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Leviticus 21-24
New King James Version

Regulations for Conduct of Priests(A)

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: (B)‘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 [a]chief man among his people, to profane himself.

5 (C)‘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 (D)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 (E)bread of their God; (F)therefore they shall be holy. 7 (G)They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman (H)divorced from her husband; for [b]the priest is holy to his God. 8 Therefore you shall [c]consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for (I)I the Lord, who (J)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 (K)burned with fire.

10 ‘He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was (L)poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not (M)uncover[d] his head nor tear his clothes; 11 nor shall he go (N)near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 (O)nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the (P)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 (Q)defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb (R)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 (S)veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest (T)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 (U)separate[e] themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they (V)do not profane My holy name by what they (W)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, (X)while he has [f]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 (Y)leper or has (Z)a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings (AA)until he is clean. And (AB)whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or (AC)a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 or (AD)whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or (AE)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 (AF)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 (AG)it is his food. 8 (AH)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 (AI)My [g]ordinance, (AJ)lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the Lord sanctify them.

10 (AK)‘No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who [h]dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. 11 But if the priest (AL)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 (AM)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: (AN)‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who [i]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 (AO)you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. 20 (AP)Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. 21 And (AQ)whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, (AR)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 (AS)Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an [j]ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make (AT)an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb (AU)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 (AV)from a foreigner’s hand shall you offer any of these as (AW)the bread of your God, because their (AX)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 (AY)“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 (AZ)and her young on the same day. 29 And when you (BA)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 (BB)none of it until morning: I am the Lord.

31 (BC)“Therefore you shall keep My commandments, and perform them: I am the Lord. 32 (BD)You shall not profane My holy name, but (BE)I will be [k]hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who (BF)sanctifies you, 33 (BG)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 (BH)holy convocations, these are My feasts.

The Sabbath

3 (BI)‘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(BJ)

4 (BK)‘These are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 (BL)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 (BM)On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no [l]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: (BN)‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of (BO)the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall (BP)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 [m]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(BQ)

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 (BR)fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer (BS)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 (BT)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 (BU)one kid of the goats as a sin offering, and two male lambs of the first year as a sacrifice of a (BV)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. (BW)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 (BX)‘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(BY)

23 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the (BZ)seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, (CA)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(CB)

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 27 (CC)“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, (CD)to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For any person who is not (CE)afflicted in soul on that same day (CF)shall be cut off from his people. 30 And any person who does any work on that same day, (CG)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 [n]afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall [o]celebrate your sabbath.”

The Feast of Tabernacles(CH)

33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: (CI)‘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 (CJ)offering made by fire to the Lord. (CK)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 (CL)sacred[p] assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.

37 (CM)‘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 (CN)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 (CO)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 (CP)you shall take for yourselves on the first day the [q]fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; (CQ)and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 (CR)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 (CS)You shall dwell in [r]booths for seven days. (CT)All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 (CU)that your generations may (CV)know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when (CW)I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’ ”

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

Care of the Tabernacle Lamps(CY)

24 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 (CZ)“Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. 3 Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations. 4 He shall [s]be in charge of the lamps on (DA)the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.

The Bread of the Tabernacle

5 “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve (DB)cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six in a row, (DC)on the pure gold table before the Lord. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a (DD)memorial, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 8 (DE)Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 And (DF)it shall be for Aaron and his sons, (DG)and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute.”

The Penalty for Blasphemy

10 Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and this Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. 11 And the Israelite woman’s son (DH)blasphemed the name of the Lord and (DI)cursed; and so they (DJ)brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 Then they (DK)put him [t]in custody, (DL)that [u]the mind of the Lord might be shown to them.

13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him (DM)lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

15 “Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Whoever curses his God (DN)shall [v]bear his sin. 16 And whoever (DO)blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.

17 (DP)‘Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. 18 (DQ)Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.

19 ‘If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as (DR)he has done, so shall it be done to him— 20 fracture for (DS)fracture, (DT)eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. 21 And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have (DU)the[w] same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.’ ”

23 Then Moses spoke to the children of Israel; and they took outside the camp him who had cursed, and stoned him with stones. So the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 21:4 Lit. master or husband
  2. Leviticus 21:7 Lit. he
  3. Leviticus 21:8 set him apart
  4. Leviticus 21:10 In mourning
  5. Leviticus 22:2 keep themselves apart from
  6. Leviticus 22:3 defilement
  7. Leviticus 22:9 charge
  8. Leviticus 22:10 As a visitor
  9. Leviticus 22:18 brings his offering
  10. Leviticus 22:22 running sore
  11. Leviticus 22:32 treated as holy
  12. Leviticus 23:7 occupational
  13. Leviticus 23:13 pleasing
  14. Leviticus 23:32 humble yourselves
  15. Leviticus 23:32 observe your sabbath
  16. Leviticus 23:36 solemn
  17. Leviticus 23:40 foliage
  18. Leviticus 23:42 tabernacles; shelters made of boughs
  19. Leviticus 24:4 arrange or set in order
  20. Leviticus 24:12 under guard
  21. Leviticus 24:12 Lit. it might be declared to them from the mouth of the Lord
  22. Leviticus 24:15 be responsible for
  23. Leviticus 24:22 one standard of judgment
Listen to Leviticus 21-24, Ezekiel 44:15-31, Luke 14:12-24, 1 Peter 2:4-10
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Leviticus 21-24
New International Version

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.

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
  10. Leviticus 24:5 That is, probably about 7 pounds or about 3.2 kilograms
  11. Leviticus 24:7 Or representative
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Leviticus 20
Leviticus 25
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Ezekiel 44:15-31
New King James Version

15 (A)“But the priests, the Levites, (B)the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary (C)when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they (D)shall stand before Me to offer to Me the (E)fat and the blood,” says the Lord God. 16 “They shall (F)enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near (G)My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. 17 And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that (H)they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 (I)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. 19 When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, (J)they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall (K)not sanctify the people.

20 (L)“They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow (M)long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. 21 (N)No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. 22 They shall not take as wife a (O)widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

23 “And (P)they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to (Q)discern between the unclean and the clean. 24 (R)In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, (S)and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

25 “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. 26 (T)After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. 27 And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, (U)he must offer his sin offering (V)in the inner court,” says the Lord God.

28 “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I (W)am their inheritance. You shall give them no (X)possession in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 (Y)They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; (Z)every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 The (AA)best[a] of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you (AB)shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, (AC)to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that (AD)died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:30 Lit. first
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Ezekiel 44:15-31
New International Version

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)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 44:27 Or purification offering; also in verse 29
  2. Ezekiel 44:29 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
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Ezekiel 43
Ezekiel 45
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Luke 14:12-24
New King James Version

12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite (A)the poor, the [a]maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be (B)blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

The Parable of the Great Supper(C)

15 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, (D)“Blessed is he who shall eat [b]bread in the kingdom of God!”

16 (E)Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and (F)sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the [c]maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you (G)that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 14:13 crippled
  2. Luke 14:15 M dinner
  3. Luke 14:21 crippled
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Luke 14:12-24
New International Version

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)

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1 Peter 2:4-10
New King James Version

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People(A)

4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, (B)rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

(C)“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who [a]are disobedient,

(D)“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”

8 and

(E)“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

(F)They stumble, being disobedient to the word, (G)to which they also were appointed.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of (H)darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (I)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

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  1. 1 Peter 2:7 NU disbelieve
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1 Peter 2:4-10
New International Version

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:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
    a chosen and precious cornerstone,(G)
and the one who trusts in him
    will never be put to shame.”[b](H)

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

“The stone the builders rejected(J)
    has become the cornerstone,”[c](K)

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”[d](L)

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.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
  2. 1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16
  3. 1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22
  4. 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14
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1 Peter 3
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