Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,^(A) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean^(B) for any of his people who die,^{(C) 2} except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,^(D) 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.^{(E) 4} He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,^[a] and so defile himself.

⁵ “‘Priests must not shave^(F) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards^(G) or cut their bodies.^{(H) 6} They must be holy to their God^(I) and must not profane the name of their God.^(J) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,^(K) the food of their God,^(L) they are to be holy.^(M)

⁷ “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,^(N) because priests are holy to their God.^{(O) 8} Regard them as holy,^(P) because they offer up the food of your God.^(Q) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.^(R)

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

¹⁰ “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head^(T) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,^(U) must not let his hair become unkempt^[b] or tear his clothes.^{(V) 11} He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.^(W) He must not make himself unclean,^(X) even for his father or mother,^{(Y) 12} nor leave the sanctuary^(Z) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil^(AA) of his God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.^{(AB) 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^(AC) may come near to offer the food of his God.^{(AD) 18} No man who has any defect^(AE) may come near: no man who is blind^(AF) or lame,^(AG) 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.^{(AH) 21} No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect^(AI) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.^(AJ) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.^{(AK) 22} He may eat the most holy food of his God,^(AL) as well as the holy food; ²³ yet because of his defect,^(AM) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.^(AN) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(AO)’”

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^(AP) the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name.^(AQ) I am the Lord.^(AR)

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,^(AS) that person must be cut off from my presence.^(AT) I am the Lord.

⁴ “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease^[c] or a bodily discharge,^(AU) he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse^(AV) or by anyone who has an emission of semen, ⁵ or if he touches any crawling thing^(AW) that makes him unclean, or any person^(AX) who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. ⁶ The one who touches any such thing will be unclean^(AY) till evening.^(AZ) He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.^{(BA) 7} When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food.^{(BB) 8} He must not eat anything found dead^(BC) or torn by wild animals,^(BD) and so become unclean^(BE) through it. I am the Lord.^(BF)

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

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.^{(BK) 11} But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food.^{(BL) 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^(BM) must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value^(BN) to it. ¹⁵ The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings^(BO) the Israelites present to the Lord^{(BP) 16} by allowing them to eat^(BQ) the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt^(BR) requiring payment.^(BS) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(BT)’”

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^(BU)—presents a gift^(BV) for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow^(BW) or as a freewill offering,^{(BX) 19} you must present a male without defect^(BY) from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf.^{(BZ) 20} Do not bring anything with a defect,^(CA) because it will not be accepted on your behalf.^{(CB) 21} When anyone brings from the herd or flock^(CC) a fellowship offering^(CD) to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering,^(CE) it must be without defect or blemish^(CF) to be acceptable.^{(CG) 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.^(CH) 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.^(CI) They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.^(CJ)’”

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

²⁹ “When you sacrifice a thank offering^(CP) 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.^(CQ) I am the Lord.^(CR)

³¹ “Keep^(CS) my commands and follow them.^(CT) I am the Lord. ³² Do not profane my holy name,^(CU) for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.^(CV) I am the Lord, who made you holy^{(CW) 33} and who brought you out of Egypt^(CX) to be your God.^(CY) 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,^(CZ) the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.^(DA)

The Sabbath

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

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread^(DE)

⁴ “‘These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times:^{(DF) 5} The Lord’s Passover^(DG) begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.^{(DH) 6} On the fifteenth day of that month the Lord’s Festival of Unleavened Bread^(DI) begins; for seven days^(DJ) you must eat bread made without yeast. ⁷ On the first day hold a sacred assembly^(DK) and do no regular work. ⁸ For seven days present a food offering to the Lord.^(DL) 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^(DM) and you reap its harvest,^(DN) bring to the priest a sheaf^(DO) of the first grain you harvest.^{(DP) 11} He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord^(DQ) so it will be accepted^(DR) 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^(DS) without defect,^{(DT) 13} together with its grain offering^(DU) of two-tenths of an ephah^[e](DV) of the finest flour mixed with olive oil—a food offering presented to the Lord, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering^(DW) of a quarter of a hin^[f] of wine.^{(DX) 14} You must not eat any bread, or roasted or new grain,^(DY) until the very day you bring this offering to your God.^(DZ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come,^(EA) wherever you live.^(EB)

The Festival of Weeks^(EC)

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,^(ED) 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^(EE) of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits^(EF) 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^(EG)—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,^(EH) 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^(EI) and do no regular work.^(EJ) This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live.

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

The Festival of Trumpets^(EN)

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^(EO) commemorated with trumpet blasts.^{(EP) 25} Do no regular work,^(EQ) but present a food offering to the Lord.^(ER)’”

The Day of Atonement^(ES)

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The tenth day of this seventh month^(ET) is the Day of Atonement.^(EU) Hold a sacred assembly^(EV) and deny yourselves,^[h] and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work^(EW) 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.^{(EX) 30} I will destroy from among their people^(EY) anyone who does any work on that day. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance^(EZ) for the generations to come, wherever you live. ³² It is a day of sabbath rest^(FA) 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.”^(FB)

The Festival of Tabernacles^(FC)

³³ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁴ “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh^(FD) month the Lord’s Festival of Tabernacles^(FE) begins, and it lasts for seven days. ³⁵ The first day is a sacred assembly;^(FF) do no regular work.^{(FG) 36} For seven days present food offerings to the Lord, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly^(FH) and present a food offering to the Lord.^(FI) 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^(FJ) required for each day. ³⁸ These offerings^(FK) are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbaths^(FL) and^[i] in addition to your gifts and whatever you have vowed and all the freewill offerings^(FM) 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^(FN) to the Lord for seven days;^(FO) 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^(FP) from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees^(FQ)—and rejoice^(FR) 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^(FS) for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters ⁴³ so your descendants will know^(FT) 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.

Olive Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord^(FU)

24 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. ³ Outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps before the Lord from evening till morning, continually. This is to be a lasting ordinance^(FV) for the generations to come. ⁴ The lamps on the pure gold lampstand^(FW) before the Lord must be tended continually.

⁵ “Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread,^(FX) using two-tenths of an ephah^[j](FY) for each loaf. ⁶ Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold^(FZ) before the Lord. ⁷ By each stack put some pure incense^(GA) as a memorial^[k] portion^(GB) to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. ⁸ This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly,^(GC) Sabbath after Sabbath,^(GD) on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons,^(GE) who are to eat it in the sanctuary area,^(GF) because it is a most holy^(GG) part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.”

A Blasphemer Put to Death

¹⁰ Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name^(GH) with a curse;^(GI) so they brought him to Moses.^(GJ) (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.)^{(GK) 12} They put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be made clear to them.^(GL)

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses: ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.^{(GM) 15} Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God^(GN) will be held responsible;^{(GO) 16} anyone who blasphemes^(GP) the name of the Lord is to be put to death.^(GQ) The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.

¹⁷ “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death.^{(GR) 18} Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution^(GS)—life for life. ¹⁹ Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner: ²⁰ fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.^(GT) The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. ²¹ Whoever kills an animal must make restitution,^(GU) but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death.^{(GV) 22} You are to have the same law for the foreigner^(GW) and the native-born.^(GX) I am the Lord your God.’”

²³ Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him.^(GY) The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.

¹⁵ “‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok^(A) and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat^(B) and blood, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(C) 16} They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table^(D) to minister before me and serve me as guards.^(E)

¹⁷ “‘When they enter the gates of the inner court, they are to wear linen clothes;^(F) they must not wear any woolen garment while ministering at the gates of the inner court or inside the temple. ¹⁸ They are to wear linen turbans^(G) on their heads and linen undergarments^(H) around their waists. They must not wear anything that makes them perspire.^{(I) 19} When they go out into the outer court where the people are, they are to take off the clothes they have been ministering in and are to leave them in the sacred rooms, and put on other clothes, so that the people are not consecrated^(J) through contact with their garments.^(K)

²⁰ “‘They must not shave^(L) their heads or let their hair grow long, but they are to keep the hair of their heads trimmed.^{(M) 21} No priest is to drink wine when he enters the inner court.^{(N) 22} They must not marry widows or divorced women; they may marry only virgins of Israelite descent or widows of priests.^{(O) 23} They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common^(P) and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.^(Q)

²⁴ “‘In any dispute, the priests are to serve as judges^(R) and decide it according to my ordinances. They are to keep my laws and my decrees for all my appointed festivals,^(S) and they are to keep my Sabbaths holy.^(T)

²⁵ “‘A priest must not defile himself by going near a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then he may defile himself.^{(U) 26} After he is cleansed, he must wait seven days.^{(V) 27} On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary^(W) to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering^[a](X) for himself, declares the Sovereign Lord.

²⁸ “‘I am to be the only inheritance^(Y) the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. ²⁹ They will eat^(Z) the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted^[b] to the Lord^(AA) will belong to them.^{(AB) 30} The best of all the firstfruits^(AC) and of all your special gifts will belong to the priests. You are to give them the first portion of your ground meal^(AD) so that a blessing^(AE) may rest on your household.^{(AF) 31} The priests must not eat anything, whether bird or animal, found dead^(AG) or torn by wild animals.^(AH)

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(A) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(B)

The Parable of the Great Banquet^(C)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast^(D) in the kingdom of God.”^(E)

¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’^(F)

²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”^(G)

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone^(A)—rejected by humans but chosen by God^(B) and precious to him— ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built^(C) into a spiritual house^[a](D) to be a holy priesthood,^(E) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^{(F) 6} For in Scripture it says:

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,^(I)

⁸ and,

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.^(M)

⁹ But you are a chosen people,^(N) a royal priesthood,^(O) a holy nation,^(P) God’s special possession,^(Q) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^{(R) 10} Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(S) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.