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The First Sacrifices Offered by Aaron and His Sons

Eight days later Moses called together Aaron, his sons, and Israel's leaders. Then he said to Aaron:

Find a young bull and a ram that have nothing wrong with them. Offer the bull to the Lord as a sacrifice for sin and the ram as a sacrifice to please him.[a]

Tell the people of Israel that they must offer sacrifices as well. They must offer a goat[b] as a sacrifice for sin, and a bull and a ram as a sacrifice to please the Lord. The bull and the ram must be a year old and have nothing wrong with them. Then the people must offer a bull and a ram as a sacrifice to ask the Lord's blessing[c] and also a grain sacrifice[d] mixed with oil. Do this, because the Lord will appear to you today.

After the animals and the grain had been brought to the front of the sacred tent, and the people were standing there in the presence of the Lord, Moses said:

The Lord has ordered you to do this, so that he may appear to you in all of his glory. (A) Aaron, step up to the altar and offer the sacrifice to please the Lord, then offer the sacrifices for the forgiveness of your sins and for the sins of the people, just as the Lord has commanded.

Aaron stepped up to the altar and killed the bull that was to be the sacrifice for his sins. His sons brought him the blood. He dipped a finger in it, smeared some on the four corners of the bronze altar, and poured out the rest at its foot. 10 But he sent up in smoke the fat, the kidneys, and the lower part of the liver, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 Then Aaron burned the skin and the flesh outside the camp.

12 After Aaron had killed the ram that was sacrificed to please the Lord, Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all four sides of the altar. 13 They brought him each piece of the animal, including the head, and he burned them all on the altar. 14 He washed the insides and the hind legs and also sent them up in smoke.

15 Next, Aaron sacrificed the goat for the sins of the people, as he had done with the sacrifice for his own sins. 16 And so, he burned this sacrifice on the altar in the proper way. 17 He also presented the grain sacrifice and burned a handful of the flour on the altar as part of the morning sacrifice.

18 (B) Finally, he killed the bull and the ram as a sacrifice to ask the Lord's blessing on the people. Aaron's sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against the four sides of the altar. 19 His sons placed all the fat, as well as the kidneys and the lower part of the liver 20 on top of the choice ribs. 21 Then Aaron burned the fat on the altar and lifted up[e] the ribs and the right hind leg to show that these were dedicated to the Lord. This was done just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

22 (C) Aaron held out his hand and gave the people his blessing, before coming down from the bronze altar where he had offered the sacrifices. 23 He and Moses went into the sacred tent, and when they came out, they gave the people their blessing. Then the Lord appeared to the people in all of his glory. 24 The Lord sent fiery flames that burned up everything on the altar, and when everyone saw this, they shouted and fell to their knees to worship the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 9.2 sacrifice to please him: See the note at 1.1-3.
  2. 9.3 goat: See the note at 1.1-3.
  3. 9.4 to ask the Lord's blessing: See the note at 3.1.
  4. 9.4 grain sacrifice: To give thanks to the Lord (see the note at 2.1).
  5. 9.21 lifted up: See the note at 7.29,30.

The Priests Begin Their Ministry

On the eighth day(A) Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders(B) of Israel. He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering[a] and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the Lord. Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat(C) for a sin offering,(D) a calf(E) and a lamb(F)—both a year old and without defect—for a burnt offering, and an ox[b](G) and a ram for a fellowship offering(H) to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a grain offering mixed with olive oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.(I)’”

They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord(J) may appear to you.”

Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people;(K) sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.(L)

So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering(M) for himself. His sons brought the blood to him,(N) and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.(O) 10 On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the Lord commanded Moses; 11 the flesh and the hide(P) he burned up outside the camp.(Q)

12 Then he slaughtered the burnt offering.(R) His sons handed him the blood,(S) and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 13 They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.(T) 14 He washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.(U)

15 Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people.(V) He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.

16 He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.(W) 17 He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.(X)

18 He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people.(Y) His sons handed him the blood, and he splashed it against the sides of the altar. 19 But the fat portions of the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver— 20 these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar. 21 Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering,(Z) as Moses commanded.

22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.(AA) And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

23 Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting.(AB) When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord(AC) appeared to all the people. 24 Fire(AD) came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 9:2 Or purification offering; here and throughout this chapter
  2. Leviticus 9:4 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female; also in verses 18 and 19.