your people in all your houses, that you do not eat any fat or any blood.’”

Gifts Given When a Person Sins without Meaning To

4 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘If a person sins without meaning to, by not obeying what the Lord has told us to do, these are the rules he must follow. ³ If the chosen religious leader sins and so brings guilt on the people, let him give to the Lord a bull that is perfect. It is a sin gift for the sin he has done. ⁴ He will bring the bull to the door of the meeting tent before the Lord. He will lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the Lord. ⁵ Then the chosen religious leader is to take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the meeting tent. ⁶ The religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put some of the blood seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtain of the holy place. ⁷ And the religious leader will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet-smelling perfume in the meeting tent before the Lord. Then he will pour out all of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent. ⁸ He will take from it all the fat of the bull of the sin gift, the fat that covers the inside parts, and all the fat that is on the inside parts, ⁹ and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part on the liver, which he will take off with the kidneys, ¹⁰ just as these are taken from the bull of the peace gift. The religious leader is to burn them on the altar of burnt gifts. ¹¹ But the bull’s skin and all its flesh, its head, legs, inside parts and its waste, ¹² all the rest of the bull, he is to bring to a clean place away from the tents, where the ashes are poured out. There he will burn it on wood with fire. It will be burned where the ashes are poured out.

¹³ ‘If all the people of Israel sin and do not obey what the Lord has told them, without meaning to and without knowing about it, they are guilty. ¹⁴ When their sin becomes known, the people will give a bull from the herd for a sin gift. They will bring it in front of the meeting tent. ¹⁵ Then the leaders of the people will lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord. And the bull will be killed before the Lord. ¹⁶ The chosen religious leader will take some of the bull’s blood to the meeting tent. ¹⁷ There the religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put it seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtains. ¹⁸ He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar before the Lord in the meeting tent. And he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent. ¹⁹ He will take all its fat from it and burn it on the altar. ²⁰ He will do the same with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin gift. So the religious leader will pay for their sins. And they will be forgiven. ²¹ Then he will bring the bull away from the tents and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin gift for all the people.

²² ‘When a leader sins without meaning to, by doing any of all the things the Lord God has told us not to do, he becomes guilty. ²³ If his sin is made known to him, he will bring for his gift a male goat that is perfect. ²⁴ He will lay his hand on the head of the male goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt gifts before the Lord. It is a sin gift. ²⁵ Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts. ²⁶ He will burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the peace gifts. So the religious leader will pay the price for the man’s sin. And he will be forgiven.

²⁷ ‘If anyone among the people of the land sins without meaning to, by doing any of the things the Lord said not to do, he becomes guilty. ²⁸ If his sin is made known to him, he will bring for his gift a female goat that is perfect, for the sin he has done. ²⁹ He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill the sin gift at the place of burnt gifts. ³⁰ The religious leader will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³¹ Then he will take all its fat, just as the fat was taken from the peace gifts. And the religious leader will burn it on the altar for a pleasing smell to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for his sin. And he will be forgiven.

³² ‘If he brings a lamb for a sin gift, he will bring a female lamb that is perfect. ³³ He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill it for a sin gift in the place where they kill the burnt gifts. ³⁴ The religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵ Then he will take all its fat, just as the lamb’s fat is taken from the peace gifts. The religious leader will burn it on the altar, on the gifts by fire to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for him the price for the sin he has done. And he will be forgiven.