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Leviticus 20-23
New King James Version

Penalties for Breaking the Law

20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 (A)“Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: (B)‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who [a]dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall (C)stone him with stones. 3 (D)I will set My face against that man, and will [b]cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. 4 And if the people of the land should in any way [c]hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, 5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.

6 ‘And (E)the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 (F)Consecrate[d] yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 And you shall keep (G)My statutes, and perform them: (H)I am the Lord who [e]sanctifies you.

9 ‘For (I)everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. (J)His blood shall be upon him.

10 (K)‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. 11 The man who lies with his (L)father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 12 If a man lies with his (M)daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. 13 (N)If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 14 If a man marries a woman and her (O)mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. 15 If a man mates with an (P)animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

17 ‘If a man takes his (Q)sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be [f]cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his [g]guilt. 18 (R)If a man lies with a woman during her [h]sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has [i]exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be [j]cut off from their people.

19 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your (S)mother’s sister nor of your (T)father’s sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. 20 If a man lies with his (U)uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his (V)brother’s wife, it is an [k]unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

22 ‘You shall therefore keep all My (W)statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell (X)may not vomit you out. 23 (Y)And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and (Z)therefore I abhor them. 24 But (AA)I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, (AB)who has separated you from the peoples. 25 (AC)You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, (AD)and you shall not make yourselves [l]abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as [m]unclean. 26 And you shall be holy to Me, (AE)for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

27 (AF)‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”

Regulations for Conduct of Priests(AG)

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: (AH)‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; 3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. 4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a [n]chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 (AI)‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be (AJ)holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the (AK)bread of their God; (AL)therefore they shall be holy. 7 (AM)They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman (AN)divorced from her husband; for [o]the priest is holy to his God. 8 Therefore you shall [p]consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for (AO)I the Lord, who (AP)sanctify you, am holy. 9 The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be (AQ)burned with fire.

10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was (AR)poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not (AS)uncover[q] his head nor tear his clothes; 11 nor shall he go (AT)near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 (AU)nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the (AV)consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. 15 Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the Lord sanctify him.’ ”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying: ‘No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For any man who has a (AW)defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb (AX)too long, 19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. 21 No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; 23 only he shall not go near the (AY)veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest (AZ)he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ”

24 And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

The Holiness of the Offerings

22 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they (BA)separate[r] themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they (BB)do not profane My holy name by what they (BC)dedicate to Me: I am the Lord. 3 Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the Lord, (BD)while he has [s]uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the Lord.

4 ‘Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a (BE)leper or has (BF)a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings (BG)until he is clean. And (BH)whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or (BI)a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 or (BJ)whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or (BK)any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be— 6 the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he (BL)washes his body with water. 7 And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because (BM)it is his food. 8 (BN)Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the Lord.

9 ‘They shall therefore keep (BO)My [t]ordinance, (BP)lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the Lord sanctify them.

10 (BQ)‘No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who [u]dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. 11 But if the priest (BR)buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food. 12 If the priest’s daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. 13 But if the priest’s daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food; but no outsider shall eat it.

14 ‘And if a man eats the holy offering unintentionally, then he shall restore a holy offering to the priest, and add one-fifth to it. 15 They shall not profane the (BS)holy offerings of the children of Israel, which they offer to the Lord, 16 or allow them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy offerings; for I the Lord sanctify them.’ ”

Offerings Accepted and Not Accepted

17 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: (BT)‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who [v]offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings, which they offer to the Lord as a burnt offering— 19 (BU)you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. 20 (BV)Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. 21 And (BW)whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, (BX)to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22 (BY)Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an [w]ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make (BZ)an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb (CA)too long or too short you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be accepted.

24 ‘You shall not offer to the Lord what is bruised or crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your land. 25 Nor (CB)from a foreigner’s hand shall you offer any of these as (CC)the bread of your God, because their (CD)corruption is in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on your behalf.’ ”

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 (CE)“When a bull or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall be seven days with its mother; and from the eighth day and thereafter it shall be accepted as an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 Whether it is a cow or ewe, do not kill both her (CF)and her young on the same day. 29 And when you (CG)offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will. 30 On the same day it shall be eaten; you shall leave (CH)none of it until morning: I am the Lord.

31 (CI)“Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord. 32 (CJ)You shall not profane My holy name, but (CK)I will be [x]hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who (CL)sanctifies you, 33 (CM)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”

Feasts of the Lord

23 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be (CN)holy convocations, these are My feasts.

The Sabbath

3 (CO)‘Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

The Passover and Unleavened Bread(CP)

4 (CQ)‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 (CR)On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 (CS)On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no [y]customary work on it. 8 But you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord for seven days. The seventh day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.’ ”

The Feast of Firstfruits

9 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (CT)‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of (CU)the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall (CV)wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 Its grain offering shall be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord, for a [z]sweet aroma; and its drink offering shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

The Feast of Weeks(CW)

15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count (CX)fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer (CY)a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are (CZ)the firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs of the first year, without blemish, one young bull, and two rams. They shall be as a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 19 Then you shall sacrifice (DA)one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a (DB)peace offering. 20 The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. (DC)They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall proclaim on the same day that it is a holy convocation to you. You shall do no customary work on it. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 (DD)‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

The Feast of Trumpets(DE)

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the (DF)seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, (DG)a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.’ ”

The Day of Atonement(DH)

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 (DI)“Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, (DJ)to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not (DK)afflicted in soul on that same day (DL)shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, (DM)that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [aa]afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall [ab]celebrate your sabbath.”

The Feast of Tabernacles(DN)

33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (DO)‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Lord. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an (DP)offering made by fire to the Lord. (DQ)On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It is a (DR)sacred[ac] assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

37 (DS)‘These are the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the Lord, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 (DT)besides the Sabbaths of the Lord, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the Lord.

39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have (DU)gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the Lord for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And (DV)you shall take for yourselves on the first day the [ad]fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; (DW)and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 (DX)You shall keep it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 (DY)You shall dwell in [ae]booths for seven days. (DZ)All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 (EA)that your generations may (EB)know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when (EC)I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

44 So Moses (ED)declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 20:2 As resident aliens
  2. Leviticus 20:3 Put him to death
  3. Leviticus 20:4 disregard
  4. Leviticus 20:7 Set yourselves apart for the Lord
  5. Leviticus 20:8 sets you apart
  6. Leviticus 20:17 Put to death
  7. Leviticus 20:17 iniquity
  8. Leviticus 20:18 Or customary impurity
  9. Leviticus 20:18 Lit. made bare
  10. Leviticus 20:18 Put to death
  11. Leviticus 20:21 indecent, impure
  12. Leviticus 20:25 detestable or loathsome
  13. Leviticus 20:25 defiled
  14. Leviticus 21:4 Lit. master or husband
  15. Leviticus 21:7 Lit. he
  16. Leviticus 21:8 set him apart
  17. Leviticus 21:10 In mourning
  18. Leviticus 22:2 keep themselves apart from
  19. Leviticus 22:3 defilement
  20. Leviticus 22:9 charge
  21. Leviticus 22:10 As a visitor
  22. Leviticus 22:18 brings his offering
  23. Leviticus 22:22 running sore
  24. Leviticus 22:32 treated as holy
  25. Leviticus 23:7 occupational
  26. Leviticus 23:13 pleasing
  27. Leviticus 23:32 humble yourselves
  28. Leviticus 23:32 observe your sabbath
  29. Leviticus 23:36 solemn
  30. Leviticus 23:40 foliage
  31. Leviticus 23:42 tabernacles; shelters made of boughs
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Leviticus 20-23
New International Version

Punishments for Sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.(A) The members of the community are to stone him.(B) 3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;(C) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled(D) my sanctuary(E) and profaned my holy name.(F) 4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,(G) 5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.(H)

7 “‘Consecrate yourselves(I) and be holy,(J) because I am the Lord your God.(K) 8 Keep my decrees(L) and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(M)

9 “‘Anyone who curses their father(N) or mother(O) is to be put to death.(P) Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.(Q)

10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife(R)—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.(S)

11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.(T) Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.(U)

12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,(V) both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.(W) They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,(X) it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,(Y) so that no wickedness will be among you.(Z)

15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,(AA) he is to be put to death,(AB) and you must kill the animal.

16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17 “‘If a man marries his sister(AC), the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed(AD) from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.(AE)

18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,(AF) he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.(AG)

19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,(AH) for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,(AI) he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.(AJ)

21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,(AK) it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.(AL)

22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws(AM) and follow them, so that the land(AN) where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations(AO) I am going to drive out before you.(AP) Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.(AQ) 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”(AR) I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.(AS)

25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.(AT) Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me(AU) because I, the Lord, am holy,(AV) and I have set you apart from the nations(AW) to be my own.

27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium(AX) or spiritist among you must be put to death.(AY) You are to stone them;(AZ) their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,(BA) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean(BB) for any of his people who die,(BC) 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,(BD) his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.(BE) 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.

5 “‘Priests must not shave(BF) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards(BG) or cut their bodies.(BH) 6 They must be holy to their God(BI) and must not profane the name of their God.(BJ) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,(BK) the food of their God,(BL) they are to be holy.(BM)

7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,(BN) because priests are holy to their God.(BO) 8 Regard them as holy,(BP) because they offer up the food of your God.(BQ) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.(BR)

9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.(BS)

10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head(BT) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,(BU) must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes.(BV) 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.(BW) He must not make himself unclean,(BX) even for his father or mother,(BY) 12 nor leave the sanctuary(BZ) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil(CA) of his God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.(CB) 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect(CC) may come near to offer the food of his God.(CD) 18 No man who has any defect(CE) may come near: no man who is blind(CF) or lame,(CG) disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.(CH) 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect(CI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.(CJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.(CK) 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God,(CL) as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect,(CM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.(CN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(CO)’”

24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

22 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings(CP) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.(CQ) I am the Lord.(CR)

3 “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord,(CS) that person must be cut off from my presence.(CT) I am the Lord.

4 “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[c] or a bodily discharge,(CU) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse(CV) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5 or if he touches any crawling thing(CW) that makes him unclean, or any person(CX) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 The one who touches any such thing will be unclean(CY) till evening.(CZ) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.(DA) 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.(DB) 8 He must not eat anything found dead(DC) or torn by wild animals,(DD) and so become unclean(DE) through it. I am the Lord.(DF)

9 “‘The priests are to perform my service(DG) in such a way that they do not become guilty(DH) and die(DI) for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(DJ)

10 “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it.(DK) 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.(DL) 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.

14 “‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake(DM) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value(DN) to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings(DO) the Israelites present to the Lord(DP) 16 by allowing them to eat(DQ) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt(DR) requiring payment.(DS) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.(DT)’”

Unacceptable Sacrifices

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel(DU)—presents a gift(DV) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow(DW) or as a freewill offering,(DX) 19 you must present a male without defect(DY) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.(DZ) 20 Do not bring anything with a defect,(EA) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.(EB) 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock(EC) a fellowship offering(ED) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,(EE) it must be without defect or blemish(EF) to be acceptable.(EG) 22 Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[d] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.(EH) You must not do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.(EI) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.(EJ)’”

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf, a lamb or a goat(EK) is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days.(EL) From the eighth day(EM) on, it will be acceptable(EN) as a food offering presented to the Lord. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.(EO)

29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering(EP) to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning.(EQ) I am the Lord.(ER)

31 “Keep(ES) my commands and follow them.(ET) I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name,(EU) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.(EV) I am the Lord, who made you holy(EW) 33 and who brought you out of Egypt(EX) to be your God.(EY) I am the Lord.”

The Appointed Festivals

23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed festivals,(EZ) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.(FA)

The Sabbath

3 “‘There are six days when you may work,(FB) but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest,(FC) a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work;(FD) wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread(FE)

4 “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:(FF) 5 The Lord’s Passover(FG) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.(FH) 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread(FI) begins; for seven days(FJ) you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day hold a sacred assembly(FK) and do no regular work. 8 For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.(FL) And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.’”

Offering the Firstfruits

9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you(FM) and you reap its harvest,(FN) bring to the priest a sheaf(FO) of the first grain you harvest.(FP) 11 He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord(FQ) so it will be accepted(FR) on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the Lord a lamb a year old(FS) without defect,(FT) 13 together with its grain offering(FU) of two-tenths of an ephah[e](FV) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering(FW) of a quarter of a hin[f] of wine.(FX) 14 You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,(FY) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.(FZ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,(GA) wherever you live.(GB)

The Festival of Weeks(GC)

15 “‘From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. 16 Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath,(GD) and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah(GE) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits(GF) to the Lord. 18 Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings(GG)—a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering[g] and two lambs, each a year old, for a fellowship offering. 20 The priest is to wave the two lambs before the Lord as a wave offering,(GH) together with the bread of the firstfruits. They are a sacred offering to the Lord for the priest. 21 On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly(GI) and do no regular work.(GJ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

22 “‘When you reap the harvest(GK) of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(GL) Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.(GM) I am the Lord your God.’”

The Festival of Trumpets(GN)

23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly(GO) commemorated with trumpet blasts.(GP) 25 Do no regular work,(GQ) but present a food offering to the Lord.(GR)’”

The Day of Atonement(GS)

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month(GT) is the Day of Atonement.(GU) Hold a sacred assembly(GV) and deny yourselves,[h] and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work(GW) on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. 29 Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people.(GX) 30 I will destroy from among their people(GY) anyone who does any work on that day. 31 You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance(GZ) for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32 It is a day of sabbath rest(HA) for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”(HB)

The Festival of Tabernacles(HC)

33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh(HD) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles(HE) begins, and it lasts for seven days. 35 The first day is a sacred assembly;(HF) do no regular work.(HG) 36 For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly(HH) and present a food offering to the Lord.(HI) It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work.

37 (“‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for bringing food offerings to the Lord—the burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings(HJ) required for each day. 38 These offerings(HK) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths(HL) and[i] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings(HM) you give to the Lord.)

39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival(HN) to the Lord for seven days;(HO) the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches(HP) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees(HQ)—and rejoice(HR) before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters(HS) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know(HT) that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

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

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:4 Or unclean as a leader among his people
  2. Leviticus 21:10 Or not uncover his head
  3. Leviticus 22:4 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  4. Leviticus 22:23 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  5. Leviticus 23:13 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms; also in verse 17
  6. Leviticus 23:13 That is, about 1 quart or about 1 liter
  7. Leviticus 23:19 Or purification offering
  8. Leviticus 23:27 Or and fast; similarly in verses 29 and 32
  9. Leviticus 23:38 Or These festivals are in addition to the Lord’s Sabbaths, and these offerings are
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